Next month, the other big digital media player on the block tries once again to steal some of that coveted iPod thunder. Yep, here comes the new Zune.

Make that new Zunes. Microsoft's answer to the Apple device will roll out in three flavors: A black 80GB hard-drive beauty for $249.99, a smaller 4GB ($149.99) and 8GB ($199.99) flash models in pink, green, black and glossy red.

And talk about welcoming folks to a new social. The new Zune sports a built-in FM tuner, wireless sync over home Wi-Fi and extended wireless sharing for pictures and audio, now with three plays per shared song with no other restrictions.

But the Zune tune doesn't stop there. There's also Zune Social, a beta online community to share music tastes that launches next month as well. Also, the Zune Marketplace gets a facelift with music videos, audio and video podcasts and more than 1 million DRM-free MP3s, in addition to its more than 3 million songs.

Ears won't have all the fun. The new Zune will take recorded TV content on the go, provided it's recorded on Windows Media Center for Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate. And the new player has Zune Pad touch-sensitive navigation so you can flick through songs, photos or video.

The new Zunes drop Nov. 13.

René A. Guzman | 210SA Contributor