Zune versus iPod

So, we now have a Zune and an iPod, making for some interesting situations.  I don't buy much from iTunes but M does, fortunately there are solutions to this problem in the shape of SoundTaxi which is chugging away at the Apple DRM and removing it nicely creating a folder of un-DRMd MP3s.

So, that aside, my first impressions of the Zune are actually quite favourable and more than a little surprised.  It's a tad clunkier than the traditional Nano but not really much more so.  The controls are, in my opinion, actually easier.  The 5 way switch also is a touch pad for scrolling.  The display is clear, logically layed out and easy to navigate and the addition of the FM radio will give M the edge at the gym if she wants to watch the TVs there.

So far; so good.

Now onto the PC side.  There's no disc in the box so you have to download from the website, not really an issue for us, but I image it could throw some people.  The software installed easily and, well, that's the weird thing.  It just worked.

Much has been written about whether people find Apple or MS interfaces intuitive and I'll admit that I've found the iTunes interface to be the worse piece of application design I can think of.  The Zune interface is, well, easy.  It found the music libraries, and there was a logical and simple way for it to add new ones.  It found the Podcasts from iTunes and handled them correctly.  It sync'd nicely and gave clear sync options that didn't second guess me. 

The nicest piece was the integration of the music collection into the Zune Marketplace.  Click on a Podcast in your collection and the Podcast details appear with subscription options.  Couldn't be easier.  Even has options for ordering the playing order of the Podcasts depending on the Podcast type i.e. news plays most recent first, TV plays oldest first.

The ID needs work but the software is really rather good.  Of course, the device is running a nice, fast, cut down RTOS under the hood so it's not hamstrung with a bunch of needless functionality.  I think they should OEM release the software and let people loose with it.  

So, it's not as pretty as an iPod, but it's easier to use and more intuitive for the likes of me.  Hmmm... that sounds familiar.

Anyway, back to stroking my Touch.

Christmas Stuff

Had a motely crew of assorted people round for the day.  It was fun.  The turkey was moist but a tad salty for my tastes.  Other than that all went down well, and judging by (a) my hangover and (b) the pretty impressive bottle tally at the end of the day we all had fun.

M is now back at work while I technically am off until the 2nd.  I might send some work related emails tomorrow, then again I might not, I still have levels to crack on Star Wars Lego.

Also agreed to renew our lease through to November 2008 - by that time we should have a better idea about what we're doing.  The cheques are being cut for the Green Card application and will be with the DHS shortly along with the applications, medical tests and photos.  Prior to the lease renewal they sent around the building engineer to look at a bunch of problems with the flat, all of which he managed to fix - not bad going, although note to self do not dismantle the thermostats - the flash and bang when he accidentally earthed it was impressive. 

New Year; New Browser

I'm a horrible conservative type when it comes to the software I use, which is quite at odds with my "ohhh shiny" attitude to pretty much everything else.

But out of boredom and due to a little project I'm working on, I downloaded the new version of Flock.

Oh my.  Now that's what I was looking for.

Excellent.