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Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle (www.chron.com) has great Zune news, photos, videos and more
Thursday, Oct 29
Microsoft offering junkware-free PCs
Now, Microsoft is putting its own software on here. Its Windows Live line includes Windows Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Writer. Many of these are products that were originally included with Windows - such as Live Mail and Movie Maker - but were dropped from...
Tuesday, Oct 13
Sidekick debacle: The cloud is a lie
At this point, Microsoft/Danger has not said exactly what caused the failure. HipTop3.com, a blog that covers the Sidekick universe, quotes sources as saying it came down to something very simple: Microsoft didn't have a backup for users' data.
Wednesday, Oct 7
Linkpost | 10.7.2009
• doubleTwist Unveils An Alternative To The iTunes Music Store, Powered By Amazon MP3 - Frames AmazonMP3 in a Mac application that looks suspiciously like iTunes. • Microsoft considering making Zune services available to Apple users - Would you consider using the Zune software on a Mac?
Monday, Sep 28
Linkpost | 9.28.2009
• Australian Education Department Seeks To Build 'Unhackable' Netbook Network - Built around Windows 7. • Zune HD: The best portable media player you may never buy - Joe Wilcox like the Zune HD a lot, but doesn't see much purpose in it. It's a device without a future, he says.
Thursday, Sep 24
Linkpost | 9.24.2009
• Over 30 Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones to be launched before year-end, says Microsoft executive • Windows 8: More early clues start to emerge - Even before Windows 7 hits store shelves, Microsoft is beginning to plan and even hire for the next release.
Sunday, Sep 20
Linkpost | 9.20.2009
• Zune HD a major sellout? - It's not easy to find a Zune HD, though Microsoft's online store has 'em. • Off Topic: Microsoft will reveal two iPhone competitors in 2010 - Coming from Danger, makers of the Sidekick line of smartphones,which Microsoft recently bought.
Thursday, Sep 17
Linkpost | 9.17.2009
• Your company? There's an app for that - The makers of dedicated devices are finding themselves in competition with Apple because of the iPhone and iPod Touch. • Shh!!! HP sneaks Linux in on new laptops - As a quick-start way to check e-mail or surf the Web quickly without booting into Window...
Tuesday, Sep 15
Zune HD: Third time's the charm?
Today, Microsoft begins selling the third version of its Zune media player. Conventional wisdom says it takes the gang in Redmond three tries to get something right, and if that's the case, the Zune HD should be one to watch....
Opinion: Zune HD: Third time's the charm?
And, interestingly, some of the "magic" is missing. Gone is the ability to "squirt" songs from one Zune to another, which probably is no great loss. I only ever found one other Zune user to do this with, and it was in a room full of Microsoft employees at CES.
Linkpost | 9.15.2009
• Zune HD to get Twitter, Facebook as Microsoft abandons 'squirting' - The new Zune HD goes on sale, without the ability to send music directly from one device to the other. There will be a limited number of apps, and no open marketplace. Also Zune 4.0 software is out, ready to fulfill your dream...
Friday, Sep 11
Linkpost | 9.11.2009
• iTunes 9 Tips and Tricks - Solve the Mysteries of the New iTunes - Can't find your favorite features in the redesigned iTunes, or looking for the new ones. Here's a great guide. • It's official: no plans to sell Zune HD outside the US • The new Windows 7 ad is, um, happy
Thursday, Aug 27
Linkpost | 8.27.2009
• Sources: Apple to unveil new iPod lineup on September 9 - Sorry, no tablet, according to AppleInsider, but do expect lots of music news. • Microsoft Sings a New Zune - The upcoming Zune HD will have applications, and developers are being courted to create them.
Wednesday, May 27
Shiny shiny! Microsoft takes the wraps off the Zune HD
This new device won't be available until this fall, and its unveiling this week may be a shot across the bow of Apple, which hosts its Worldwide Developers Conference starting June 8. Microsoft is integrating the Zune with its leading gaming platform, the Xbox, by bringing its companion Z...
Friday, May 15
Is a new computing category coming soon?
While the Microsoft device sounds more like touchscreen Zune in a traditional media-player size, it wouldn't take much for Microsoft to morph it into a larger device designed for the living room. Certainly, if Apple releases such a product and it's a hit, Microsoft is likely to follow sui...
Tuesday, Sep 9
Linkpost | 9.9.2008
• Microsoft confirms Zune details and New Zunes arrive early with WiFi downloads, FM song tagging -- New Zunes are launched the day before Apple announces its new iPods. • Should Microsoft get into the PC hardware business? -- Would you buy a computer with Microsoft-built hardware?
Saturday, Jan 20
Zune file sharing more crippled than first thought
Jason Dunn of Zune Thoughts had heard rumors at CES that half the songs purchased through Zune Marketplace couldn't be shared. He purchased ten songs and tried shared them... I pulled down the top 50 songs downloaded from Zune Marketplace, using my Zune Pass subscription. I then created a play...
Friday, Jan 5
Patch: Linkpost | 1.5.2006
• Windows Vista Launch Kit • Calling for a Cease Fire at Blogosphere High • Study: Zune fails to crack top 10 in sales • Microsoft announces January 'Patch Tuesday' fixes • Studios OK technology for movie downloads -- .... • Windows Vista Launch Kit • Calling for a Cease Fire at Blogosphere High...
Saturday, Nov 25
Linkfest: Sony defects, Xbox gripes, Zune Wi-Fi hacked
• Well, that didn't take long: Gizmodo's posted a way around the Zune's Digital Rights Management limitations for transferring songs via Wi-Fi. It's a hack that relies on a previous hack -- allowing the Zune to be seen on a host PC as a hard drive. Oh, and there's also now a way to get Zune's sof...
Tuesday, Nov 21
Opinion: What the Zune needs to be insanely great
Anyway, here's what I think Microsoft needs to do to make the Zune live up to its potential: Lose the software. The Zune's media management software is an unnecessary duplication of what's available in Windows Media Player 11. Instead, it should be a plug-in for WMP11.
Thursday, Nov 16
Opinion: Two Zunes walk into a bar . . .
I am an iPod fanatic," he says. "Do you work for Microsoft?" But when you connect the Zune to the PC, it kills the Wi-Fi connection. In fact, you also can't listen to music, which is the case with most MP3 players, including the iPod. So while we're charging, there's no sharing. That's no fun . . .
Wednesday, Nov 15
Opinion: Escaping the fiery pits of PC hell
Chances are, you've seen Jim Thompson's post revealing that I lost both the Windows Vista and Windows XP Media Center installations on my computer, immediately after installing the software for Zune. I got Vista set up the way I like it and trundled off to bed. In the morning, I thought I'd tr...
Tuesday, Nov 14
Opinion: Microsoft lackey or corporate tool? You decide!
You know you're reading the Houston Chronicle when a tech columnist writes a favorable article about yet one more late-to-the-gate, copycat, marketshare grabbing gimic from Microsoft. Our local CompUSA (NOT in Houston) had a Zune kiosk set up with two non-functioning Zunes and a few em...
Opinion: Can I carry a Zune?
Of course, the first thing I did was to do a side-by-side comparison with my fifth-generation iPod. The Zune is longer, as you can see here: My wife wandered by as I was playing with the Zune, and the first words out of here mouth were "It's brown? Yuck!" But she loves its big screen and its radio...
