Dec 8, 2006 | blog
BetaNews has posted a review of the Zune, and its not very favorable of the device. I’ll admit that I’ve been seeing a number of bland reviews of the device all over. While the user interface is top-notch, the physical aspects of the device, size, and controller configuration leave much to be desired.
Compared to the iPod and other devices such as the Creative Zen series, the device simply seems like a prototype of what the Zune could be.
I’d been thinking of getting the Zune as a gift for my wife for Christmas, but now I think that the Zen is a better option. Since we have a subscription to URGE, I also don’t want to have to change music services. Maybe the follow-on device will fix some of the shortcomings of this version of the Zune.
Via: BetaNews – Zune Has Too Many Issues to Compete
Nov 26, 2006 | blog
I have to agree with Thatedeguy, the Zune is a great first outing for Microsoft in the portable music player field. Its greatest failing is that its a Microsoft product, and that it is competing against an entrenched favorite in the market.
In his analysis, Thatedeguy points out how the mainstream media picks the device apart, and does not seem to give it a fair play. Gadget gurus on the other hand, have reviewed the device, software, functionality and have found it to be a worthy competitor.
Via: Thatedeguy – iPod Perception vs. Zune Reality
Nov 9, 2006 | blog
Om Malik has a great piece today over on GigaOM. He points out that Microsoft has fallen to the Mafia tactics of the music industry and will pay $1 for every Zune device to Universal Music Group (UMG). At one point, he wonders if this would have happened at Microsoft’s height of dominance.
In this battle of the monopolists, Microsoft blinked and decided to pay up. (Would this have happened a few years ago, when Microsoft ruled the technology planet?) Remember how Jobs stood up to these music industry bullies. Today they are asking $1 a device; what is to stop them from asking for say $10 or $20 per device down the road. This shakedown should result in a serious investigation into the music industry cartel.
The music industry has really lost its marbles, they do believe that their customers are crooks, they do believe that they are being cheated by “fair use”, they do believe that they should get a payment every time one of their songs is heard by anyone anywhere from any media source.
The sad fact is that these once-powerful media companies are crying like children who dropped their candy, and it is obscuring their ability to logically think and plan out a relevant business model in the “new media” world.
Link to GigaOM » Microsoft, Zune & The Music Mafia
Technorati tags: Music Mafia, Microsoft Zune, Universal Music Group
Oct 22, 2006 | blog
We stopped at a great (and I really mean it) coffee shop in Ely. They had simple sandwiches and soups as well as dessert stuff. The place is called the “Front Porch Cafe”, and also had Internet connectivity, though I didn’t use it.
Amy had one of the best Mochas in a very long time. I had just a regular coffee and some chili, also very good. This place is on my recommended list for places to stop when passing through.
A great thank you to the staff there, it was a warm welcoming place.
(I wrote this two days ago while in the car – didn’t have mobile service at the time. Also, when we got to Crosslake, I was very successful in relaxing, so I never connected up.)
Oct 14, 2006 | blog
As I’ve pointed out before, I’m not a big music person, but… Since I’ve been playing with the generous trial of URGE, I’m sold on the service.
From here on, I’m a convert to the online music subscription point of view.
