Random Thoughts of a Disorganized Mind

This post is going to be more of a ‘professional’ review than the earlier ‘Thoughts on Zune HD…’ article.  It will contain my thoughts on it now that I own one and can actually review it fully.

To quote the last article, “I’ve been a huge fan of Zune for the last few years. A fan of the software, device, and web presence they’ve created. Now they are looking to integrate things more deeply with the Xbox 360, and also step up the functionality of the device.”

Here are my observations now that I have some time spent with the device.  They are in no particular order.

1.  I decided to skip on waiting for a 64GB model to show up. I waited almost 3 months, and figured time to just get one.  What really prompted this was the fact that Amazon has an amazing deal going on.  If you sign up for a year of Audible.com service at $14.95 per month (which totals about $180 for a year) they will give you an instant $100 off coupon.  The catch is that you can’t cancel the Audible.com service for that year.  In total for the Zune itself I paid $186.67 with Next Day delivery.

2.  There a few UI inconsistencies here, and things missing from older versions of the Zune.  For instance when performing a sync with the device, there is no percentage listed on the HD.  Earlier models had this, so why is it missing?  Background wallpapers, also MIA.  MS has claimed it won’t work well on the HD & that we get to use them on the lock screen. I say why not give us the option?  I however do retract my earlier issue with having a tactile control interface.  The touch-only option works really well.  The only thing I miss is from the old Zune in that respect is volume control that doesn’t require the screen.

3.  Another I found is that their web browser while nice has some serious issues, even with the Zune.net website.  I tried to post on the forums there and could do everything but enter post in the text box.  I was also unable to ever successfully login to my bank.  I hope they plan on releasing more updates to make the browser more compatible with sites like this.  Especially in the case of the Zune.net forums, that’s just embarrassing.

4.  Microsoft has stuck with the WiFi only option here, and did not pursue any sort of 3G connection.  This is truly a shame as it would have made the device unique in its market segment, just as the Kindle is for eBook devices.  As I mentioned in the previous article imagine this scenario.  You’re on a bus and hear a song on the HD Radio that you’ve been trying to track down forever, and you buy it or get it on Zune Pass right there.  That to me would just as powerful an experience for me as buying my first book directly from the Kindle was.  No waiting until you have a WiFi connection, just instant gratification.

5.  So far on the app front, I’m of two minds.  I feel that the apps they have delivered as of the latest 4.3 update are great solid apps.  They work very well, and are fun to play in the case of the games.  In fact I’m hooked on the bowling game.  The downside is that almost 3 months in we have barely over a dozen apps, of which only 3 aren’t games.  Where’s a good Netflix app?  Where’s a good app for surfing the XBox Live Marketplace?  What about a 1vs100 interface for the Zune?  I’m certain it could handle it via WiFi.  There’s so much potential here, and so little initiative taken.

6.  The last point I’ll make for tonight.  The one thing that Zune has been missing from the beginning, and really needs to sort out is Digital Copy support.  I have so many movies with the Digital Copy logo on them, and I can’t even use them.  The Zune doesn’t work with the old ‘PlaysForSure’ format (gotta love that name eh?) and Zune hasn’t made an attempt to make this work.  I’m certain it has to do with selling videos via the Zune Marketplace, but I digress.  This is a huge thing that the iPod can still hang over the Zune.  I want to watch the new Star Trek movie on my Zune.  The connection where I currently live is only 320k/64k.  Yes it’s very painful, and to be honest makes downloading a movie from the Zune Marketplace very painful.  Why can’t I just authorize my digital copy for the Zune?  It works on Windows Media Player, and hundreds of other devices.  Why should I have to pay for the movie again?  Why, Zune, why?

Wrapping this up I just want to say thank you to anyone who reads this, and also please feel free to leave comments.  More comments and feedback will only make this site better.

Hello everyone! I’m finally back after a long rest.

Right now I’m sitting at the AMC Pacific Place 11 Theater in Seattle.  They have some Windows commercials on the big screen that are on a repeat while Denali tries to get their presentation up and running.  So far they are 20 minutes late and I have no idea what is going on.

I have to say that so far this year I am unimpressed.  They moved the venue from the Washington State Convention Center (right across the street from here) to this theater.  There are only half a dozen vendors here this year as opposed to the 3-dozen present at the Server 2008/Vista event in 2008.

Denali has finally managed to get their gear working, only 26 minutes late which left me to choose between the Windows Phone session or this Denali session.  I’m sticking with Denali since it was Windows 7 related even though the original agenda would have allowed me to attend both sessions.  The presenters seem like they weren’t prepared to give a session at all.  They rattled off the basic stats about their company.  Then the speaker cracks a joke about how they are terrible at presentations, but that Microsoft is letting them give a way an XBox if we stay and listen.  This does not fill me with confidence or optimism for the quality of the next presenters.

At the end of the “pre-show” vendor presentations there is a drawing for 3 XBox 360’s. So many people have left that they had to keep calling out new numbers for several minutes just to get 3 winners.  Remember folks, this is still before the show starts, so those people who left early also forfeited their Windows 7 discs as well. It feels like it’s minutes to midnight here before it’s even begun. (Kudos to anyone who gets that reference)

The drawing is finally over and there are more technical issues cropping up, as seems to be the theme for the day.  The Windows 7 track (not sure about the Server and Exchange Tracks) is now officially starting late. The presenters finally make their way to the front. They gloss over almost everything, no deep diving into details at this event at all. They don’t stick to the agenda, and end up talking about the same 2 or 3 technologies almost endlessly.

This is “The New Efficiency”?

Starting late, dropping vendors, lowering attendance rates by using smaller venues, lowering the catering to apples, nutrigrain bars, and water, not having your equipment already setup, and having speakers who aren’t prepared to use the actual agenda. Oh, and not providing 64-bit media for attendees while repeating how awesome 64-bit is over and over again throughout the event.

I have to say if this is how Microsoft intends to continue marketing Windows 7 to the IT crowd they are going to have a long road ahead of them.

To anyone reading the site I apologize for not having posted anything in a while.

I promise to have more blog postings up shortly. The last couple weeks have been a bit crazy, and I promise some of the blog posts will be about the last couple weeks, and about a few other things rattling around in the old empty space up here.

Be patient

I have something I want to be upfront about.

You may notice that I’m editing my earlier posts and that future posts will all include referrer links to Amazon.com.

I’m not making this huge and outrageous, but you’ll see that the links are underlined.  No funny ad pop-up’s or anything like that.  These are just plain old links.  The reason I’m doing this is pretty simple.  I can make money if people buy items through these links.  They aren’t going to some phishing site, they are direct links to Amazon, but they include my ID so I can get paid.

If you still don’t want to trust it, but want to buy the items then go ahead, I’ll never know .  I just figure this is a way to possibly make some spare cash on the side to help with living/hosting expenses.

Also I’ll never make a posting just to make money.  This blog is truly about my random thoughts, and you’ll notice that I didn’t kick through any links on this post since it’s just a notifier.  If in the course of a posting though I happen to mention a movie, or a book, then chances are I will link it to Amazon.  I’m doing this so people can enjoy things I enjoy and in doing so I also get money for pointing traffic their way.  Sounds fair don’t ya think?

This isn’t going to turn into one of those sites that has ads everywhere.  The only additional ‘ad’ you’ll see is the Amazon search bar up top right.  It pulls keywords off the page so the ads should always be in context and also includes my Amazon ID.  I’m doing this as low-key as possible so it doesn’t interfere with browsing speeds, or cause your kids to see Really Bad Things.™

Now according to Amazon I do have to tell you that I’m not a part of Amazon.com in any way, shape, or form.  This is just a cool program they have out there for people who run their own websites

So today I’m sitting in my non air-conditioned bedroom on the second floor of my house.  The place hits around the mid-90’s on a day when it’s only in the low-80’s outside.  I decide that I’m going to head to a local park where it’s heavily wooded, so it should be nice and cool.

Before I leave I decide I should grab a couple small items for my Kindle that I’ve been meaning to pick up anyways.  So I head over to grab a copy of Wil Wheaton’s ‘Just a Geek’ which I recommended in my Kindle post.  I’m hoping to have some laughs, and also some reflection which is what Wil does best.  I then figure I should take the time to actually go to all of his other books listings on Amazon and press the little ‘I’d like to read this book on Kindle’ link.  So from the ‘Just a Geek’ listing I click on Wil’s name so it’ll take me to his listing.

BLUESCREEN!

Windows 7 has now shat itself.

I look and see it’s an error caused by a file named atihdmi.sys. Being fluent in geek parlance tells me this means that for some reason the click sound (Windows ‘clicks’ when you click a link…sort of redundant) being sent from Windows via the HDMI port on my video card to my TV (which is being used as a secondary monitor) just caused the whole system to just go splat.

See Wil, these are the sorts of things that happen when you don’t respect the Kindle.  I hope you’ve learned your lesson.

As for ATi, you’re next on my list, so I suggest you learn how to sleep with your eyes open.

Before I get started here I wanted to note that not all of my posts here are going to be reviews, or even necessarily about technology.  I just happened to decide to do these first couple posts on devices I find interesting.  That said, on with the post.

I  recently sold my Playstation 3 to a friend.  Now I know a few of you may be shaking your heads at me in disbelief, but I did it for the device you see in the picture above.

The Amazon Kindle 2.

This thing is my own personal version of the Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle that Ralphie practically wets himself over in A Christmas Story.

I just keep waiting for Mrs. Parker to show up out of nowhere telling me insistently “You’ll shoot your eye out.”  In this case luckily (or maybe not) the only worry isn’t going blind, but going broke.

I know that sounds like I’m trying to make a joke here, but it is way too easy to buy content on the Kindle.  I literally search for a book, open it’s entry and press a single button.  Yes, the default action once you’re looking at a books listing is Buy, and there’s not a confirmation screen in sight.  So for those of you who have itchy fingers as it is on eBay or Amazon’s actual website, this device may be your undoing.

That said, the device itself is far better than I could have imagined from the images on the site.  The text is crisp and clear. It’s readable outside even on the brightest of days. The best part is that I can now keep hundreds of books with me all the time.  It doesn’t matter what genre I’m in the mood for since my entire library is with me.

What if there’s a new book in a series I’m reading and I’m not at home with my computer?  There’s a simple solution to that.  The Kindle includes a 3G connection from Sprint that Amazon calls Whispernet.  As long as I’m in a location with even basic Sprint service I can grab a book within a matter of a few minutes at most.

The only thing that has had me really shaking my head in disbelief is that only one of Wil Wheatons amazing books (Just a Geek) is available for the Kindle.  Wil, ‘Don’t be a dick.’  Get the rest of your books published on the Kindle!

Does anyone else out there reading this have a Kindle or any questions about a Kindle?  If so feel free to post a comment.

Think of this post as an editorial and not as a ‘professional’ review. You can also consider it a small view into how my brain works. Trust me, it will be useful if you choose to read more of my rantings later. I should also note this post is the first here, so don’t go looking for a ‘Hello this is me’ post. You won’t find it

I’ve been a huge fan of Zune for the last few years. A fan of the software, device, and web presence they’ve created. Now they are looking to integrate things more deeply with the Xbox 360, and also step up the functionality of the device.

I’ve looked at the current information available at this point and I have a few observations I’d like to share.

1. They haven’t released official details on what the storage capacities and price points will be. If there isn’t at least a 64GB version at launch then I’m going to hold off until there is. I already have a Zune 30, and to be honest I need more space.

2. At this point Microsoft needs to be jumping ahead of the competition not meeting them halfway. This device needs 3G built-in (ala the Kindle from Amazon) to allow the Zune Marketplace to really shine. Imagine you’re on a bus and you hear a song you like while using the HD Radio. Instead of just tagging it for later download you can buy it right there. This is why the Kindle makes a killing for Amazon.

3. Why isn’t Microsoft giving users who like tactile controls an option here? To me a simple 5-way controller (once again ala the Kindle) would be an easy option, and would take up the same amount of space as their ‘Home’ button.

In my opinion, if they add those features, they will finally have a device worthy of the ‘iPod Killer’ moniker that fans have been throwing around the last 3 years.

Now at this point I’m opening this up to the few who will read this asking how do you feel?

Do you agree with me that Microsoft just needs to take a serious leap here with a monster device, or do you think they are on the right course?