"It seems that every Zune on the planet has just frozen up..

At 01 Jan 2009 08:51:45 -0500 News wrote:

> iPhone 3Gold wrote:
> > And you want a Zune phone?
> >
> > http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/31/zune.player.failures/index.html
>
>
>
> Let's put this in perspective....
>
> The MSZ suffers a once-a-Leap Year defect. Unacceptable.
>
> The iFruit is perpetually deficient. Priceless.

Stupid bug. All seventeen of us Zune owners will be furious!

I'd warn every other Zune owner I know, but I don't know any.


There's no defending MS over this, however. For starters, having stupid
clock/calendar/time zone/leap year issues is a programmer "rookie
mistake" that should be embarrassing to any computer company.

Secondly, and more importantly, a clock/calendar issue REALLY shouldn't
effect a product for which time isn't a primary function.

I have two Zunes- I don't recall ever seeing a clock display on them.
Having a time bug cause the wrong date/time to display is one thing, but
to have it bugger up the whole device is stupid. It'd be like a
defective clock on your car dashboard killing the starter!

Upon reflection, I'll bet the clock is part of the DRM- the Zune needs to
know when your Zune Pass subscription runs out, so it can stop playing
the subscription content. I don't use DRM content or Zune subscriptions,
so I wonder if mine were effected? (It's apparently too late to know now-
MS said they'd straighten themselves out by 7am today, and I didn't see
the story until 8:30am MST.)

On Jan 1, 10:58 am, Todd Allcock <eleccon....RemoveThis@AnoOspamL.com> wrote:

> Upon reflection, I'll bet the clock is part of the DRM- the Zune needs to
> know when your Zune Pass subscription runs out, so it can stop playing
> the subscription content.  I don't use DRM content or Zune subscriptions,
> so I wonder if mine were effected?  (It's apparently too late to know now-
>  MS said they'd straighten themselves out by 7am today, and I didn't see
> the story until 8:30am MST.)

That was my immediate thought.

Microsoft's current obsession with DRM tripped them up with the Zune.

At 01 Jan 2009 15:30:45 -0800 iPhone 3Gold wrote:
> > Upon reflection, I'll bet the clock is part of the DRM- the Zune
needs to
> > know when your Zune Pass subscription runs out, so it can stop playing
> > the subscription content.  I don't use DRM content or Zune
subscriptions,
> > so I wonder if mine were effected?  (It's apparently too late to know
now-
> >  MS said they'd straighten themselves out by 7am today, and I didn't
see
> > the story until 8:30am MST.)
>
> That was my immediate thought.
>
> Microsoft's current obsession with DRM tripped them up with the Zune..

How is "Microsoft's obsesion" different than, say, Appe's? The only
difference is that Microsoft also has a media "rental" model (the Zune
Pass) that gives you a time-limited "all you can eat" access to DRM
content in addition to an iTunes-like pay-per-song model. The former
requires the devices to know the date/time to verify if the current
subscription is valid.

Todd Allcock <elecconnec.DeleteThis@AnoOspamL.com> wrote in news:9Tg7l.30649$hr3.4510
@newsfe01.iad:

> (the Zune
> Pass) that gives you a time-limited "all you can eat" access to DRM
> content in addition to an iTunes-like pay-per-song model.

http://62.61.85.218

.....and you get to keep them!

On Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:21:52 +0000, Larry <noone RemoveThis @home.com> wrote:

>Todd Allcock <elecconnec RemoveThis @AnoOspamL.com> wrote in news:9Tg7l.30649$hr3.4510
>@newsfe01.iad:
>
>> (the Zune
>> Pass) that gives you a time-limited "all you can eat" access to DRM
>> content in addition to an iTunes-like pay-per-song model.
>
>http://62.61.85.218
>
>....and you get to keep them!


Except the Feeze-a-matic Zunes were 30 Gig models made and sold in
2006.

In article <9Tg7l.30649$hr3.4510@newsfe01.iad>,
Todd Allcock <elecconnec DeleteThis @AnoOspamL.com> wrote:

> At 01 Jan 2009 15:30:45 -0800 iPhone 3Gold wrote:
> > > Upon reflection, I'll bet the clock is part of the DRM- the Zune
> needs to
> > > know when your Zune Pass subscription runs out, so it can stop playing
> > > the subscription content.  I don't use DRM content or Zune
> subscriptions,
> > > so I wonder if mine were effected?  (It's apparently too late to know
> now-
> > >  MS said they'd straighten themselves out by 7am today, and I didn't
> see
> > > the story until 8:30am MST.)
> >
> > That was my immediate thought.
> >
> > Microsoft's current obsession with DRM tripped them up with the Zune.
>
> How is "Microsoft's obsesion" different than, say, Appe's? The only
> difference is that Microsoft also has a media "rental" model (the Zune
> Pass) that gives you a time-limited "all you can eat" access to DRM
> content in addition to an iTunes-like pay-per-song model. The former
> requires the devices to know the date/time to verify if the current
> subscription is valid.

The "obsession" is because of the record companies' demands for DRM, not
Apple's or MS'.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

"Kurt" <labolide RemoveThis @spacegmail.com> wrote in message
news:labolide-20B5C3.12383102012009@news.giganews.com...

>> > Microsoft's current obsession with DRM tripped them up with the Zune.
>>
>> How is "Microsoft's obsesion" different than, say, Appe's? The only
>> difference is that Microsoft also has a media "rental" model (the Zune
>> Pass) that gives you a time-limited "all you can eat" access to DRM
>> content in addition to an iTunes-like pay-per-song model. The former
>> requires the devices to know the date/time to verify if the current
>> subscription is valid.
>
> The "obsession" is because of the record companies' demands for DRM, not
> Apple's or MS'.

That was really my point, but you made it far more succinctly.

Sadly, it seems, opening a DRM music store requires you to sell out your
hardware customers by crippling the devices that work with it.

This is why the rumors of Zune software being added to Microsoft's Windows
Mobile platform at some point in the future gives me the willies. I've got
nothing against Zune, (I own two of them) but I really like the complete
openness of the WinMo platform, and would hate to see MS sell out the WinMo
platform in order to give it Zune Marketplace compatibility. In many ways,
WinMo devices are the ideal portable media player- they can receive content
in a variety of ways- direct download, WiFi, BT, email, USB, can create
playlists and set ratings on the device without the need for a PC, and with
third party software can handle virtually any audio or video format,
including .avi, .mpg, .mov, .and mp4.

In article <wBv7l.90829$496.57647@newsfe13.iad>,
"Todd Allcock" <elecconnec.RemoveThis@AnoOspamL.com> wrote:

> "Kurt" <labolide.RemoveThis@spacegmail.com> wrote in message
> news:labolide-20B5C3.12383102012009@news.giganews.com...
>
> >> > Microsoft's current obsession with DRM tripped them up with the Zune.
> >>
> >> How is "Microsoft's obsesion" different than, say, Appe's? The only
> >> difference is that Microsoft also has a media "rental" model (the Zune
> >> Pass) that gives you a time-limited "all you can eat" access to DRM
> >> content in addition to an iTunes-like pay-per-song model. The former
> >> requires the devices to know the date/time to verify if the current
> >> subscription is valid.
> >
> > The "obsession" is because of the record companies' demands for DRM, not
> > Apple's or MS'.
>
> That was really my point, but you made it far more succinctly.
>
> Sadly, it seems, opening a DRM music store requires you to sell out your
> hardware customers by crippling the devices that work with it.
>
> This is why the rumors of Zune software being added to Microsoft's Windows
> Mobile platform at some point in the future gives me the willies. I've got
> nothing against Zune, (I own two of them) but I really like the complete
> openness of the WinMo platform, and would hate to see MS sell out the WinMo
> platform in order to give it Zune Marketplace compatibility. In many ways,
> WinMo devices are the ideal portable media player- they can receive content
> in a variety of ways- direct download, WiFi, BT, email, USB, can create
> playlists and set ratings on the device without the need for a PC, and with
> third party software can handle virtually any audio or video format,
> including .avi, .mpg, .mov, .and mp4.

DRM will be dead (hopefully) within in a few years. Until then, I'll buy
the occasional song, but instead buy the CD with better sound at a
generally cheaper price. Used CDs are great.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

At 02 Jan 2009 20:15:07 -0800 Kurt wrote:


> DRM will be dead (hopefully) within in a few years. Until then, I'll
buy
> the occasional song, but instead buy the CD with better sound at a
> generally cheaper price. Used CDs are great.

Agreed, wholeheartedly, on all points!