Microsoft kicked in the next gear in the Zune marketing. They prepared TV ads, launched the official Zune site zune.net and handed out Zune players to a couple of sites to give them some hands on time to bond with THE Apple iPod killer.

Microsoft will launch the Zune music player and the Zune market place (aka iTunes for Zune) in 11 days in the United States (only in the US).

Microsoft Zune marketing revolves around social. Quote from the zune.net site:
"Zune is more than just a digital media player. It's your connection to a world of media and to entertainment-loving people like yourself. With Zune, you can discover new favorites and share your discoveries and your friends and family."

Sounds peachy. Will it be enough though to irritate Apple? Gizmodo just published a full review of the Zune player.
See Zune hands on photos on Gizmodo and on Engadget. See the Zune TV ads on Gizmodo.

Amazon.com takes Zune orders already since a while.