I said I'd periodically check in after living with Vista for awhile. First a correction. I originally said I couldn't get Aero to work. well, that's because the build I have had it turned off by default. It turns out, it works just fine on my Radeon x300 series. Very cool. Second, I was worried that some of the streaming features I've got in MCE wouldn't work. not only does the basic streaming that is built into the OS works like a charm, one of the readers pointed out another streaming client called TVersity. It works like a champ under Vista and does real-time transcoding to the 360. Lastly, someone else asked me if the Zune software is faster under Vista. While I have no scientific proof of it, it certainly feels faster. To be precise, it sure feels like Marketplace loads faster. I'll see if I can put some benchmarks in place to test it. I still have issues with my front side audio port and I'm trying to get the hang on not having domains. Other than that, things are g...

A ZuneInfo.com user “Joey Skank cracker” has made a little patch, that once applied will make your Zune into a portable hard drive, and save you all the other hassle of the original registry hack. If you have any questions or comments on this head over to this thread and make a post. If just want [...]

We've been hearing rumors on a possible problem with the Zune havings its screen cracked due to an expanding battery from leaving it charging all night. We haven't run into this problem ourselves, and Microsoft's official statement is that they haven't seen any evidence that the screen is being cracked from the battery. The most likely cause, they say, is the player being dropped onto the screen.
But how about our readers? Is your Zune cracked up thanks to your battery? If so, email in the pictures to tips at giz. We'll get to the bottom of this. – Jason Chen
Zune Insider

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Portable Audio, Portable Video
As if filming a commercial dissing Microsoft for Vista upgrade hassles wasn't enough, Apple has issued a warning to iTunes users that they should wait for Apple to issue a patch before making the switch to Vista. Apparently some users are encountering problems playing purchased music and videos, synchronizing address book contacts and calendar dates, and slowed response time, along with the occasional outright corruption of connected iPods. Such problems don't affect everyone, but they're pervasive enough for Apple to advise users to wait on the upgrade. According to Apple spokesman Derick Mains, "Although iTunes 7.0.2 may work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs, Apple is aware of some known compatibility issues and recommends that iTunes customers wait to upgrade to Windows Vista until after the next release of iTunes, which will be available in the next few weeks." We're guessing Microsoft is a tad bit miffed that...

There used to be a time when you'd see Apple's iPod in practically every new music video. Everyone from Snoop Dogg to 50 Cent could be seen flashing their shiny white player, much in the same manner that Paris Hilton whored herself out to the Sidekick. But lately it seems the iPod has been getting the shaft from Hollywood who has been caught holding hands with other players. Take for instance Fergie's "Fergalicious" video. As painful as it is to watch (seriously, don't Google it), she has the brains (or maybe her agent does) to carry a Samsung YP-K5. Then there's...
24. In an old episode, we see an iRiver H10 being used to detonate a bomb. Even 007 settled for a Sony Ericsson in place of an iPod in last year's Casino Royale. As much as I like my iPod, I find it refreshing that Hollywood is welcoming other players into the foray—players that deserve the attention (ok, so the H10 is old, but still, it was a good player back in the day). Now how long before we see a Zune in a ...

Readers will probably know we're not gigantic fans of cases for portable media players around here, preferring to just let them get scratched up for the sake of convenience and looks. But this Silicone case from Zune One seems to be a pretty decent one if you really must have a case.
The Zune Silicone Case comes with a silicone condom that wraps around the Zune plus two screen protectors. The condom actually fits pretty well and has a rubbery-but-not-too-rubbery texture.
The best part?
galleryPost('zuneoneskin', 4, 'Zune Silicone Skin');

The buttons are molded in exactly the right place and are shaped in such a way that it's really easy to press—unlike the Jam Jacket. If you had to get a Zune case, this $7.95 silicone affair would be the best.
Their Zune Crystal case, however, leaves something to be desired. It's made of pretty cheap plastic (priced at $11.95) and is pretty hard to open. Once you get your Zune in there, you may have a ...

...Blackberry Pearl, CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio, Casio, Don Julio, Fox
Soccer Channel, HTC, Intel, Old Spice, Parrot, Pioneer, Playstation, SV
Supreme Vodka, Sprint, VW GTI, Verizon and Zune. Without your sponsorship, there would be no way for the Bears to win.
Don't disappoint the monsters of the midway.

Now that the wow has officially started, Bill Gates managed to take some time out and sit down with with Newsweek's Steven Levy to talk about what we can expect from Microsoft's next operating system and what he thinks of those Mac vs PC ads. So what did Gates have to say about Apple....
Gates on the Mac ads "I don't know why [Apple is] acting lie it's superior. I don't even get it. "If you just want to say, 'Steve Jobs invented the world, and then the rest of us came along,' that's fine. Gates on the next version of Windows "It will be more user-centric. If you drop by a [public] kiosk or somebody else's PC, we can bring down your home page, your files, your fonts, your favorites and those things." Gates on Vista's Security Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine. It's a great read, regardless of whether you're...

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Wireless
If you can't quite decide whether to snap up a wireless media remote, spring for some wireless headphones, or purchase a VoIP headset, why not get all three? That's the dubious premise behind LTB Audio's ARIO Q-bean, which consists of a small fob-like wireless doohicky that includes a microphone, headphone port and media controls. The Q-bean communicates with your computer via an included USB dongle, which purports to ship CD-quality sound to the Q-bean at up to 100 feet. Pairing the devices is similar to Bluetooth, but LTB Audio insists their proprietary wireless tech is more robust and smart enough not to get swallowed up in 2.4GHz interference. LTB is also planning a dongle for music players such as the iPod and Zune to work with the Q-bean, and will start selling the series this winter for an as yet undisclosed price. 
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series....

 Cesar (Microsoft employee) from ZuneInsider has basically debunked the rumours of a ‘Zune Phone’ or ‘Breaking Screens’ that we reported earlier today. He states that this is basically ‘rumor and speculation’, but in the past some of the things he labelled as rumors happened, while some didnt. So it is hard to know whether either of these are true. However, he does imply that [...]