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Entries in the geek wire (2)

3:35PM

New Windows ads still ridiculous... Are you surprised?

Well what's that song? Oh yeah, "Here it goes again."

That song line ran through my head when I saw these three commercials. Windows 7 just came out yesterday so Microsoft had 3 new ad's for the launch, but yet again they still don't make sense. Just like when Seinfeld and Gates teamed up and made those commercials that confused the whole webisphere. These I admit are big improvement from then, but somewhere this is still a bug in the advertising department.

So the first ad features a middle age jolly man named Steve, he says he had a idea a while ago that all the stuff in his house worked together! (Remember this part we will return to it later: When he gets this idea he is clipping the hedges) He then says that since Windows 7 is out it now does, and then points to different things. He sets his laptop down "Now I can print work documents over there..." Wait wait wait, couldn't we already print wirelessly from a laptop to a printer, just by buying a printer that connects to your wireless internet? Alright back to the video. Then he points to another laptop saying that music from that computer, (then points to another laptop in another room) he can listen to on that computer. Ok hold up, the only technology Im familiar with that can do this is iTunes home sharing. Interesting. Ok now steve walks into his living room pointing to his son who is on his laptop, saying "The stuff we watch here, we can watch here." and points to his TV. Im not sure how this is possible with Win 7, but I know it was already possible with just getting a computer and setting up simple home media computer, movies on a PS3 or just a Apple TV lol. Anyways, Then steve say's "My little idea's come to life." Then says how he "shouldn't take all the credit, but its his house!" Then the Windows 7 banner comes up while he says "Get off the table!" Now Im not sure if this random remark is for his son or us? (Watch the video and you decide) Then his closing remark. "Windows 7 was my idea!"

Confused? I'm pretty sure you are. So basically they don't sell us on the features of Windows 7 they just point out features that were already here but now work with windows. Now remember that part about clipping the hedges? Yeah whats up with that, is that where windows engineers get their ideas? (No wonder vista was a mess. lol) So thats the first ad, but its gets better!

The second ad shows another middle aged guy named jack standing in his bathroom. He says's awhile back I got a idea right in their! Then points to his shower. Then we get a flashback to him in the shower from the waist up, saying his idea was to "Make my Pc simpler." Now first off do we really need to show guys in the shower to sell OS's and computers? Think about it. Moving on. Then Jack says. "So what did I do? I passed my idea along to Microsoft! I had to laugh at this point. Yeah Jack i'm sure Microsoft got a lot of emails "Passing along," suggestions for 7. Jack then says "Then next thing you know Windows 7, and this new snap feature!" Then show us when working on two things at once, you just drag a open application to one side of the screen and it resizes it to fit that half of the screen. (Then same with the other half) Then jack finishes saying. "SNAP! Simpler! Pretty much exactly what I told them, Im not trying to take the credit"..then his wife interrupts saying "he called his mother" about it and he explains why and she needed to know this! Then cue Windows 7 banner , "Im a PC and Windows 7 was my idea!"

So first off what is up with these guys getting ideas in the weird places?! So basically we just saw a 30 second ad showing a 5 second feature, If I was going to buy a Pc and saw that ad I would want a lot more info like a selling point! Ok then the third ad I will not explain in as much detail.

It's a collaboration of different people saying what they want in 7, and then at the end all do that collaborative sentence saying that Windows 7 was "their idea." Ok so whats funny is at the end of this commercial the Windows 7 banner says, "A Billion Ideas = 7." Whats funny is in truth its a billion complaints about vista made 7.

All in all these are well done ad's. They are fast moving and upbeat, but really lack a good selling point for 7. It seems more like just waving a little white flag saying meekly "Here it is! We fixed Vista! Maybe?!" I mean Steven Heywood from thetechbuzz.net pointed out that Windows 7 is just Service Pack 3 for vista, he's right 7 and vista are both written on the same kernel. Xp compared to 7, yes two different OS's. Vista to 7 meh not so much. So we still wait for some decent ad's but are better than some in the past...

Here are the videos:

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Keep on geeking!

-Nolan

8:57PM

The "iPod Killer" Zune HD is out. My thoughts and opinion. 

Hey guys Nolan here,

They said iPod killer, But not quite in my mind. Ok guys well the Zune HD just came out and well these are my thoughts on it, One Beautiful device! But from what I have seen from other tech reviews the backing that looks like brushed metal, but some have said is “It feels like something els.” said SolderKnowsBest, Nobody for sure knows what it is. I think one of the biggest let downs in the Zune HD is it has no internal speaker! How are you going to try and compete with a device such as a iPod and not put in a key feature? Also another beautiful feature on the Zune HD is the graphics, with the new Nvida chip in it, switching from menus are beautiful! One issue with the menus is something that John4Laker’s partner pointed out in a review. When switching somethings in the settings instead of another menu or a drop down, you tap it and the next selection comes up, which makes a big hassle if trying to get to the last thing in that menu and you tap all the way to the end and miss it. There is one feature that the iPod Touch dose not have and thats radio or also HD radio. Some say its not a big deal but I find it useful and a nice change when you want something fresh and new to listen to. They did put radio in the new iPod Nano but failed to put it in the new iPod Touch. Also one of them of weird things in my mind is they called it the Zune HD but dose not play in HD on the device itself, but only if plugged into the TV. Now don’t get me wrong this is very useful, but I would think they would name the device for what it does on the device it self not just for being plugged into a tv. Microsoft also supplies the necessary cables to plug it in which is nice. Well I understand they cant call it the Zune Touch but still. One of the most horrible things with the Zune HD is you have to have windows to sync it. I mean I guess they think if you want the Zune then you cant have the mac. Now to fix this problem you need to have a third party app for the mac to go into a virtual machine and run Windows, but what is just your run of the mill mac user going to do if he wants a Zune? Apple is nice enough to let you sync your ipod on a mac with iTunes but I guess Windows didn’t want to return the favor.
Speaking of internet “marketplaces” the Zune’s Marketplace (the iTunes for the Zune) is of corse nowhere near the iTunes store. One thing that Windows lacks with the Zune is what they will never make up for anytime soon, Apps. They have currently 6 apps’s and the issue is Microsoft dose not want to deal with App submissions and having to scan all them (who knows what would be on our Zune!) and is not releasing a SDK for the Zune, there for all the apps you get have to come from the “big man him self” in redmond WA, so don’t expect a hole lot of apps anytime soon. Over all this is a really beautiful device and I think Apple could learn a few lessons from Windows for a change and fix something on the iPod that the Zune did right. So just settle down, I don’t think this device with be a iPod killer anytime “Zune”.

Remember to keep on geeking!
-Nolan

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