Will Microsoft's iPod Killer Include A VoIP Phone?

If Microsoft is going to make an inroads at all with its Zunes iPod rival, it's going to have to make the device perform a lot of tricks the iPod can' dot. Here's a start: Make it a Wi-Fi phone. It's not that farfetched an idea. Microsoft has already announced that the device will include built-in Wi-Fi.

In addition, deep in the Microsoft labs is a project called FonePlus that combines a phone with basic computer functions, such as being able to create and edit Word documents. So Microsoft already has the phone expertise, if it wanted to add phone capabilities to Zune.

If the device already includes Wi-Fi, it wouldn't take much to give it VoIP capabilities, considering that it will also already have audio capabilities built in.

In addition, Microsoft has said it's planning to give the device social networking capabilities, and VoIP would fit right in.

Many phones already include MP3 capabilities, so why not go in the opposite direction and give a portable music player voice capabilities?The device will have some version of Windows on it, so it would be easy to include a simple VoIP app on it. Heck, Microsoft could make a deal with Skype, and include a customized version of Skype.

So don't be surprised if Zunes not only plays music, but lets you talk for free as well.