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All posts tagged "flash"


Thursday, August 7, 2008

SkinIt for Zune (And A Blue Zune??)

Posted by Adam Krebs in "Zune News" @ 11:30 PM

http://www.zune.net/en-US/products/...it/details.page

If you get the Zune e-mail newsletter, pay special attention to the August edition that just came out. See that ad for SkinIt? $10 colored stickers looks like a pretty good deal. But a closer look at the middle-right Zune (fourth from left) shows a Zune with blue buttons, suggesting a complementary blue colored player. There is no green Zune (just like with the Canadian launch). Could this be an upcoming color option?


Thursday, April 10, 2008

Tip: Download YouTube Videos in Zuneable Format

Posted by Adam Krebs in "Zune Media" @ 01:30 AM

http://vixy.net/rawvideo/

I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. This isn't another "use three different utilities and several different websites" to get those YouTube videos you've been lusting after. Actually, it's quite easy, since YouTube carries a copy of every one of its videos in Zune-friendly H.264 format. Though this feature was originally introduced to support AppleTV, we Zune owners get to benefit from it as well.



Go to vixy.net/rawvideo and enter the URL of the YouTube video you want to download. Make sure MP4 (H.264) is selected in the dropdown menu and then click the Download button. Follow the instructions on the next page and right-click the link that appears to save it to your computer. Change the name of the file to whatever you want the video to be called, but make sure to add ".mp4" at the end of the filename or else it won't save correctly. Once the file has finished downloading, drag the video into the Zune software. It'll recognize it and allow you to sync with your Zune device. Zune 4/8/80's don't even need to convert!


Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Tips Day 2: Make Your Zune Card Less Flashy (Zune Card)

Posted by Adam Krebs in "Zune Talk" @ 02:00 PM

http://www.freewebs.com/zune-vs-ipod/blog.htm?blogentryid=2574469

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of tips on getting the most out of your Zune device, pass, software, and card. Check out the forums for more tips, or to submit your own.

"I have come across a site that takes your Zune Card user ID and then makes an image of your ZuneCard so you can put it on other sites that don't support flash. It updates the image ever[y] half an hour with the music you're listening to."

I was hoping someone would come out with this! The Zune Card, while pretty, can often take quite a bit of time to load correctly. This is a really nifty utility, and it's really easy to use. How easy? Read on, dear reader:

"Simply type in the following url: http://card.mygamercard.net/apps/zune/YOURZUNEID.png
Change YOURZUNEID to your Zune ID. Mine is Nathan Anderson. When there is a space in your ID, just put a plus sign in it's place, so mine would turn into Nathan+Anderson so my final Image would show up at:
http://card.mygamercard.net/apps/zune/Nathan+Anderson.png
"

What's truly exciting about this isn't the portability or ability to be resized to one's liking (though those are cool too). Nay, the message this heralds—that the ZuneCard data can be exported into really cool new forms—is what I'm most excited about. I can't wait 'til someone creates a tool to allow you to scrape your entire play history, and then use it to find out what you're actually listening to, and when. You could receive recommendations based on what you're actually listening to, and more. All that has to happen is for Microsoft to provide the tools, and the community to provide the support, or, more likely, for Microsoft to do the whole thing.

Stay tuned for another installment of Zune Tips tomorrow. Got a super tip you're just dying to share with the world? Hit the comments link or discuss in the Forums.


Thursday, November 30, 2006

Should Microsoft Started Smaller?

Posted by Aaron Roma in "Zune Talk" @ 09:30 PM

http://daringfireball.net/2006/11/did_microsoft_copy_the_wrong_ipod

"Looking both at these Amazon rankings and the iPods I see people using out on the street on a daily basis, I can’t help but think that Microsoft copied the wrong iPod. The Nano is the sweet spot for Apple, and it’s the Nano-ish players from competitors that are registering in the sales charts."

This article from Daring Fireball brings up a good point. The top of Amazon's Bestsellers list for MP3 Players is dominated by the smaller flash based players such as the Nano and Sansa with a scattering of larger hard-drive based units. Considering Microsoft's decision to enter the market with only one model, was the 30GB level the right choice? Would Microsoft have been better served by first introducing a Nano competitor? Do you think the first model introduced was a conscience decision on the part of the Zune team, or was it a matter of facilitating the launch by reusing the basic design of the Gigabeat?

Tags: nano, flash

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