This one's a bit convoluted - but stay with us. Gizmondo reckons that Zune will be the final name of Microsoft's forthcoming MP3 player, code-named Argo. The player, it also says, will be on sale for Christmas - in white and possibly black, too.

I4U has a picture of what might be the final design (courtesy of Engadget). This shows a screen that takes up more than two-thirds of the fascia. That suggests to us that this is actually going to be a video player and/or a gaming device.

However, the mole that's been feeding Gizmondo has told the site that there seems to be no game menu, casting doubt on rumours that Zune/Argo will be also be a portable Xbox console - but not explaining the huge display.

The waters are muddied further by Jack Schofield of The Guardian, whose blog today - based on a report in The Seattle Times - seems to support the theory that this will be an Xbox to rival Sony's Playstation Portable [and the big-selling Nintendo DS].  

Jack himself, though, is hoping for something rather different again. He rounds off by saying, "Personally, I'm waiting for Microsoft to come up with a Skype-type mobile phone with 30GB memory which plays music, videos, and games".

Need more info? Well, check out this HEXUS.gaming report, tying some of the loose ends together!

Comments? We're keen to hear yours in the HEXUS.community and will check back later for a bit of carousing, once we've investigated various online reports about Bill Gates having sneezed.

HEXUS.links

HEXUS.community - discussion thread about this article
HEXUS.gaming - Microsoft planning Xbox-branded media products
Gizmondo - Microsoft Argo's Final Name: The Zune?
I4U - Microsoft's Answer To iPod -- The ZUNE!
Jack Schofield blog - Argo aims at more than iPod  
The Seattle Times - Argo aims guns at more than iPod