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May 31
Video: Zune Wireless Remote Works with Xbox 360 If you shelled out some money on a tiny Zune remote you can get even more value by controlling your super-duper Xbox 360 with it. ZuneInsider released a nice video showing the remote in action. Considering the size of the media remote for the Xbox360, or the pain of using a regular controller, this is a pretty cool idea. all you need to do is change your Xbox 360 settings to accept other remotes. All you need to do is change your Xbox 360 settings to accept other remotes and your rocking like Chesney Hawkes.  Source: Zune Groove » Zune Remote Works on Xbox 360  Gizmondo is claiming to have heard a bit of gossip from this years Game Developers Conference. And that gossip says that a next generation Zune, with games enabled, will hit stores in August. They dont’ cite a source or what not, but we know how these conferences are and people do talk. Especially when they’re drunk. So who knows, but it’s juicy nonetheless.
Source: Gizmondo Source: Zune Groove » Next Gen Zune In August?  The folks at Microsoft have a quick update for your Zune today in about 30 minutes (10:00 AM PT) that will improve your "shuffle experience" when playing back tracks.
If you remember, the iPod had some complaints about its shuffle algorithm and they had to release an updated version that customized shuffle even further (like not having the same artist/album anywhere near each other). No idea if this is like that, since we haven't noticed any weirdness with shuffle on our Zunes. Source: Software: Zune Firmware Update 1.4 Improves Shuffle - Gizmodo May 30
 So now that you have iTunes Plus that means you can go ahead and download DRM-free songs. Awesome, right? Yes, it's very awesome. But if you thought that meant you could now buy songs from iTunes and then torrent them to help your ratio at Senor Sleazy's Pirate Palace, you might want to hold off.
Turns out that your account information is embedded in every DRM-free AAC file you download, so if your purchased songs somehow get distributed all around the Internets, they'll be able to easily see who the culprit was. But you wanted DRM-free tunes so you could play them on multiple devices and copy them for personal use, not for piracy, right? Right guys?
Source: Sorry, Pirates: DRM-free iTunes Songs Have Embedded User Info - Gizmodo
Video: On10 First Look: Microsoft Surfacing Computing!
About a year ago I gave a presentation to a group of journalists about gadgets of the future and showed a video about a theoretical multi-touch computing system. When asked when we would see something like that in the wild, I optimistically ballparked 5-7 years. You can imagine my surprise when I walked into a room at Microsoft and found a fully functioning Microsoft Surface Computer (more than one, actually.)
I played with it long after the shoot was over. It's incredible. And I know many of you have the same question I did; when am I going to have one of these in my house? Surface computers will start with Microsoft partners getting first shot at various public applications, you'll most likely see them in action in Las Vegas first. Eventually prices will come down and production will go up and I expect we'll all be waving through our playlists on our coffee table before we know it. You'll also see in this video that wifi on the Zune can be used for more than just bursting a song or picture to a stranger.
Check out the 18 minute demo over at Microsoft's On10.
Source: First Look: Microsoft Surfacing Computing! | Larry Larsen | Channel 10 
Update: a new tipster has come with corroborative information—see below
Nearly 100 comments, and only one guy came close. According to an assortment of unrelated sources, the best guess is that tonight at midnight, Microsoft will finally launching its PlayTable concept as a full-blown entertainment product. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley says PlayTable, aka Project Milan is a "multi-touch, gestural- and object-recognition interface technology" that Microsoft has demoed to a lot of people lately, but mainly as technology rather than a product in development. CrunchGear suggests that, based on a demo he saw, it might be a touch-friendly game console that competes with the Wii on intuitive user interface front.
We have another source that confirms the table-ness of the announcement, but says that it will be a kiosk-type of device, meant to provide gaming entertainment and a retail interface for Zune, but that, at a cost of $10,000 a pop, it won't be something that people actually buy for their homes. Source: You Can Touch This: Microsoft's Mystery Product Is... A Touch-Sensitive Table? - Gizmodo  Finally, the service part of Microsoft's hosted consumer storage offering — Windows Live Folders — is about to go to beta, according to the LiveSide.Net.
Microsoft's positioning slogan for Live Folders: "Password-protected online file storage. Always available where you need it." LiveSide links to the Windows Live Folders beta home page (not sure how long this link will keep working, so visit early and often). According to that page, Microsoft is planning to allow users to store up to 500 MB (initially) worth of personal, shared and public files in the cloud. Users will be able to access these files from Internet Explorer or Firefox. Users can sign into the service using their Windows Live IDs. There also may be a Windows Live Folders client available as part of this offering, but so far, no sight of that, according to the LiveSiders. Source: » Microsoft tees up LiveDrive hosted-storage service | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com May 28 
TiVo's Series 3, one of the best HD DVRs ever, has a $200 rebate going for it right now. That brings the $606 box on Amazon to an astounding $406. That's the first time it's been available for less then $500, and just about the right price for it, me thinks Source: Dealzmodo: TiVo Series 3 for $400 (Cheapest Ever) - Gizmodo
 According to Robbie Bach, Microsoft's president of the Entertainment and Devices Division, Zune will meet the goal of 1.000.000 players sold by the end of June, set at launch. He also confirms that new Zune things will come in this fall, talks (not) about the Zune Phone, the new Watermelon Red Zune, the Zune Marketplace and of course Xbox 360...
From SFgate :
Source: Zune-Online.com | Zune News and Forum - Bach: More than 1 Million Zune players sold  LEAKED:
Today an internal build of Windows Live Messenger 8.5 was leaked by Messenger Addictos, a site dedicated to Windows Live Messenger and related products.
The new build includes a completely new installer system (though it appears it might need some tweaking). Messenger itself also got a complete overhaul, featuring a new UI that combines the best of Windows Live and Vista. The new build also includes several minor new features, some of which are still undisclosed. Unfortunately support for Plug-Ins (or "Add-Ins") has been dropped.
Click on the links below to view some screenshots of the new Messenger:
- Sign in window
- Windows Live Messenger 8.5
- Sign-in Toast
- Conversation Window
- New typing indicator (above text input)
- About window
The leaked build is only available in Spanish at the moment, but if you managed to download it somewhere, you can copy the old language file ("msglang.dll") of Windows Live Messenger 8.1.0178 over the new one ("msglang.8.5.1235.0517.dll"). Note that the installation directory has also been changed to "C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger\" making the transition from MSN Messenger to Windows Live Messenger complete. Link to Mess with MSN Messenger: msn emoticons msn names display pictures download May 26
Itching for something to match real pretty with your $1,195 Stealth Computer keyboard? If so, the very same company has recently unveiled a miniature PC that costs just marginally more than the 'board itself, but the LPC-450 packs some pretty decent specs into a battle-ready 5.7- x 9.9- x 1.65-inch enclosure. The slightly unattractive case can pack a wide range of Intel's Core 2 Duo processors, up to 1GB of RAM, a DVD writer, between 80GB and 160GB of hard drive space (or an SSD for a serious upcharge), your choice of operating system, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics set, gigabit Ethernet, and a plethora of ports including audio in / out, VGA out, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, RS232, FireWire, and even a parallel printer port for kickin' it like it's 1995. The case itself is said to be made of "rugged extruded aluminum," and the only fan noise should come from the one keeping the CPU from getting too toasty. Stealth's wee machine can be picked up now for just under $1,400 in the base configuration, but specing it out like you truly desire will push things quite a bit higher.
Source: Stealth Computer's LPC-450 mini PC - Engadget May 25 
Hot on the heels of the unprecedented market success of the original Zune, Microsoft seems to be ready to take the next step in the battle for MP3 player dominance. Based on the reliable sources, Microsoft is working on iPod Shuffle competitor named “Zune 2GO” with the release date planned sometimes in Q4 2007, just in time for a busy holiday shopping season. We had an opportunity to play with an early prototype of the device and we are pleased to be the first to report on this revolutionary development in the MP3 player space. Skeptics may raise issue that Microsoft was rarely revolutionary in the last 20 years but we are not joking, Zune 2GO has the makings of the revolutionary product! If Microsoft is indeed able to bring it on time, it will forever change how you think about MP3 players. Source: BefoReView.Info - Zune 2GO Preview
Last time on Ins and Outs we introduced the concept of buyshifting -- what it means, what it is, and where it's going. But now it's time to get down to the brass tacks. That's right, we're talking about whether it's viable for the average consumer -- more specifically, where it falls on the cost scale. The results might actually surprise you. So let's dig in, shall we?
For the "standard" HD+DVR package -- your kind of baseline TV-consuming experience -- the monthly bill for San Francisco's Comcast digital cable service is $78. If the average household watches 8 hours of programming per day (yes, it's true), that comes out to about $0.32 per hour. Comcast also charges $0.99 per episode through its VOD service. iTunes, of course, charges $1.99 per episode, or $34.99 per season ($1.59 per episode at an assumed 22 episodes per season). Buying the DVDs on Amazon ranges from about $25-$40 per season ($1.14 to $1.81 per episode).
Since your cable bill is fixed (well, not really, as the cable industry has managed to increase billing at a rate that exceeds inflation for the past 10 consecutive years – big surprise), it comes out to $936 annually. (Side note: for simplicity's sake we'll assume that your average satellite bill is comparable to cable.) So let's see the results on a per-year, per-month, and per-episode basis, assuming one season per year, 22 episodes per season per show.
Source: Ins and Outs: Is buyshifting the future of television? (part 2) - Engadget 
The rare times I do use Internet Explorer 7, I can't stop reaching for the missing "File|Edit|View" menu, which is hidden by default. It's easy enough to turn it on, but it appears below the Address Bar when you do. The How-To Geek explains how to reposition the menubar to the top of the window with a registry hack. Registry edits shouldn't be done lightly, so for those of you who want an easier point and click method, check out the previously-mentioned IE7Pro. (Once IE7Pro is installed - restart required - from IE7's Tools menu, choose IE7pro Preferences, and in the Settings area, check off "Top IE menu." Restart IE7 to see the menu relocation.) Source: Internet Explorer 7: Put IE7's menubar in its place - Lifehacker May 24 
It's been a bumpy ride since Microsoft released Zune. On one hand, the player has built a cultish following of owners who can be loud and passionate. On the other, Zune has taken relentless bashing from many iPod supporters, and no shortage of negative reviews from tech blogs. I would guess that most people with no firsthand Zune experience have a negative perception of Zune.
But now, five months after its release, is Zune turning a corner? There are reasons to think so. Witness:
Steady Zune sales numbers reported by NPD and Amazon.
A smart marketing campaign tying Zune to Microsoft's much-anticipated release of Halo 3.
Reports that Zune's audio quality tromps iPod, from objective audiophiles and blind street tests.
Well-received marketing tie-ins with Adult Swim, and artists like MIMS.
A promising trend in news reports to say "iPod and Zune", rather than "iPod", when referring generically to MP3 players
Apparent nervousness from Apple supporters, who feel compelled to campaign hard to dissuade potential Zune owners.
Source: Zunerama  Microsoft is clearing the way for a unique two-way docking stereo for cars, according to a US patent granted to the company earlier this week. Simply referring to a "portable computing device-integrated appliance," the patent allows for a handheld device to dock directly with a car stereo or similar head-end unit to share its media. More important, Microsoft notes, is the ability for the device itself to send information to the stereo: docking the device could change its display to serve as a replacement for the stereo's native interface, controlling both its own local files as well as those on the stereo. Using the handheld this way would take away the clutter of an external docking cradle, Microsoft says; though unstated, it would also let owners guard against thieves by removing the main screen and even storage for the stereo.
Source: MacNN | MS patent leads to advanced phone, Zune car docks
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