My 5G ipod is on its way out. The battery lasts about an hour or so, and the HDD is so messed up that playing all songs on shuffle is basically like russian roulette. If you get to a bad track the ipod locks up for several minutes and it is a pain in the ass. I have my eyes on a white zune now. Is there really NO alternative software? I liked using Winamp to manage my ipod. Winamp is basically the coolest.
Well, sort of. The Zune can recognize and use .m3u playlist files, and I usually make my playlists in winamp and sync them on to the Zune, so that works well for me with no hassles.
On an aside, I was on the fence about buying a mp3 player the past year, but bought a Zune that was on sale for basically 70 off at Circuit City a month or so ago on a whim. If you need a nice solid case/cover for it, get the DLO Leather case/jacket. Has a built in belt clip and a cover that flips up to reveal the screen/controls. Very sleek and protects the Zune very well. Here it is.
So am I the only person around here that absolutely does not want video in my pocket?
Your not alone. I just don't see the point. I like my video BIG. Been saving up for one of those LED engine Samsung sets. Watching video on a portable screen just seems to defeat the purpose of video.
You've obviously never experienced the joy of watching a newly downloaded video on a big screen TV without having to mess with streaming or any of that.
Seriously though, it's a great way to have your favorite videos, movies, tv shows or whatever to take with you to your friend's place. Beats carryign around DVD's.
Funny, I've been using Winamp since the very first version and I've never encountered any serious bugs. Maybe because I use the classic skins instead of the enhanced custom skins or whatever.
The Duke was the single best controller design ever created.
You know, we need to start a movement to pressure MSort to either release an adapter, or release some kind of limited edition 360 Duke (a duke with the should bumpers instead of B&W buttons, and a home button. Prefferably wireless, if they are going to make the new one.)
I willcomeup with a good acronym, and then create a thread togather support. We'll start a campaign designed to harass them until they give in.
Edit: Already have a name, the CDE, or Coalition of Duke Enthusiasts.
Leaving it non-specific means that we can theoretically do other things duke related, if we can ever think of anything else to do.
I'll create the thread after I get a little more work done.
Evander on
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
The Duke was the single best controller design ever created.
You know, we need to start a movement to pressure MSort to either release an adapter, or release some kind of limited edition 360 Duke (a duke with the should bumpers instead of B&W buttons, and a home button. Prefferably wireless, if they are going to make the new one.)
I willcomeup with a good acronym, and then create a thread togather support. We'll start a campaign designed to harass them until they give in.
Edit: Already have a name, the CDE, or Coalition of Duke Enthusiasts.
Leaving it non-specific means that we can theoretically do other things duke related, if we can ever think of anything else to do.
I'll create the thread after I get a little more work done.
They should call it the Baron
syndalis on
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
It's a good, solid (well built) mp3 player. Beautifully designed with a great sized screen. If you buy an mp3 player for another reason than why are you even buying an mp3 player?
_WHAT I LIKE/THINK:
I love the controls, with the D pad and back buttons. Very intuitive.
I love the built in radio, Love getting my NPR on.
The software is a bit wanky sometimes, but if you tweak it right it's fairly painless. I just use it to sync my tracks and go on my way. I don't use the marketplace so I don't know much about it.
Never used the WIFI. Didn't buy an mp3 player to share music as I have a computer at home to do that and it's hard enough to get people to listen to new shit when it's easy to download......let along when you're on the bus or at work or whatever. I see it as a limited use deal anyway. I Think it's amazingly dumb to cry about the limited wifi.
I think WIFI would be a awesome for syncin' songs from my collection or downloading crap from other peoples computers
I've dropped it a few times working out and it works perfectly.
_WHAT I WANT/WHAT NEEDS FIXING:
-Improvements to the software/Sync process.
-Games.
-Support for high end artwork. Currently the artwork is encoded and looks crappy at high end.
-Unlock the encoder options so I can encode higher than 192!!! Not a huge deal but.....
The Duke was the single best controller design ever created.
You know, we need to start a movement to pressure MSort to either release an adapter, or release some kind of limited edition 360 Duke (a duke with the should bumpers instead of B&W buttons, and a home button. Prefferably wireless, if they are going to make the new one.)
I willcomeup with a good acronym, and then create a thread togather support. We'll start a campaign designed to harass them until they give in.
Edit: Already have a name, the CDE, or Coalition of Duke Enthusiasts.
Leaving it non-specific means that we can theoretically do other things duke related, if we can ever think of anything else to do.
I'll create the thread after I get a little more work done.
They should call it the Baron
Yeah, that does have more of a ring to it tha "the Crown Prince".
Well I haven't used the marketplace myself as I'm in canada, and the marketplace only works for those of us residing within the states. Yeah my only gripe is with the software, I hate it so much and it's just frustrating to work with, I wish there was an option to have a window open which was your zune, and you could create your own folders and such and sort your music yourself. The wifi is okay I've used it a few times which is surprising (didn't think there would be anyone in my small town that also had a zune but there are three lol). The video is really good, I use it for video's as I'm on the road a lot. What would be nice seeing as they have the ability to wifi would be wireless sync with a computer. I wonder what the range of the wifi for the zune is?
Yeah so...I thorougly enjoy the mp3 player, just hate the software
I've had a Zune since April. I was an original iPod Mini user before the Zune. I came this >< close to buying a new video iPod about four times but finally went with the Zune when I was able to snag one for $199. I think the interface is kickass and super easy to use. Especially if you are browsing a big library of music on the device. Sound quality is very good and the larger screen is really nice. Also battery life for me so far has been fantastic.
The software isn't bad. I'd say its slightly better than iTunes in terms of how piggy it is to run on your machine. The Zune software also does a great job of slurping in all your MP3s and non-DRM AAC from iTunes.
I didn't even realize it had an FM radio...that kind of pushes it over the edge for me. Looks like I'm headed to Fry's.
It does have a radio but where I live there isn't very good reception. Of course, I live out in the middle of nowhere so that might have something to do with it, if you lived in a city I imagine it could be a lot better.
That and I don't ever listen to the radio anyways so it doesn't really matter much to me. :P
I live in Los Angeles so no issue there. You can't really use an FM transmitter here because the real stations are just too powerful and just about every little bit of the spectrum is being used..legally or not.
I would also use it for NPR though if I'm ever needing some kind of news fix.
I have returned from Fry's with a black Zune. It's charging right now but there's a problem. I cannot find any kind of trial card in the package for the Zune Pass. I was under the impression that all Zunes come with a free 14 day trial code. Where is the code?
Maybe I'll just call Microsoft.
edit: Well that's kind of shitty. Apparently the 14 day trials are randomly placed. You might get one and you might not. I didn't.
meatflower on
0
ShogunHair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get alongRegistered Userregular
I have returned from Fry's with a black Zune. It's charging right now but there's a problem. I cannot find any kind of trial card in the package for the Zune Pass. I was under the impression that all Zunes come with a free 14 day trial code. Where is the code?
Maybe I'll just call Microsoft.
edit: Well that's kind of shitty. Apparently the 14 day trials are randomly placed. You might get one and you might not. I didn't.
I also did not get one. I have no use for renting music so I don't mind though. My only trouble with my Zune currently is that I just got an iphone and the itunes folder is in the same folder as all my other music so now when I load my zune software every album is in there twice. Not sure how to stop that. But it does seem that itunes files work on the zune...so maybe just buy albums from itunes? I dunno.
The Zune is great. My music collection isn't that huge, so I came up with a great idea as to what to do with the other 22gigs, rip dvd's and fill it up with them. :^:
Frankly, I'm surprised portable movie players aren't as popular as music. I understand you can listen to music in the car or while doing other stuff, but a pocket full of full length movies is really bad ass.
I love my Zune, good tech support, the software has a nifty feature that if somehow your Zune folder gets deleted, any music you bought thru the Zune Market place is attached to your account, so you can just click Restore Library and fix it all! The zune pass is cool, but only if you A: are going to be an addict to your Zune and buy lots of songs every month. Chances are, you'll be like me, just buy a few thousand points, and just buy songs whenever the hell you want. I think it's worth getting, the bigger screen is real nice, again for mostly videos. I also like how the Zune isn't fragile like the iPod where if you breathe on it, you scratch it... That's a bit dramatic exaggeration but you get my point.
There is also the fact that Zunes can be kind of cool. My friends all have iPods but when my cousin came over and we traded a song or two, they all wanted to start fiddling with it.
You can stream media from Zune to 360 via USB i believe.
This is true, my cousin pulled it off. The picture quality is kind of shit. I don't know if the file was decompressed an assload or what, but it just was.
I might be getting a Zune soon and they only question I have is does the Zune software have less available music than iTunes?
Current music, like the latest rap* titles and such, no, the marketplace is pretty well stocked with new releases, however, some albums here and there are missing. This is a problem because itunes has been out for ages and has a more thorough library, but I'm surprised with the Zune as they have added a ton of content since from the first day. It's not perfect, but they do have a lot of lesser known bands, like for instance, Stellar Road, which is a small time Chicago Band that plays in bars live all the time. They put out only 1 CD a few years ago, and yet, it was on the marketplace... :^:
To my music tastes, I only had trouble finding 1 album and a handful of songs. Kind of sucks, but I don't think it isn't that huge of a problem, because it's not like you cannot buy the MP3's elsewhere. ;d
I don't know how I will feel about renting music but at least I was going to get to try out, which I don't have any more. Before I plunk down $14.99, is there a way to see what songs can and cannot be downloaded with the Zune pass? The only one I've heard mentioned is Stadium Arcadium, which isn't an issue since I own it already.
edit: I did it anyway. Seems okay so far, a few annoyances where a particular song on an album will only be available if you purchase the whole album. All of Metallica's library is purchase only...not much of a surprise though considering how they threw a shit storm when Napster hit the scene. I couldn't get the "good" Offspring albums which kind of bugged me. Overall it's pretty good though, like 80-90% of stuff I can download with the Zune pass.
I don't know how I will feel about renting music but at least I was going to get to try out, which I don't have any more. Before I plunk down $14.99, is there a way to see what songs can and cannot be downloaded with the Zune pass? The only one I've heard mentioned is Stadium Arcadium, which isn't an issue since I own it already.
edit: I did it anyway. Seems okay so far, a few annoyances where a particular song on an album will only be available if you purchase the whole album. All of Metallica's library is purchase only...not much of a surprise though considering how they threw a shit storm when Napster hit the scene. I couldn't get the "good" Offspring albums which kind of bugged me. Overall it's pretty good though, like 80-90% of stuff I can download with the Zune pass.
Some things can be downloaded with Zune Pass, some can't. It's all to do with the certain record label's rules or guidelines.
I love my Zune. I loathe the software. It's worth putting up with the software for the gadget. Other than storage capacity, I feel that the Zune is better than the iPod, which I had for two years.
I, like everyone else here, love the hardware but hate the software. The software really is a mess and is unnecessarily bloated. The hardware itself more than makes up for it though. I have a pink one and fucking adore the color as well as the functionality. Also, it doesn't rely on a touch screen, so you can change the volume, song, etc... in the cold without taking off your gloves.
Alright, I have a Zune. I have my music and videos on it that all came from a folder on my desktop. I just got a new laptop though. If I install the Zune software and plug my Zune in, is it going to upload all the music and video from the Zune to my laptop or is it just going to erase everything on it?
You can stream media from Zune to 360 via USB i believe.
Yeah I do this all the time. You just hook it up via the controller slot and go to Media Center on your 360. It will auto detect your Zune and you can play songs right from there.
Well, it looks like there actually is some stuff going on for the Zune, like people replacing the hard drives for 80gb ones, and some have gotten them to work as hard drives.
Alright, I have a Zune. I have my music and videos on it that all came from a folder on my desktop. I just got a new laptop though. If I install the Zune software and plug my Zune in, is it going to upload all the music and video from the Zune to my laptop or is it just going to erase everything on it?
Actually no it shouldn't. I have a Zune and mainly use it on my laptop. I installed the Zune software on my computer at work cause I rip CDs that I get from work. When I attached my Zune to my computer at work, the Zune software will ask you if you want to sync your Zune this computer or if you want to have your Zune as a guest on the computer and it won't wrase anything but you can add to your Zune. Kinda nifty I thought...
I've had my Zune for about 5 months now. The only thing I don't like about it is the lack of bookmarking for audio files. I listen to a lot of podcasts, and having the ability to continue where I left off would be awesome. At least videos resume, even after you watched/listened to something else.
Posts
United States Patent 20070136608: Off-line economies for digital media
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20070136608.html
Zune owners could buy and sell 'digital media' directly and earn profit.
No, but if I ever meet him, I would buy him a beer.
The Duke was the single best controller design ever created.
I with I could get it to work on my 360
Well, sort of. The Zune can recognize and use .m3u playlist files, and I usually make my playlists in winamp and sync them on to the Zune, so that works well for me with no hassles.
On an aside, I was on the fence about buying a mp3 player the past year, but bought a Zune that was on sale for basically 70 off at Circuit City a month or so ago on a whim. If you need a nice solid case/cover for it, get the DLO Leather case/jacket. Has a built in belt clip and a cover that flips up to reveal the screen/controls. Very sleek and protects the Zune very well. Here it is.
Of course, I don't get to pick my color that way
as long as it's not white or pink, I guess I'll be happy. I can't decide between brown and black, anyway.
If the Red one had a doubleshot (that is to say, and non-clear double shot) I would have bought one already.
Shogun Streams Vidya
Whatever you do don't even TOUCH the microsoft one... it. just. doesn't. work.
at. all.
This was around launch. Maybe there's an okay 3rd party one out by now.
You've obviously never experienced the joy of watching a newly downloaded video on a big screen TV without having to mess with streaming or any of that.
Seriously though, it's a great way to have your favorite videos, movies, tv shows or whatever to take with you to your friend's place. Beats carryign around DVD's.
You know, we need to start a movement to pressure MSort to either release an adapter, or release some kind of limited edition 360 Duke (a duke with the should bumpers instead of B&W buttons, and a home button. Prefferably wireless, if they are going to make the new one.)
I willcomeup with a good acronym, and then create a thread togather support. We'll start a campaign designed to harass them until they give in.
Edit: Already have a name, the CDE, or Coalition of Duke Enthusiasts.
Leaving it non-specific means that we can theoretically do other things duke related, if we can ever think of anything else to do.
I'll create the thread after I get a little more work done.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
It's a good, solid (well built) mp3 player. Beautifully designed with a great sized screen. If you buy an mp3 player for another reason than why are you even buying an mp3 player?
_WHAT I LIKE/THINK:
I love the controls, with the D pad and back buttons. Very intuitive.
I love the built in radio, Love getting my NPR on.
The software is a bit wanky sometimes, but if you tweak it right it's fairly painless. I just use it to sync my tracks and go on my way. I don't use the marketplace so I don't know much about it.
Never used the WIFI. Didn't buy an mp3 player to share music as I have a computer at home to do that and it's hard enough to get people to listen to new shit when it's easy to download......let along when you're on the bus or at work or whatever. I see it as a limited use deal anyway. I Think it's amazingly dumb to cry about the limited wifi.
I think WIFI would be a awesome for syncin' songs from my collection or downloading crap from other peoples computers
I've dropped it a few times working out and it works perfectly.
_WHAT I WANT/WHAT NEEDS FIXING:
-Improvements to the software/Sync process.
-Games.
-Support for high end artwork. Currently the artwork is encoded and looks crappy at high end.
-Unlock the encoder options so I can encode higher than 192!!! Not a huge deal but.....
Screw ipod fanbois. :d
Yeah, that does have more of a ring to it tha "the Crown Prince".
Yeah so...I thorougly enjoy the mp3 player, just hate the software
The software isn't bad. I'd say its slightly better than iTunes in terms of how piggy it is to run on your machine. The Zune software also does a great job of slurping in all your MP3s and non-DRM AAC from iTunes.
Thanks for all the great feedback everyone!
I didn't even realize it had an FM radio...that kind of pushes it over the edge for me. Looks like I'm headed to Fry's.
It does have a radio but where I live there isn't very good reception. Of course, I live out in the middle of nowhere so that might have something to do with it, if you lived in a city I imagine it could be a lot better.
That and I don't ever listen to the radio anyways so it doesn't really matter much to me. :P
I would also use it for NPR though if I'm ever needing some kind of news fix.
Maybe I'll just call Microsoft.
edit: Well that's kind of shitty. Apparently the 14 day trials are randomly placed. You might get one and you might not. I didn't.
I also did not get one. I have no use for renting music so I don't mind though. My only trouble with my Zune currently is that I just got an iphone and the itunes folder is in the same folder as all my other music so now when I load my zune software every album is in there twice. Not sure how to stop that. But it does seem that itunes files work on the zune...so maybe just buy albums from itunes? I dunno.
Shogun Streams Vidya
Frankly, I'm surprised portable movie players aren't as popular as music. I understand you can listen to music in the car or while doing other stuff, but a pocket full of full length movies is really bad ass.
I love my Zune, good tech support, the software has a nifty feature that if somehow your Zune folder gets deleted, any music you bought thru the Zune Market place is attached to your account, so you can just click Restore Library and fix it all! The zune pass is cool, but only if you A: are going to be an addict to your Zune and buy lots of songs every month. Chances are, you'll be like me, just buy a few thousand points, and just buy songs whenever the hell you want. I think it's worth getting, the bigger screen is real nice, again for mostly videos. I also like how the Zune isn't fragile like the iPod where if you breathe on it, you scratch it... That's a bit dramatic exaggeration but you get my point.
There is also the fact that Zunes can be kind of cool. My friends all have iPods but when my cousin came over and we traded a song or two, they all wanted to start fiddling with it.
This is true, my cousin pulled it off. The picture quality is kind of shit. I don't know if the file was decompressed an assload or what, but it just was.
EDIT:
Current music, like the latest rap* titles and such, no, the marketplace is pretty well stocked with new releases, however, some albums here and there are missing. This is a problem because itunes has been out for ages and has a more thorough library, but I'm surprised with the Zune as they have added a ton of content since from the first day. It's not perfect, but they do have a lot of lesser known bands, like for instance, Stellar Road, which is a small time Chicago Band that plays in bars live all the time. They put out only 1 CD a few years ago, and yet, it was on the marketplace... :^:
To my music tastes, I only had trouble finding 1 album and a handful of songs. Kind of sucks, but I don't think it isn't that huge of a problem, because it's not like you cannot buy the MP3's elsewhere. ;d
*read as "crap"
edit: I did it anyway. Seems okay so far, a few annoyances where a particular song on an album will only be available if you purchase the whole album. All of Metallica's library is purchase only...not much of a surprise though considering how they threw a shit storm when Napster hit the scene. I couldn't get the "good" Offspring albums which kind of bugged me. Overall it's pretty good though, like 80-90% of stuff I can download with the Zune pass.
Yeah I do this all the time. You just hook it up via the controller slot and go to Media Center on your 360. It will auto detect your Zune and you can play songs right from there.
Actually no it shouldn't. I have a Zune and mainly use it on my laptop. I installed the Zune software on my computer at work cause I rip CDs that I get from work. When I attached my Zune to my computer at work, the Zune software will ask you if you want to sync your Zune this computer or if you want to have your Zune as a guest on the computer and it won't wrase anything but you can add to your Zune. Kinda nifty I thought...
Check out www.iaudiophile.net for more info.