Zune firmware update 1.3 now available

I picked up a Microsoft Zune back in November and subscribed to the all-you-can-eat Zune subscription service for a couple of months. However, since I already paid for a year of Yahoo! Music that I could use on my T-mobile Dash and a Nokia N91 I didn't see the value in continuing to pay over US$15/month. I have been using it to watch video content while traveling, but recently went back to using my PSP for more of that too so my Zune has been sitting in a drawer gathering dust. I read on the ZuneInsider blog that firmware version 1.3 was released yesterday, but no major changes were made and the update is really a patch for problems that should not have been there in the first place.

Fixes in the new update include:

• Fixes to the skipping problem some people were experiencing with content from the Zune Marketplace.
  
• Improved device and software reliability, particularly focused on device detection and syncing.
  
• FM tuner battery life improvements in sleep mode.

There was no pres release issued on the official Zune.net site or anything, but you should find the update prompt when you connect your Zune to the Zune desktop software. People are still hoping for a future update that provides podcast support, more functionality for the WiFi radio, lossless audio support, games, ebooks, and more, but there is no word on when any of these features may be added.