Still no release date for Zune in Canada. In fact Microsoft has only released Zune officially in the US. According to ZuneCanada.com, a website devoted to seeing Zune up here. Zune Canada has repeated rumors of an intended release date in spring but no word yet.

Zune had been sold in Canada prematurely online through a service called TigerDirect.com. The Canadian website was selling Zune from its US inventory until bloggers started reporting on it and the problem was quickly corrected. Although, lack of Canadian distribution has still not stopped American auctions from selling Zune to Canadian buyers on Ebay.

If you’re a potential Zune buyer in Canada we wouldn’t recommend using an auction to get on board Zune. There are several potential problems when buying into Zune as a Canadian resident starting with the warranty. A product like Zune is tied to distribution of media. Since Zune is not compatible with Microsoft’s PlaysForSure DRM you’ll need either non-DRM media or media provided through the Zune service. Using a Canadian address can only complicate your Zune life, at least for now. Microsoft says it intends to start selling Zune in Canada, it just doesn’t know when. 

Zune Le Peepee

Microsoft did a lot of market research before naming Zune including throughout French Canada. “Zoune” is a little used slang expression of the Quebecois kiddie vernacular used to describe the organ through which one urinates, either male or female. The pronunciation is almost identical. Apparently the word is inoffensive to the French as it is the equivalent to using the word pee-pee in English. Apparently Microsoft market research uncovered the transgression in advance but decided to say piss on it and use Zune anyway. You’ll have to excuse the snickering coming from the eastern province when Zune is finally released in the land that rules hockey.