01-04-2008, 09:13 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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Jason, You're Wrong!
Graham posted on AnythingButiPod.com a few weeks ago several things he did NOT want to see in the Zune. Jason posted his rebuttal to that, disagreeing with most everything that Graham wrote. I’m here to back up Graham. Sorry Jason, but I think you’re just wrong on most of this! (He said if I wrote this he’d cut my pay in half but I’m willing to make that sacrifice to bring true clarity to the issue. See what I do for you guys?) Let’s take a look at this issue by issue.
- Clock/Alarm – Why? ALARM? I don’t know how to break it to the alarm crowd, but an alarm without speakers is pretty useless. And a Zune has no built in speakers. So to use a Zune as an alarm clock you’d have to have a special set up for it. I guess you could do it with a speaker dock but this really seems like overkill. And if there was much demand for this we’d get a speaker dock with a built in clock, which I wouldn’t mind. Having a clock wouldn’t be awful but I’d prefer to be able to turn it off. I have my phone with me at all times and we live in a world where we’re surrounded by the time. The Zune is probably the last place I’d want to look.
- Games – No. Just no. If Microsoft comes out with a fully functional portable gaming platform that incorporates the Zune into I might take a look. But the Zune itself doesn’t have enough inputs to be able to play many games on it and I really like the clean lines it has. No more buttons please. It has the perfect number for me. (No touch screen please either unless you’re giving me the option of not having one too!) Until then, I'll very happily use my DS for portable gaming.
- Web Browser - I have a WM6 phone. It has a web browser. The experience is pretty good but I got my Zune partially because I didn’t want to have the web and my music competing for resources! I hit play on my Zune and if I want to fiddle on the web for whatever reason, I pick up my Wing. Convergence is nice but our portable devices are not powerful enough to do many things at once. Music is one of those things that I often want in the background while I’m doing something else. Like typing this rebuttal.
- Voice Recording – I wouldn’t be completely opposed to this. I’d never use it but I think this function falls squarely in the confines of what a digital media player can do. Record sound. Play sound. Sounds pretty like it fits to me. I’d say of everything here, this would be a rather simple and valuable thing to add. Even if it has no value for me.
- FM Recording – Seriously if you want this go get a Zune Pass. Don’t be cheap! Yeah, I know you can record talk shows too. Could be done I guess but it seems really pointless to me.
- Bluetooth – Ok, this is the one major area that I agree with Jason. I think Bluetooth would be a great idea. Yes, it would require you to have another device to charge. I already charge 3 or 4 devices so to me, what’s another one? Its not like we’d eliminate the headphone jack! Until there were plenty of quality of headsets out there it would get limited use anyway. But as soon as either the iPod or Zune were to come with this feature I can almost guarantee that that problem would go away really fast.
- Touch Screen – I use my touch screen on my Wing and I love it. But I use it with a stylus. I actually prefer that to using my fingers. I HATE looking at screens with finger prints on them. Makes me insane(r). The touch pad we have right now is really nice and seems like a best of both worlds to me. We have tactile touch control. What more could you want? For all the people who love to navigate the iPhone or iPod touch with their fingers, I can introduce them to someone who had just as much fun with the Zune Pad. It’s the best thing since the scroll wheel!
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01-04-2008, 09:40 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Sorry, David, but you're wrong on the clock/alarm bit. Here are two simple uses cases that make both worthwhile:
1. Clock -- in the gym, I'd like to know what time it is. My watch and my cell phone are in my locker. I can quickly glance at my iPod and the time is discreetly embedded in the title.
2. Alarm -- when I take the train to Long Island to my parents' house, I often like to take a nap with the music playing. On the iPhone, I can set an alarm for 30 minutes. It'll nicely stop playing the music and will play an alarm. Of course, it so turns out the iPhone also has a speaker, making it more useful, but it can be useful with headphones too.
While #2 can be debated, there are all sorts of subtle yet simple ways one can embed a clock, and it doesn't really increase the complexity of the device. I'm not buying that argument.
--janak
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01-04-2008, 10:04 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
Sorry, David, but you're wrong on the clock/alarm bit. Here are two simple uses cases that make both worthwhile:
1. Clock -- in the gym, I'd like to know what time it is. My watch and my cell phone are in my locker. I can quickly glance at my iPod and the time is discreetly embedded in the title.
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I don't know what you do at the gym but I find having a sport watch on when I work out is pretty useful and I've never been in a gym without at least one clock prominently visible on the wall. If its a big gym, usually more.
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01-04-2008, 10:21 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Tucker
I don't know what you do at the gym but I find having a sport watch on when I work out is pretty useful and I've never been in a gym without at least one clock prominently visible on the wall. If its a big gym, usually more.
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I don't like watches personally when I'm working out; I have only an occasional need to spot the clock. Yes, I could use the wall clock, but it's not always where I am. Is it utterly critical? No, but I find it very handy on a regular basis.
--janak
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01-05-2008, 12:15 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1
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Clock/Alarm would not hurt to implement. Some people may find it useful.
Bluetooth is very very nice. I use a woot acquired Philips bluetooth headset with my Zune 30 via dongle. It is also married to my cellphone.
The whole divx/xvid update to the xbox360 and the new firmware for the Zune 30 starts making Microsoft look like the "hip" company. I love the navigation of the Zune. Microsoft needs to be a leader and not a follower.
JeffreyT
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01-05-2008, 03:12 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 676
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I have to disagree with you on the web browsing at least on the basis of limited resources. The iPhone and iPod Touch demonstrate that a portable media player can do both simultaneously without issue. (To bad the same cannot be said of my HTC Advantage but that is another story.) In fact I'm rocking some tunes now as I type this reply on my iPhone.
And regarding fingerprints and touchscreens: my iPhone gets constantly covered with fingerprints but they're invisible when the backlight is on and hence are not an issue. Zune 2's big beautiful glass screen is just begging to be a touchscreen.
__________________
64 GB iPad 2 WiFi, Apple TV 2, 32 GB iPhone 4
Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13" (dual boot with Windows 7), Early 2009 Mac Mini
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01-07-2008, 07:38 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dyvim
And regarding fingerprints and touchscreens: my iPhone gets constantly covered with fingerprints but they're invisible when the backlight is on and hence are not an issue. Zune 2's big beautiful glass screen is just begging to be a touchscreen.
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Totally and absolutely disagree 200%. Everyone makes this claim. I was visiting my brother and was playing with his iPhone. Sorry...but the fingerprints on the screen made me want to constantly wipe it off. They distort the light coming through and give it a rainbow effect. Maybe you don't notice them because the ENITRE screen looks like that. No matter what the touch screen is that I'm using...I'm always cleaning it be it my Wing or my DS. I keep a cloth handy. Drives me absolutely nuts.
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01-04-2008, 09:43 PM
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Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Tucker
Bluetooth – Ok, this is the one major area that I agree with Jason. I think Bluetooth would be a great idea. Yes, it would require you to have another device to charge. I already charge 3 or 4 devices so to me, what’s another one? Its not like we’d eliminate the headphone jack! Until there were plenty of quality of headsets out there it would get limited use anyway. But as soon as either the iPod or Zune were to come with this feature I can almost guarantee that that problem would go away really fast.
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I disagree here. There are plenty of great BT headsets out there.  The problem is media players to use them with. No, I don't count darn near every cell phone out there. The Zune could have been the first, to have it built in. Shame they missed that boat.
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01-04-2008, 10:07 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sven
I disagree here. There are plenty of great BT headsets out there. The problem is media players to use them with. No, I don't count darn near every cell phone out there. The Zune could have been the first, to have it built in. Shame they missed that boat. |
I'd be interested to hear what they are. I only know of a few and not many that get very good reviews.
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01-05-2008, 04:24 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,432
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sven
I disagree here. There are plenty of great BT headsets out there. The problem is media players to use them with. No, I don't count darn near every cell phone out there. The Zune could have been the first, to have it built in. Shame they missed that boat. |
I concur. Right now I am using the Motorola MOTOROKR S9 and I love them. They're tiny and sound great, though they are not as good as my Ultimate Ears headphones
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Hybrid Mode
