DAPularity

Zune.net open!

2006-11-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Zune.net Goes Live, Wants To Make Music Social - Mashable!

Microsoft just informed all the users who signed up a few weeks back that the site Zune.net has gone live. Zune, in case you haven’t been following it, is Microsoft’s “iPod killer”, and they claim to be making music more social and sharable. What’s online at the moment, however, is little more than an ad for what the site will offer after the service’s launch on November 14th. Notably, Zune players can communicate wirelessly, making it easy to share music with friends. But it doesn’t seem that they’ll pursue any kind of social networking angle: instead, they’ve copied iTunes with downloadable software that connects to the Zune Marketplace.

On entering Zune.net, you are greated to the trademark browns, grays, and whites that say Zune all over. While the site is fairly new, it shows quite a bit of content that really sparks interest. The "ComingZune" website has taken a new form as "Zunearts" and is now chucked full of Zuney goodness. The accessories section showcases several of the third-party gear devs and the other sections glaze the differant capabilities and features of the Zune. It is worth your time to take a peek and while you are there go ahead and get the free Windows XP Zune-based theme.

New Zune GearLive Video.... Shows inability to send Videos...

2006-10-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

I noticed briefly, that on this video they show several aspects of the Zune. Photo, Music, Radio, and Video are all included. The big bummer was, noticing during their video presentation that there is no send button for video. This isn't a huge deal, but definitely a down putter for me. Anyways, great video. Check it out here:

Microsoft Zune: To what direction will the Zune Brand Grow?

2006-10-08T16:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, a lot of speculation has been laid down as to where and what Microsoft plans to do with the Zune brandname. Therefore, I decided to lay down my predictions on the Zune brand's adventure into the public. Zune "High Capacity" ...Microsoft is proposed to release several differant higher capacity Zunes as to increase userbase, this sounds very likely and will most likely start the changes to the Zune brand. Several onlookers have been astonished to see that the only current Zune announced is the 30gb version of the Zune. With the release of the new Toshiba Gigabeat and 80gb Video iPod, Microsoft is surely to know that the 60-80gb versions of harddrive-based players are becoming increasingly more popular than the lower end HD players. Bigger is always better. Zune "Nano"... Next up, several are fairly confident as to propose a Nano competition first and foremost. This path is well established as one of Apples strong-points and to combat them Microsoft will surely provide a nano alternative. It will most likely have video capabilities and the same personalization features of the Zune 30gb. I still believe the WiFi will be built into the "nano-Zune" as that is a base for the brandname. The use of Flash will allow the player to be increasingly smaller and the use of a smaller screen will allow a smaller battery. This will all amount to a compact player compared to the current Zune. Whether this Nano-Zune will come before the larger Zune capacities is kinda iffy, but I believe the Nano-Zune will come later once the Zune has become established. Zune "Video"... This one is almost a definite. With the rumors that apple has been sparking lately about a fully video based player, It is most likely that Microsoft will follow in suit. I believe this will occur some time after the larger capacity Zunes and Zune "nano" hit. Knowing Microsoft, they will try to rush the production in order to beat Apple to a digital video player. Since Apple has been supposed to be working on it already, it is likely the Apple version will hit first. I believe the Zune Video will embrace several of the same functions of the current Zune and will offer specific enhancements to improve video-playing battery life. Zune "Phone"... Microsoft has already stated that a Zune branded phone is definately part of the Zune's name's legacy. Unfourtunately, I don't believe it will come anytime incredibly soon. I do believe Microsoft wants their phone out before Apple takes the phone market, but I believe the Zune phone will be announced soon before the speculated iPhone takes shape. As of yet, the iPhone project has been suspended somewhat. This might mean an even longer wait for a Zune phone. Zune "portable gaming machine"... Not much here, I don't actually see Microsoft's "handheld Xbox" branded with the Zune name. I believe the Microsoft handheld will be one in its own and will most likely share a similar name to its console counterpart. Why do I not believe the Zune brandname will be used for a gaming platform? Mainly because, while the Zune might embrace gameplaying later on, I believe the brand lets on to a "mainstream multimedia device". When (and I do mean when) Microsoft plans on making a gaming specific mainstream handheld, it will be in its own league of brands and will most likely only be associated with the Zune only in a similar sharing interface that already has been established.

Mock-Up Zune Models

2006-10-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I am fairly good at graphics designing and decided to be alittle more creative than usual... by that, I mean make some mock ups of the Zune in differant themes and cases... Well here we go: ZUNEpersonal enjoy, James Hostetler

Transcoding on the Zune

2006-10-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

David Caulton over at Zunester recently posted how transcoding video and audio works on the Zune.... check it out at http://www.zunester.com Zuneinsider (Cesar) tells me that there have been some questions about transcoding in Zune. Here's the scoop. Zune's software on the PC can play lots of formats and codecs. WMV, h.264, aac, wav, etc... And lots of sizes of video - 320x240, 640x480, even HD. The Zune device, of course, can't play all of these - it's got a 320x240 screen and a less powerful CPU than your PC. So if you've got your beautiful 720x480 copy of Animal House on your PC, something has to change before it gets to the device. Zune transcoding automatically takes care of this. When you go to sync the movie, The PC client checks your Zune, and Zune reports it can't play the video as-is. The Zune Software then transcodes (converts) the video into a copy in the device's target format, a 320x240 WMV file. This copy is kept in an invisible cache file on the PC's hard drive. Once the transcode is complete, it transfers the copy over onto the device - voila, you're ready to play. It saves the copy in the cache so the next time you need to sync that movie, you don't need to transcode it again. The same sort of thing happens with audio files that the Zune won't support (this will be much less common since the Zune supports most audio codecs). The only limitation is that the Zune software can only transcode files that it knows how to play. So as always, Apple Fairplay songs and other unsupported DRM and codecs can't be transcoded. The rule of thumb will be that if it goes into the Zune software library, it'll be playable and transcodable.

Size Comparison.... Zune VS. iPods

2006-09-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

I found a pretty awesome site recently and decided to flaunt it... The website's name is Sizeasy and it does what its name implies. The website allows you to size objects up by dimensions and lets you compare them to some common objects like matchboxes or playing cards... Well, they have an off tab that shows some examples of their website and one of the items happened to be Zune vs. iPod... And so, in the sake of the zune enthusiasts, I decided to post it here...

RockBox on Zune?

2006-09-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sure many of you have heard of the very designable custom firmware called "Rockbox". For those of you that haven't it is basically a totally redisigned version of several player's firmware that makes it incredibly easy to change graphics and displays within your player. Well, the limited support of this wonderous program has been a hinderance on many players. Several digital audio players just don't have the power to run it or the specific design needed to firmware within it. A big question on people's minds recently is the "mod-ability" of Microsoft's Zune. Since the player hasn't been released, many people have to speculate whether or not Microsoft has decided to make the Zune a more open system or lock up its memory access for the Zune alone. Well, seeing as it seems to be a common question, I decided to speculate... Thinking back through the times of Microsoft's PDA and etc. market, I don't believe I had any problem with people placing homebrew applications on their Windows mobile based PDAs... Matter-of-factly, it was the simple opening of an emulator that made it so easy. By basing the coding off a commonly used language and OS, Windows made their PDAs easily accessible to windows-based applications and allowed them to run a multi-tude of interesting multimedia programs. I would have to say I expect the same efforts for the Zune. By placing no barriers between the Zune and its customers, I believe Microsoft will open it up to those respectable modders that make our life so much more personalized. Furthermore, digital audio players have normally never been in need of protection either way. The changes that Microsoft will initiate protection in the Zune seems slim to nil. So Rockbox on the Zune? Why not. I don't see Microsoft limiting the access of their player anytime soon and not only do I hope this leads to more customization and popularity but also the access to unassigned and unofficial coding (homebrew).

Apple going sue crazy over "Pod"

2006-09-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Via Engadget entrepreneurs selling products like the Profit Pod and TightPod -- items that have nothing to with Now that Apple's lawyers have scared the pants off of small portable audio in any way, mind you -- it seems that the next targets are companies that have the audacity to use the word "podcast" in their names. Wired's Listening Post blog is reporting that Steve's legal eagles have sent one of those scary cease and desist letters to a company called Podcast Ready, whose premier product, myPodder, gives users an automated way to download 'casts to their portable devices. CEO Russel Holliman claims that he'd consider changing the name of the program if necessary, but seems to be justifiably reticent about rebranding his entire business, considering the fact that "podcast" may not be "owned" by Apple nor even a derivative of "iPod" in the first place. Robert Scoble -- whose own company, PodTech, may be at risk in this witch hunt -- has weighed in on the issue by suggesting that the tech community as a whole adopt other terms like "audiocast" and "videocast" (or alternately, "audcast" and "vidcast") to describe this type of content, while other folks feel that fighting Apple and generating a ton of negative press for Cupertino is the best solution. Our take? Apple should be happy that its golden goose is getting so much free publicity, and if it isn't, we know of several companies that probably wouldn't mind if zencast, zunecast, or sansacast became the preferred terminology. Update: BBHub's own Russell Shaw delves into this issue a little further over at ZDnet, and finds that Apple is having trouble getting certain iPod-related phrases trademarked, including the word "iPodcasting." Read- Apple's nastygram Read- Scoble's take

Decal Girl Customization

2006-09-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

DECALGIRL Since I am on the trend of customization, I felt the need to mention a store that contains some of the best external modifications for your iPod or game systems... http://www .decalgirl.com/ recently they updated their store with skins for the iPod Nano "redesigned." Their quality skins are tough to match and custom designs can be made if you want a REALLY personal touch. Just check them out, I'm sure you'll find something you will like.

Modding Firmwares... Personalization...

2006-09-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Customization is our nature. Especially concidering everyone is a differant person. We all have our own tastes and interests. Well, several MP3 players are in a sense.... Monotonous. Personalization is just now really hitting the market on players. Players now have background settings for alittle customization, but I know people go to extremes... And thats what I am here to talk about.... First of all, Most of these "themes" as I will call them sprout from modded firmwares... People mess with the firmwares and add their own icons wallpapers and etc. Normally, the most widely known players have personal editors that were created for this customization... Recently, the Sansa e200 series has been debunked and you can now change its wallpapers icons and etc. Here is a link Sansa Modding info:http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2378 Here is a link to a iRiver H3 Modding tool: http://www.cerebus.de/iriver/description.html The Meizu M6 Miniplayer among most players has the greatest mod-ability. You can literally edit every graphic you can see. You need certain firwares to do the modding but it is relatively simple. You can see info on it here: http://meizume.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71&highlight=modification

There are several things you can do with them, here's some examples: MEIZU M6 Miniplayer Vista Skin:

Sansa e200 series "differant background" iRiver example:

Ellen DeGeneres Zune Giveaway

2006-09-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Now from time to time I admit I watch the Ellen show for some laughs, but this one really caught me off gaurd... Before the release of the Zune, Ellen decided to drop a bomb on the audience members in a once in a lifetime giveaway. Just watch.... you will wish you were there...

New updated Clix coming soon?

2006-09-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

-via DAPREVIEW Link A new 4 GB version of iriver's Clix with some small enhancements is rumoured to be available next month. The info comes from the blog of Sean Alexander, a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft, the company that was involved in the creation of the Clix's interface, as well as the player's integration with the Media Player 11 software and MTV Urge music store. Here's what he said:

I'm not in the business of rumors, however a reliable little birdie told me that iRiver America is close to announcing a special Black, 4GB version of the multi-award-winning iRiver Clix, which will be orderable from their site. The device is likely to be glossy black, have Audible support, and improved automotive support with details to come later. Timing is this October.

Very cool if this information holds true. I imagine the mentioned "automotive support" is something PlaysFromDevice (PFD) related, which involves the player interfacing with a car stereo for advanced control. LINK via Engadget (Thanks, enigman)

While the 2 GB Clix's MSRP is still $ 199.00, Amazon.com has it much lower at just $149.99. Could this drop be in anticipation of the new Clix? iriver Clix @ Amazon

Creative Zen V Plus Review

2006-09-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

-Via DAPREVIEW.COM Read the full review here:LINK As flash players move to the next generation, we are going to see larger screens, higher capacities, and video playback become the norm. With the Zen V Plus, Creative has shown they can match up against other companies in this high capacity flash race. On top of that, they managed to sell their players at cheaper prices than the competition, even some who make the memory themselves (Sandisk and Samsung). The player might not win the slimmest player award, but its size is still satisfying. It’s hard not to like this player once you play with it for a while. Thinking about everything this player offers, and keeping in mind Creative's “Find Your Zen” slogan, I can’t help but ask, Will this Zen Find You?... I hope so.

The Good Excellent Sound Quality Great Price Good form-factor Durable scratch resistant surface Nice Extras Display Orientation can be changed Full Cover Album Art The Bad Battery life could be higher Video Playback isn’t that good Screen could be improved Control layout isn’t balanced No UMS support for transferring files Black player is a fingerprint magnet and... The Ugly No Rapid Scrolling Converted video file sizes are inconsistent

8GB Creative Nano Competition?

2006-09-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

-VIA DAPREVIEW.COM Just a few days ago I posted my Review of the Creative Zen V Plus. It's a great little player that was made to compete with the iPod Nano. During the process of writing this review, Apple had an event where they released a new generation iPod Nano. This 2G Nano is one of the first flash players to come in an 8GB capacity (Sandisk Sansa e280 being the other). A reliable source has informed epiZENter that Creative plans to release an 8GB ZVP to compete with these players.

I'm pleased that Creative is moving so quick to counter these increases in capacity. In the past it's taken much longer for them to do so. Creative also has some of the best prices for these high capacity players and I expect that same trend to continue with this rumored 8GB player. The big problem that still remains is getting them into stores in a timely manner.

Zune Videos To Go...

2006-09-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

These things are all over the internet, I suppose I should host em for everyone to see also right? Well, here you go: Part 1: Part 2: And just for the fun of it.... I will put my favorite Zune commercial up to see... Enjoy!

iPod to hit the iRoad?

2006-09-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have noticed the sum of people scraping up the cheapest iPods of every series they can find. Whether it be an old Mini or new Video these people are still paying exorbant amounts for simply the brand name of Apple iPod. I found it quite depressing that auctions on the popular auction website eBay are screaming past the actual worth of these players. Old Shuffles, for instance, have been sold at close to 70 dollars for a measly 1GB. However, some 1gb-2gb MP3 players with LCD color screens and expandability have crossed less or equal to that. Furthermore, I don't believe that the Shuffle and many other iPod players have the upmost in audio quality.

SanDisk c240-250 is priced between 70-90 dollars NEW. It support for radio, pictures, music, and currently has a beautiful color screen. It is also expandable.

With the recent release of the "smallest MP3 player in the world" according to Apple, the Shuffle will most likely drop chunks in price to make room for its tiny new counter part "the new shuffle." But, of course, that is not what bothers me. It is the fact that these players are still being justifiably bought for these outrageous prices. The Shuffle, for instance, doesn't even have a screen or anything past basic buttons to its exterior and yet has become increasingly popular. I have to commend Apple on their part. Their ability to maintain such a userbase hasn't been so much apparent except in the iPod market. My question is, Will Apple maintain it still? Of course, in my opinion, I think they will. I think the relationship between the iPod and its consumers are similar to the trusty fans of Nintendo. Nintendo has been experimenting with innovation rather than power over the years and is still one of, if not, the leaders of gaming. The problem I foresee with iPod, is that they have been running off the same innovation for some time. The wheel would seem to be their introduction to success and is the main feature when realizing the potential of the player. Unfortunately, the only real innovation in different iPod players is the changes in size and proportions and minor design changes. The Apple iPod Video changed this somewhat, with the offering of video at high capacity it opened up some doors for Apple. One negative thing is the lack of support for files. This caused users to shy away from the long conversion process. It had, however, been the first popular player to hold so much and play videos. Right now, I believe Apple is falling behind of what really matters. Features, in general, are what iPods lack. Proprietary connectors and bulky accessories make up for this somewhat but push the cost and accessibility of the player past an honorable point. This is the here and now, with their resources they should add such features as "Radio" to the iPod as a given. Seeing 15-30 dollar players that contain these FM signal catchers just astonishes me. It is an abomination that "Jobs" doesn't offer STANDARD features on their iPod. In my opinion, this is a greedy function to force people to buy "add-ons" just so their iPod can do what every other player already does... Furthermore, it seems that the additions that are added to said iPod rely on money in themselves. Movie-playback for instance, forces users to buy from the new iTunes Video store. More space? To shove more iTunes bought mp3s in the machine. Games? well, now guess what you can pay for. Every function of an iPod relies on Apple based money.... Consumer money... The money that should be generated from this isn't being used in the most productive fashion and leads me to no doubt that the Apple iPod Corperation isn't catering to consumers but rather their wallets. Design flaws of their Nano were recently addressed as to the scratching of the case. This is a positive thing. In this fashion, Apple is listening to consumers in order to fulfill their requests. Unfortunately, they are not full-fledged on this stand-point. In order to remain the kings of the DAP market, I believe that Apple must dig to its roots and look into the innovation and features that haven't been expressed and improving those that have. Apple built their player from the ground up and have been "updating it" I would much rather Apple build again from the ground up and see what features are necessary to compete with similar players. Furthermore, I believe the Zune will make an impact. Whether it be a ground-breaking endeavor it is yet to be known. Conclusion: Apple should look back on what they did to make such an impact in order to expand on what they should have now. With the reoccuring traditions of iPod leaking into every addition, it is about time for some change. Although I have no doubt Apple will match the Zune, I question their ability to match consumer needs. The consumers should be of upmost care to Apple and by ignoring their needs for expansion and compatability there should be some recoil.

SanDisk Sansa e200 Series Review

2006-09-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

The folks over at "Anything But Ipod" have recently done a detailed review on Sandisk's offerings to the DAP market. This new series of players has been pitted against the iPod Nano and has many more options than the frugal player. Check out the rest of the review here: Review Link

" The SanDisk Sansa e200 series includes the e250, e260, and e270. The 2GB, 4GB, and 6GB are a new breed of high capacity flash based MP3 player set to compete in features, as well as price, with the Samsung Z5 and iPod Nano. The Sansa e200 has a few advantages over the two, such as a brilliant 1.8” screen, video playback, expandable memory, and a user replaceable batter.

SanDisk, seemingly out of nowhere, has come up with something to shake up the portable audio market. They will be an interesting competitor to watch.

Conclusion

There are a few things I find annoying about the e200. The resume fuction is buggy, the tracks do not play in the correct album order, and there is no custom EQ. All of these are possible to fix in the firmware, so hopefully SanDisk will fix them in the near future. The tactile scroll wheel works but it doesn’t feel right, the controls could have been better with a different type of interface.

Despite those issues, the Sansa e200 series is a very nice player. The build is solid, the screen is bright and crisp, and the battery is replaceable. It is also nice that SanDisk has made this player more manageable by including UMS support so that it can be used with any operating system without the need of any additional drivers. SanDisk seemingly appeared out of nowhere with the e200 series making the company a major contender in the portable MP3 player market."

Toshiba Gigabeat S30 & S60 Review

2006-09-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Another hard-drive and windows based player has hit the scene. Recently, Anything But IPod has done a full-fledged review on the heavy hitter and has noted its weaknesses and abilities. If you would like, you can see the rest of the review here: Review Link "The highly anticipated third installment of Thoshiba’s hard drive based MP3player has finally been released after many months of waiting. Released in two different capacities, 30GB and 60GB, this player is graced with an amazing interface, powered by Microsoft’s Portable Windows Media Center. This platform allows for many easy to use features such as FM radio, photo browsing, on-the-go playlists, and video-out. Lacking in the file support area, the Gigabeat S supports MP3, WMA, WMV, and WMA Lossless. This media player is compatible with many different music services and some of the new video services. It also integrates with the Xbox 360, Tivo Series 2, and Windows Media Center.

Conclusion

The Gigabeat S30 & S60 have an amazing user interface that is easily tamed by even a novice user. Navigating with smooth menu transitions viewed on an accurate and crisp LCD screen is a real delight. This interface makes for one of the best user experiences I have encountered in an MP3 player.

Unfortunately, this player lacks in several other major areas. This player could have been an amazing if it supported UMS and native file support for more codecs like DivX, XviD, OGG, and FLAC to name a few. Music would be ultra easy to transfer with UMS and I would not have to deal with the frustrations of converting video if the Gigabeat supported more than just WMV9. Sound quality is par and battery life is poor.

Overall this player is good, but it is by no means great, because I feel that the above stated are series flaws. I want to be able to use a player how I want to and not be tethered by proprietary transfer methods and monopolized file formats. If I had to use one word to describe my experience with the Gigabeat S series, it would be: disappointing." - Anything But IPod

Meizu M6 miniPlayer Review...

2006-09-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Recently, Anything But Ipod has done an in depth review of the Meizu M6 Miniplayer, a commonly overlooked player that is soon coming stateside. you can read the review here: Review Link "The Meizu M6 miniPlayer is a newcomer to the US MP3 player market. This thin flash player comes in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB sizes to match the other players in its class: the Nano, Z5, e200, clix, and other slim high capacity flash players. This player has most of the bases covers in terms of audio codecs, including MP3, WMA, OGG, and WMA. On the video side, the miniPlayer uses XviD convertible with off the shelf software. This player has a solid set of fairly standard features with surprisingly great sound that has a killer low end. The player however, is not without faults. For the entire low down, read on…

Conclusion

On the downside the GUI could be more consistent. There are also some bugs to work out with playlists, track order, video length restriction and few other issues. Most of these complaints can be solved with firmware updates. Meizu seems to be dedicated to this player and is actively seeking feedback as far as bugs and feature requests, so these issues may be addressed in future firmware updates.

Despite a few firmware tweaks, I really appreciate the size and sound quality of this player. It is small with a big screen and a solid durable scratch resistant form factor. As far as sound quality, the miniPlayer runs with the big dogs, especially when it comes to lower end. Bass heads will be very pleased. The M6 miniPlayer is definitely worth considering and should be put into your comparison chart when selecting a new flash" -Anything But Ipod

iPod's Newest Lineup

2006-09-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

IPOD As projected, Steve Jobs has shown of the latest of his popular and almost zealous player, the iPod. The newest reiteration of players brings an 80gb iPod Video capable of fitting all of your retail and other movies alike without trouble. The new ability to play iTunes downloadable games is also a insignificant yet interesting addition. Overall the newest additions seem like minor upgrades to an already cooked fad. The newest Nano now supports up to 8gb and has an enhanced screen. Among other small tweeks, the casing has been changed to the mini's stronger aluminum standard. This also allowed for some personalization when choosing your player concidering the new colors. Of course, the iPod has to now compete with Microsoft's latest handheld, the Zune. Steve Jobs seems to think it is a minor inconvenience. I'm sure Microsoft will have their own take on "iGames" and such with being an industry that produces such items. Rumors of a 60 and 100gb Zune have been floating abound on the internet. The 100gb version supposedly containing a digital camera. Although personally I could do without the camera, I would love to see Steve Jobs sweating over not haveing one of the highest storage mediums. I would suspect that the rumors of a "wide-screen" iPod might be lived up to just so Jobs is still heading the video-scene.

Zune: What you need to know

2006-09-24T03:37:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge

Since the announcement of the Zune, people have been going crazy trying to figure out exactly what it can do. Well, after awhile of hogging resources from the almighty Wikipedia, here is a list of speculated and factual functions and specifications of the Zune: Confirmed Specs & Features * Li-Ion battery * preloaded audio and video content * Toshiba will manufacture Zune hardware * WiFi (802.11 b/g) connectivity * 30GB Hard Drive * available in 3 different colors: black, brown (chocolate), and white * magnetic headphones. * LCD 3.00" screen * built-in FM radio tuner * TV output connectivity * DJ Mode (broadcast what you are listening to)

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Specifications * 4.4 × 2.4 × 0.58-inch (11.2 × 6.1 × 1.5 cm) footprint * 5.6 ounces (160 grams) * 802.11b/g * 30 GB hard drive * 3 in. QVGA screen, 320×240 resolution * Supports 640×480 for high quality video-out. * Radio Data System enabled FM receiver * Support for H.264, MP3, WMA, WMV, MPEG4, .JPG and AAC * 12 hour battery life when playing music, 3.5 hours playing video, with WIFI off * $229.99 MSRP price tag Features * Will be able to send media files (images, music, videos) from Zune-to-Zune via WiFi. If the media files have Zune DRM they will only be enabled for usage for either three days or three plays, whichever of those that comes first. * Ability to flag tracks received from Zune-to-Zune transfer, for download from the Zune Marketplace. * Able to play movies and videos * Automatically detects and adjust display to either portrait or landscape, based on whether it is being held horizontal or vertical. * Updatable firmware * Ability to create profiles/tags, now called "Zunetags". * The Zune will feature the ability to syncronize with an Xbox 360 * The wallpaper on the Zune can be changed to any user specified image * The Zune will have Podcast capabilities. -Wikipedia I hope that patches up some confusion on the Zune. Some of the features may or may not be comfirmed as of yet and are speculation.

Creation of DAPularity:

2006-09-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

And so it was, the blog emmerged in light of the recent announcement of such fine contenders as the Zune and iPods newest competitors. In attempt to shed light on the popular players DAPularity was created. In hopes to bring consumer electronic reveiws to such products. In retort, you as a healthy reader of this blog should be familiar with the terms thrown around. Some of you may have stumbled onto this site with no recollection of what a DAP is. Well, as one of you consumer, I feel the need to shed light on the subject... A "DAP", as described from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio_player "is a device that stores, organizes and plays digital audio files. It is more commonly referred to as an mp3 player (because of that format's ubiquity), but DAPs often play many additional file formats. Some formats are proprietary, such as Windows Media Audio(WMA), and, to a degree, MP3. Some of these formats also may incorporate restrictive digital rights management(DRM) technology, such as WMA DRM, which are often part of certain paid download sites. Other formats are completely patent-free or otherwise open, such as Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Speex (all part of the Ogg open multimedia project), and Module file formats." DAPs come commonly in three differant types:

"MP3 CD Players - Devices that play CDs. Often, they can be used to play both audio CDs and homemade data CDs containing MP3 or other digital audio files. Some MP3 CD players have been criticized for ceasing the ability to read MP3 CDs prematurely but continue to read conventional CDs.
Flash-based Players - These are solid state devices that hold digital audio files on internal or external media, such as memory cards. Due to technological limitations, these are relatively low-storage devices, commercially ranging from 128MB to 8GB, which can often be extended with additional memory. As they are solid state and do not have moving parts, they are very resilient. In effect, they do not suffer limitations that owners of Hard Drive-based players face, such as fears of dropping their player or fragmentation. Such players are generally integrated into USB keydrives. Within years, Flash-based media is expected to surpass the capacity of Hard Drive-based Players, and inevitably render them obsolete.
Hard Drive-based Players or Digital Jukeboxes - Devices that read digital audio files from a hard drive. These players have higher capacities, ranging from 1.5GB to 100GB, depending on the hard drive technology. At typical encoding rates, this means that thousands of songs — perhaps an entire music collection — can be stored in one MP3 player. Due to their capacity and physical size, image and video media support is becoming standard among Hard Drive-based players. The Apple iPod and Creative Zen are examples of popular digital jukeboxes."

There are several "codecs" of which players support. A fully featured list is provided here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_codecs A codec is in short terms, the way a file is "coded" and the architecture it is coded on. If you don't have the codec, you can't play the file. As of now that should handle about everything you need to know and common phrases I will use... I will, of course, tack on some info to the end of posts that may require more information.