Tag Archives: zune

Zune Update

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As promised two posts ago, I ordered a Zune 80 from Zune Originals late last week. It has officially shipped from China and will arrive on or before this coming Tuesday, December 11. My older brother, who is currently serving our country in Qatar, had me order one for him also, so there are now at least two “May the Funk be with You,” Colletivo designed Zune 80s in circulation.

In other news, this week C|Net published a Microsoft Zune 80 vs. Apple iPod classic prizefight, pitting the devices head-to-head in 5 categories: Navigation, Sexiness, Compatibility, Sound and Science and Wallet Factor. The new Zune won every category except compatibility.

It is not clear how a device can win 4 out of 5 categories and the bout still end in a tie. C|Net surely isn’t using the Queensberry rules in this contest. In fact, it is reminiscent of Florida balloting in the 2000 presidential election. Hmm…

Regardless, this head-to-head comparison by 3 somewhat-independent judges validates my assertion that Microsoft has outpaced Apple in this category of digital media players in just under a year. To go from laughing stock to serious contender in only v2 is a significant accomplishment. Will Microsoft once again achieve significant market share in v3? Only time will tell.

Why Borat likes Zune

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Have you seen the movie “Borat”? One thing the title character would love about the Zune 80 is the reply you are likely to get from any salesperson or Web site when inquiring about buying one:

Coming Zune…Not!

Puppies and Zunes These things aren’t in stock anywhere! Not even on Microsoft’s own Zune Originals site. Perhaps it’s an attempt to artificially imitate the Wii Effect but methinks Nintendo’s game console is legitimately popular enough to warrant its “Out of Stock” label.

Microsoft really screwed the pooch on this one. The company would have been better off having Michael Vick endorse the new product line with some DMX playing in the background.** Man, if Apple releases a 32GB iPhone that syncs with my Exchange-based e-mail & calendar…just kidding…not!

Last year, I searched high-and-low, far-and-wide for my Zune 30. Not this time. Hmph!

Meanwhile, I am definitely happy Microsoft updated old players with the new features. I have been able to soak up all the Zune 2 goodness on my Zune 30…which is now available for $90 on Amazon (originally $250). Talk about depreciation. Yikes!

** – “Give ‘Em What They Want” would be fitting. :sarcastic:

Pimp My Zune

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I have seen the future and it is beautiful. In addition to releasing the new devices, tomorrow Microsoft is launching a new site for ordering and customizing (for free!) your very own Zune with amazing artwork created by world-renowned artists and designers. Here is the design I plan to use to pimp my new Zune 80:

Zune Originals - Colletivo - The Funk 'Fro  

I will affectionately refer to this design as The Funk ‘Fro which I find pleasingly ironic considering my hairstyle of choice. I think the artist bio is fitting too given our recent travel to Brazil. I am glad I waited to order one of the new devices since this deal is only available on orders placed directly from the Zune Originals site at http://ZuneOriginals.net. You can learn more about this novel collaboration and see all the artwork in an interview on Cool Hunting.

Apple iPhone/iPod 6G Compared to Microsoft Zune

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To commemorate today’s release of the Microsoft Zune 2 digital media players, services and software, I present a feature matrix comparing all the Apple iPod 6th generation devices—including iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic and iPod nano—with the 1st and 2nd generation Zunes—Zune 80, Zune 30, Zune 8 and Zune 4.

The following table covers what I think are the most important features of a portable media device including screen size, storage capacity, screen resolution, height, width, depth, weight, battery life, connectivity options, interface, supported audio formats, supported video formats, available colors, and, of course, price.

There are several comparisons missing to keep the chart manageable (e.g., podcast support, size of music & video stores, Cover Flow, desktop software, etc.) However, I have included things many shoppers want to evaluate when choosing a device to playback music, video and pictures from various sources while on-the-go.

Zune 2 vs. iPod 6G Comparison classic touch iphone 160 80 8 4

Earlier, I stated “…Zune 80 sets a new standard for hard-drive based media players vs. iPod Classic.” This table shows why. Note the new Zune 8 & Zune 4 devices compare favorably to the latest iPod nanos as well.

TiVo Series3 + Amazon Unbox + Rhapsody + SlingBox = Digital Media Nirvana

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TB and I have been NetFlix subscribers since the service debuted. We have not been watching as many DVDs lately due to our work & travel schedules but there also haven’t been many good movies out, in my opinion. We have a bunch of C- movies in our possession on average so we end up waiting a few days to receive a new movie we are interested when it is finally released on DVD. Well, no more.

We saddled up with TiVo again, finally trading in our Comcast DVR for a TiVo Series3. We were TiVo subscribers in our previous homes via DirecTV and missed the simple, easy-to-use and it-just-works interface of the boxes since switching to Comcast a couple years back. I’m glad we rediscovered TiVo as the Series3 boxes and their various services are simply amazing.

With our Series3 box we can:TiVo Unbox Rhapsody Slingbox

  1. Watch all our favorite high-definition broadcast (football!) and premium programs in all their 720p and 1080i glory.  
  2. Rent new movies and TV shows using Amazon Unbox directly from the TiVo—or any computer connected to the Internet. (more)
  3. Listen to the latest music via RealNetworks Rhapsody directly from the TiVo. (more)
  4. View our TiVo recordings in other rooms in our home among multiple TiVo Series2, TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD boxes. (Multi-Room Viewing)
  5. Copy any (unprotected) recorded programs from the TiVo to any computer on our home network—enables us to burn the program to DVD or take on-the-road on a laptop. This feature isn’t well advertised by TiVo…probably to keep Hollywood off their back. Requires the free TiVo Desktop 2.5 (or later) software. (TiVoToGo)
  6. Copy any video saved on any computer on our home network to the TiVo—enables us to watch things like YouTube programs and home movies on the big screen. This feature isn’t well advertised by TiVo either. Requires purchase of TiVo Desktop 2.5 Plus software for $25.
  7. Take any of those programs from #5 and copy them to portable digital media players like an iPod or our Zunes—great for the gym and airplane. Requires purchase of TiVo Desktop 2.5 Plus.
  8. Access our entire digital music collection and play our music on the big system with song information displayed on the big TV. Requires free TiVo Desktop 2.5 software. (more)
  9. Access our entire digital photo collection and view them on the big TV for sharing with family and friends. Requires free TiVo Desktop 2.5 software. (more)
  10. Check local weather, traffic, etc. using Yahoo! services. (more)

That’s quite a list of features that make the new TiVo boxes and monthly subscription fees worth it to us. Once you factor in our Slingbox AV—which gives us access to all our TiVo content from anywhere in the world—it’s clear we have truly reached Digital Media Nirvana.