RSSMS Adds Vista Compatibility to Zune
By the Betanews Staff | Published December 19, 2006, 3:50 PM
Microsoft issued its second firmware update for its Zune music device on Tuesday, offering stability and performance improvements. In addition, the company updated the device to make it compatible with Microsoft's next-generation operating system, Windows Vista. The update is now available from the Zune Web site.
The company had originally scheduled to make such functionality available in conjunction with the consumer release of the OS in January, however the company received some criticism for not offering compatibility out of the box. "It is plumbing stuff, but it is stuff customers will notice and appreciate," Zune marketing director Jason Reindorp said recently of the update.
Yes, they add Vista compatibility to Zune BUT...
1) they still cripple wireless with DRM
2) They cripple FM recording
3) They cripple transfer of files to require software
4) They cripple the player (as does Apple) with DRM
The only thing Zune has going for it is better hardware / Audio quality than Apple (mind you, THAT wasn't exactly hard to achieve).
That still places it a poor second to any Korean player (iRiver / iAudio / et. al), all of which are recognized by Vista since they utilize true UMS, unlike the MS and Apple products.
So why bother?
BTW, if you're sick of the MS lies, why aren't you sick of the APPLE lies? They do a MUCH better job lying than MS and more morons believe them as indicated by their sales figures.
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|Zune may be a little better than iPod but I can't use a Zune on Linux. I'm happy with my iPod..much better than that Sony piece of garbage a bought a few years back.(before I switched to Linux)
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|Why not try an iAudio MP3 player? They also play Ogg (which is compatible on Linux) and I think sounds better. You don't need any software to use it. Just plug it in, drag your MP3's (or Ogg's) to it and it'll play it.
I have the iAudio X5 60gb. Here are some fetaures that it has:
- Plays MP3, Ogg, Flac, WMA, and Wav
- Plug and Play, No software (like iTunes) or drivers needed to transfer your music to it.
- A Decent FM Radio (and records from it too)
- 95db SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio, meaning that it has pretty good sound quality, better than the iPod's bad 83db SNR 60gb 5g)
- 20mw x 20mw Earphone output (It puts out a decent amount of bass, especially if you use good earphones, like Sennheiser (I have the PX-100... there small and great sounding)
- Also plays video, but I don't use it much. I mostly us it for music.
- Plus more features
It's also only $269.99 at Newegg which it's $15 cheaper than the 60gb 5g iPod.
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|Re: 1
Wireless doesn't have a DRM wrapper. It's in the firmware that controls how the songs in your inbox play. I think they came up with a legit and fair music sharing ability. It would be against the law if you can just trade music and the person can keep it and listen to it as much as they want. That's just like computerbased P2P software, but between Zunes. Of course they will not give you that ability. They don't call it the Music Business/Industry for no reason. People tell each other about good songs, and then buy the song for themselves. It's just like borrowing a CD from someone to listen to it and then giving it back, not burning a copy for yourself (that's illegal).
Re 2:
The RIAA pressured Creative to also remove this functionality. Radio is a promotion tool, to encourage people to buy the music that they like.
Re 3:
Again like Apple. I don't find that crippling. Unless you want the ability to just take your friends unDRMed songs as well.
Re 4:
For a player to be able to play DRMed songs doesn't cripple it; it has no problems playing unDRMed songs. Almost every player these days are able to play some kind of DRMed files whether it's PlaysForSure, Zune, iTunes, or Rhapsody. I don't know a single player that isn't capable of playing at least one form of DRM. You can't expect one of the major companies to sell a player that has no means of playing a legally aquired DRMed music download.
Your issues with the Zune tell me that you want music to be free. It's not. It's a product just like anything else people are expected to pay for. People spend time creating it, it's not "just there" like air or water, and those people deserve to be paid for their time and labor just like the engineers who spent their time and labor writing the software, or designing the hardware. Get real, if the business isn't profitable then there is no point in having it. Make your own music.
This isn't directed soley to you, but to everyone who is ranting about DRM, and how they are trying to regulate the way you use music. You have to understand where they are coming from, even if you don't agree with it.
Oh and everyone needs to stop saying that the Zune player is filled with DRM. Don't use DRMed music if you don't want any DRM limitations. The Zune is not controlling how I use my music at all because I have no DRMed music on it or in the Zune software; I do not rip CDs to protected files.
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|Can I just say, and I hope this is brought up more somewhere.
MICROSOFTS DRM for its PASS subscription music SKIPS ON THE ZUNE! Hundreds of people are having the issue, but everyone is being told every time they call: "This is the first we are hearing of this!" I personally am getting sick of the MS lies. The Vista compatibility is secondary to actually being able to listen to music on a MP3 Player!
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|AMEN! I am very disappointed that the new firmware did NOT fix, even slightly, this skipping issue.
I have called Zune support too and that's exactly what they told me,"hmmm, never heard of this issue before". It's unacceptable.
I love everything else about the Z, but I bought it to have the subscription, and the Skipping Issue is BAD BAD BAD.
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|I am also annoyed at Microsoft's response to the music skipping issue on the Zune. They charge $15/month for a subscription and the music skips. Their non-Microsoft technical support (located in Canada, Eh?) does not even acknowledge the issue exists! Microsoft also refuses to refund the fee for the subscription that provides a sub-sub-par experience. Is this any way to treat early adopters of their new product?
What happens when all of those new Zunes are unwrapped on Christmas and the music is skipping?
We have a disaster in progress...anyone surprised?
It is time for Steve Ballmer to resign!!!
Let's get the company on track for its shareholders!!
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|Is there anyone with a subscription who doesn't have the skipping/stuttering issue? I currently have a year subscription to Yahoo! Music Unlimited, so I'm not planning to pay for two subscriptions at the same time. Plus I'm trying to avoid DRM music anyway.
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|Nice to see production coordination (not).
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|Exactly.
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|I think they might have a winner with Vista or at least be #2 in the mp3 player market. I would love to see one of those players in action. Anybody can comment on the user experience?
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http://www.metallica-central.com
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|well I'M personally happier. my zune runs quite a lot faster than before (not that it really bothered me too much).
there is barely any lag now browsing through the music library, photos, or videos.
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|"offering stability and performance improvements"
WHAT you mean a Microsoft product crashes and runs like a slug? LOL
Go Microsoft!
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|Because, obviously, NO other program has ever had ANY stability problems, and CERTAINLY never run like a slug?
Wait... wasn't that in a recent changelog for iTunes?
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|I guess you Ipod fanboys are in denial. Itune is one of the worst software out there. I don't want to go into Ipod, this is the only device become malfunction after unpluging from the computer. What's up with that?!?
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|ipod fanboy? Ipods are for saps.
I have an old RCA Lyra MP3 player. Plays every MP3 I throw at it, plays for several days on one AAA battery. Uses SD/MMC cards so expanding it is cheap. No clunky software, just drag and drop MP3's onto the device.
It never has crashed in the five or six years I have owned it.
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|I agree.
www.thedvdwars.com
www.nexgenwars.com
www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com
www.gamesytemwars.com
*the mark of a true Hollywood post.
All of the shadow Hollywoods will now have to put these links on every post if they want to be me.
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|54.7%
pick Wii
lol
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|Yay! 43 people are now happier!
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|44... my Zune was delivered today... I got high hopes for this thing and how integrated the zune and xbox360 get... as for now I have to figure out how to rip my DVDs for free because I don't want to pay $30-$40. All these how to sites tell me how to use a pay product that I don't want to use.
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|Google VLC
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|How is VLC going to help me in my quest to Rip my DVDs to my Zune for free?
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|www.doom9.org? I don't know if they have anything to rip to WMV though. There's AutoGK, but that rips to Divx/Xvid.
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