Zune tipsters tell us that the Microsoft Zune is going to be launched the week before Thanksgiving this November. Whether that means Tuesday the 14th, Friday the 17th, or heck, maybe even Wednesday or Thursday, we have no idea. The point is Microsoft wants to start their buzz around that week, so it will be hard to get the following week. What’s that week? Just the biggest “shopping hype” day of the year, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Whatever is hot that day is going to be hot for the rest of the Christmas season. And when local news stations across the country are reporting that the Zune is sold out everywhere, that’s free press for Microsoft.

Other than their Xbox 360-like marketing of the Zune, our tipster says the hard drive could be a 60GB or 30GB, or possibly resulting in two models of Zunes (like the 5G iPod 30GB and 60GB). The 60GB version isn’t confirmed, but the 30GB is definitely in. There’s also going to be lots of first and third party accessories for it at launch, and some different color Zune models to chose from. It has a much larger screen than the iPod (as seen in the pictures) thanks to having only one wheel and two buttons on the “bottom” of the face.

Oh, and Cesar Menendez, the Microsoft blogger in charge of the Zune site has a Myspace page. There’s absolutely nothing there, as he’s deleted all his friends except for Tom, the Asian loving Myspacester. But Cesar is single, 27, in Seattle, and does not want kids. Ladies, what a catch! – Jason Chen