Finally, Microsoft has officially confirmed its plan regarding the launch of the new Zune HD player. As per the company's Wednesday announcement, the Zune HD, which would the company's competitive product against the Apple iPod Touch, will be made available in the US this fall.

Microsoft said that its new device would feature an HD Radio tuner and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen with a 480 by 272 pixel resolution to enable a widescreen video across the whole display when flicked on its side. Microsoft would also likely announce details about a new Zune-branded video service for the Xbox, at next week's E3 trade show in Los Angeles.

The Zune HD, which also plays videos on a TV, with HDMI input, is based on Windows CE, and will make use of the touchscreen-specific Internet Explorer. The device will use flash memory and, though neither its price nor its capacity has been disclosed, is Microsoft's attempt to take on Apple's high-end iPod models.

With the Zune HD, Microsoft is specifically betting on a radio tuner as a characteristic feature, along with Zune's FM radio. Mentioning Zune's free over-the-air digital radio technology, Chris Stephenson - Microsoft's General Manager of global marketing for Zune - said: "It's really one of the first portable HD radio receivers out there."