Zune reviews
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Although I suppose having a dedicated player is kinda sorta maybe neat, I've never really understood what the big deal is about iPod, Zune, or any other such limited creatures. I have a Dell Axim PDA running the MS Pocket PC operating system. Admittedly, the memory card is only 4 gig instead of 30, but it's a rare week that my road trip listening would require more. I see it as the Vette's 12 CD changer on steroids. It also has standard 802.11 wireless, allowing me to control any of the Audiotron music players in my home stereo system via the web among other things. And of course, I can view pictures, play movies, etc. In addition to all of these features, it is of course a PDA, meaning calendar, file system, web browsing, other apps, etc. And what kind of music can I play? Anything you can play on a PC. My library is ripped to wma, but it could just as easily have been mp3. DRM constraints? My personal code of honor. So, maybe I'm just not hip & cool, but I really don't get it. Why on earth would I want to give up all this functionality, embrace the hassle of clumsy and incompatible DRM implmentations and gain little in return for the sacrifices other than the ability to use the iTunes store (with it's proprietary DRM'd files)? Zune? Who cares? But then, that's also what I said about the iPod. P.T. Barnum lives.
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
It is an interface issue. With an iPod I can grab it and stop it playing music or start it or select a song to play in 3 clicks. With a PDA audio is not the primary function and it takes switching to the right app before I can start interacting with the music. Focused devices work well IMO. It is why I like simple mobile-phones, they do a few things well and don't try to be PDAs, video & audio players or anything else. I actually don't need PDA functionality in my life. So why buy a bulky device that does all of that and does audio playing but less efficiently than an iPod or Zune? It is cool we have both types of devices to suit different people. (I also know of no PDA as small as an iPod nano with as good battery life and plug-in-and-synch software.)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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Maximilien wrote:
Paul Watson wrote: Songs are listed as costing 79 "points" which sounds cool except 79 points will cost you $0.99. Now that is marketing. How to shoot yourself in the foot. I can't even start to understand how someone would even think of designing a system like that.
That is roughly equiv to the UK exchange rate in pounds and pence. Jolly nice of MS if you ask me to support the sterling exchange rate.
Blog Have I http:\\www.frankkerrigan.com
Frank Kerrigan wrote:
That is roughly equiv to the UK exchange rate in pounds and pence. Jolly nice of MS if you ask me to support the sterling exchange rate.
Oh you can be sure they will charge £0.99 and not the pound equivalent of $0.99 for songs when it comes to the UK. :)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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It is an interface issue. With an iPod I can grab it and stop it playing music or start it or select a song to play in 3 clicks. With a PDA audio is not the primary function and it takes switching to the right app before I can start interacting with the music. Focused devices work well IMO. It is why I like simple mobile-phones, they do a few things well and don't try to be PDAs, video & audio players or anything else. I actually don't need PDA functionality in my life. So why buy a bulky device that does all of that and does audio playing but less efficiently than an iPod or Zune? It is cool we have both types of devices to suit different people. (I also know of no PDA as small as an iPod nano with as good battery life and plug-in-and-synch software.)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
Paul Watson wrote:
Focused devices work well IMO. It is why I like simple mobile-phones, they do a few things well and don't try to be PDAs, video & audio players or anything else.
Agreed. I had to update my intentionally primative Nokia recently because I wanted a wireless headset. The Nokia had great battery life, no web browser, no camera, no nothing. It was a telephone. The new Motorola is okay I suppose, but comparatively is a PITA to use and the battery life is less than impressive.
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/23/ipod_accessory/[^] *cough* OK then...
Kicking squealing Gucci little piggy.
:laugh:
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Why would you need such a device? Didn't you have that surgery recently where you had RFID chips and all your other technology physically implanted in a place that the kid sister rule prevents me from describing? :)
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
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I can put around 120 albums on mine, so it wouldn't hold your 300. However, I have extremely diverse taste in music, and there is no mood that I've encountered where I'd want to hear a cross section of all those styles on any given day. Since having over 100 albums is sufficient for me, it's not worth the loss of other functionality or tying myself to clumsy DRM systems & proprietary music stores. Dedicated players do have greater capacity, but the way these iPods are hyped, you'd think that they represented something fundamentally new and more useful. It's just a bigger hard drive. Not exactly revolutionary.
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
Dedicated players do have greater capacity, but the way these iPods are hyped, you'd think that they represented something fundamentally new and more useful.
well, for me, the iPod is both useful and revolutionary. and, i enjoy the 'cross-section' effect. different strokes...
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I can put around 120 albums on mine, so it wouldn't hold your 300. However, I have extremely diverse taste in music, and there is no mood that I've encountered where I'd want to hear a cross section of all those styles on any given day. Since having over 100 albums is sufficient for me, it's not worth the loss of other functionality or tying myself to clumsy DRM systems & proprietary music stores. Dedicated players do have greater capacity, but the way these iPods are hyped, you'd think that they represented something fundamentally new and more useful. It's just a bigger hard drive. Not exactly revolutionary.
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
It's not just a bigger hard-drive. It is a focused, dedicated, refined interface for playing music. Better than what you get on a PDA or multi-function mobile-phone. You can get a Porsche Cayenne which does on and off-road, has loads of space, hauls the parents, kids and granny and is very safe (thanks to height and weight.) It will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and smoke many a boy racers car. But you aren't going to pit it against a dedicated road machine on a track nor would you pit it against a dedicated 4x4 vechile off-road. It might sound strange but I get pleasure from using an iPod. It is elegant and aesthetically pleasing. It is like other Apple hardware which just feels right. The interface is thought through and does one thing very well. I tried to explain this to a friend who thinks people who buy Leica cameras are crazy when you can get a Canon EOS 400D for $3,500 less.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
Dedicated players do have greater capacity, but the way these iPods are hyped, you'd think that they represented something fundamentally new and more useful.
well, for me, the iPod is both useful and revolutionary. and, i enjoy the 'cross-section' effect. different strokes...
Chris Losinger wrote:
different strokes...
Agreed. :)
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
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I can put around 120 albums on mine, so it wouldn't hold your 300. However, I have extremely diverse taste in music, and there is no mood that I've encountered where I'd want to hear a cross section of all those styles on any given day. Since having over 100 albums is sufficient for me, it's not worth the loss of other functionality or tying myself to clumsy DRM systems & proprietary music stores. Dedicated players do have greater capacity, but the way these iPods are hyped, you'd think that they represented something fundamentally new and more useful. It's just a bigger hard drive. Not exactly revolutionary.
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
If you don't want DRM, I simply buy the CD, or buy from an site that legally sells without DRM. I find that most of the music that I listen to ( techno of various styles ) can be bought in high quality ( 320 or even WAV ), and those are not mainstream music, and for the more commercial stuff, I can find the CD locally at about the same price as the online download. I rarely buy from iTunes ( the only DRM store I use ).
Maximilien Lincourt Your Head A Splode - Strong Bad
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It's not just a bigger hard-drive. It is a focused, dedicated, refined interface for playing music. Better than what you get on a PDA or multi-function mobile-phone. You can get a Porsche Cayenne which does on and off-road, has loads of space, hauls the parents, kids and granny and is very safe (thanks to height and weight.) It will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and smoke many a boy racers car. But you aren't going to pit it against a dedicated road machine on a track nor would you pit it against a dedicated 4x4 vechile off-road. It might sound strange but I get pleasure from using an iPod. It is elegant and aesthetically pleasing. It is like other Apple hardware which just feels right. The interface is thought through and does one thing very well. I tried to explain this to a friend who thinks people who buy Leica cameras are crazy when you can get a Canon EOS 400D for $3,500 less.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
Paul Watson wrote:
It might sound strange but I get pleasure from using an iPod.
Oh. http://www.codeproject.com/lounge.asp?msg=1751814#xx1751814xx[^] Understood. :-D
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
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Paul Watson wrote:
It might sound strange but I get pleasure from using an iPod.
Oh. http://www.codeproject.com/lounge.asp?msg=1751814#xx1751814xx[^] Understood. :-D
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
:laugh: No wonder she keeps borrowing the damned thing...
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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Just been reading two reviews of Microsoft's Zune player and while it isn't terrible it isn't going to convert any iPod users or be an iPod killer in the stores. The NYT review[^] is a bit biased IMO (I own an iPod too but jeez author, get a life) but it brings up some frankly weird points about the Zune:
- The Zune has WiFi, fantastic. Except you can only use it to send songs to other Zunes. You can't connect to a PC, network or any other WiFi device. WTF?
- You can't use it as an external HD. Sorry folks, no USB drive in Explorer for the Zune. WTF?
- The screen is bigger. Except it has the same resolution as an iPod.
- Real world testing shows poorer battery life than an equivalent iPod (two hours less.) And yet the Zune is bigger and heavier.
- No podcast support from what I can tell. Crikey.
- Songs are $0.99 but you have to buy credit bundles of $5 or more.
- Songs are listed as costing 79 "points" which sounds cool except 79 points will cost you $0.99. Now that is marketing.
- The software media player is seemingly a stripped down Windows Media Player. You can't use WMP with your Zune.
- Getting all your existing music onto a Zune is a long conversion process if it works at all.
The other review[^]. It seems OK but nothing to rush out for.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
Paul Watson wrote:
It seems OK but nothing to rush out for.
Wait... It's even more limited than the iPod, bigger, and doesn't even work with Microsoft's flagship media product... and that's OK? If it just sat on your desk and smelled bad, would that be "slightly disappointing"? Geez, Paul - i can understand you throwing a bone to the MS fanatics in hopes of not being called an iPod fanboy, but when you, you, mister look on the bright side of Life can't come up with a single good reason for the damn thing to even exist... yeah.
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Paul Watson wrote:
It seems OK but nothing to rush out for.
Wait... It's even more limited than the iPod, bigger, and doesn't even work with Microsoft's flagship media product... and that's OK? If it just sat on your desk and smelled bad, would that be "slightly disappointing"? Geez, Paul - i can understand you throwing a bone to the MS fanatics in hopes of not being called an iPod fanboy, but when you, you, mister look on the bright side of Life can't come up with a single good reason for the damn thing to even exist... yeah.
Shog9 wrote:
but when you, you, mister look on the bright side of Life
I think he's becoming as cynical as the rest of us in his old age. :)
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
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Paul Watson wrote:
It seems OK but nothing to rush out for.
Wait... It's even more limited than the iPod, bigger, and doesn't even work with Microsoft's flagship media product... and that's OK? If it just sat on your desk and smelled bad, would that be "slightly disappointing"? Geez, Paul - i can understand you throwing a bone to the MS fanatics in hopes of not being called an iPod fanboy, but when you, you, mister look on the bright side of Life can't come up with a single good reason for the damn thing to even exist... yeah.
Shog9 wrote:
If it just sat on your desk and smelled bad
That is what the brown version is for...
Shog9 wrote:
but when you, you, mister look on the bright side of Life can't come up with a single good reason for the damn thing to even exist... yeah.
Well... there were those rabbits... and the drugged up artist chap... getting that from Microsoft was worth it. Apparently the UI is pretty good on the Zune. Lots of swooshing.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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Just been reading two reviews of Microsoft's Zune player and while it isn't terrible it isn't going to convert any iPod users or be an iPod killer in the stores. The NYT review[^] is a bit biased IMO (I own an iPod too but jeez author, get a life) but it brings up some frankly weird points about the Zune:
- The Zune has WiFi, fantastic. Except you can only use it to send songs to other Zunes. You can't connect to a PC, network or any other WiFi device. WTF?
- You can't use it as an external HD. Sorry folks, no USB drive in Explorer for the Zune. WTF?
- The screen is bigger. Except it has the same resolution as an iPod.
- Real world testing shows poorer battery life than an equivalent iPod (two hours less.) And yet the Zune is bigger and heavier.
- No podcast support from what I can tell. Crikey.
- Songs are $0.99 but you have to buy credit bundles of $5 or more.
- Songs are listed as costing 79 "points" which sounds cool except 79 points will cost you $0.99. Now that is marketing.
- The software media player is seemingly a stripped down Windows Media Player. You can't use WMP with your Zune.
- Getting all your existing music onto a Zune is a long conversion process if it works at all.
The other review[^]. It seems OK but nothing to rush out for.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
I just got a 4 GB sansa, just connect to your pc, an explorer pops up, drag and drop your mp3's in the music folder and off you go! :cool: And it's cheaper than the ipod too. I'm never gonna get these restrictive devices like ipod and zune. The ear plugs with the sansa were of inferior quality though. I replaced them with nice Sony ones and now it rocks! :-) Oh, did I say it has an fm tuner too?
Wout
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I just got a 4 GB sansa, just connect to your pc, an explorer pops up, drag and drop your mp3's in the music folder and off you go! :cool: And it's cheaper than the ipod too. I'm never gonna get these restrictive devices like ipod and zune. The ear plugs with the sansa were of inferior quality though. I replaced them with nice Sony ones and now it rocks! :-) Oh, did I say it has an fm tuner too?
Wout
A co-worker has a Sansa and it is nicely functional but I don't like the look or feel. Navigating with it is not as easy as with the iPod scroll-wheel. As for the FM tuner I rarely if ever listen to the radio :)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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Why would you need such a device? Didn't you have that surgery recently where you had RFID chips and all your other technology physically implanted in a place that the kid sister rule prevents me from describing? :)
Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalStrategyConsulting.com
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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/23/ipod_accessory/[^] *cough* OK then...
Kicking squealing Gucci little piggy.
Now I know what to ask Beth to get me for Christmas... :->
Anna :rose: Linting the day away :cool: Anna's Place | Tears and Laughter "If mushy peas are the food of the devil, the stotty cake is the frisbee of God"
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Just been reading two reviews of Microsoft's Zune player and while it isn't terrible it isn't going to convert any iPod users or be an iPod killer in the stores. The NYT review[^] is a bit biased IMO (I own an iPod too but jeez author, get a life) but it brings up some frankly weird points about the Zune:
- The Zune has WiFi, fantastic. Except you can only use it to send songs to other Zunes. You can't connect to a PC, network or any other WiFi device. WTF?
- You can't use it as an external HD. Sorry folks, no USB drive in Explorer for the Zune. WTF?
- The screen is bigger. Except it has the same resolution as an iPod.
- Real world testing shows poorer battery life than an equivalent iPod (two hours less.) And yet the Zune is bigger and heavier.
- No podcast support from what I can tell. Crikey.
- Songs are $0.99 but you have to buy credit bundles of $5 or more.
- Songs are listed as costing 79 "points" which sounds cool except 79 points will cost you $0.99. Now that is marketing.
- The software media player is seemingly a stripped down Windows Media Player. You can't use WMP with your Zune.
- Getting all your existing music onto a Zune is a long conversion process if it works at all.
The other review[^]. It seems OK but nothing to rush out for.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
I think it's very interesting that Microsoft can't get it right. This is not any company we're talking about. This is Microsoft. Not only do they have a huge talent mass, but the talent is also endowed with shitloads of money. What went wrong? Can't they see that all the potential is wasted? My guess is it's something management-wise. But that's only a guess, I have no idea. I guess this will be one of many MS cases for future business students in colleges.
FAULTLOG.TXT: File too large.
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A co-worker has a Sansa and it is nicely functional but I don't like the look or feel. Navigating with it is not as easy as with the iPod scroll-wheel. As for the FM tuner I rarely if ever listen to the radio :)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
Yeah, it's not as smooth as the ipod probably, but there's nothing without compromise. For me the functional aspect is the most important. I like that it just acts as a usb drive. Btw, there's several sansa models, not sure if your co-worker has the same one. Not all of them have a scroll wheel, but the e200 series have one (though less smooth indeed).
Wout