01-17-2007, 08:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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What Some People Don't Realize: The Zune Won't WiFi Share Out of The Box
When I was at the Microsoft Partner Pavilion at CES, there was a station set up with various music and video playback devices. They had several Zunes there, and a few people picked them up to try and share files back and forth. They commented that they couldn't understand why it wouldn't work, and everyone, including the Microsoft employee staffing the station was baffled. I picked up several of the Zunes and checked the Settings > About > Zune information. Sure enough, these were Zunes right out of the box with the 1.0 firmware on them. What that meant is that they were unable to share wirelessly. It would seem that the Zune was released so quickly, they didn't have the device software finished before it had to go off to Toshiba for manufacturing.
They made the doubtless hard call to ship a device that couldn't do what the marketing materials said it could do out of the box until it received a firmware upgrade. Was this a bad call? It allowed them to have the Zune in the retail channel for Christmas, and that seems to have been the single most important goal for the Zune team. But people doing demos of the devices, especially Microsoft staff members at CES, need to know that every Zune should be connected to a computer to get the latest firmware update before it will actually function like it's supposed to. Given the litigious nature of the world today, I'm surprised no one launched a lawsuit against Microsoft for deceptive marketing...
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01-17-2007, 08:10 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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I don't really see the big deal. yeah, you can't share without connecting to a computer. You also can't listen to music without doing the same. You can't actually really do anything out of the box without connecting to a computer.
That lawsuit would be absurd.
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01-17-2007, 08:28 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 81
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I think the version 1 software did handle wireless. I recall reading reviews of people who shared files with pre-release Zunes. You have to name your Zune before it can share, that is what prevents a new Zune from sharing out of the box. Otherwise the Zune has no way to uniquely identify itself to other Zunes.
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01-17-2007, 08:40 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 88
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Well it's almost expected these days that with most devices that can be updated they will need to be updated immediately.
Although, I think this is really a non-issue (save for events like what happened at CES). I don't think anyone would buy a Zune open it up and want to share a song without properly connecting it to the computer first and updating it. I think perhaps the ONLY people this would affect is those without any type of internet connection, and they can't update their Zune. And somehow I don't think people without internet are going to be buying the Zune 
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01-17-2007, 08:56 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 16
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that's like suing a game company for not having a particular unit in an RTS game because you haven't downloaded the latest patch for the game which gives you that unit.
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01-17-2007, 09:28 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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I'd say no biggie. You have to hook it up to an internet-connected computer at some point anyway, so in reality it's a non-issue.
Hell... If you buy an iPod shuffle or Nano now, you don't even get a CD. No internet? SOL.
Honestly, someone will sue or something over this, but I don't think it's a big deal. If they missed Christmas, the damned thing would be off the market already.
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01-18-2007, 05:36 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NPrtmn4evr
I think perhaps the ONLY people this would affect is those without any type of internet connection, and they can't update their Zune.
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Sure, I agree. But that's doesn't change the fact that Microsoft shipped a product that wasn't actually finished without a firmware upgrade!
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01-18-2007, 09:15 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Sure, I agree. But that's doesn't change the fact that Microsoft shipped a product that wasn't actually finished without a firmware upgrade!
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Yes the hardware shipped without a finished firmware upgrade, but v1.1 was available on day 1. It's not like people had to wait a week for the update.
And like I said previously, these days it's almost expected that anything that can have a a firmware update will need to be updated on day 1. I like to play video games and with both the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, I had to connect to the internet and download updates on day 1.
This really is a non-issue.
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01-18-2007, 05:33 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Codefox
You also can't listen to music without doing the same. You can't actually really do anything out of the box without connecting to a computer.
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That's not true - the Zune comes pre-loaded with songs, music, and videos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Codefox
That lawsuit would be absurd.
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I agree, but any more absurd than other lawsuits like McDonalds and hot coffee? 
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01-18-2007, 07:07 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
That's not true - the Zune comes pre-loaded with songs, music, and videos.
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Yes...and of all the songs you'd be sharing, why would you share the ones all Zunes have?  And has been correctly pointed out, you need to name your Zune!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
I agree, but any more absurd than other lawsuits like McDonalds and hot coffee? |
I hate to defend this one...but the woman did receive some pretty serious burns. The coffee was a temperature that was dangerously hot. The woman had skin grafts & a 7 day hospital visit! I know when I make coffee its not hot enough to do that and shouldn't if you are brewing coffee correctly
But there are DEFINATELY many absurd lawsuits out there, no doubt.
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