Zune
Episode 3 More Wish List and a Cautionary Tale
10/20/2008 02:29 PM Filed in: Zune IssuesAudio
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Episode 3
In our second podcast we listed a few of the items from the top of our Zune wish list. We add to that today by including wireless access to the Audible library, wireless access to Zune Social comments and a flash based browser. Microsoft could press far ahead of its competitors and take the baton as portable media player developers by expanding its wireless access to the Audible books store. The browser adds on would be playing catch up. If flash enabled a Zune phone could jump ahead of the pack.
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, recently suggested the Zune player firmware may begin showing up in other portable devices with Windows Mobile phones the most exciting target. While this would seem a natural progression for Microsoft, they now have Google on their heels with the release of the G1 Google Android phone. The G1 is getting good press and has the enviable advantage of being open source. Well designed hardware coupled with a developer friendly operating system and unrestrained access to marketing your wares to G1 users has the making of a winner.
Microsoft has a history of encouraging third party developers by offering the necessary tools and access to operating system innards and may, if it shows a coordinated follow through, be able to offer a Zune based Smart Phone that will pull the entrepreneurial talent needed to compete with Android and future open source competitors. Let’s hope Microsoft has a nice fat rabbit ready to pull from the hat as the G1 steam rolls ahead.
We close this podcast with a cautionary tale. Recently, I spent a full day trouble shooting our main Vista machine. When turned on I noted it was making the connect / disconnect sound heard when plugging and un-plugging USB devices. I suspected the often fussy D-Link USB interface used connect our phone to Skype and after almost 12 straight hours trying everything thing I could think of and researching the net I was on the verge of re-installing Vista.
As my eyes were glazing over I realized I had unplugged my Zune the evening before without shutting down the Zune Software 1st and as you may be anticipating once I synched the Zune the constant connect / disconnect sounds and pause in the cursor stopped! We have not tried to replicate this problem and can’t be absolutely sure the problem was caused by the Zune software but suggest that any Zune users confronted by this issue try re-synching their Zune before pulling hair.
In our second podcast we listed a few of the items from the top of our Zune wish list. We add to that today by including wireless access to the Audible library, wireless access to Zune Social comments and a flash based browser. Microsoft could press far ahead of its competitors and take the baton as portable media player developers by expanding its wireless access to the Audible books store. The browser adds on would be playing catch up. If flash enabled a Zune phone could jump ahead of the pack.
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, recently suggested the Zune player firmware may begin showing up in other portable devices with Windows Mobile phones the most exciting target. While this would seem a natural progression for Microsoft, they now have Google on their heels with the release of the G1 Google Android phone. The G1 is getting good press and has the enviable advantage of being open source. Well designed hardware coupled with a developer friendly operating system and unrestrained access to marketing your wares to G1 users has the making of a winner.
Microsoft has a history of encouraging third party developers by offering the necessary tools and access to operating system innards and may, if it shows a coordinated follow through, be able to offer a Zune based Smart Phone that will pull the entrepreneurial talent needed to compete with Android and future open source competitors. Let’s hope Microsoft has a nice fat rabbit ready to pull from the hat as the G1 steam rolls ahead.
We close this podcast with a cautionary tale. Recently, I spent a full day trouble shooting our main Vista machine. When turned on I noted it was making the connect / disconnect sound heard when plugging and un-plugging USB devices. I suspected the often fussy D-Link USB interface used connect our phone to Skype and after almost 12 straight hours trying everything thing I could think of and researching the net I was on the verge of re-installing Vista.
As my eyes were glazing over I realized I had unplugged my Zune the evening before without shutting down the Zune Software 1st and as you may be anticipating once I synched the Zune the constant connect / disconnect sounds and pause in the cursor stopped! We have not tried to replicate this problem and can’t be absolutely sure the problem was caused by the Zune software but suggest that any Zune users confronted by this issue try re-synching their Zune before pulling hair.
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