02-26-2008, 09:45 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Zune + Windows Mobile = Better Together?
"What are some ways the Zune player and a Windows Mobile device can work better together? I'm not referring to an imaginary "Zune phone", and I'm certainly not hinting or speculating about a converged device. Instead, I'm wondering if there are any opportunities for us to improve the experience for people who use both devices (a Zune and a Windows Mobile phone). For example, viewing your Zune Social network in IEMobile, converting a Zune playlist into .WMA ringtones, converting Zune's artwork to Windows Mobile themes, showing your Windows Mobile contacts as pictures in Zune etc. If you can think of similar interesting or compelling scenarios, we'd love to hear them."
I know Mel, and I know he's completely sincere about his request for input, but I can't help but be a little bitter in seeing this request. Why? Going back a few years, likely 2004, I was in a conference room with some Microsoft people who had worked on the now-defunct Portable Media Center devices. The UI was one of the strongest aspects of that product, and a certain product manager asked me if I thought they should port that UI to Windows Mobile. There was no hesitation as I immediately replied "Yes". Windows Media Player Mobile was largely abandoned at that point (it still is as far as I'm concerned), and the PMC user interface was designed for fast media access. It was a no brainer and absolutely needed to happen.
So what happened? Nothing. Windows Mobile never got a re-worked Windows Media Player based on the Portable Media Center UI. If it had happened, it would have been the best media UI on a mobile phone - keep in mind this is a couple of years before the iPhone. Now here we are in 2008, and Microsoft is still thinking about how to make the Zune (which is really an evolved PMC) work with Windows Mobile. There are lots of interesting synergies between the products, but there should really be a Zune-type user interface on Windows Mobile for media. Windows Media Player 10 Mobile needs to sleep with the fishes...
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02-26-2008, 11:31 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 242
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I don't think Microsoft has ever taken the consumer side of WM devices seriously.
I give you:
-Pocket Internet Explorer
-Money Mobile (defunct)
-Pocket Reader (might as well be, last updated in 2005)
And, of course,
-WMP (elloquently covered by Jason already)
Hopefully the iPhone will shock them into movement but I wonder.
Somewhat off topic but related; while I've had my complaints, I've generally been a fan of Microsoft but I don't know what is going on there lately. Aside from some eye candy Vista is uninspired and Office 2007 makes it harder to do most things. Don't even get me started on the giant leap backwards that is WMDC (ActiveSync ME?).
I'd probably would be a lot more tolerant of DRM and the many other things they seem to spend so much time on in order to hamper my computing experience if they spent at least as much time on improving it. I'm sure they (and others) would disagree but that's what it's felt like as a to me. Apple locks everything down but iPods work, iPhones work, iMacs work and they work with a solid user experience.
Is it me or does it feel like Microsoft has lost its way in the last few years?
db
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'It has been my experience that the more extreme the opinion, the less likely it is to be based on or altered by fact.'*- db
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02-27-2008, 05:33 AM
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Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
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All I can really suggest is that the Media Player interface on WM needs to be the Zune interface. Like Jason I had said it should be the PMP interface, but a portable interface that mirrored the desktop MCE interface was apparently to much product integration. I see the trend, as the Zune desktop interface has no relation to the Zune device interface, and none look like either the Vista MCE interface or media player on any device. Gee, maybe some consistancy would be nice. Then we can work on features and add them to everything at once, like common playlists, that sync among devices, common DRM (though I think that exists sort of). Maybe an equalizer with custom settings that sync across all the platforms.
BTW Jason, considering your admission "There was no hesitation as I immediately replied "Yes". Windows Media Player Mobile was largely abandoned at that point", would you please not suggest anything this time 
Oh, and Darren, you can add Pocket Streets to your list of abandoned consumer products.
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Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.
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02-27-2008, 06:09 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 667
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Sven
BTW Jason, considering your admission "There was no hesitation as I immediately replied "Yes". Windows Media Player Mobile was largely abandoned at that point", would you please not suggest anything this time |
Yeah, now that he mentions it... Jason, didn't you once tell the MS folks that they should give us a real close button? And I'm pretty sure you once said you told them they should make ActiveSync work better. Sven's right... I think we're starting to see a pattern here! :lol:
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02-27-2008, 07:11 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 12
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A strong link between the Zune and WM in my opinion would be to make use of the wifi aspect in both devices.
I would love it if I could use my zune as a wifi-enabled harddisk for windows mobile content. Video's, Songs, etc, and when the zune is not in range, the wm device would just have all the pm/browsing functions it already has, and the onboard memory would contain just the normal pimstuff.
I'd love the aspect of using the zune as a portable wifi drive anyways, but teaming it with another, more functional device would make it great.
Other than that, for media playback, both devices are not the greatest. The PMC interface (mediacenter style) would work great on both zune and windows mobile. Maybe as a bonus for owners of both do something that way.
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02-27-2008, 05:55 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 242
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Yep, missed that one, Sven, it's been so long my memory failed me :wink:
db
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'It has been my experience that the more extreme the opinion, the less likely it is to be based on or altered by fact.'*- db
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02-27-2008, 11:26 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Rob Alexander
Yeah, now that he mentions it... Jason, didn't you once tell the MS folks that they should give us a real close button? And I'm pretty sure you once said you told them they should make ActiveSync work better. Sven's right... I think we're starting to see a pattern here! :lol:
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Hey, you can't blame me for those things - I've given up on having the "X" close applications, there are other, more important battles to be fought - like Windows Mobile Device Center. 
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02-27-2008, 11:50 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by dvdcatalyst
I would love it if I could use my zune as a wifi-enabled harddisk for windows mobile content.
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That's a really cool idea! 
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02-28-2008, 12:02 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 12
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Using my zune as a wifi-disk is something I've been wanting for a long time. would asume it could be used similar as Apples Time Capsule wifi hdd.
Just plug it into power (or use it on the zune's battery with screen off for example) and just copy stuff bacn and forth, play files from it like I do now from a network share, but then on the go as well.
Maybe MS could extend "The Social" in making a public shared folder on there and allow it to be browsed for pictures or something.
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