Archive for: player
- September 13, 2010 7:34 pm
If there’s one thing Microsoft has stuck by even in the face of adversity in recent times, it’s the Zune. The sort of ugly step child in Microsoft’s more consumer-focused lineup hasn’t quite caught on in the mass public’s eye. Yet Microsoft keeps trudging along with the occasional Zune update. You’d be a fool to deny that Apple has been knocking things out of the park over the last few quarters. On that note, what (if anything) can Microsoft do to one up the iPod Touch, iPhone, or just Apple in general? So far, they’ve proven that they can’t beat the iPod (and some would argue they aren’t trying to).
What can they possibly do next? How about throwing Windows Phone 7 on it? It’s an intriguing idea and a good start. Though honestly, it needs to be done if Microsoft has any hope of remaining anywhere close to the iPod Touch in terms of relevance. I mean, the iPod Touch is running full blown iOS — a smartphone OS. The current Zune HD is running nothing more than a PMP OS that is quite limited. Seeing as how Windows Phone 7 pretty much packs the Zune interface within the music app, this rumor isn’t such a stretch.
I can see both sides to this story. On one hand, a more complex and versatile OS will really help the Zune branch out if Microsoft does so choose to go that route. At the same time, a simple PMP is what so many people crave and list it as one of the reasons they avoid the iPod Touch in particular. Though in the end, I’d imagine more people would gladly take a more well rounded, robust device instead of a single-use device these days.
What do you prefer: A more single-use PMP-only Zune or an iPod Touch-esque uber device?
Do your friends call you “Golden Ears”, signaling you have some sort of extra-human hearing? While I wouldn’t label myself a full blown audiophile, I’d definitely rate me above average in the sound department. At CES I had the opportunity to play around with and listen to the HiFi Man 801, an MP3 player for audiophiles through and through. It features some of the highest grade components across the board with options to swap out op-amps as the user sees fit. The price however, wasn’t so easy to stomach nor was it easy to fit in your pants pocket. That’s where the new HiFi Man 602 fits in the picture…
Update: Hot of the press — Looks like the Zune HD 64 will retail for $350 and become available April 12th. Current 16GB and 32GB models will also see some lovin’ in the form of a $20 price drop. Interest piqued? (Engadget)
Whether or not you were left with a slightly bitter taste in your mouth back when Microsoft announced the Zune HD 16 and 32GB mp3 players, dropping the ball for audio aficionados in not offering a higher capacity 64GB option, it doesn’t matter anymore. At least it soon won’t matter. A slip up last night left a “64GB” link appearing nicely below the current 16 and 32GB Zune HD choices on the Zune HD webpage. Obviously Microsoft has a nice little bun in the oven, albeit grossly past it’s due date.
The link is now gone, but Google cache has left it’s presence in the modern world alive and well. Hopefully M get’s this thing out the door fairly quick as they’re already months behind schedule in the high capacity flash media player department. Having a 64GB Zune HD might be just the ticket to swaying a few potential iPod buyers in their direction. Does a 64GB Zune HD sound interesting to you? If it’s priced right (read: less than the 64GB iPod Touch’s $399) I’d be more than happy to give one a home. And the waiting game begins…
Daily Tech > Engadget
I was at CES 2010, yet I didn’t even notice this little gem in Samsung’s booth miniature city. In the midst of pencil thin TV’s, smartphones, and 3D everything, a little mp3 player that does nothing more than play some songs seems pretty unimportant.
And for the most part, it is. But there is something cool to be had to whomever purchases this little player. The built in accelerometer can change the music by shaking. “Big whoop” you say? How about this — if you shake it slow, a slow song will play. Shake it fast and, well, you get it. That’s pretty clever if you ask me. It won’t keeping those looking to buy an iPod Touch from buy an iPod Touch. But for those looking for a simple player, they’ll get just that and a few extra trinkets tucked in for good measure.
Look for the officially named “TicToc” to drop this year in 2GB and 4GB capacities and supporting MP3, WMA, OGG and FLAC audio formats. The player itself and designer plastic sleeves are frustratingly without an accompanying price tag for now. Still interested?
Oh Gizmo!
It’s pretty comical to witness two companies going at each others throats. The most recent and humorous example of such a fight has blossomed between Apple and Adobe — Apple calling Adobe developers fat and lazy and Adobe hitting back saying they’re ready and are more than “efficient”. Exciting stuff huh? But there is one thing far funnier — someone or some company lying about a partnership, deal, or collaboration that never took place. Who would do such a thing? None other than your friendly AT&T.
After AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega was questioned over the recent approval of Slingplayer for iPhone after months of neglect and abandonment by the network, Ralph claimed that negotiations between Big Blue and Sling allowed both parties to tweak the app so it was even more efficient. Sounds like a nice little story with butterflies, fuzzy things, and rainbows. Only problem is it didn’t happen.
When Ars Technica reached out to Sling for comment on the recent statements and events, Sling Media’s John Santoro responded, saying that “AT&T never discussed any specific requirements with us”. ZING! Of course, that’s not to say Sling isn’t optimized. As John goes on further, he reiterates how network optimization is built into Sling from the get go so that it automatically adjusts performance and quality based on the network’s signal and strength.
So why lie about it? Beats me. But it sure makes for a good laugh now and an even better one later on down the road when we get to see AT&T PR try to clear up the confusion. Happy Friday everyone.
Ars Technica
- December 15, 2008 1:45 pm
It has been almost 3 years now for the zune. A look at its short history shows us that at first Microsoft had big plans for its little media box. Has that momentum stalled? After the first generation, the second generation brouth a re-design (slight), but the biggest change was software related. A big plus to point out is that so far all new software upgrades have been backwards compatible with older zunes. What about hardware? You can have the greatest software in the world but have hardware thats lacking…(G1 anybody?) Microsoft, as I see it, hasn’t really innovated or progressed in the hardware aspect of the zune. There is nothing new and exciting. Where are the exciting new features such as *insert feature of desire here*, and *insert another*. I have both a first gen Zune and iPod touch. Ill tell you now that I haven’t listened to my zune in almost a year now. In terms of sound quality, they both sounded the same to me using Super.fi 5 pro’s un amped. The 2nd gen iPod touches while nice in slight upgrades, aren’t enough to justify upgrading from my first gen. Physical volume buttons (they made a touch screen and double click to bring the music controls for a reason), speaker (understadable, but hardly “gotta have it”), Nike+ (dont use it). While the list seems kind of big, in the end its rather mundane. Also, when was the last time you hear anything from Redmond about anything Zune related with any enthusiasm? Several months at least. Even the fat zune tattoo guy who declared to the world his love for Zune turned his back after Microsoft “turned their backs on the Zune and more or less him”. If microsoft wants to gain market share or make an impact like they declared in the begining of Zune’s days, they need to step up their game, and sooner rather than later.
