Briefly: Subsidized Zunes; Lego Star Wars

In brief: Microsoft may offer free Zunes with a subscription, Lego Star Wars goes Universal, and Epson develops a new head for inkjet printers. The lead of the Zune marketing division at Microsoft, Jason Reindorp, hints that some future versions of the player may be sold at a discount, or possibly even for free. The key to this is the Zune Pass option at the Zune Marketplace, which unlike the iTunes Store, offers an unlimited music subscription. Much as cellular networks discount the price of a phone with a long-term contract, Zune buyers may be able to sign up for a particular subscription plan and receive a player at a lower cost. At the earliest, such a strategy is most likely to be announced towards the end of 2007.

New Lego Star Wars patch

Aspyr has released the 1.0 Rev A patch for Lego Star Wars, the Traveller's Tales take on the prequel Star Wars trilogy. Players participate in a more comical version of the story, with gameplay elements themed around collecting and constructing Lego. The Rev A patch makes the game a Universal Binary, which should improve performance on Intel Macs.

New inkjet head developed by Epson

Epson says it has developed a new type of head for inkjet printers. It uses a thin-film piezo element, which the company claims provides the "world's highest" amount of distortion. In theory this should increase the cost effectiveness of future printers, the first of the lot being scheduled for later this month. The main focus will be on commercial and industrial uses.

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