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An MP3 Player Punchline: TV Hates the Zune

GeekSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:30:39 -0700

Ouch! Microsoft's iPod competitor, the Zune has undergone a lot of ridicule since its inception, and one of the biggest offenders? Prime time TV. Check out the shows that have hoisted the Zune Player up as comic fodder.

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Weeds' Nancy Botwin Snuffs Out Stolen Zune

GeekSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:45:00 -0700

On last night's Weeds Nancy's youngest son Shane jacks an assortment of oddball items from his teacher after the teacher fails to pay for a giant stash of illegal green stuff. Amid the pirated booty is a Theremin, an electronic instrument that dates back to the '20s, and a Microsoft Zune (note: it looks more like an iPod Nano onscreen, but I'll stick with the script). The Zune has long struggled to make it in the iPod-obsessed world, but it was still a shock to see Nancy drop the swiped device into a creamy cup of frozen yogurt without any hesitation. Hopefully someone in the house knows the old rice trick.

To watch the hilarious clip of the Zune being submerged in yogurt, read more. Warning: The video contains a NSFW word that sounds like "spit," so turn down the sound if you are around someone who might be shocked by it.

Microsoft Announces the Zune HD: Coming This Fall

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:46:43 -0700

Zune fans rejoice! The multitouch Zune HD has just been announced by Microsoft and is said to be coming to store shelves this Fall. This new portable media device will sport a 3.3-inch, OLED touchscreen display, be able to play high-def videos, and will feature a built-in HD receiver so you can listen to HD radio. It will also come with WiFi, Xbox integration, and include a customizable Internet Explorer web browser. Microsoft has also revealed that they will showcase how the Zune works with Xbox LIVE at E3 next week, which should be interesting. Unfortunately details like price, colors, etc., weren't announced.

Are Music Subscriptions a Good Idea?

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:44:57 -0700

I had a good guffaw this morning with my co-workers over the old Columbia House deal from back in the day when you'd get 10 CDs for a penny, and agreed to buy a certain amount of CDs for a certain amount of time. At 14, the deal seemed like I was getting away with something crazy, but I realized later that I was in my first music subscription. It was also my last music subscription.

One of the cool things about the Zune is its subscription service - but for me, I like to own my music, not rent it, and sometimes I just don't keep up enough to make sure I'm getting my money's worth. That's how I feel about a subscription service in general, and not just the Zune's, which I have been thinking about since Microsoft tried to make it seem like having an iPod was a financial drain.

Not only that, Napster is offering a $5 a month deal for access to their entire music collection, and rumors of an iTunes subscription plan still persist.

Personally, the only thing I like to subscribe to are my Netflix discs and my magazines - other than that, I prefer to just pay once for what I'm getting and be done with it. What about you?

Hold On To Your MP3s: Zune Phone Coming in 2009?

GeekSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:00:30 -0800

For those of you who prefer products that don't begin with an "A" and end in "pple," then 2009 may be a good year to switch phones. Rumor has it that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be announcing a Zune-like phone at CES.

Said to be coming with the Zune's sleek style, it will also be pulling features from other popular phones, like a fold out keyboard (a la the G1), as well as some iPhone style goodies like an accelerometer. The potential price for the "Zunephone" has yet to be leaked, but I'm guessing that detail will be a minor one for some Microsoft fans come January.

Source

Daily Tech: Google Reveals "An Almost Complete" Android Phone

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:55:27 -0700

It hasn't officially been announced, but Google showed off its latest pics of a working Android Handset at a Developer Day in London. - Engadget
The Internet provider Wayport will be enabling wireless music downloads for Microsoft Zune customers in WiFi hotspots at more than 9,800 McDonalds. - CrunchGear
MTV has just launched the Backchannel, a new online game that mixes chat and social networking tools. Basically providing you with a new place to complain about characters on The Hills. - Switched
Note to self. Be sure to erase all the data on my cell phone before I sell, recycle, trade, or give it away. A woman's phone ended up on eBay after she donated it to charity; with all of her personal information intact. - Consumerist
George Lucas decided to make a "surprise" appearance at the official launch party for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed at Best Buy in San Francisco. - Crave CNET
It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in to your TeamSugar account for your chances to win geek-chic beach gadgets and accessories! - geeksugar

iPod Classic Verses Zune: Which Would You Choose?

GeekSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:02:54 -0700

I've always been an iPod sort of girl, but when a friend of mine whipped out his Zune at a recent barbecue, I felt a twinge of jealousy. A 3.2-inch screen? Wireless syncing? Awesome wallpapers? I was a little speechless. This realization made me wonder if there was a superior device of the two. Could a Zune really KO my iPod ?

I thought I should compare both the 80GB iPod classic and the 80GB Zune for this post, trying to level the playing field as much as I could. To see the pros and cons of each device, just read more.

80GB iPod Classic

Pros:

Holds up to 20,000 songs or up to 100 hours of video
30-hour battery life for song playback, five hours for video playback
Compact and thin at .41 inches thick
2.5-inch color LCD screen
Works with iTunes on either your Mac or PC

Cons:

Comes in silver and black only
No options for custom or specialty wallpapers

80GB Zune
Pros:

Holds up to 20,000 songs, or 250 hours of video
3.2-inch color screen
Touch pad makes scrolling through your media a breeze
Wireless syncing and sharing to other Zune users
FM transmitter allows you to tune in to local stations (or those radio programmed TVs at the gym)
Customize your Zune with engravings and wallpapers

Cons:

Comes in red and black
Glass screen
For PC only

Results:
Since the Zune and the iPod classic both come with a $250 price tag, and have similar capacity, it comes down to customization and compatibility. Although the Zune wins points for being so customizable – with downloadable wallpapers to trick out your device, the iPod has to take the title for being compatible with both Mac and PC users, since the Zune only functions in a Windows environment.

Which one do you sport – iPod or Zune?

Zune Adds New TV Titles to Its Video Store

GeekSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:37:13 -0700

The recently opened Zune Marketplace store is set to add more than 400 new episodes of popular television shows to its online line-up - with 19 popular titles coming this week. Shows like The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Lipstick Jungle (woot!), are all set to make their Zune Marketplace debut.

Each show is said to be 160 Microsoft Points per episode (approximately $1.99).

Do You Own an MP3 Player That's Not an iPod?

GeekSugar — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:34:32 -0700

GameStop has announced that it will stop carrying Microsoft's Zune because of shabby sales - a blow to the heart of the device that was hoped would be a worthy opponent to Apple's iPod. I feel a tiny bit for the little guy, who's an underdog fighting the good fight of consumer competition.

But in my own personal microcosm, I don't actually know anyone who owns or has owned the Zune, while I have had many iPods (and my iPhone) and most of my friends have also owned multiple iPods. I struggle to even think if I know anyone with a non-iPod. But I want to know - do any of you own an MP3 player that Apple didn't make?
Source

Daily Tech: Latest Zune Update Offers TV Show Downloads!

GeekSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:23 -0700

OK Zune lovers, your update has arrived! The Zune 2.5 software update can now be downloaded for free and includes great sharing features that allows you to get copies of your friends tunes! - Engadget
If you were keen to preorder Wii Fit on Amazon, you're unfortunately outta luck. According to Kotaku, it's already sold out. Thankfully I got my order just in time! - Kotaku
Your laptop is out of juice and you can't seem to find an outlet. . . . What is one to do? Thanks to Switched, there's lots of solar-powered emergency products to help you survive a power crisis. - Switched
The iPhone is spreading its wings yet again by adding 10 more countries to its availability list by the end of the year. - Gizmodo
Kevin over at CrackBerry got his hands on a brand new BlackBerry 9000 and here's what he had to say about it. - CrackBerry