I used to be a Microsoft fanboy, really, used to be. I had Windows Phone back when it was SmartPhone or Windows Mobile, or whatever they wanted to call it (too long ago to remember, and it was always changing). I purchased a 30gb Zune the day they came out (unboxing video), I purchased a 4gb zune after those devices came out. I had a Zune Pass for too many years to count.

So I’ve been finding it harder and harder to use up my Zune pass credits every month lately. I’m pretty sure I’ve missed a month or two as well.

What am I talking about? If you subscribe to Zune pass ($14.99/mo) you can pretty much download almost all the music you want (ex: the social network soundtrack is apparently not available), but that music is only good as long as you have a subscription.

With your subscription you also get 10 “credits” a month that you can use to download and keep 10 songs, meaning they won’t expire if you cancel your subscription.

Lately I’m finding myself not really branching out into new music, I listen to Cake and Pearl Jam primarily, and often times I just use Pandora to pick my music for me. I’m thinking it is likely time to shut off the Zune pass subscription, at least until they come up with some “video” content that would allow me to cancel my cable service…..

So I had hoped to run out today and get a Gears of War 2 Special Edition Zune, but so far I can’t seem to find out that it is available in stores. Walmart.com has it, but only online, Best Buy and Circuit City don’t list it :(

Updates as I find out more later today.

Wow, I was just about to head to bed when I saw this post from Cesar over at Zune Insider. Great news, the spring update for the Zune is here, or almost here. I'm looking forward to these specific updates.

If you're having Problems syncing your Zune, stay tuned here. As I resolve my Sync issues I'll gladly post up solutions here on my blog. The main problem I'm having right now is that I can't hardly get anything to sync without the software telling me that there isn't enough freespace. Though my Zune only has 10 songs on it, so we'll see what it takes to resolve that... If you're having your own Sync problems post them...

It looks like today is the day I get to install the Zune software on my Windows Vista machine at home. Oh happy day!Though, so far, while browsing the Zune site with Vista I still can't download the software. i see"Zune software is compatible with the following operating systems:Windows® Home, Professional, and Tablet PC Edition XP Service Pack 2 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update Rollup 2 Windows Vista"Which is really helpful, Vista is supported, but it still won't let me download it yet ;) Posted from...

While looking around for a Zune SDK this evening I found a way to use your Zune as an external storage device. I haven't yet tested this, so I can't guarantee it works yet.Be sure to backup your registry before playing around with it.Make sure your Zune is not plugged in and your Zune software isn’t running open up regedit by going to the start menu and selecting “run”. Type regedt32 and hit “OK” Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\ControlSet001\Enum\USB\ Search for “PortableDeviceNameSpace”. This should be contained in the Vid_####&Pid_####\########_-_########_-_########_-_########\Device Parameters within the above …\USB\ The ##’s listed here will be numbers and letters specific to your Zune Change the following values: EnableLegacySupport to 1 PortableDeviceNameSpaceExcludeFromShell to 0 ShowInShell to 1 Plug in your Zune, and make sure the Zune Software starts up. Hopefully at this point you can open up “My Computer” and browse your device, though it does NOT show up as a drive letterI found the information on ZuneBoards.com and Phaleux.com while looking around.Still no word on when the Zune software will work with Vista. Posted from...

Well, hopefully before the honeymoon to Costa Rica next Sunday I'll be able to get my hands on a Belkin Tunepower for the Zune. I don't think the battery life of the Zune will get us through the flights down to Costa Rica! The Tunepower is supposedly going to be available 11/30, which will be 2 days before the wedding, and 3 days before we leave for the honeymoon. Here's to hoping for an ontime release and availability here in...

Well, I spent most of the day today doing a few things around the house. First, I took the good wheels off the Tahoe and put the stock wheels and tires back on. I figured that with Winter upon us I'd rather leave the shiney wheels down in the basement. While I was changing the wheels I had Vista installing on my machine again. I used the same machine that I had RC1/RC2 installed on, but this time I started over, as I had done with RC1, but not RC2. I installed Vista fresh on this machine. Everything is great so far. I installed Office Pro, Live Messenger, and a few other things. One of those other items is Windows Live Writer. I hadn't tried it out before (yes, I know, I'm behind). This is my first post with it, I'm not yet sure how I feel about it, but we'll see. Hope this post works, otherwise I may never try it again. As for the Vista machine, I've made the switch, I imported my 1.1gig PST file over to this machine, and setup most of my email accounts on it, so I'll be using this machine for all my email, development now. What's left? To get ZUNE working with Vista, then I'll be all set! Once that happens I'll also install Vista on my laptop, the 64bit version of course. Technorati tags: Vista, Zune, Office, Cars Posted from...

Earlier this week I posted a quick rant about the new MS Zune not working on Vista.Someone posted a comment on another one of my blogs that they are working on getting Zune/Vista compatibility fixed by next week. I sure hope so! If that's the case I'll be installing Vista on my Laptop before we head off to get married.Is this just another nasty internet rumor? Possibly, but I know the source, and they have a few more MS connections that I do!  Posted from...

Windows VistaWindows Vista is not supported at this time. Check back soon for updates.WTFO Posted from...

 Originally posted http://www.tmcnet.com/ce/articles/3343-abi-research-reveals-58-percent-ipod-users-may.htmBy Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor All of you die-hard iPod enthusiasts may be dejected to learn that research has shown that Microsoft Zune may be posing a bigger threat to Apple’s iPod than you are willing to realize or admit.ABI Research has released the findings of a new study that reveal that many prospective MP3 player buyers – including current iPod owners – would be likely to choose Microsoft’s (News - Alert) Zune over Apple’s star product.When 1,725 teenage and adult US residents were asked whether they planned to buy an MP3 player in the next 12 months, of those responding they were likely to do so, 58 percent revealed they were “somewhat likely” or “extremely likely” to choose a Microsoft Zune player over the iPod or another MP3 player brand.This 58 percent that were likely to go the way of the Microsoft Zune – all identified themselves as existing iPod owners. The respondents owning other brands, 59 percent, were also “somewhat or extremely likely” to purchase the Microsoft Zune as opposed to another brand – including the iPod.Steve Wilson, ABI Research (News - Alert) principal analyst, shared that the firm’s conclusion is that iPod users don’t display the same passionate loyalty to iPods that Macintosh users have historically shown for their Apple products. The survey revealed that only 15 percent of iPod owners said that they were “not very likely” or “not at all likely” to choose Zune.With these survey results, the real question is whether or not Microsoft’s Zune will be able to draw the attention it needs to come anywhere close to iPod’s impressive sales record. ABI Research shared that it believes that a critical factor will be to what extent Microsoft can differentiate the Zune from competing products in some meaningful way.Wilson noted that one differentiator, Zune’s Wi-Fi peer-to-peer sharing, which Microsoft is playing up heavily, isn’t really all that compelling, at least not right now. There is a lot more that could be done with that capability.Considering the results of this survey from ABI Research, Apple will have to make some big announcements in the next year in order to maintain its competitive edge in the industry. Wilson advised that Apple should develop a new high-end device that works really well and looks really cool as other brands are catching up.The data contained in the ABI Research report was a result of an October 2006 Web-based survey among a nationally-balanced and demographically-representative sample of 1,725 online consumers, age 18 and older. Respondents were provided a photo and description of the Microsoft Zune device before being asked about their likelihood to choose it over a competitive MP3 player. To more close examine the survey results, click here.While Microsoft may still have some work to do to make its Zune the commercial success it is hoping for, the results of this survey are likely to cause waves in the industry. Apple cannot remain on its throne without making some changes as consumers will continue to demand more and the competition is not willing to take a “wait and see” approach. This ongoing saga will be one to follow closely to see how it plays out over the next year and who will end up coming out on top. Posted from...