As of this summer I am the proud owner of a Macbook Pro 13″. This of course was a interesting thing for me being an owner of a Zune HD which does not have a client on the Mac side for syncing.

BootCamp

Your first option is bootcamp, this one is free as long as you have a Windows license to use on your Apple computer. Because this one comes with MacOSX this is probably the more popular option.

Pro

• Faster speeds
• Less battery drain
• Very low cost

Con

• Must reboot to use
• Must maintain a second OS install completely

Parallels

This option is slightly more costly at $79.99 for a license. I personally chose this route because it would allow me to run windows applications right along side my Mac applications. Look for a complete guide on how to take this route to running Zune on your Mac coming soon.

Pro

• No reboot of computer needed
• Great for other Windows applications as well
• Run Windows applications right next to Mac software

Con

• Uses more battery
• somewhat Costly

Closing

The above information is why I decided to go the route I did. I planned to be using windows for only the Zune Software so it made no sense to me to run a completely separate operating system.

I personally have not experienced any issues with performance going this route. I highly recommend it to anybody wanting run the Zune Software on their Macintosh computer.

Look for more to come on this series I’ll be doing on Zune on Mac

As of Today I’ve been away from home 60 days straight. That time is coming up on an end though, two weeks left and only 24 more chapels to run. It’s hard to conceive that I have spent 8+ weeks away from the world I know so well. God’s has a plan for this experience though and I can’t wait to follow it. I look forward to telling you all my stories in person once I get back, until then it’s time for lunch here at camp so TTYL.

Today marks the end of the 5th week of camp for me. And I’ve started to realize all these numbers in my head.

2

• Number of times I’ve been blobbing
• Number of times the sound board is moved in a day

3

• The number of weeks I have left here at camp to impact lives

5

• The number of people in the band

6

• The number of days an average camper is here
• Average number of songs played before chapel9

12

• Number of chapel sessions we get a week to impact the lives of children
• Hours spent sitting in chapel session during a week

20

• The time it takes for me to get ready in the morning (in minutes)
• The time it takes to setup chapel outside (in minutes)

21

• The number of days I have left to impact lives here at camp

37

• The number of chapel sessions I have left this summer

97

• The number of hours I’ll spend in chapel sessions this summer

4867

• The number of songs I have to choose from on my Zune to play at chapel

It has been 10 days since I last blogged because… well I’ve been busy. Coming into this I figured I had 7 years of experience under my belt and I’d be good to go. Well my experience unfortunately was running sound systems that were setup already, somewhat lacking a needed part. There lies the problem, I had run tons of systems, all of them I found simple. And the ones I had setup were also simple systems with one or two mics and maybe a CD or DVD player.

Basically coming into the summer I was well under prepared for what was to come. I had no idea of the amount of work it takes to run, maintain, and setup/tear down a sound system multiple times a day. It’s practically a full time job.

It all went down hill one night when the vocals could not be heard at all. The band was unhappy and so was I. I had actually thought about quiting that night. I’ll go ahead say I became overwhelmed about week 4 away from home (1 week and a half into camp). I literary broke down and realized I had to start excepting help and that I was in over my head. However, I also had to except that I could learn and grow through this.

Now here is the awesome part where God is working through the situation. I have a very patient team I’m working with, and I thank them so much for allowing me to learn along the way. The other thing is the Program Director’s wife is the worship leader at their church and she knows sound system’s back and forth and has been able to teach me a ton and a half.

I am so glad to have the opportunity to be doing what I am. The people here are amazing. I’m getting a lot better at my job (so I’m told) and that’s what is important. Well it’s time for bed, I have to be up in 8 and a half hours…

As I get ready for another week at camp I think back of what we studied last week. Each week will differ on the topics slightly and I find this interesting and good.

All of the last week was spent studying The Ten Commandments as they are in The Bible, one of the coolest things I learned at camp in the last week is how to actually handle somebody when they use God’s name in vain.

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

The speaker explained just look at them and say “Hey, protect The Name” it’s short simple and it works. Not to mention it’s not confrontational. Hopefully you can now use that when you hear people saying God’s name in vain.

The picture above is straight up the trunk of the tree that goes right through the middle of the sound booth I’ll be working in all summer.

Not even a week cam here I sit feeling like it’s only been a couple of hours. Saying I’m busy may even by an understatement. I sit here writing this in my paper journal during my first real downtime of the week. Don’t take what I’m saying the wrong way though, I’m having the time of my life and learning so much while doing it.

I’ve now been away from home for 3 weeks 1 day (probably 2 days by the time your reading this). It doesn’t seem like that long at all. Though I am starting to miss all my family and friends back home. Before I know it though I’ll be saying I miss the camp people, this place is amazing.

We all have officially moved into our housing for the summer, they keep all the guys and girls together in the same village throughout staff training. I got an awesome roommate whom works out at the waterfront as a lifeguard. Then through a door and past the bathroom are the media guys who are tons of fun to hang with. And it’s cool to be close to them since as the A/V tech guy I have to work with them a lot.

Well it’s getting later so it’s time to get to bed, Until next time…

Nights at camp are full of bugs but fun. It’s when the Nerf wars start and the day begins to end. It’s a time for relaxing, but also a time for regrouping and sleep.

As an update on how I’m doing the sickness has almost completely gone now. I’ve moved back up to oak ridge and am looking forward to moving to my permanent summer housing tomorrow. It’s actually about 200 feet from where I sit currently.

The world around me right now is one that is full of community. I can feel it forming.

Tonight I hope to move back into Oak Ridge now that my cough is hardly there at all. No more 10 minute walks for a shower in the morning for me. I’ll be so glad not to wake up at 7am tomorrow if I get to move back.

Chapel tonight will be moving, we are doing a altar call so to speak. I can’t wait, this place is awesome.

This post will have nothing to do with the title, though the picture is right outside of “Acorns” (the game room).

Today was again laundry day after a long week of staff training. Basically we sit and listen to talks for a week straight and learn about campers and what they need.

If you are friends with me in real life chances are you have seen on my facebook that I’m sick and sleeping in the nurses station at night. It’s just a basic cough and it’s more for the ability of others to sleep then anything. (my coughing was keeping other staff up)

Last night we (I say we because I’m considered part of the worship team) did our first staff worship session. Something that was supposed to be a 30 minute worship service turned into a 2 and a half hour worship/testimony/prayer service. God’s moving in these people’s lives and this place.

Tonight I got the privilege of eating at the #2 Chinese restaurant in the Nation. I love hanging out with the community I’m a part of for the summer.

Things to pray for:

• Health for me and the rest of the staff
• Patience for the counselors
• That kids will receive the messages they hear this summer

To me there is nothing better then walking around and take picture as you see them. As I was walking to Redwood (the dining hall) this  morning I looked over and saw this scene. A shot like this could not be passed up. It’s just beautiful in every way.

Yesterday was a great day because of new friends, but also a opprotunity to get off camp….

I had packed myself 8 days of clothing, while that may not sounds like a ton it’s all I have so deal with it :p. Naturally even though I just got here on Wednesday I had to do laundry because if I didn’t I’d only have about 3 days at most. Luckily there was a crew of people going to do the same thing. Though on the negative point I think I left one of my 2 towels there, so I’ll have to check next time I go back. 

The day continued into playing Frisbee among other things that ultimately ended in a bonfire at Inspiration Point. Where I am 95% sure is where my retainer may have met its doom. I took it out to eat a S-more and that’s the last time i saw it. When we got back to the cabin (at about 1AM) I realized I wasn’t wearing it so we went back out to the place of the fire, but could not see it anywhere.  I have 2 guesses of what happend, either some animal came and took it or Amanda (who was camping out there) saw it and picked it up). Then there is always the 3rd option that I have it somewhere.

There was also a movie watched last night, but I fell asleep during it so I can’t tell you if it was any good…

1. Don’t pack towels on the bottom of a bin less you plan to unpack it

2. Fans are completely underated

3. Noodles has awesome food

4. The band I’m working with is extremely talented

5. Climbing 67 stairs to go to bed really isn’t that bad

This has to be the most unique Bible I’ve ever layed eyes on. I wanted it so bad but my mom said no. Oh well maybe another time.

Going on a bike ride during the spring is so relaxing. Passing over the paved path is like flying through space. Grass becomes more green as time goes by.

Everyday I try to get out and ride about 5 miles around my subdivision. It’s such a release to just glide down the sidewalk. I can’t get enough of that feeling.

Nothing to me is more relaxing then sitting down at the piano and playing some music. Now most of it is modern songs simply played in chords. However, some of those chords are improved along to the tunes flowing from the speaker.

Then singing certain songs along while I play is also relaxing. especially on a rainy day. It really can’t be beat, at least not from my point of view. Like sitting a new comfy Lazy Boy, it puts me into a peaceful place.

This is the time of year that the flowers began to grow. Trees bud their leaves to began a new life. And many other things happen.

Spring is like mother nature’s yearly refresh. A time to start everything new again. The amount of things God has put into nature that naturally happen is just amazing to me. I can’t imagine all of these things happening just by chance.

I really like what they have done with this piece. I heard it for the first time the other day and I can’t stop listening to it since.

Play practice is a fun time of the year. Taking words from a script and turning them into characters. It’s a mix of imagination and creativity.

The Moss Trap is a story about a old lady who owns an inn. Many crazy people are trying to buy the inn. Not to mention an escaped murderer who comes back for revenge.

Here I sit and wait
Hoping the service doesn’t run late

The cafe sits empty besides a few souls
Talking about their life goals

Music flowing from the auditorium doors
Making me long to explore

So writing poems I sit
The more bored I get

The doors shut
Creating a sound stopping rut

The only sound I hear
Is the fountain near my ear

The water trickeling down the rock
The sound repeating like a clock

This is all the truth
I sit and wait for the lesson on Ruth

Microsoft updated the Zune Software Today to get ready for the spring update. Included in it are things like Drivers for the Zune Phone, and a little known support for AVI files. Microsoft said it would be doing this later this spring.

The Catch: You can open the file in the software and view it in the collection, but at least as of now you have to convert it to sync to any device.

I assume this means we will just see a firmware update later this spring for the Zune HD to open it up to AVI files and add smart DJ. I’m still waiting on that Facebook app though…

Update: The playlist icons have been changed to black per user request as they were to bright in the pin menus on the Zune HD.

Home schooling is one of those things that either makes people cringe or intrigued. I personally have never gone to public school so my point of view on things may be a bit biased.

The environment of being taught at home is wildly varied by family. Some families have rooms setup like a real class room and do all their school there. In my family we do it all over the house.

Part of the nightmare of home schooling is people asking you questions like: “How do you socialize?” The funny thing is most of the time you are in a social environment when they ask you. The best answer I have heard to that question was by comedian Tim Hawkins. His answer was “That’s why we home school”.

People also assume since you are at home that you just sit and watch TV all day. Number one misconception there. Home schooling something everyone wants to do, but once they do they hate it. It takes special people to deal with their parents all day.

Then there is the stereotypical home school-ers, you know that family with the girls all wearing long denim skirts and white shirts. And then the boys all wear jeans and shirts. Did I mention they always make their own clothes to?

People assume just because your home schooled you can’t even watch PG rated movies. I love it when people assume that I haven’t seen a movie because it is rated PG.

Contrary to popular belief most home school-ers are just like every other student. The only difference is that we learn at home. We do everything public school students do just in a different environment.

Michael Yaeger of the Zune team tweeted the following earlier today. Smart DJ is like Apple’s Genius, allowing you to create auto playlists. Later this spring we’ll be seeing it on the devices instead of just the software.

“I’m showing off Smart DJ on the Zune HD at CES…plans to release this to the public later this spring.”

Kodak will be releasing the Zx3 to the public this coming April. With all the specs of the past Zi8 it should be a best seller. A new added feature is you can down take this thing under water at up to 10 feet. Only feature I see missing from the spec list is possibly a mic input, besides that I think I may just be picking one of these up later this year.

Here’s a snapshot of the PlaySport’s specs.

• Waterproof up to 10 ft. (3 meters)
• Full 1080p HD video
• Electronic image stabilization
• 2-inch color display
• Capture 5-megapixel HD stills (16:9)
• Edit and upload to the Web with built-in software and included USB cable
• Smart face-tracking technology
• Impressive low-light performance
• SD/SDHC card slot expandable up to 32GB (up to 10 hours of HD video)
• Rechargeable lithium ion battery with in-camera charging
• HDMI cable output
• Compatible with Mac and PC
• Available in April ($149.99)

[Source Cnet]

Jason Dunn over at Zune Thoughts caught that the Zune Store now listed an official date (December 1st) listed for the new colors I found a few months back. The big question I have is will we finally see the facebook and twitter apps released on Tuesday as well? Only time will tell…

Costco has leaked that the new Wireless N network adapter for the XBOX. The question is what will be coming on that day besides it.

Microsoft has said that new apps for the Zune HD would be coming this month sometime, and the 10th is a Tuesday. The typical day for Microsoft to send out Zune Updates.

XBOX is also supposed to be getting an update sometime this month. So will we see the new stuff out this month on the 10th? Only time will tell.

Dell is coming out with a 1080p screen, and everyone will be happy to know it’s a touch screen. We are talking a 21.5 inch surface of HD touch awesomeness. And on top of all of that it features a 2MP webcam and microphone. No word on price yet, but wow this looks HOT. To bad I’m only using a netbook right now with a 600p screen.

[Source Engadget]

The embargoes are over, and most of the info is out now. The following is what’s new and coming:

• Unibody low-end MacBook models with the polycarbonate shell — still $999
• Entirely revamped iMac line, including a 27″ quad-core powerhouse and optional HDMI inputs to allow using the screens as HDTVs
• Revs to the Mac mini line, including a $999 unit with Mac OS X Server preinstalled
• The ‘Magic Mouse,’ a multiouch wireless mouse that is supposedly going to run for months on 2 batteries (pictured above)

[Source TUAW]

Update: More info up now at Apple.com

Nintendo in all their Geniusness (If that’s even a word) decided to ship the black Wii exclusively to Europe, and nowhere else. Nintendo send your American buddies some black Wii goodness. Cause boy does that thing look HOT.

[Source SlipperyBrick]

The rumor mill is at it again, and they are saying Apple is releasing new stuff today. Redesigned plastic MacBooks, redesigned iMacs, updated Mac Minis (including one that’ll ship with Mac OS X Server), multi touch Magic Mouse, and a new multi-touch track pad gadget for desktop Macs are all on the list for what is supposedly coming out. To add to the fire Apple has taken down the Apple Store for “updating”.

[Source Mashable]

Credit Karma did a study and found that Users with the the above email services had a average of completely different credit scores. BellSouth and Comcast came out on top, probably do to them being pay services. While Yahoo is sitting pretty at the bottom. Sort of interesting that you could maybe tell some body’s credit score by what email they use.

Hopefully I’m not the only person who actually has filled up the text box on Google Voice to the point where it says “Really?” instead of the amount of characters you have left. I find it rather humorous though that this little thing is in there. Google you never cease to entertain us do you?

Nintendo is rumored to be using Nvidia’s Tegra chipset in the next version of the DS. The next gen device is rumored to be coming in time for Holiday season 2010.

Looking at the Tegra chip and what it is capable of. We could actually see very high quality games on a portable device. Another interesting thing to note is that Tegra would allow them to continue with the backwards compatibility of the past Devices. This is because the current Models have ARM processors inside them, and so does Tegra.

Nintendo is not confirming or denying the rumor yet. I’ll keep you posted though…

[Source BSN]

Looking at this it’s one of those thing that is like “That’s genius!”.  While it’s just a concept These little things would be so handy out on the field. Imagine on vacation your batteries run out on your camera so you just pull them out and tell your kids to have fun.

[via Gizmodo]

There is nothing better than a speaker system with music flowing out. Mine has two knobs protruding from the front of the container, somehow adjusting the level of the jingle coming out. The front face includes a metal gray mesh that covers the source of the wondrous sounds. The tan box itself feels smooth and plasticy, but also a bit tacky. Coming from the back, are two, long cables that give the package life. Electronic drivers bring great entertainment to my somewhat boring life.

So Today I went to find a new album that I wanted to get… So I go to my normal source the Zune Marketplace because I have a Zune Pass. And it is no where to be found…

So the next assumption is it just isn’t coming out Today right? Well it’s on Amazon and also iTunes.

So I have one question why isn’t this stuff on auto publish in today’s world? Why not bring them online automatically at oh I don’t know midnight PST? <Sarcasm> I guess this is really a service to you because you will want the album more by the time you can actually get it. </Sarcasm>

Update: Not sure why this is, but if you click on the “All” instead of  ”Available” they albums are all there even the new ones that you can download anyway…

1. Go to the Artist’s page on the Zune Social

2. Go to the Charts section

3. Go to the song you want to link then hover to the right of it on the arrow click on Buy

4. Copy and Paste the link in the address bar to your twitter post

The above images are straight from the source files of the Zune Software. You can check yourself using PE Explorer. The above colors are as follows from left to right: “Purple”, “Atomic” (looks to be orange), “Magenta”, and “Pink”.

There is a little know feature of the new Zune 4.0 software. That is the fact that it allow you to have a mini player in your taskbar now…

1. Open the Zune Software and go to Settings

2. Go to General under Software

3. Scroll down to the Taskbar section and click Setup Zune Toolbar

4. Rick click on your Taskbar and go to Toolbars and Click on Zune

5. Minimize the software and you should have the below player in your Taskbar…

Buy.com has multiple new videos up showing stuff about the Zune HD. Both of them reveal some new things but this one at about 33 seconds in talks about games. The one shown on the screen looks like a 3D racing game.

• Zune Pass Video
• Zune HD Device Video
• Zune AV Dock
• Zune Car Pack
• Zune Ecosystem
• Zune Xbox

So as many of you know today was Apple’s announcement about all the features it would copy from Microsoft. Many of today’s announcements were not only weren’t new at all, but were filled with kicks and punches at the Zune. Not to mention punches at other companies that were either uncalled for or completely filled with incorrect information.

Firstly a free update for 3.1 on the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is one of those things that should not have to be announced. It should be expected! Apple should stop this charging for updates thing. I can think of no other mp3 player that requires me to pay to get a firmware update. If you want to see how it should be done check out Microsoft with its Zune line. They are still supporting and updating the original Zune 30 from 2006 and for those of you who are counting that is 3 years old and 4 generations old.

The new iTunes Store looks a ton and I mean a ton like the Zune Marketplace. Yet they go bashing it and calling it ugly and then they go copy it and suddenly it is pretty. That is just plain stupid! They did the same thing with having a FM tuner in the Nano but that will be talked about later…

Home sharing? How about just letting you share anywhere… Cause oh yeah Zune will do that. You can take any DRM free content off your Zune and put it on any computer. Yes you have to have the Zune software install but it’s as easy as dragging and dropping content to copy it from a Zune.

Oh wow look at that! extra features for movie! now that has to be a Apple invention right? NO! We’ve had these features since DVDs came out and you can only access these on the computer anyway so what’s the point?

Why not just group everyone except iPod into the “Other” group? Was it really needed to put Microsoft and Sandisk out in the cold like that? obviously those are the companies they feel threatened by.

Um sorry Apple I can fit my Dell Netbook in my pocket on my shorts. That is a back pocket and everyone knows they are smaller. Plus you wouldn’t put the fragile iPod or iPhone in your back pocket, you’d sit on it and it would break!

Are you actually going to try and tell me that the Apple iPod touch is a better gaming unit? OK if you must… Looking at the graphics of the games will tell you in itself they aren’t that great. Then you look at the way you control the game which is all on screen or by moving the device. A real gamer is not going to be satisfied with that sort of setup. Oh and the other thing about games being expensive is stupid because both have cheaper games via download. Then there is also the comment about no iPod and what thing except an iPod itself has a iPod?

Note to Apple people… The Zune doesn’t require a subscription either and hey look at that the Zune HD is still the same price! You can get a subscription for music and you know what it’s completely optional and doesn’t even make the device more expensive.

It is (it being the video camera) only free assuming you are buying the iPod nano already. If you just want a camera a Flip mini will serve you much much better. What’s with Apple locking down the camera to only video? why can’t it take pictures to? Seems pretty pointless to me. Typical Apple deciding what you would want to do with it though…

Perhaps part of the size difference is the fact that the Mino has the USB plug built into the package. Compared to the Nano has that all separately. Include the USB cord in the size and I think you’ll end up with the Mino being smaller.

FM really? Why not HD radio? It would support FM and the latest format for radio. This makes no sense except to copy the Zune..

All in all nothing new and impressive came out of the event today, hopefully Apple won’t let us down next time.

1. The icons are not that of the Zune HD style (e.g. back icon, repeat icon, and Shuffle icon.

2. The now playing song bar is no where to be seen

3. There is a large amount is wasted space in the upper right corner

4. Why not give us a nice high quality screenshot that we can say is fake or real easily

5. It just doesn’t match the the real leaked screenshot

6. It’s plain ugly and doesn’t match the Zune Style of looking nice

7. There is no reason to go to a vertical menu like that in the software

Microsoft is lowering the prices of the Zune players now and the flash ones are back to boot. Check out the listing below

[via Zunited]

So Over the past few months a big source of information about the Zune HD has been Volvoshine (Ryan Rea). But the question comes to hand on just how accurate he actually was. I Will decided if it was True or not and then check out the chart at the bottom…

1. Zune Touch To Hit Sometime This Summer

Rumor: The Zune Touch as we new it at the time would be coming out this summer sometime

Truth: The Zune HD will be coming out this Summer (September 15th), Fall starts on the 23rd

True Or False: True

2. NetFlix Coming To Zune

Rumor: The Netflix service would somehow be integrated into the Zune Experience

Truth: We don’t actually know if this one is true or not yet

True Or False: So Far False

3. Zune HD To have a 3.6” screen

Rumor: The Screen on the Zune HD was to be the size of the current Hard Drive Zunes plus 2%. Which somehow added up to 3.6”

Truth: The Screen is actually 3.3”

True Or False: False

4. Zune HD To Get 5 Times The Battery Life of Current iPod Touch

Rumor: The Zune HD was to get 180 Hours of Audio and 30 Hours of Video

Truth: The Battery life is rated for 33 Hours of Audio and 8.5 Hours of Video

True Or False: False

5. Games on The Zune HD “will be a new chapter in mobile gaming for Microsoft”

Rumor: The Zune HD was to be a new thing for mobile gaming at Microsoft

Truth: We haven’t heard much yet

True Or False: So Far False

6. Zune HD to Have a Fully Featured Browser

Rumor: The Zune HD would have a fully featured browser

Truth: There is no flash support, so that isn’t fully featured.

True Or False: False

7. Improved Battery Life

Rumor: Improved Battery Life from previous Zunes

Truth: It’s improved

True Or False: True

8. Multi-Touch

Rumor: Multi-Touch Screen

Truth: It has it

True Or False: True

9. Movies in the Marketplace

Rumor: Movies would be in the marketplace for sale

Truth: They will be

True Or False: True

10. HD Content for Sale

Rumor: HD video content available to buy from the marketplace

Truth: It will be

True Or False: True

11. Device Capacities

Rumor: 16GB and 32GB capacities available at launch

Truth: They will be

True Or False: True

12. Device to ship early September

Rumor: The Device would be shipping and in stores sometime in early September

Truth: September, Yes. Early, Sort of.

True Or False: Half True

13. Rumored 16GB Price

Rumor: the16GB would be somewhere in the range of $249 -$280

Truth: The 16GB is $219.99

True Or False: False

14. Nvidia Tegra Processor Inside

Rumor: The Nvidia Tegra processor would be the power inside the Zune HD

Truth: The Zune HD is powered by the Nvidia Tegra processor indeed

True Or False: True

The End Result:

Microsoft Cares on twitter was nice enough to record the above video of the Zune HD. At 15 seconds left to go there is a menu that includes apps after they click on Marketplace.

It’s a commonly known thing that the Zune Software takes up tons of system resources. So I came up with a list of 4 things that are sure to speed up your Zune experience.

1. Condense Your Library

Reason: Condensing your library into 1 folder for each type will make the zune software be able to search less stuff

What To Do: Just moved all your stuff from each thing into a folder

Cons: You have to be able to fit your whole collection wherever you store your media

2. Change Your Display Settings

Reason: It will tone down the graphic aspect a bit to make the speed way better

What To Do: Go to Settings > Software > Display > Screen Graphics and slide the bar to basic

Cons: You won’t see the visualizer or the nicer now playing screen anymore

3. Turn Off Now Playing While Idle

Reason: It will no longer go to the resource heavy now playing screen while running in the background

What To Do: Go to Settings > Software > Display > Now Playing and uncheck the box

Cons: None

4. Turn Off The Conversion When Syncing

Reason: You don’t want to convert each and every file you send to the Zune when they will play just fine without it

What To Do: Go to Settings > Device > Conversion Settings > Audio and select Only Convert Formats That Aren’t Supported by The Zune Device

Cons: Your Zune will fill up faster do to higher bit rate files

]]> http://t03.us/2009/08/4-tips-to-speed-up-your-zune-software/feed/ 4 http://t03.us/2009/08/first-image-of-zune-4-0-software-leaked/ http://t03.us/2009/08/first-image-of-zune-4-0-software-leaked/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:29:07 +0000 Josh http://t03.us/?p=1519

Firstly thanks to Clubdirthill on twitter for pointing this out. Dave McLauchlan from the Zune Team had the following image as his background on twitter. This is not what the Zune Software screen looks like now and the icons match those on the Zune HD interface. So is this the now playing screen for the new Zune Software?

[Thanks To Clubdirthill]

CheeTos_ on twitter made some mock ups of what the Zune HD will look like all colored up.

Red

Blue

Lime Green

Gizmodo got a demo of the Zune HD plugged into a TV, This thing is going to be more then just a portable media player, it will be a whole media center. Check out the impressive video below.

Zune HD TV Interface Walkthrough from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

The whole interface changes to work on the TV, it looks darn slick.

[Via Gizmodo]

The Zune HD will come out Sept. 15th in 16GB and 32GB capacities. It will be priced at the earlier leaked $220 for the 16GB and $290 for 32GB.

Specs:

• Built in HD Tuner
• Output 720p video via the $90 dock
• OLED Touch screen
• Wi-Fi
• Web Browser
• Nvidia Tegra Process

Other Information:

When:

Pre-order starting Thursday, Aug. 13. Purchase in stores on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Where Online:http://www.zune.net/zunehd

Where in Store:

Place a pre-order in person at Best Buy beginning Aug. 16. If you want a sneak peek, visit select stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., areas on Aug. 22 and 23.

Press Release

Microsoft has announced Today that the Zune HD will be available in the Zune orginals store September 15th in 5 different colors. The colors are Blue, Green, Red, Platinum, and Black. You can see the picture of them above.

Update: Check out the large images of the colors made as a mock up

[via Zune Email]

Jasmine France

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 13

Mp3 insider

Gizmodo got the leak on this one from somebody at Best Buy.  The prices are as follows…

• 16GB $220
• 32GB $290

Hopefully more info will be coming out tomorrow…

[via Gizmodo]

The above picture is from the FCC filings of the Zune HD. The Earbuds used in their tests were the Zune Premium Earbuds V2. So are these the ones that will be included? Click on them image to show it better…

]]> http://t03.us/2009/08/zune-hd-to-include-premium-earbuds/feed/ 0 http://t03.us/2009/08/zune-hd-has-eq-and-other-features-to/ http://t03.us/2009/08/zune-hd-has-eq-and-other-features-to/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:07:05 +0000 Josh http://t03.us/?p=1428

Cnet is now my favorite site… They have posted their info about the Zune HD and here it goes….

720P Video:

The Zune HD supports 720p video content, which you’ll be able to purchase directly though the Zune Marketplace software. Video content purchased (or rented) through your Xbox can also be downloaded and transferred to your Zune by checking for them in your Zune Marketplace purchase history.

The Zune HD will bring the EQ back to the Zune according to Donald.

Now Playing Screen interface

The music playback screen has also been given a lot of work. Without the benefit of a navigation pad or playback buttons, users will need to tap the middle of the screen once to access a large four-direction onscreen cross for play, skip, reverse, volume. Controls for favorites, shuffle and repeat are found conveniently near the bottom of the screen, instead of buried in sub-menus.

Another cool thing is the Zune will pull in artist info and pictures:

The Zune’s coolest music trick, though, is that it automatically pulls in a gallery of band photos, biographical info, and similar artist recommendations for any currently playing song–regardless of whether the track is from Zune Marketplace or your friend’s hard drive or torrents. It’s feels a little more like digging through Last.fm now, instead of just a straight-up music directory. If the Zune’s connected up to Wi-Fi, listings of related artists will link though to the mobile version of Zune Marketplace, where tracks can be streamed and purchased directly.

As for the browser there is NO flash support.

[Source Cnet]

Cnet got a hands on with Microsoft’s long awaited player. Check out Donald’s thoughts and more pictures on Cnet.

Later Today I am expexting an official announcement. But more pictures of the Zune HD are coming out via a Zune MVP on twitter. The pictures were removed in fear of them still being under NDA, but I was able to grab a few of them before they were deleted.

The PS3 “Slim” has shown up on Amazon Germany. There is no price or ship date asociated with the item yet. But I’ll keep you posted. Does this mean we’ll be seeing some official word on this soon? If it comes out this year I’d expect it by the Christmas shopping season.

[via CrunchGear]

GDGT is having a party and Microsoft is going to be there showing off their Zune HD.

Quoting MSMobiles.com

If you live in San Francisco or vicinity, you might be interested to drop by to this event, where Microsoft will be presenting Zune HD and Windows Mobile phones to the public (there will be also HTC presenting their Windows Mobile phones)…

I personally think this means it is safe to assume that Microsoft will be announcing the Zune HD to the world on the 4th.

Quoting GDGT

San Francisco! You ready to show off your have list and geek out on gadgets for an evening with team gdgt, Veronica Belmont, and 18 companies showing the freshest gear? We’re taking over ther DNA Lounge and hope to see you there.

The party is all ages and open to the public. First attendees will walk away with some great swag — but everyone who shows is eligible to win some gear from RIM, Sony, Zune, Sonos, Plantronics, TiVo, and more!

RSVP on Facebook or in the comments and be prepared to check out all kinds of gadgets and demos from our awesome sponsors…

So you lucky people in or around the San Francisco area better go get plenty of pictures and video for us less fortunate people.

[Thanks Clubdirthill]

Barnes & Noble is now going to offer free “unlimited” wi-fi in their stores nation wide. This is part of their e-book initiative.

The existing AT&T Wi-Fi network at Barnes & Noble has been available to customers since 2005. Now, anybody walking into a Barnes & Noble store anywhere in the country will have complimentary and unlimited access to the Wi-Fi network at all store locations.

As a part of the Wi-Fi offering announced today, customers will soon be able to opt-in to receive personalized messages from Barnes & Noble — such as a coupon to the in-store café, notices on an author book signing or details on where to find a new book release in their favorite genre — on their Wi-Fi enabled devices when they enter the store.

[via JK On The Run]

Day 3 of Volvoshine’s leaking stuff and he took it to the browser realm this time.

Quoting Volvoshine’s Tweet

RR: What is the Zune HD’s web browser like?

TK: The browser is fully featured and very usable, I’ve used the ZuneHD and I loved it!

What “fully featured” means is open for interpretation. This could mean flash and silver light, or it could just mean it will browse the web like the iPhone does.

What do you think it means? Comment below with your thoughts

Ryan Rea (Volvoshine) posted the second part of his interview with his source today. This time the question revolves around games on the Zune HD.

RR The question everyone asking.. Will the Zune HD offer games?

TK Yes, the Zune HD will be a new chapter in mobile gaming for Microsoft

What exactly does this mean? Perhaps the Xbox games on the Zune HD are true? Stay tuned for more Zune HD info…

Source: Volvoshine

This new 12.1 inch notebook is right on the line of ultra portable and real laptop. The case looks nice from the pictures. More info at CNet’s Crave Blog…

Ryan Rea (Volvoshine) is doing a mini interview with one question a day to his source. The first question was:

Ryan Rea what kind of battery life are we looking at?

TK it should be roughly 5X more then the current iPod touch

The current iPod Touch is rated for 36 hour of audio and 6 hours of video. So if this is true you will be seeing 180 hours of audio on the Zune HD and about 30 hours of video. This translates into 7 and a half days of listening audio and 1 and a quater days watching video.

If this turns out true that would be very impressive indeed…

[Source Volvoshine's Twitter]

Ryan Rea over at Neowin.net posted an interview with his insider at Microsoft. He is calling him TK for now. The following is some interesting tid-bits from the interview and my comments on them…

RR: What are you most looking forward to with the ZHD & Zune 4.0?
TK: Improved battery life, multi-touch and movies.

Better battery life is a cool thing that I’m looking forward to, hopefully it will effect older hardware as well. Multi-touch is obviously only coming to the Zune HD. Movies now this has been a rumor but it should be good to finally have them.

RR: I’m assuming that it would include HD content, Because the HD is going be a awesome portable Video player with it having HDMI out and such.
TK: Yes sir

I now assume by that, that we will see 720P videos in the marketplace…

RR: What are the sizes of The Zune HD?
TK: 16GB and 32GB, Microsoft is considering adding a 64GB Zune later on in the model year

As rumored earlier today…

RR: When is Microsoft planning to ship the Zune HD?
TK: Early September

Can we just get a confirmation on September 8th already?

RR: How much is Zune HD projected to cost?
TK: The prices are not set in stone yet, but the 16GB will be somewhere in the range of $249 -$280

If they can hit that price with 16GB then I can imagine the 32GfB will be around $290-$330.

[Full Interview]

Click for Larger Image

While this is not a official image it is a image based on the screens shown on the new leaked pictures at Gizmodo.  I think this gives you a Good idea of what the new Now Playing screen will look like on the player.

]]> http://t03.us/2009/06/what-the-zune-hd-now-playing-screen-looks-like-full-size/feed/ 1 http://t03.us/2009/06/rumor-zune-hd-comes-in-1632gb-sizes-launches-september-8/ http://t03.us/2009/06/rumor-zune-hd-comes-in-1632gb-sizes-launches-september-8/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:43:27 +0000 Josh http://t03.us/?p=1171

As suspected a leaked document states that the Zune HD will come in 8GB and 32GB capacities. Along with a September release date.  This is all unconfirmed but Gizmodo says it looks pretty real. Just waiting for Microsoft to say something.

[via Gizmodo]

Boxee has released the a public version of the software for windows finally. The software can be downloaded for free from the Boxee site. The new software includes the Pandora application. Along with applications for thing like viewing facebook pictures. Screenshots below the break. (click on them for larger images)

Songza App

Pandora App

Digg App

Source: Boxee.tv

Microsoft has released a beta version of their free security software today. The limited beta is limited to 75,000 downloads. So this is very very limited on the number they are giving out. I have grabbed a copy for my netbook.

Quoting LifeHacker

Also according to ZDNet, you’ll need to be in the U.S., Israel, or Brazil to try out the beta, and like most early downloads from Microsoft, you’ll need to sign in with a Live account to get rolling (I also had to complete a Microsoft Connect registration and a survey). MSE is available for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 (including both 32- and 64-bit for Vista and Windows 7).

Another thing worth noting is you must have a genuin version of Windows.

Ever wanted a sandal that is also a metal detector? If you haven’t you sure want one now I’m sure. The first time I saw these I thought they were genius. Why not take something close to the ground and make it into something else that has to be close to the ground? One word describes it for me like I said “Genius”. And you can get them for only $59.95.

Buy from Hammacher Schlemmer

This is a guide on what has been confirmed and what has been been rumored for the  Zune HD.

Official links

• Press release
• Zune HD Page

Pictures

Confirmed Specs

• 16:9 OLED Touch Screen (480×272 resolution / 3.3 inch screen)
• HD Radio Receiver
• HD Output (through dock)
• Windows CE based
• Internet Explorer bases browser that is optimized for touch
• Wi-Fi
• Playback of 720p video on the device itself
• Nvidia Tegra
• 2 Colors in stores (Black & Platinum)
• 3 Colors on Zune Originals (Red, Blue, Green)
• 16GB ($220), 32GB ($290)
• Release Date: September 15th 2009

Picture Analyzed (w/ size of device)

Click for larger image

Updated August 14th 3:24PM CST

Starting this week Acer will be rolling out select models to stores. The 3G enabled Aspire One’s should be a great addition to any computer family.

Microsoft has teamed up with Ford and Funkmaster Flex to giveaway a awesome Truck. Here is everything that you will find inside…

8″ and 6.5″ Kicker speakers in front doors, with custom fiberglass pod

Pink square 6.5″ Kicker components in rear doors

Pink square Four 8″ Kicker subs behind rear seats, installed in a custom sub box

Pink square Two Kicker amps

Pink square Car PC powered by Microsoft Windows XP mounted in center console

Pink square Internet on the go with Sprint wireless AirCard

Pink square TV on the go with Slingbox

Pink square Wireless keyboard and mouse

Pink square Two 7″ headrest monitors featuring built-in DVD player

Pink square One 10″ flip-down monitor with VGA input

Pink square One converted factory screen to display movies, computer, and Xbox 360 in-dash

Pink square Custom Zune display mount connecting to trailer hitch to display Kicker Zune player

Pink square Full Katzkin custom interior

Pink square Suede headliner and interior parts

Pink square Xbox 360

Pink square Custom Zune paint job

GotZune also pointed out something intersting, the giveaway ends on September 8th. AKA the same date as the supposed Zune HD release. I think we can now confirm when the Zune HD will be released to the public.

Zunerama has received some inside info that a small update is going to be made to Zune.net tonight. Their sources say that the following will happen.

Quoting Zunerama

• “Follow an artist” –  Allows users to get news and updates about the artists they care about
• RSS feed aggregation – Users can add links (e.g., blogs, twitter, etc.) to an artists’ page
• Concert dates and music video previews will be available on Zune.net
• More Social data exposed on the home page (e.g., additional recommended content, “listening now” module)
• Performance improvements, including distributed caching

1. VirtuaWin

VirtuaWin is a free program that creates multiple workspaces on any computer plus it has a low foot print. Just install and let it run and press the Windows and arrow keys to change which space you are in.

2. FastCopy

Want to copy files quickly from your netbook to your usb drive or vise versa? Well fast copy will allow you to do it quickly and efficiently.

3. VLC Media Player

VLC is like the swiss army knife of all media players. Throw almost any non DRM format at it and it will play it.

4. CCleaner

Lots of netbooks have limited drive space that can easily be cleared up a bit using CCleaner.

5. Dragontales

While it was good when I was younger this is a show that should never make it on the bittorrent circuit.

4. Christian Music

No offense to anyone , I’m a Christian myself. But really should there even be a need for Christian music on the bittorrent sites? Should we not be pirating at all? Maybe it’s a ministry for some people? I really doubt a metal rock lover gonna accidentally download it though.

3.  Magazines

I can’t believe people actually pirate stuff like this that they can just go to the library and get it for free.

2. Books

Again really people? GO TO THE LIBRARY! They are meant to be used!

1. People’s Whole Music Collection

Nobody, I repeat NOBODY wants to download somebody else’s whole collection of music.

The official site has now launched for the Zune HD touting the following information…

Quoting official site

Touchscreen:

Get quick and instant access to your content with multi-touch navigation. With a 3.3 inch screen and vivid 16:9 OLED display (480×272 resolution), premium entertainment is at your fingertips.*

HD Radio:

Tune into all your favorite stations with crystal clear reception. With an integrated HD Radio receiver, you can access a variety of HD Radio stations at no additional cost. Plus, tag the songs you like for later purchase.

HD video out:

Watch supported 720p HD movies, TV shows and videos in high definition on your HDTV through the Zune HD & AV Dock (sold separately). Or take them with you for premium entertainment on the go. Additional dock and HDTV are required.*

Wireless:

Connect, update, and buy content wirelessly from Wi-Fi hot spots. Stream millions of songs over Wi-Fi directly to your Zune HD and turn it into a portable digital jukebox.

Web browser:

Surf the web anytime, anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. Enjoy your favorite websites with a full-featured web browser including tap to zoom technology, built-in accelerometer, and touchscreen QWERTY keyboard.

There is also a countdown in the source code that has yet to show up as of this posting.

Click for Larger Image

Click for even more high res image

Microsoft confirmed rumors today that it would be releasing the Zune HD later this year. Sizes and prices are yet to be announced however we do have some confirmed specs.

• U.S. Only
• HD Radio Tuner
• OLED Touch Screen
• Based on Windows CE
• Internet Explorer Based Browser
• Flash Memory

Quoting CNET

The software maker also said that at next week’s E3 trade show in Los Angeles it will announce details on a new Zune-branded video service for the Xbox that will replace the current Xbox Live marketplace for TV and movies. The company didn’t announce details or specifically say that content will be playable on both Zunes and the Xbox.

Currently videos purchased via the Xbox can’t be played on a Zune, although both stores use a similar back-end infrastructure to serve up content. Over time, Stephenson said the goal is to move toward a world in which content purchased once can be played on a variety of devices.

Microsoft plans to offer the new Zune video service in a number of European markets, in addition to North America.

The Zune HD having a HD radio will give it a competitive avantage in the market.

Quoting CNET

Microsoft plans to continue selling its hard drive-based model, which will have a software QWERTY keyboard, but said it plans to eventually discontinue its other flash models in favor of the Zune HD.

Stay tuned for more info to come…

[via CNET]

Coming in “early autumn”, probably in September along with the Zune HD UK users at least will be seeing Zune content in xBox live. What this all means isn’t totally clear but we should be finding out sometime in the next week. According to sources at Microsoft it will include music, TV shows, and movies. As for the Zune HD they confirm it will have a few of the features we have seen that it has been rumored to have. Keep checking back for the latest news. For the full article check out the via link.

[via Gaurdian]

Dell Latitude 2100

Dell has announced a new line of computers meant for the class room. The netbooks come in a range of colors and can be placed on a rack for charging at the end of the day. They have been designed to be extra rugged to withstand the abuse of students in the schools. I’m not sure what these would be used for, I could see colleges renting these to students that can’t afford a proper computer. Schools can buy them for $369 starting sometime this year.

Some extra features include a light on the lid that shows network activity or other things that are programmed to show, this is so teachers can tell if students are goofing off in class. For some extra money schools can order them with touch screens, antimicrobial keyboards, handles, and/or shoulder straps.

[via SlipperyBrick]

Choose from the list the 2 things you use it for the most

[poll id="9"]

We all have are own opinion of what computer is best to use as are main computer. So what computer do you use the most?

[poll id="8"]

Today Microsoft sent out a email to Zune users with a survey linked to in it. What did the survey ask about? It asked one simple question multiple questions the first one being “Do you have a Mobile Phone?” That one question was the whole only part of the survey. Does this mean a Zune Phone for sure? No, but it sure is odd they are asking that one question. if you go on in the survey you will find that they ask about zune updates to your phone and stuff like that. So maybe this isn’t a Zune Phone per-say, but instead more of them asking if they should update you via text messages.

Edited to clarify, thanks to clubdirthill

Paul Thurrot the host of Windows Weekly on the TWiT podcast network and admin of WinSuperSite has stated the Zune HD will land in September. He told us in the form of a tweet which is the same way many things are being leaked these days.

The interesting part of he tweet is he says they aren’t about the Zune HD, but never says if they aren’t about something else. Only time will tell I guess…

Microsoft Released a Ad last Friday into the world showing off how great of a deal their Zune Pass is. They also released a New Site to the world ZunePass.net that features a calculator to make you realize how much money you possibly have poured into the apple bowl over time.

People around the web are complaining that the ad is not good because it does not take into account pirating. My thought is with Zune Pass it is cheaper, 100% legal, and it’s high quality. Stay legal folks it is the honest thing to do.

[via Gizmodo / Zunited]

1. The Case

Try and find a case like the Macbook Unibody Case on a PC, You can’t! Look at the design and qaulity of the cases you get. They are defiantly top notch in both departments.

2. The Included Software

Don’t even tell me you get programs like iMovie , iPhoto, and Garage Band on a PC. While windows computers have come with Windows Movie Maker for a long time, it doesn’t even come close to iMovie.  And nothing like iPhoto or Garage Band comes with windows either. The ease of use is amazing on all the applications.

3. Less likely to get virus

While it’s not impenetrable, you are less likely to get a virus because of the smaller install base of Mac OSX isn’t a target like Windows is.

4. You can still run windows

Still need windows? Run it along side OSX with a program like Parrels or by using Boot Camp.

5. It’s Extremely User Friendly

Users can sit down and learn how to use it quickly. All the user interfaces are intuitive and easy to follow.

AlternativeTo is a site for those that hate following the trends of others. Put in a piece of software and it will give you good alternatives to it, hence the name. As an example put in Photoshop and it will give you a list of other programs that have similar feature sets. You can choose if you want them to be Free, Open Source, or Paid. They do this for the big 3 operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux. So if your trying to find a alternative to that application you keep hearing about then go to AlternativeTo.net

Things you need:

• Windows XP/Vista/7
• Microsoft Office 2007
• An Internet Connection

Instructions:

1. Open up Microsoft Word 2007

2. Go the Office Button and select New

3. Type MLA into the search box and press the Enter Key on the keyboard

4. Double Click on Research paper in MLA style in the template list

It then should download the template and display it.

For my project, I decided that I wanted to research something that I would actually find interesting to research. So, of course, I had to choose something in the technology sector. Some people think that the only MP3 player worth buying would be one of the iPods. However, this may not be true depending on what features they want.

The main source of my project was a survey I conducted on one of my websites (Fig. 1). The survey was then advertised on many online forums that had to do with different MP3 Players. The users of the forums then came and filled out the survey on their opinions of each player they owned.

All together, one hundred sixty-six people took the survey for eighteen different players. Only ten of those players got enough ratings for me to get data from them. I did realize some interesting data in the survey that I’m sure will cause some controversy, but more on that later.

Part of the questions I asked in the survey resulted in a few interesting findings. As an example, only 33.7% of people use the earbuds that came with their player. I really thought this would be a higher number considering the amount of people out there that don’t care about what their music sounds like. My guess is most people bought new earbuds or headphones because they either didn’t think they were comfortable, or because they lost or broke the original pair.

So, like any good technology MP3 players are constantly being updated. Three out of the ten players in the end have had new versions come out while the survey was going on. The Apple i Pod Shuffle has had a newer version come out to replace it. Cowon have replaced the Cowon D2 with the Cowon D2+, and Samsung has replaced the Samsung P2 with the Samsung P3.  This just shows how quickly technology moves in, and then, how quickly it is out of date.

The reason most people buy a certain player can vary greatly from person to person. Some people just buy it because it is the cheapest. While others buy the player because it is what everyone else has.

One of the reasons a person might buy a player is because it is the one they have heard of. When a person walks into a retail store they are naturally going to pick the product they have heard of. The player of choice for this person would be one of the Apple iPods.

As was mentioned above, another reason one may buy a player would be because it is cheapest. Sometimes a person only looks at the prices of products, not what they can do or how durable they are. This type of person would probably pick an “off-brand” player. Or they may pick out one of the SanDisk Sansa players.

One may also buy a based on the recommendation of the sales representative. If so, he will probably end up buying a SanDisk Sansa or an Apple iPod. The best thing to do to prevent a sales person from convincing one to buy something he doesn’t want, is to know what one wants before they go.

One might also rely on the opinions of his geek friends. Geeks are great people to know, but remember because it is best for them doesn’t mean it is best for everyone. Geeks often pick the player that can do the most things. As of the writing of this paper they may recommend to get an iPod Touch or a Zune depending on what feature set one wants.

The mentality of some is that if everyone has it, it must be the best. Well, this is partially true, but one can’t always count on this idea in life. If their choice is based solely on popularity, they would buy the iPod Touch. However, like Speedos, the iPod Touch is not for everyone.

Each person wants to do different things on their MP3 players. All these things will make a difference on which player they choose. For some, choosing a player is as important as choosing a first car.

If one would like to browse the web the best player to do this on would be the iPod Touch. “It doesn’t have the features I was seeking in a mini PC but the browser capabilities motivated me most.” (Dorausch) If browsing is main the feature one wants, then the iPod Touch is definitely the player for him. The Safari browser on it works perfectly with most sites.

Another feature users may want is the ability to sync their player over Wi-Fi. This allows users to plug in their players for charging and seamlessly sync new music, videos, and podcasts from their computer to the player. The best player for doing this is the Microsoft Zune.

Many people probably don’t think about what formats their player can handle. The formats a player supports are chosen by the company that manufactures the player. The formats a person wants to have will depend on the services they want to use.

A video format is the way the video is encoded. Each player then decodes the video to display it on the screen and to send the audio through the headphones. If the player doesn’t support the format, it won’t play it because it doesn’t know how to decode it.

Audio formats are a whole different thing; each person has their own personal format and bitrates they prefer for their music. The most popular format is MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines MP3 as: “A computer file format for the compression and storage of digital audio data” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

There are two types of audio formats lossy and lossless:

A lossy compression method is one where compressing data and then decompressing it retrieves data that may well be different from the original, but is close enough to be useful in some way. Lossy compression is most commonly used to compress multimedia data (audio, video, still images), especially in applications such as streaming media and internet telephony. (Wikipedia)

Lossless compression preserves all information of the original Waveform file, audio compressed with lossless compression will unavoidably be larger than audio compressed with lossy compression. However, this disadvantage is more than offset by lossless’ ability to be transcoded to other lossless format without any quality degradation. (Hydrogenaudio)

Only certain players support lossless formats. Cowon’s line of players has a wide variety of audio formats supported on its players.

While this has become less of a problem, another thing to look at is if the player will support the DRM the music has on it. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. This is becoming less of a problem because most music is now sold DRM-free.

Digital rights management (DRM) refers to access control technologies used by publishers, copyright holders, and hardware manufacturers to limit usage of digital media or devices. In contrast to copy protection, which only attempts to prohibit unauthorized copies of media or files, digital rights management enables the publisher to control what can and cannot be done with a single instance. For example, a publisher can limit the number of viewings, number of copies, or which devices the media can be transferred to. Digital rights management is being used by companies such as Sony, Apple Inc., Microsoft and the BBC. (Wikipedia)

One may look at the size of a player and have it change his mind. People like to have a player that fits well in their hand, they also like something that they can throw in their pocket. The people in the industry call this “form factor”. Form factor is defined as: “The physical size and shape of a device.” (Webopedia)

One may or may not think about how well a player is built before he buys it. If the player isn’t built well, it won’t last, which means one will waste money on it. Some never think about this, because they don’t realize how much they will use and abuse their players.

Very few people think about what can be installed on the device by the user. There are operating systems for the devices made by users of the players. There are also applications (apps) that can be installed on devices like the iPod Touch.

Rockbox is an operating system one can install on an MP3 player after buying it. It is an open source project; meaning others can help out with developing it. This also means that it is free to download and install. The selection of players supported by Rockbox is actually very large.

Applications made for players, like the iPod Touch, are nice to have access to. They can add functions to the player, or can be just for fun. There is a large community developing for the iPod Touch and it is likely that will continue.

iPod Linux is another operating system for some iPods. It is a stripped down linux kernel that is designed to run on certain iPods. It is similar to Rockbox, except it only supports the iPod line of players.

As I mentioned earlier, I did a survey and compared different players to each iPod in the market at the time. The following will consist of price comparisons and then a chart of the ratings that came from the survey.

The first players I will compare will be the Apple iPod Classic and the Microsoft Zune 120. The retail price of the iPod Classic is $249.00 (Apple) compared to the Zune’s only slightly higher $249.99 (Microsoft) (+ tax on both). For that price the Zune has a few things the iPod does not have. The Zune features wireless syncing, FM radio, and from the device music buying.

The above ratings are based off of a ten point scale. Each person’s responses were averaged for each player and then rounded to the nearest one-tenth. The “total” is all the other results averaged the same way.

The next players that will be compared are the Apple iPod Nano 8GB/16GB (4th Generation), the SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8GB, and the Microsoft Zune 8/16. The prices are shown below in the chart:

The following are the ratings of the players compared to the iPod Nano (4th Generation):

The iPod Shuffle (2nd Generation) is the next player I will be comparing. It retails for $49.00 with a capacity of 1GB. (Amazon) The player it will be compared to will be the SanDisk Sansa Clip. It comes in multiple capacities: 1GB for $34.99, 2GB for $49.99, 4GB for $59.99, and 8GB for $99.99. (SanDisk). The following are the ratings collected from the survey:

Now, the most popular of the iPod players, the iPod Touch, will be compared to the Cowon D2 and the Samsung P2. The iPod Touch has the following capacities and price points: 8GB for $229.00, 16GB for $299.00, and 32GB for $399.00 (Apple). The Cowon D2 has the following capacities and price points: 4GB for $109.99, 8GB for $124.99, and 16GB for $154.99 (Jet Mall). The Samsung P2 has the following capacities and price points: 8GB for $179.99 (Samsung) and 16GB for $249.99 (Samsung). The ratings for these players are as follows:

The most well known players are the iPod, Zune, and Sansa. The iPod is the market leader and has a huge market share, but as you can see from the survey results, it isn’t the best at everything. The Zune is Microsoft’s entry into the market and it is a strong player. However, it doesn’t have the foot-hold iPods have in the market place. SanDisk has a great line of players named “Sansa”. They are strong players and, for the price, they are a bargain.

The main purpose of this paper was to show, that consumers should choose MP3 players based on features they want. They shouldn’t base their decision on what is the best for others. Rather they should make their own decision and buy what is best for them.

Works Cited

We now have “confirmed” features of the Zune HD. Neowin.net posted a pretty complete feature list today on their site. The following are the “confirmed” features the device will have.

|

• 3.6 inch-ish OLED full touch screen.
• NVIDIA Tegra powered.
• 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 120GB? versions.
• HDMI Connection to stream straight to your TV.
• HD Radio.
• Web Browser.
• WiFi compatible, with wireless marketplace.
• Released, early fall.
• International release of the Zune device itself.
• Home AV packs, Car packs, Charge packs.

None of these come as a shocker to me except the 4GB version. I just ask myself “WHY?”. I guess it goes with Microsoft’s ever need for tons of Windows versions. The next section of features are more of rumors at this point they have not been confirmed.

• Camera?
• Company insiders tipped us off with the possibility of a limited edition dock accessory in various colors.
• 3D Xbox Game Support?
• Windows Mobile 7 preview bits included? (Maybe these reports mean an early WinMo 7 beta?)

Are any of those things actually necessary? No not really. Why would one care if their media player had a camera? The rest of it I am not even going to comment on.

Quoting Neowin:

There has been a tremendous amount of buzz created throughout the past week regarding the Zune HD, with a ton of speculation regarding the device. We were asked by some members of the Zune team to remember, the device is still months away. The specs, UI, and the device form factor itself can change before the launch later this year. We’re excited, just as many of our international viewers are excited.

The entire Zune platform is being completely overhauled, just as Steve Ballmer mentioned back at CES earlier this year. You’ve got the software division and the hardware division. There have been reports and speculation that this could possibly be the last Zune release, however I’m very confident that Microsoft is going to be competitive this time around with the Zune.

They then say something very interesting at the end of the article:

Quoting Neowin:

Keep your eyes open on May 14, your Zune software might just be updating.

[via Neowin]

Things you need:

• A Zune Pass Prepaid Card
• A Zune Account

Instrustions:

1. Go to Zune.net and sign into your account

2. Go to My Account

3. Under Zune Pass and Microsoft Points go to Prepaid/Download Code

4. Enter the code found on the back of the card into the boxes

5. Click Redeem, if you entered the code correctly you should now have Zune Pass.

Tip: You may need to sign out and sign back into the software

Today WMPowerUser got its hands on some 3D images of the Zune HD. I don’t know how real these are but boy they look nice. VolvoShine has said they are real but he questions the specs they put along with it in the post. More info to come though.

[via WMPowerUser]

In the ever increasing saga of the Zune HD another spec of it has been leaked by the now well known VolvoShine. He posted today on Twitter the following:

Quoting Volvoshine’s Twitter:

Volvoshine: How much is 2% of 3.2 inches

VolvoShine: @RMGDDN what is 3.2 inches referring too? any Zune fanboi should know that

VolvoShine: @TurboFool 3.2 + 2% =?

VolvoShine: If no one got my hint, the screen should be Aprox!! 3.6 inches

Well 3.2 + 2% = 3.264 so I’m not sure where all the numbers come from, but he said in his last tweet the screen should be about 3.6”.

Source: Volvoshine

ZuneHD.net found earlier this week by other sites is confirmed not to be a Microsoft site. The site is owned by a third party according to the Microsoft Cares twitter account. The following post was sent to Zunited in reply to a post questioning the origin of the site:

@Zunited Zunehd.net is currently to registered to a Mr. Altman and the registrar is Godaddy. Its not in the hands of Microsoft.

Zunited went on to say in their blog post the following:

This is not to say that this domain will remain in control of Mr. Altman. In the future, if not right now, Microsoft may acquire this domain from him. However, at this time Microsoft wishes for us to not confirm or promote the idea that this website is an anyway tied to Microsoft.

[via Zunited]

(click for bigger image)

Above are screen shots from a coming Zune Advertisement. What would you do with a Zune with a HD screen? Watch NETFLIX movies on it? I want to know when this is coming out, perhaps late summer? Tell me what you think in the comments.

[via Engadget]

Update:

Quoting Technologizer

“Technologizer has learned that rumors surrounding the fourth generation Zune model are indeed true, and Microsoft’s music player would be getting a high-definition upgrade sometime in the fall, most likely in September or October. Sources close to the Zune team indicate that Engadget’s shots of the marketing materials are indeed authentic, but are fairly tight lipped on exactly what the player may have.

What we do know is this: the size of the device is set to come in smaller than the iPod touch (although we believe in size, not in thickness). Capacities should be competitive with that of the iPod touch, and like the touch, it would sport a touchscreen interface. The old click wheel would be replaced with a single-button as the pictures show.

In the form of another cryptic tweet, VolvoShine has brought us more great news. Today he posted on twitter the following:

Quoting: VolvoShine on twitter

Volvoshine: Woah, just got hit with some far out Zune News from a trusted source, you wouldn’t belive it if I told you. Trust me on this one

So of course him being such a teaser didn’t post it up as a obvious tweet, but instead made it a bit cryptic.

Quoting: VolvoShine on Twitter

VolvoShine: @HeathWhiteaker If I said Nothing Everyone Thinks, Fudge Lets Ignore his eXtra tweets. Thats All I can say for now

Check yourself, He had those bold and underlined letters capital from the original tweet. Now this has not been confirmed in anyway by MS, but I would believe it with NETFLIX being on the XBOX 360. This would be a killer feature to have on a portable device like the Zune.

Tell me what you think in the comments.

According to sources near/at Microsoft the Zune will being going to countries outside North America. What does this mean? Perhaps the rumored touch Zune will be coming to other countries besides it is already in. Only time will tell what comes out for sure. More info to come…

[Image via abi>> | News via Neowin ]

As everyone knows, Circuit City went the way of the dinosaurs. Well they may be coming back as a web only company in the “coming weeks”. What does this mean? Well it certainly doesn’t mean the 30,000+ people who lost their jobs won’t be getting them back. However, hopefully they will hire some people back. I loved Circuit City when it was around, I’ll buy stuff there is it comes back.

[via CrunchGear]

While the picture to the left is confirmed to be a fake, we may know what the actual “Zune touch” will look like sometime this summer. My source is a user by the name of VolvoShine on twitter. He said the following in a few different tweets.

“Just got some awesome Zune news.. nothing I can share just yet.. but still cool”

@Shadoblak don’t worry, you’ll know soon enough

@girlscallmematt close but no cigar, but you’ve touched on the right idea

@Cruleworld lets just call him a trusted source… and this is not through the grapevine… Everything he told me has been right so far

@zunecards why so touchy… lol

@TheMBC I would expect a touch of summer to be left in the air

Notice the odd over mentioning of the word “touch”? He also uses the word summer in that last tweet. So for now this is just a rumor, but I trust VolvoShine so I’d exspect something to show up sometime this coming summer.

UPDATE 1: Volvoshine is going to be giving out more information later today via LiveSide.net. Don’t know about you but I’ll be checking it out.

UPDATE 2: More info has come check out the post here

[image credit AnythingbutiPod]

Brian Seitz of the Microsoft Zune team confirmed via twitter that sometime this year we would be seeing new Zune hardware. Will it be the rumored “Zune Touch”? Or will it be something else that none of us have thought of yet? Perhaps we will see a whole new line of players. Keep checking back for the latest Zune news!

[via Engadget]

After a few months of waiting, we now have the official word about 3 new products from Samsung.

The prices and availability is as follows:

Check back at Anythingbutipod for reviews later on after the products are out.

Youtube is rumored to be signing deals with studios to allow their content to be shown via Youtube. This is an interesting move considering the small amount of content that is available currently. Google is also rumored to be planning a site wide redesign making the studio’s content more of a focal point.

Quoting: Mashable

According to ClickZ, YouTube’s main navigation will soon be switched to “Movies, Music, Shows, and Videos. The first three tabs will display premium shows, clips, and movies from Google’s network and studio partners, all of which will be monetized with in-stream advertising.”

Meanwhile, the user-generated content that was the original premise for the site will be relegated to the “Videos” tab. This new navigation makes YouTube considerably more like Hulu, who offers two main options in its navigation – TV and Movies – from the video site’s parent companies: NBC and News Corp.

The reason Youtube wants into this is for the money. They have had a known struggle to make money with YouTube, but this may just be the way they can finally succeed.

[image/story via Mashable]

Today Google released a a single page for users to go manage their contacts from. The interface comes from the Gmail address book and they are fully synced. This page makes sense for those who have an android phone but don’t want to go through Gmail to edit their contacts. Just like any other Google service it is in beta. You can check out the new page at Google.com/contacts.

[Via Lifehacker]

The screenshot on the left shows a supposed podcast menu in Windows Mobile 7. This is a interesting screenshot to me. This deffiantly look like a real Zune design to me. Only time will tell how all this will come together. Hopefully we will find something out this fall when Zune updates come out. What do you think about all this? Leave a comment below…

[image credit: wmpoweruser]

The Unit pictured to the left is just 0.49 x 0.59 x 0.19-inches. The box has a HDMI port that will allow the projector to output  a picture at 1,280 x 768 for approximately 30,000 hours or  1250 days straight use. There is no information on prices or when it will be out on the market. Either way it is still amazing that something like this can fit into such a tiny box.

[via SlipperyBrick]

Today Western Digital unveiled a brand new 2 TB external drive. So if all your media and content couldn’t fit on the old small 1.5 TB drives then you should be set with this one. The drives will range from $329.99 to $379.99 sometime next month. Though for that price I think you should just go get yourself 3 one terabyte drives.

Quoting Cnet’s Crave

Common features of the entire family of the new My Book external hard drives include:

• Elegant, small footprint design
• Capacity gauge to see at a glance how much capacity is available on the drive (not available on the My Book Essential Edition drive)
• Environmentally friendly design that saves power by going into standby mode after 10 minutes of inactivity
• SmartPower features that turns the drive on and off with the computer and Safe Shutdown that prevents the drive from being powered down until all the data has been written
• Kensington Security Slot that lets users secure the drive to their desk

[via Crave]

ShopSavvy a Android application lives up to its name by allowing you to go shopping and be savvy while doing it. You use the built in camera to take a picture of the barcode and then the app will tell you where the best deal for this product is. It even uses the GPS in the phone to look at what stores are near by. It will list prices from brick and mortar stores as well as prices from online retailers. The application is also supposed to let you know if any are in stock, however this will vary depending on what store you are looking at if this information is available.

[via Gizmodo]

Nintendo announced today that the Wii would be getting a new feature. With the update that is coming out today you will now support Higher capacity cards. The update will also let you download stuff from the Wii shop directly to the SD card.

[Via Gizmodo]

The OnLive gaming platform will run from the thin client (a box you plug into your TV) or it will run on any Mac or Windows computer via a “1MB” browser plug-in. The way it is done is basically they stream the game live over the internet to you. According to them this can be done on as little as a 1.5Mbs connection of course requiring more for the HD signals. They say that games like Crysis can be played on even the most basic systems. More info is coming tonight from there website, so check back there later. For now GameTrailers has an interview with them up at their site here.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you buy into a monthly service if you could play practically any of the great games on your home pc? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

[via Buzz Out Loud]

On March 6th I ordered a Dell Mini 9 using my birthday money. Before I bought one I did my research a read a good bit of info from MyDellMini.com. I ordered mine from the outlet like was recommended.

Ordering:

I would recommend this form of ordering to anybody. There is one big advantage to ordering it used. You get the product way sooner then you would have otherwise. The Products are already built so they can be sent out the next business most of the time.

Unlike many other Refurbished product sources you can get the same Warrantees on the Dell Minis as you get brand new. I really don’t see why you would buy a new one at this point.

The One I ended up with was only $209 without tax, the shipping was free at the time so there was no charge for it.

Specs:

• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor
• Windows XP Home Edition SP3
• 512MB Ram
• 8GB SSD

I got the model I got mainly for the price I guess. The system runs amazingly well even at these low specs. I knew I wanted Windows and 8GB of Hard drive space as a minimum.

Performance:

As I said above the Performance is amazing even at the low specs this system has. I was able to run the rather demanding Zune Software v3.1 at the highest performance settings. It handles running Firefox and every other application I have thrown at it. I have been able to stream the high quality (Not HD) Hulu streams without stuttering. Youtube seems to work well in the high quality streams as well.

The performance of the wireless has been very good as well. Sitting in my living room which is a floor up and about 15 feet over the wireless works flawlessly. Did I mention the furnace room is in between here and there so there is defiantly something for the signal to go through. I access all my music over the network from another computer as another testament to it being reliable.

Build Quality:

The build quality is very nice on this thing, if feels very solid in the hand. I carry it one handed all over the house and it seems to hold up great. The plastic seems to be fairly prone to nothing more then finger prints. The hinges on the screen hold it very steady and only move when you make them.

The Screen:

The Screen on this thing is very sharp looking. Only when moving my face up very close can I see a line in between the pixels. Just keep in mind this is only a netbook, the screen isn’t huge however I find it big enough. It is great for watching video podcasts and catching up on TV shows.

The Speakers:

To start they aren’t meant for listening to your favorite hip-hop songs. Surprise, surprise there is close to no bass. While this is not surprising it is a bit was a disappointment. The computer does with software that allows you to adjust things via a EQ. I do however bring it into my room and hook it up to my large speaker system and it sounds almost as good as my Zune there.

The Keyboard:

I personally can type on the keyboard as quickly as I type on a regular sized keyboard. No, I don’t have small hands either. The keyboard takes a bit of getting used to but it works great once you get used to it. The only key I wish were placed differently is the apostrophe key. The rest make perfect since to me and they all work great.

Battery Life:

I haven’t spent a whole lot of time purposely testing the battery but I think it defiantly lives up to the 3 hours of battery life. Of course this is way shorter is you are doing things more processor or bandwidth intensive.

Pros:

• Small
• Light weight
• Great performance
• Low priced

Cons:

• Speakers have lots of treble
• Glossy screen gets dirty easily

If you have any questions or comments please post them below.

Zeebo a new emerging console is coming to Brazil soon. The makers if Zeebo are counting on entering countries that haven’t had systems like the XBox yet. They have gotten contracts with 3 big game publishers.

Quoting the Zeebo site

Capcom®, EA Mobile™, Namco Networks, PopCap Games and THQ today announced their endorsement of Zeebo, the first affordable 3D videogame console designed specifically for emerging global markets. The innovative console will launch in Brazil next month. The console features secure 3G wireless game delivery and addresses the special requirements of these regions where current generation videogame consoles are expensive for the middle class and software piracy is rampant.

[via CrunchGear]

The iRiver P7 is available for pre-order now. The interesting thing about this player is its interface. While it has a lot going on it seems to look very nice. Only time will tell if it works as good as it looks. You can pre-order from J&R here.

[via Gizmodo]

The genius idea behind this is that it saves cups, though my Mom pointed out it will only be good for people with steady hands.  If it works like the picture shows I think this is a great idea. I can see these being great for Dentist offices or people who travel a lot. As of now they are only available for pre-order for only $1.18. They need to sell 50,000 to be able to send any out though. After the pre-ordered ones are ou tthe door you should be able to pick one up for around $5 each. You can see it in action here.

[via Engadget via Gadgets Labs]

Just about 15 minutes ago I got an email from Dell linking to two “new” videos.  One of them shows some high quality shots of the body itself. Everything makes this look like a BMV of PCs, I just hope it lives up to the lead up that Dell has given it.

So for a while I have been going in between getting a Dell Mini 9 or an Apple iPod Touch. Last week however I realized how much more I could do on the Mini 9 compared to the iPod Touch. Getting one with Windows XP installed was crucial to it being more use-able.

The best price I found for them came from the Dell Outlet Store. While these are referbs they have a few BIG pluses. You get $50 to $150+ off from the normal prices. The systems in the outlet are already built so they ship out alot sooner then those that have to be built. You can still buy the same warranties on the the systems.

My tip to you if if you buy one get one with atleast 8GB SSD. Don’t worry about the amount of ram because it is cheap to upgrade (about $20). Windows XP is the operating system I prefer however if your just going to slap Mac OSX on it then don’t worry about getting Windows. The rest is really up to you and what features you will use.

The system I got was as follows:

• 1.6GHz Atom Processor
• 512MB Ram
• 8GB SSD
• Windows XP Home
• No Webcam
• No Bluetooth

This nice little system cost me only $223.62 with shipping and taxes. You need to be pacient when shopping in the outlet store. It took me 3 days of checking it every few hours till I found what I wanted.

Cowon is updating the well recieved D2 to include a few new features and enhancements.

Quoting Anythingbutipod

one of the firmware programmers at Cowon emailed me to tell me there were these 4 improvements in the D2+: an included adapter, BBE+ sound enhancements, a brand new GUI, and updated physical design.

Many people are looking forward to getting the Cowon S9 into their hands. This looks like a nic change in design of the last D2. Now I’m just waiting for pictures of the interface to be released.

Earlier this week Brian Seitz posted on twitter:

@abarcelos hi back at ya! well we have some cool stuff coming over the next 9 mos starting with little steps in march. i have a brown one 2!

Today I was reading a thread on Anythingbutipod and saw that Grahm Skee(The Admin) said the following:

Next week i will be in Redmond meeting with them again for two full days of looking at what is next for Zune. I’m trying to convey to you that its here to stay and its in good hands. As a fan of the Zune you have nothing to worry about and should be excited about the new to come hardware and software.

So is Just Grahm going to Redmond or is it more admins and other people? Will we see something new in the next week?

Tell me what you think in the comments.

[Image Credit: infinitymusicdistribution.com]

I recently got asked by somebody what were some good Christian bands, so I went through my collection and found the following list of bands. This is only a small part of all the artists that are out there.

The bold ones are personal favorites.

1. Above the Golden State

2. Anberlin

3. BarlowGirl

4. Bebo Norman

5. Brandon Heath

6. Cadia

7. Chris Tomlin

8. Decemberadio

9. Element 101

10. Everyday Sunday

11. FM Static

12. Hawk Nelson

13. House of Heroes

14. Jeremy Camp

15. Jimmy Needham

16. Joel Auge

17. John Rueben

18. Julian Drive

19. Kirk Franklin

20. KJ-52

21. Lincoln Brewster

22. Manafest

23. Mat Kearney

24. Mathew West

25. Matt Redman

26. MercyMe

27. Nate Sallie

28. Relient K

29. Rush of Fools

30. Sanctus Real

31. Shane & Shane

32. Sixpence None the Richer

33. Skillet

34. Stellar Kart

35. Superchick

36. Tenth Avenue North

37. The Rocket Summer

38. Third Day

39. Thousand Foot Krutch

40. TobyMac

41. Vota

JamLegend is a online game I just found out about today! It takes your number keys on your keyboard and turns them into the strings on your guitar and the enter key allows you to strum. Right now it is all bands that have allowed their music to be on the service to but they hope to expand it more in the future. While the songs are popular it is still fun to play.

Quoting: JamLegend Website

JamLegend Features

• Turn-based Multiplayer Duel your friends through E-mail, IM, or social networks (coming soon!) and let them play on their schedule.
• Real-time Massive Multiplayer Take on thousands of users in live, real-time showdowns.
• New Songs Experience new songs as artists join the JamLegend Platform
• Compete Against The World Become JamLegendry as you see how you rank against other players from around the world
• Tournaments Earn prizes for being the best

In a very TV industry like move, “content providers” asked Boxee to remove hulu from the software. The industry made a big step by putting almost all the recent programming online for viewers to watch. The real question is why won’t they let Boxee user watch it through the software? Are they trying to force people to download them illegally?

I was really hoping they would start to become more open and less limited. My dream would be for them to allow DRM Free downloads of shows that could be put on any device. I wouldn’t care if they had commercials in them as long as they were free.

The industry obviously doesn’t see that there is a model for free downloads of shows. The truth is there is! Look at Revision3 and what they have done. They do multiple shows weekly, how do they make their money? They make it through ads in the shows. Do people mind? No not really the content is FREE!

My plea is to not only for the TV industry to put all shows on hulu for streaming, but to also put them up for download with commercials for free! Imagine how this would change how P2P networks are being used. There would be no need for people to “pirate” shows.

Well that’s my two cents, hopefully it won’t be my last.

This little application scans your computer for some popular applications and lets you know if their are more updated versions of them. Not only that it gives you a place to download them free, legally, and most importantly spyware free. I have used Filehippo for years now without any problems at all. I highly recommend them as a great resource for download software.

Not many people seem to realize that Danny Gokey is actually a worship leader for his church. After doing some searching around not only is he a leader at one location, but he actually leads the worship at both locations.

Quoting Beliefnet

“According to a contact at the church, Gokey was the praise and worship leader at both Faith Builders International Ministry locations, in Beloit, WI for the morning service and then he headed to Milwaukee for the afternoon service, as well as doing mid-week services. While Faith Builders is Gokey’s home church, he travels back and forth to Nashville where he’s been recording and working on the foundation that he set up in his wife Sophia’s name, Sophia’s Heart Foundation.”

He really seems like a awesome person all around. I don’t know about you but I will continue watching him and vote for him as the competition continues. May God bless him and help him to be able to minister for God in some way during the show.

Nintendo announced earlier today that they would be releasing the new DSi this coming April 5th. The new gaming unit will cost you a reasonable $170. While I don’t have a DS currently, this one looks like a nice upgrade from the current one. Would I say it is worth the upgrade if you already own one? I don’t really think it is. However, if you haven’t gotten a DS yet then this is a worthwhile thing to buy.

[Via Coolest Gadgets, Image MTV Multiplayer blog]

Yep you read that right, LG is going to be producing at least fifty more Windows Mobile phones to the dismay or Google that is. I wonder when companies are going to start catching on to this fact that not many people want a WM device. People either want the new Palm Web OS, The iPhone OS, or Android on there phones. WM is like the big fat kid on the playground that nobody wants to be friends with. Well I guess LQ wants to be friends with them.

[Via Gizmodo]

I really hate to be the “WAIT A MINUTE!!!” person here. But seriously, they kid that broke the record for the highest score in guitar hero broke 80 guitars first.

1. Where did he get all the money for those? AT $50 a pop that’s $4,000, that’s a whole lot of money to be spending on such a thing.
2. This is so not green it is not even funny.

My thought is this kid had to have some sort of corporate backer. Perhaps the makers of the games? I don’t mean to say the kid isn’t talent, but who paid for those guitars?

[Via NYTimes]

Microsoft’s Zune has announced today they will be working together with MEAN Magazine to create a Original Series.  As of now it will be called “Cinemash”. Basically they will rework classic scenes from movies into being comedic works. The whole thing will be ad-supported. The first episodes should be exclusively in the marketplace sometime this spring.

Download Now (Right Click and Save As)

Create your own font by going to YourFonts.com and following the onscreen instructions.  Above is the result of my hand writing. All you have to do is fill out a form, scan it, and upload it..  Writing things with your own customized font can be fun for you and others to check out and read.

Don’t know how to get those 10 free songs that come with your zune pass? Find out how in this tutorial on how to do just that. Find out more after the break…

Things you need:

• Zune Pass (not the 14 day trial)
• 1 credit for a song from the Zune Pass
• Zune Software.

Steps:

1. Select your song in your collection you want to get a DRM Free version of. In this case I chose California by Hawk Nelson.

2. Right Click on the chosen song and select More About This Album.

3. Find the chosen song on the list and Right Click on it and select Buy

4. Click on the Buy button noting that it will use one of your 10 credits you get a month.

Tips:

• You must use your 10 credits every month. They do not roll over to the next month.
• Selecting the songs at the top of your most played list may be a good place to start.
• The 10 song credits don’t get added to your account on the first but on the month mark of your first buying of the Zune Pass.

People with Microsoft Office 2007 commonly run into the problem of others not being able to open their documents. Well there is a way to save them so they will work. And here is how to do it using Office 2007…

1. With your Document open go up to The Office button in the corner

2. Inside that menu click on Save As

3. Then click on Word 97-2003 Document

4. Then save the file as any name you please

I hope this will help some people who can’t figure out why people using other office versions can’t read their documents.

Things you need:

• A computer
• Windows XP,
• Windows 7 or Vista
• Access to an administrator account

Instructions:

1. Boot into Windows 7 or Vista including logging into an Administrator Account

2. Click on Start

2. Right Click on Computer and select Properties

3.  Click on Advanced system settings

4. Click on the Settings button in the Startup and Recover section

5. Change the Default operating system to Earlier Version of Windows or similar

Tip:

To change the time it waits to boot into the operating system, change the number in the box next to Time to display list of operating systems. I changed mine to 5 seconds so it would be almost transparent it gave the option.

Just 25 minutes from now the Public Beta of Windows 7 will be released upon the consumers. The question is will the servers hold up? I know for sure that many hundreds of thousands will be rushing to download it all at once. So will you be downloading it right away, or will you wait?

Download Windows 7 at Noon PST here

Tonight at 6:30PM PST CEA will be steaming the Microsoft Keynote Live from CES. I will be watching and so should you. For those of you who are time Challenged that is 7:30PM Mountain, 8:30PM Central, and 9:30PM Eastern.

Live Webcast – Steve Ballmer Keynote: 6:30PM. PST, Jan. 7: 100k | 300k | 750k

Today I checked the Zune Originals Store and as you can see Zune 120s are again available in blue and red. Some of you will finally be able to buy your dream Zune now. And some of your won’t even care. For me I care but have no money to buy.

Today SanDisk Announced it new more advanced version of the SlotMusic player. For $100 you get the player and 1,000 hand picked songs. Yep you read that right 1,000 songs picked by some guy somewhere. Anyway, they are supposed to be songs from Billboards charts. Which means you could be getting some good songs for about $0.10 each. Well and that is without getting the player. I’ll guess the player is about $20 to make. So then you get the songs for $0.08 each. Imagine getting a song anywhere else for 8 cents a piece.

Press release after the jump

CES 2009, South Hall, Booth # 30659, LAS VEGAS —January 7, 2009 – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), the inventor and world’s largest supplier of flash storage cards, today unveiled the new Sansa® slotRadio™ player and companion line of slotRadio music cards designed especially for the casual music consumer. The Sansa slotRadio player is a small, stylish, portable music device that comes bundled with a slotRadio card preloaded with 1,000 songs handpicked from the Billboard® charts, and professionally arranged into a variety of genre-themed playlists.

“slotRadio’s unprecedented simplicity will have even the most time-pressed music fans enjoying a huge range of music in no time,” said Daniel Schreiber, senior vice president and general manager, SanDisk. “1,000 handpicked songs in your pocket with zero downloads makes enjoying digital music easier than ever. Never before has music been this accessible.”

The immediacy of the plug-and-play model offered by the card-plus-player format ushers in a new way for consumers to enjoy music. To date, portable music devices typically required software installations, followed by time-consuming music selection and file-by-file downloading, topped off with cable connections and synchronization.

“slotRadio dramatically lowers these barriers, offering a genuine alternative to existing options,” said Noam Kedem, vice president of product management, SanDisk. “This makes slotRadio a perfect player for the pressed-for-time mom, the harried traveler, the can’t-stop-now fitness fanatic, as well as anyone who just wants to kick back and discover new songs, or re-discover a timeless favorite.”

The player comes bundled with a slotRadio mix card containing 1,000 songs. It features a variety of playlists from Billboard’s charts, including rock, contemporary, country, and others organized into themes such as “chillout,” “workout” and more. While songs cannot be removed from the card, users can easily navigate between the playlists, and skip through songs at the press of a button.

"slotRadio offers consumers a uniquely uncomplicated portable digital music experience, with the music discovery aspects of radio enhanced by consumer choice in genre selections," said Susan Kevorkian, Program Director, Consumer Markets at IDC.

Priced at $99.99 (MSRP)—including the 1,000 song card—the die-cast aluminum player also features a 1.5” OLED screen for viewing artist and song information, a FM radio and even an integrated, handy belt clip for hands-free listening. Additional 1,000 song, genre-specific and themed slotRadio cards will be sold separately at $39.99 MSRP.

The Sansa slotRadio player is expected to be available for purchase online at slotradio.org and at stores nationwide in early 2009.

The Sansa slotRadio cards are designed to be interchangeable with any slotRadio player and will be also compatible with the Sansa® Fuze™ line of MP3 players.

The Sansa slotRadio Player expands SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video product family, which includes the recently introduced slotMusic™ player and cards for avid fans, the popular Sansa Fuze™ and the small Sansa® Clip. For more information on SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video product line, visit www.sansa.com.

Today Zunited.net announced it would be giving away a Microsoft Zune 4GB signed by no other then the rap star Common. Next week is the 1 year anniversary of Zunited and this is part of their celebration. Good luck to everyone who enters to win. As for other things going on over at Zunited. They are also going to be at CES coming up later this week. For live reporting from CES check out CES.Zunited.net.

The week of CES you will see a new board appear with all the information about our Annual Celebrations and how you can win the numerous prizes we will be giving away!

This giveaway will be open to all members with 10 or more posts on the forum. Zunited is a small community so your chances of winning are good!

     I personally like colors and designing with them. Designing things like websites and other graphics would be a lot more challenging without a choice in colors besides variations of black and white. Imagine a living in a world like a big black and white movie. I can’t even imagine being part of the 6 percent of people in the world that are color blind.
    The Grand Canyon, roses, or other natural things would never be the same. Places like the Grand Canyon would become more of just a hole in the ground rather than a thing of beauty. Giving flowers to your loved ones would become an insult. Fall would change from a beautiful season to a time of hard work. Art stores would go out of business because nobody would need anything except charcoal and pencil to draw with. Home Depot would have a lot smaller painting section with 20 shades of gray to choose from. Shopping for clothes would suddenly become easier and less complicated. Tanning salons would become graying salons. Stop lights would be harder to understand. People would save millions on ink cartridges do to the fact they don’t have to buy color ones anymore. Blue light specials at K-mart would become just specials. Imagine the US flag being dark gray, light gray, and white. I don’t know about you but I think saying red, white, and blue is a lot easier to say. I think you get the point; the world would be completely different without color.
    God created us to see color so they we could enjoy his beautiful creation. God is the artist of the biggest mural ever. Not only the biggest but the first mural. He created it with millions of colors and combinations of them. And without colors it would all just be shades of gray.

Just a few seconds ago Microsoft employees posted the following via twitter:

ZuneInsider: OK all. the issue is a bug in the driver that controls the internal clock. turns out it does not like leap years. as the date flips to 09 the device should be back to normal. let the battery die then plug in and restart once we flip the date. more info coming on zune insider and zune.net. thanks to you all for your patience and support while we got this worked out.

So as most guessed it should straighten itself out tomorrow morning. I just hope it really does fix itself and not become more broken.

Update:

Source: Zuneinsider.com

Early this morning we were alerted by our customers that there was a widespread issue affecting our 2006 model Zune 30GB devices (a large number of which are still actively being used).  The technical team jumped on the problem immediately and isolated the issue: a bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year. 

The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009.   We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on.  If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device. 

Customers can continue to stay informed via the support page on zune.net (zune.net/support).

We know this has been a big inconvenience to our customers and we are sorry for that, and want to thank them for their patience. 

Q:  Why is this issue isolated to the Zune 30 device?

It is a bug in a driver for a part that is only used in the Zune 30 device.

Q:  What fixes or patches are you putting in place to resolve this situation? 

This situation should remedy itself over the next 24 hours as the time flips to January 1st.

Q:  What’s the timeline on a fix?

The issue Zune 30GB customers are experiencing today will self resolve as time changes to January 1.

Q:  Why did this occur at precisely 12:01 a.m. on December 31, 2008? 

There is a bug in the internal clock driver causing the 30GB device to improperly handle the last day of a leap year.

Q:  What is Zune doing to fix this issue? 

The issue should resolve itself.

Q:  Are you sure that this won’t happen to all 80, 120 or other flash devices? 

This issue is related to a part that is only used in Zune 30 devices.

Q:  How many 30GB Zune devices are affected? How many Zune 30GB devices were sold? 

All 30GB devices are potentially affected.

More info to come as they post it…

1. How To Put Games On Your Zune
2. Official Zune Store Has Zunes Going Out of Stock?
3. 2 Must Have Pidgin Plug-ins
4. Zune 120 Now Available in Blue
5. Zune Touch Concept Images

This morning Zune 30 devices everywhere began to fail. What is causing this? Nobody knows. Hopefully Microsoft will let us know when they are going to fix it ASAP. Until then we must all guess and mutter as we sit with nothing but broken Zunes

I woke up sometime last night and saw it and thought, oh no big deal, it just needs to be re-booted. So when I woke up I tried and nothing would work. So I decided the battery would need to be reseated. Nope that only worked until I plugged it into the computer to sync. When I logged in one of my friend’s had the following chat with me.

(8:39:12 AM) Friend: Is your Zune booting?
(8:49:45 AM) Me: It wasn’t, why?
(8:49:53 AM) Me: Nope still isn’t
(8:50:37 AM) Friend: I just saw this: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/31/30gb-zunes-mysteriously-begin-to-fail-at-12am-december-31st/
(8:51:43 AM) Me: I feel better knowing I’m not alone

Update:

In typical big company fashion, Microsoft has come out with a statement saying:

Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware.  We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it.  Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!

Update 2:

Many people are picking up this story, even CNN has added it to their tech news area.

Click For Full Size Images (1280×1024)

These were inspired by the background from Zune Software called Nueve. I have taken colors from different sites/software and made them into something people may enjoy.

If you use them in something just let me know.

Today I sit and ponder what will be revealed at this coming CES. And I wonder will there be a new zune? Will there be something new from Cowon? What will we see?

Only Time will tell. I look forward to this time of year because it helps me see what tech is coming in the future. Lots of cool stuff is announced at shows like these. I just wonder what will be there this year.

(Credit goes to Jared Marino for the UI and Me for Device Bodies) Click for larger images

Today Jared Marino of Zunited.net posted an user interface concept he made for a “Zune Touch”. Note these are not official images in anyway. After he posted them I took them and made a Zune Touch looking device and added his UI to it.

Hopefully we will see something like this in the near future from Microsoft. I don’t know about you but I’d defiantly buy one of them.

On December 20th, Pidgin launched it new version of the software to the public. While it is mostly bug fixes it seems. You should still go download it. I would recommend this software to anyone out there. Check out this blog post for info on adding Facebook Chat and Twitter to pidgin.

Today I learned that the official Zune Store has a limited choice on colors on certain Zunes now. Why is this you may ask? Well my guess is that they are going out of stock. Now you would think Microsoft would be able to keep their own devices in stock in their own store.

Which makes me agree with catnat109 of the Zunited Forums. He states in a post the following:

Actually they ran out of stock and stop selling them. They are going to release new models come the new year. (Mid Jan.)

It makes perfect sense when you think about it. They have no more stock so they are pulling them from the store as their stock goes away. The real question is what are the new devices coming in January? Is it is mystical “Zune Phone”?

Edit: The Zune 8 or Zune 16 now have all the colors available again.

[Sources Zunited &  GotZune]

Today I have had 3 people search for “is it bad to leave your Zune plugged in”. Now I now this may be a topic I get some flack for brining it up, but here it goes.

Today’s modern batteries like the ones found in the Zune and most other media players don’t care if they stay plugged in. Heck, it doesn’t even make a difference whether or not you empty them before a recharge.

With older batteries you had to empty them before recharging so you would get a longer life out of the battery. With today’s technology this is no longer needed. In fact topping off the battery often is actually better. So stop empting your batteries before recharging because it is not needed and your just wasting your time and inconveniencing yourself.

While I say not to worry about running down the battery. You still should do this once every month  or so. This will re-calibrate the battery and give it the battery life it had from the start.

Today, GenerationMP3 posted their video review of the Cowon S9 audio player. It has some impressive specs and features. I sure wish I could get my hands on one of these babies.

[Video credit GenerationMP3.com]

This is the one things that drives me nuts about the internet. People not updating there websites to work with the the new software. Shown above is Comcast.net, shown running in the newest version of Google Chrome (which is non beta). Why the heck do I have to say that I want the page to open anyway? Really is this what the web has come to? I like how it says on the page the following:

The web browser you’re using to view web sites appears to be out-of-date. In order to enjoy everything Comcast.net has to offer, you need to use a modern, standards-compliant internet browser.

Why upgrade?

• It’s Faster
• Better Security
• New features
• It’s free

Umm, Comcast if you haven’t heard Google Chrome is the fastest and most “up- to-date” browser out there. And don’t even come at me with the market share thing, because Google chrome has a large market share.

I have run into this on other sites, like Frappr for example.  Where it gave me a error for not having the newest version of flash. When really I had the most recent version but the site had not been updated to say “Hey you need flash 10” Instead when anything other then flash 9 was installed it showed an error. Just a note Frappr has fixed it bug, but still it should have been fixed sooner.

Why can’t companies keep their sites up to date on these sort of things. It is not like Google Chrome or Flash are fly by night applications. I mean really these two things should have been fixed in within days of both being released. Why can’t we just have a internet that works?

Things You Need:
• 6-8 pieces chicken, skinned (your favorite cuts)
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, cut in chunks
• 1 bottle BBQ sauce
• 2 cans Pepsi (must be regular Pepsi)

  Rinse and place chicken pieces in crock pot. Cover the chicken with all of BBQ sauce, Layer yellow onion and green pepper on top. Pour both cans of Pepsi over chicken, onion and green pepper. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. The chicken is done when the meat falls off the bone.

Everyone has their favorite applications, but some of us like some apps more then others. Well here is my personal top 5 free applications.

5. Windows Live Writer

This great free application is part of the Windows live suit offered by Microsoft and with out it It’d be a lot harder to blog. This free tool allows me to format and post more efficiently.|

1

2

4.  Zune Software

OK, so this is sort of biased. But this is a free application that I use constantly. I always have it running in the background even if I’m not listening to music.

1

2

3

3. Pidgin

This Free chat client covers all the bases. From MSN to AIM it has you covered. It lets you keep all of your IM client contacts in one simple program and lets you communicate with them all as well. Not to mention it is a very light weight program.

|

2. Google Chrome

Recently out of beta this solid and fast browser is only lacking one thing, that being extensions. They are coming soon though. It is still the fastest non beta browser out there.

1

2

1. Firefox

Firefox comes out on top due to the support for extensions and the large amount of the there are. It is still the best out there and will continue to be until Google get’s the extensions running in their browser.

Today Google released It’s non beta version of Google Chrome. I just downloaded it and it is installing as I type this. New features include:

• Better stability and performance of plug-ins
• Even more speed
• Bookmark manager and privacy controls
• And other bug fixes

Download it now

Yesterday Sony announced that they would be releasing the Playstation Home into open beta. Starting today you can now get the “Game” on the Playstation 3. Just a note it is still in beta so it may still have bugs. I don’t have a PS3 so I won’t be on it but I’m sure that those of you who do will love to play with the new things.

Today one day after the release of 2.7 RC2. The Final version of WordPress 2.7 has been released. I have had it installed on my server since Beta 4 so I haven’t noticed much different. But if you are still on 2.6, upgrade immediately. You will love it, the best parts are the ones that are nessary. Check out the demo after the break.

If you find this tutorial helpful please post about it and link to it on your favorite forums, and comment below.

Things You Need

• A Microsoft Zune running 3.1 firmware (or newer)
  
• Zune USB Sync Cable
  
• Zune Software 3.1 (or newer)
  
• Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0
  
• Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition

Places To Get Games

• The Zoone
• ZuneBoards

Installing The Official Games

1. Plug your Zune device into a working USB port on your computer using your Zune Sync Cable

2. Open up the Zune Software 3.1 or newer

3. Click on Settings

4. Go to the Device section

5.  Go to the Device Update menu item and then click on the Install Games button

6. Following the on screen instructions

How to Install User Made Games

1. Download Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 & Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition

2. Install Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition first

• Open vcssetup.exe
  
• Click Next
  
• Read agreement and click next after accepting agreement
  
• Uncheck Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Edition
  
• Click Install and wait for download and install to finish
  

  3. Install Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0
  

• Open XNAGS30_setup.exe
  
• Click Next
  
• Read agreement and click next after accepting agreement
  
• Select No I Do Not Want These Rule Enabled and click Next
  
• Wait for install to finish
  
• Un-check Take me to XNA Creators Club Online Website and click Finish
  

  4. Go to Start > All Programs > Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 and click on XNA Game Studio Device Center
  

  5. Make sure your Zune Software is Closed
  

  6. In the XNA Game Studio Window Click on Add Device
  

  
  

  7.  Choose the Zune
  

  
  

  8. Select your Zune from the list and click Next
  

  
  

  9. Wait for it to Test the Connection
  

  10. Click Finish
  

  11. Close the XNA Game Studio Device Center Window
  

  12. Open up your Favorite Browser and download any game from one of the sites noted above.
  

  13. Download the .ccgame version if available, if not available just grab the zip source and follow one of the two tutorials below.
  

  Install The .ccgame Version Of The Games 1. Make sure the Zune Software is not open and the Zune is plugged in
  

  2. Download the game in the .ccgame format, also known as the Creators Club game package
  

  3. Double click on the Downloaded File and click on Unpack
  

  4. Play the game on your Zune by going to the games menu item on the main menu and selecting the game of choice
  

  Install The Games From Source Files (.Zip) File
  

  1. Make sure the Zune Software is not open and the Zune is plugged in
  

  2. Download the game in the .ZIP format, also known as the Source Files
  

  3. Double Click on the Downloaded File and click on Extract All Files
  

  
  

  4. Click Next
  

  5. Click Next Again
  

  6. Make sure Show Extracted Files and Click Finish
  

  7. Click on the folder if any
  

  8. Double Click on the Game File
  

  
  

  9. Find the Zune Icon over on the right side and Right Click on it and select Deploy
  

  
  

  10. Wait For Deploying to finish, and have fun playing your games.

If you find this tutorial helpful please post about it and link to it on your favorite forums, and comment below.

Tonight WordPress officially released its second release candidate of WordPress 2.7 moving it 1 step closer to releasing the final version of the software. Millions of bloggers out there are using WordPress and loving it and many can’t wait for the features to come in 2.7.  I for one will be one of the first to download the final version.

Download it from this page

1. BarlowGirl – Carol of the Bells / Sing We Now of Christmas

2. Straight No Chaser – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

3. Sarah McLachlan – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

4. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve/Sarajevo – 12/24

5. Relient K – I’m Getting Nuttin’ for Christmas

ZuneInsider.com Posted today that the Zune 120 is now available in blue at Zune Orginals only.  Be sure you order by 12/19 to ensure delivery by Christmas eve.

Update: The zune 120 is no longer avaible in any color except black. Check out this post for the details.

Today Boxee added Netflix streaming to its feature list.  I have heard people begging for it for a while now and it is finally here. It is only available on Mac and Linux for now, with Windows versions to come.

Today I logged into Google Reader and noticed it has a new theme. I have been waiting for this for a long time.  I like the direction they have taken it in.  I hope I’ll get used to it and just let it run.

Check It Out Here

Official Blog Post Here

Today I stumbled upon a way to add the homepage button to Google Chrome. So here is how to do it…

1. inside Chrome go to the toolbar and select the button all the way to the right.

2. Then in the menu click on the “Options” menu item.

3. In the “Google Chrome Options” dialog box find the “Homepage” section

4. Then check the box next to “Show Home button on toolbar”

5. Select where you want it to go when you click on the button. (I personally have it going to my homepage instead of going to the page that shows by default)

Today Graham Skee over at Anythingbutipod.com posted his top 5 MP3 players of 2008. I agree with the list completely. It is a great comparison and countdown of the top players. So with no further waiting here are the top 5 of 08’.

1. Sony Walkman A720/A820
2. Cowon iAudio D2
3. Microsoft Zune 120
4. Samsung P2
5. SanDisk Sansa Clip

[Source Anythingbutipod.com]

Today I was looking for a way to find the duplicate songs in my music collection. Well I found a great free way to do it using a tool called Duplicate Cleaner.

Make sure you have all your music folders selected and that the option to scan sub folders is on. You can find that option in the options menu found at the top of the window. then un check the same album button unless you don’t want to get rid of the songs that get put into those albums like WOW Hits and stuff.  The easiest and fastest way to select which files to delete is using the Selection Assistant.

I have been a huge fan of pidgin for a long time. There are still 2 services it doesn’t support natively. Those services being Facebook Chat and Twitter. These two free plug-ins will integrate Twitter and Facebook Chats into Pidgin.

Microblog-purple

The project aims is to develop a set of microblog support in LibPurple base client like Pidgin. Currently it only Supports Twitter through the conversation windows.

Pidgin-facebookchat

This is a Facebook chat plug-in for Pidgin and libpurple messengers. It connects to the new Facebook Chat IM service without the need for an API key.

Currently the Plug-in can log into the Facebook servers, grab the buddy list, send/receive messages, add/remove friends, receive notifications, search for Facebook friends and set your Facebook status.

As promised, I am making a blog post about how to get the new update. Just go to Settings > General > Check for updates. It will then say there is a update available, this is Zune 3.1. After updating it will prompt you to update your zune to  3.1 as well. Download and enjoy….

Today Microsoft Announced that Zune would be getting a slight update. The Device only update includes 3 games, bug fixes, and one or two new features. I’ll update my blog one I can figure out how to get them.

The reality of the transition is it is confusing and complicated for non techies, hopefully no one will be like the grandma in the video after the break.

What you are seeing there is a screenshot the New Zealand Microsoft Digital Home website. Under products and hardware Zune is listed. Now why is it listed in a country that can’t even get it right? Makes no sense to me either. So is it coming to New Zealand Soon? I don’t know, hopefully we will hear more soon.

[Thanks to Zingerau at Anythingbutipod for the tip]

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What will the consoles take when it comes to beating them to dust? How long will they last? Only the guys and girls over at G4 are crazy enough to find out.

OK, this is not a Photoshop, and I know it is going to contradict my earlier post, but is a update coming tomorrow? I mean it makes perfect sense with it being the anniversary of Zune being today and tomorrow. What do you think? Comment below to let me know.

Everyone keeps saying there is  no sight of a Zune 120 that is Red. Is everyone blind, or is this just a Zune 80 sitting next to a Zune 120 in the zuneorginals pictures? Click on the link below for the original image.

   Today Microsoft Updated the Zune.net homepage to looks like the image to the left. This makes me think there will be no update to the Zune anytime soon. While this is disappointing it was also expected, with the update coming to Xbox 360 later this month I am not surprised there is no update coming to Zune. I am still holding out hope we will see at least a bug fix update next week. But I would not hold my breath if I were you.

Quoting YouTube live Event on Facebook

Join your fellow YouTube fans on November 22nd for a live streaming event that is part concert, part variety show and part party! Celebrate online (or in person if you are in SF…see below for details) with YouTube live performances, celebrity guests, original videos, surprise collaborations and much more. This event will be a celebration of all things YouTube.
Expect to see Internet-born stars like Soulja Boy Tell‘em, Esmee Denters (viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube), and "Canon Rock" virtuoso Funtwo dazzling the crowd, along with mainstream acts like Akon who has the #12 Most Viewed YouTube Video of all time. There will also be a global b-boy showcase featuring dancers from the movie Planet B-boy; Discovery Channel’s MythBusters will add their signature style of explosive experimentation; that humble little instrument, the ukulele (itself a giant YouTube trend), taking center stage; and perhaps a free hug or two. The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am, three-time Grammy Award winner and Emmy winner for his groundbreaking video "Yes We Can," will unveil a brand new awareness raising video consisting entirely of user generated videos.
In addition, the "Vlog Squad," a group of long-time YouTube community members, will offer exclusive, behind-the-scenes access from different areas of the venue; William Sledd, Michael Buckley (What the Buck), Lisa Nova, and Tay Zonday have already been named as part of this ace reporting team. Tay Zonday will also put his unique pipes to work as the announcer for the show and Mike Relm will serve as house video jockey.
More updates on acts and happenings will be posted at the YouTube Live channel: http://www.youtube.com/live . Subscribe to and visit the channel to get updates.
In the Bay Area? If you will be in the Bay Area on November 22nd, sign up for your chance to get invited to the live event at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Tickets are free, but limited. Sign up at: http://services.google.com/events/yt_live2008
Please note that if you cannot make it to the SF event at Fort Mason, YouTube Live will be streamed live online at http://www.youtube.com/live on November 22nd 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET
Be sure to also RSVP for the live streaming event here.

This free game is a mix between F1 racing and Off-roading. It’s a large download but worth every byte of your bandwidth used (503MB). Imagine playing online with 20+ other people on a server to see who can get the best time on thousands of different tracks.  The picture you see here is actually what the graphics look like, not some beefed up version of what you will actually see. So Go download this awesome game, I’ll see you racing.

Download

   Song: I Still Miss You

   Album: Friend Like That

   Artist: Hawk Nelson

  Play Song via Songza

Microsoft has redone their Games for Windows Live service. It’s prettier and  runs a little better.

Quoting Michael Wolf

We’ve revisited the concept [for Games for Windows – Live]. Rather than offer an ‘Xbox Live for Windows’ type experience, let’s optimize the service for PC gamers – let’s make a great PC online gaming service. As a result of that, we completely redid the interface.

[Kotaku via GameDaily]

Gamers who have Zunes out there will love to learn this tidbit. Today 5 of the G4 shows are available in the Zune Marketplace under videos.  The shows included for now are Attack of the Show, X Play, Code Monkeys, and The Block.

Prices are not consistent so I will just tell you to go to the marketplace to get the content you want.

• Anybody know when the new wordpress is coming out officially? #
• @aweekintweet you do a podcast? #
• @TheMBC don’t you feel like you have nothing now? #
• Customizing my blog so it really says, “wow! this kid has way to much time on his hands”. #

This great free online game is similar Tetris but completely different at the same time.  It is like Tetris in the way you have to stack bricks, but unlike Tetris the point is to get them higher. Basically you start with 99 Bricks and you have to stack in in such a way that they stay standing. It is a fun and challenging way to waste some time while you are waiting for that load of laundry to dry.

Play 99 Bricks

Mozilla just released Firefox 3.0.4, the fourth update to Firefox 3.0 since it was released last June. The update includes security updates as well as performance enhancements.

Get the update by going to Help > Check for updates… or download it directly from Mozzila.com

Quoting Mozilla

Firefox 3.0.4 fixes several issues found in Firefox 3.0.3:

• Fixed several security issues.
• Fixed several stability issues.
• Official releases for the Icelandic and Thai languages are now available.
• Beta releases for the Bulgarian, Esperanto, Estonian, Latvian, Occitan, and Welsh languages are available for testing.
• Updated the internal Public Suffix list.
• Fixed an issue where the IME input tool used to enter Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Indic characters was covered by the "Add Bookmark" panel. (bug 433340)
• Enabled additional EV root certificates. (bug 451305)
• Fixed an issue where some passwords saved using Firefox 3.0.2 did not work properly. (bug 457358)
• In some cases, Firefox would not properly save proxy settings for protocols other than HTTP. (bug 446536)
• See the Firefox 3.0.3 release notes for changes in previous releases.

See the complete list of bugs fixed.

Since 2006 I have been using and loving pidgin the free IM client. If you have never tried it, boy are missing out.  This light weight piece of software runs in the background and connects to 15 different IM interfaces. So you can keep all your contacts and information in one place and program. You can’t beat it because it doesn’t have ads like the official AIM client does. And it is also light weight, so running it in the background is almost not even noticeable.

Download Pidgin here

Samsung announced today that it would finally being releasing the predecessor to the Samsung P2. 

Quoting Anthingbutipod: Size wise it’s almost identical to the P2 at 02 x 52.7 x 9.9 mm and 85g, but the player is now aluminum instead of plastic. It has a haptic touch screen, same 3" 272×480 display, Bluetooth and an FM radio. New features include widgets, a mono speaker and capacities ranging from 4 to 32GB. It also ships with some of the enhancement the P2 got through firmware updates including support for both Vorbis and FLAC. Battery life is rated at 30 hours for audio and 5 hours for video.

[Anythingbutipod Via GenerationMP3]

• Installing Sim City 4, oh the joys of making memories come alive… #