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Posts Tagged “Microsoft”

noncorporeality

The Microsoft Zune Releases Version 3425.6

Microsoft, whose Zune player has never found a foothold against Apple's iPod behemoth despite reinventing itself into something cuter and less bloggy, has yet again changed the way it sells and plays music. Although how much of a change this new model is depends on how much of a future you think the whole "subscription model" for music has. Man, those guys are gonna ride that horse to the bitter end, despite overwhelming evidence that consumers don't seem to care about subscription services, no matter how great a deal they are. And with the development of streaming radio stations on the iPhone, why pick up a Zune with a subscription service? People just want to own stuff if they are going to pay for it. Period. It's why car leasing and house renting have always rubbed me the wrong way: If I'm putting in the money for something, I want to walk away with it. More »

2:00 PM on Thu Nov 20 2008
By Lucas Jensen
285 views, 4 comments

Latest by Audif Jackson Winters III: @revmatty: Yeah, I think most subscription models would allow you to listen to the file while you are offline, although I'm guessing that there is some requirement to go online at a certain frequency, so the files can check in more »

Sábado Gigante brought to you by El Zune

The Zune Is Giving Up On English Speakers

It's no particular secret that the Zune hasn't really caught on with most of America so far, but that doesn't mean there aren't still people out there willing to pick one up. Audience of El Gordo y La Flaca, have we got the portable digital audio player for you! More »

1:30 PM on Tue Oct 28 2008
By Dan Gibson
332 views, 4 comments

old jokes

Microsoft (Still) Thinks Boy Bands Are Hilarious!

Parody is a tricky form. Do it just right, and you're a keen cultural observer with a razor sharp critical eye. But get it wrong and you look pathetically out of touch. Not surprisingly, Microsoft has gone the latter route, coming up with a fake boy band called 4 Softies and a Pizza Guy (what?) to promote Windows 7. They even have a silly music video! It looks like a rejected MadTV segment from 1999! More »

11:30 AM on Wed Oct 8 2008
By Kate Richardson
425 views, 7 comments

endorsements

Pharrell Williams: "I'm A PC... Except Not Really"

Last week we discussed Jerry Seinfeld getting dumped by Microsoft in favor of the high-powered trio of Pharell Williams, Eva Longoria, and Deepak Chopra. It's looking like the folks over Microsoft vetted these candidates less than Sarah Palin. Longoria owns a MacBook and Chopra has blogged approvingly of iPods, but the kicker, I think, is this: More »

9:00 AM on Thu Sep 25 2008
By Lucas Jensen
2,501 views, 14 comments

life of a hustler

Microsoft Upgrades Itself (Sort Of)


In a surprising move, Jerry Seinfeld has been ousted as Microsoft pitchman in favor of a much, much more recognizable face... Pharell Williams of the Neptunes! OK, maybe this is something of a lateral move for Microsoft. More »

6:30 PM on Thu Sep 18 2008
By Lucas Jensen
383 views, 8 comments

adventures in [not] selling the zune

In Non-Apple MP3 Player News Today...

Given that there's some sort of big iPod-related announcement scheduled for about 90 minutes from now and causing much speculation among the fanboys, the Microsoft people picked an odd time to announce new product features for their still-chugging-along portable-music player the Zune. But it's nice to see that they're still trying, even if they've lost their biggest fan. It might be worth noting that even the Zune press release page doesn't have even a whisper about this allegedly big news. More »

11:30 AM on Tue Sep 9 2008
By Dan Gibson
318 views, 5 comments

Latest by DW: I guess the big plus is that, unlike the new iPods, every single previous Zune gets these features for free with a software update. I think they did this last year, too. It's becoming a trend - a nice trend more »

pretty soon, every company will have a rsvp only venue/gallery

The Zune Unveils Another Venue You're Not Cool Enough To Get Into

Continuing its attempts to firm up its position as "the No. 1 digital-music player that isn't an iPod," the Zune has opened its own venue in Los Angeles in order to assure you of its status among "tastemakers." Sure, it's an office for Microsoft employees during the day, but at night, it's LA's hottest music venue since the Peach Pit After Dark shut its doors. More »

2:30 PM on Fri Jun 13 2008
By Dan Gibson
585 views, 3 comments

rock yo baud

Microsoft A Capella Act Taking It To Nationals!


The funky fresh guys rocking the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Aeroplane" are the Baumboys, an a capella group made of Microsoft employees. This clip of them winning first place at the Northwestern Regional Harmony Sweepstakes also includes their rendition of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" and a comedy number about getting sexed up by a video game addict. "We kind of got the idea that we could, if we dedicated ourselves, compete with this," says "group president" Dave McEwen. "So we wrote down our goals, in typical Microsoft fashion, and used it as a cyclical iteration to make ourselves better." Glaven. More »

4:30 PM on Thu May 1 2008
By Anthony Miccio
165 views, 4 comments

Latest by How do I say this ... THROWDINI!: Please don't tell me that a cappella will be the new kickball. Because I play and am good at kickball, but can't sing for shit. My self esteem couldn't take the hit. more »

won't play for sure

Microsoft To People Who Bought Tunes From MSN Music: "Suckers!"

Microsoft is pulling support for MSN Music's digital-rights management come August 30, which means that any songs purchased through the now-defunct music store—which went dark in November 2006, just as the parent company was going Zune-crazy—will be locked into the computers and operating systems that they're working on at that time, with no further authorizations possible. Microsoft is recommending that affected users burn their unshareable tracks to CD and then re-rip them to whatever new computers they'd like to hear them on, but given that the recommended process results in the fidelity being even worse, what's more likely to happen is that people will be driven to LimeWire, BitTorrent, and leak blogs in search of replenishing their collection. Ah, digital-rights management—it really is good at making unintended consequences turn into reality, isn't it? [Listening Post]

3:30 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
By Maura Johnston
148 views, 3 comments

Latest by wev567: "Microsoft is recommending that affected users burn their unshareable tracks to CD and then re-rip them to whatever new computers they'd like to hear them on" Microsoft itself has just violated the DMCA with this recommendation. Where do I file more »

the biz

Everybody Pour Out A Little Today For The Zune

It's not all good cheer and popped champagne corks today in the music tech world. No, not for our lowly homey the Zune, whose retail prices were summarily chopped by 50 clams to $200 yesterday according to Billboard, which also notes that pokerfaced Microsoft is claiming it's a totally natural business move on their part for a longstanding, beloved product and that it maybe, kinda, sorta had a little something to do with all the new iPod hubbub today. And Zune fans are now wondering if the three of them will soon be able to buy an inferior telecommunications device as well, as Zunestress of Doom and Microsoft CEO Mindy Mount said a ZunePhone "wouldn't be unreasonable." By which I think she meant, "We'll say damn near anything to get you to stop gazing longingly at studly Steve Jobs for just 30 seconds."

Zune Prices Cut [Billboard]

4:16 PM on Wed Sep 5 2007
By jharv
540 views, 7 comments

Latest by loudersoft: Wow, a whole fifty dollars off. Way to help me send the kids to Princeton instead of State Tech, Microsoft. more »

lawsuits

Steve Jobs Sleeps A Little Easier On His Big Pile Of Money As Microsoft MP3 Verdict Is Overturned

A California jury slapped $1.52 billion in damages on Microsoft earlier this year in a lawsuit filed by French company Alcatel-Lucent, which claimed that Microsoft's MP3 software infringed on several of Alcatel-Lucent's MP3-related patents. Microsoft counterclaimed that the liscensing fees for the various products the company uses were all paid up to the appropriate parties, and Alcatel-Lucent wasn't one of them. A San Diego judge agreed yesterday and overturned the verdict, allowing the digital end of the music biz to sigh in relief that their livelihoods were no longer on the chopping block: More »

9:45 AM on Tue Aug 7 2007
By jharv
294 views, 1 comment

Latest by Chris Molanphy: This might be one of many reasons why Apple sticks with AAC, even for its new DRM-free downloads. That said, you're right - the fact that six years of iPods can read MP3s and iTunes can encode in it means more »

help wanted

Microsoft Looking To Hire Anyone Even Vaguely Familiar With Zune

According to a listing on the company's "Careers" page, Microsoft is looking for a Media Editor to deal specifically with its shiny brown turd. Among the tasks: More »

12:54 PM on Fri Jun 29 2007
By Brian Raftery
644 views, 2 comments

drm

Zune's Store May Be Next To Take The DRM-Free Plunge

EMI's DRM-free digital catalog will likely spread to the Zune Marketplace, according to reports: More »
youtube

Microsoft's New Video Site Promises Just As Much Time-Wasting Crap As YouTube


Video: Touch me: Samantha Fox & Günther More »
zune

Shiny New Turd Hits Same Price-Point As iPod

Though these figures have been rumored for a while, Microsoft has officially set a price and a release date for Zune, its late-to-the-game media-player: A 30GB model will be out Nov. 14th, with a price tag of $249.99. The Zune store will sell songs for 99 cents, and there's also a subscription-service option for $14.99 a month. And for approximately $1, you can buy a pack of ALF puffy stickers on eBay, which will allow you to cover up the device's hideous color scheme.

Microsoft to Charge $249.99 for Zune Player, Due Out in November [AP]

11:44 AM on Thu Sep 28 2006
By Brian Raftery
109 views, 7 comments

Latest by Major Tom: I say if you're going to go with brown, take it all the way and make it wood-grain. That would do it for me! more »

zune

MP3 Bloggers' Marketing Talents Exploited For Development Of Zune

Today, Microsoft officially announced the specs for the Zune, the portable media device that they're hoping will loosen Apple's tight grip on the digital media market. Our gadget-crazed brother Gizmodo has the specifics on the launch — the Zune's two biggest selling points are its three-inch color screen and its wireless capabilities, which will allow users to send music files back and forth between each other. Beamed music will have a shelf life of "three days or three plays," which seems to be just long enough to allow a user to either totally get sick of a song or totally be convinced to buy it from the Zune-branded store, the Zune Marketplace. More »

2:15 PM on Thu Sep 14 2006
By mjohnston
446 views, 7 comments

Latest by Trackback: Apparently, "TV studios and networks are trying to tap into the burgeoning power of blogs as promotional tools by flooding bloggers with free stuff in hopes the flattered recipients will reward them with positive coverage." How do we know more »