I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that with a little bit of effort you can set up a WM phone so that it can do all the things you would expect from an iPhone.  Maybe not with quite the same slick style and chic design, but there are some compensations.  Pocket Outlook is a better calendaring and contacts tool than comes with the iPhone, much better suited to business needs.  And the Pocket Office applications, although limited, are occasionally useful.

The whole balance may change though when the ZuneHD comes out, particularly if the rumours are true that the Zune software will be made available for WM phones, effectively creating the ZunePhone. I don’t know if that will be new WM phones only, but I can always claim an upgrade.

It’s been a couple of years since the introduction of the iPod killing, Zune, and I still haven’t seen one in the wild. Besides at a best buy, I haven’t witnessed anybody using these things.

Since it’s inception, I have purchased an 80 gig iPod for my bedroom stereo, an iPod nano 4 for my car stereo, iPod touch for the office, touch 2 for application reviews and an iPhone for obvious reasons. It’s not simply a bias either. I have also bought a few new Windows machines for work, and an HTC diamond recently for a friend’s birthday. I just haven’t seen a need for a zune. I also don’t see how any company expects me to switch over my already established iTunes library for that hunk of plastic. Maybe that’s the problem. Nobody wants to swap libraries.

The only problem I see with blaming libraries is the abysmal numbers that show for Zune sales. NPD group shows Zunes at 4% market share. With a number like that, do you know who they’re trying to beat? Not Apple, but Sandisk at just under 11% of the market. That’s right, Sandisk, who, by every right, show up as “other” in a mp3 player market share pie graph. Not even able to grab the number two spot in the big game isn’t just library switchaphobia. After all, I’ve used a Sandisk, there isn’t any specific needed for that thing.

Bill Gates was on the Today show just two years ago talking about how the Zune was the best mediaplayer ever with game changing features. Well, if the game is hide and go seek, and we’re it, the Zune is winning hands down.

The features that Gates was talking about was the Zune’s ability to share songs with other Zune users in the area, called “squirting” (yeah, MS marketing was working overtime when they came up with that). This proved to be a flop. The obvious reason was that Zune users couldn’t find one another, after all, it’s hard to share songs over wifi between states. Microsoft thought it was due to the self deleting songs, so they changed the rules to allow permenantly sharing songs as long as you paid a $15 a month subscription. This cut back the number of sharable Zunes from 4 per city to about 1/5 of a Zune per city.

There’s no doubt that Zune has it’s ups, but there are a heck of a lot more downs. MS CEO, Steve Ballmer made an announcement that there are no plans for a zune phone. So, what is there? No annoucements to end the product line, none to make it a phone. There’s portable gaming, but with Apple entering the forray, MS has to move quickly, and offer more than the giants, Nintendo and Sony. At least something unique like the iPod touch 2.

Zune, hurry up and make up your mind, because if you miss the boat this time, you’ll have no choice but to say goodbye.

It seems like recently I am doing nothing but appologizing for lack of posts of this site.  This is due to two reasons.  Firstly the beginning of the year is a very busy time for me at work, and secondly an open source project I am working on is taking up much of my spare time.

Heres a summary of some Microsoft woes so far this year that have caught my attention:

Microsoft have been in battle with the EU again, this time regarding Internet Explorer with its Windows operating system.  Yet again Microsoft appear to have been burned by the EU, who say ” tying Explorer to Windows distorts competition and gives Microsoft an “artificial distribution advantage which other web browsers are unable to match.” Oh dear.  If you would like to read an article on this, head over to Independent.ie

For those that have heard about Zune (Microsofts Itunes if you will) may have heard about the spectacular crash some of its systems had.  Many unhappy customers reported freezes, and I wonder how many new years eve parties which were relying on a Zune jukebox were disapointed.  You can read an article about this “unfortunate incident” (as Andre Da Costa said recently on Microsoft Watch) by visiting OrlandoSentinel.com

E’  passato più di un anno da quando vi abbiamo segnalato   Microsoft oPhone sfida iPhone? oggi concept-phones prevede che oPhone ”distruggerà” l’iPhone….scherzosamente s’intende

Di certo ci sono gli ultimi nuovi ”cloni” dell’applefonino come il BlackBerry Storm,il Nokia 5800, il Samsung Omnia… e secondo voi  Microsoft  vuole rimanere …”ultimo”?

clicca qui per maggiori informazioni

Thanks Luca per la segnalazione

Fonte:concept-phones

Ecco la risposta di Microsoft all’iPhone della Apple: si chiama ZunePhone ed è il telefono cellulare di cui non riusciremo più a fare a meno! Ha tutte le funzioni dell’iPhone, ma con quel “tocco magico” che caratterizza tutti i prodotti Microsoft. Il “rivoluzionario” ZunePhone non è stato messo in commercio perché, come spero abbiate capito guardando il video, è solo una parodia dell’iPhone… ma se esistesse e venisse davvero messo in vendita, costerebbe moltissimi soldi: infatti per ideare male un oggetto (una dote attribuita da alcune persone alla Microsoft) sono necessarie tantissime ore di lavoro e un’elevatissima specializzazione dei progettisti. Nel mio prossimo articolo parlerò di un altro rivoluzionario prodotto Microsoft, ma non vi anticipo nulla

b1tsh4rk

Microsoft has always tried to copy Apple, whether is the Windows which is a copy of Mac, or to the latest Microsoft Phone in the makin, they call it a zune phone!, it is supposed to have all the features the iphone has + something more. If you recall Zune was microsofts answer to the ipod.

Zune Phone

Some speculate that a Zune phone platform would cannibalize Windows Mobile. The images above show the same imaginary device in Zune mode and phone mode. Yes, it looks like an iPhone, but the Zune 30 looked a little like the iPod 30 so anything is possible.

Specifications:

The Zune 3 is also a phone with all the features of the Zune 80, with new features such as internet explorer, wifi marketplace, common phone apps, and more.

The Zune 3 is fully touchscreen, however, the lower panel buttons are touch “sensitive” play/pause/call, zune, and back/hang up buttons that glow, they are permanent (similar to the chocolate’s buttons).

The Zune 3 is available in 16GB, and 32GB flash memory sizes.

Navigating the Zune 3 is similar to the 80’s squircle except on the touch screen.

The screen itself is a high quality, scratch resistant, touch-sensitive glass that covers most of the front of the device.

Around the perimeter of the glass is a glowing light that can be customized to the color of the user’s choice through the settings menu.

The remainder of the device’s exterior is similar to the Zune 80’s finish, including the hold switch to de-activate touch.

Video’s are now presented in high-quality widescreen format.

The Zune 3 is not restricted to any particular network.

The device has external speakers for speakerphone functionality and to share music with your friends!

Now we would have to wait and see if ZunePhone would be a winner for microsoft in the Phone Market.

Nokia, Motorola, Siemens are you guys hearing!! You have now two big software / tech firms for competition and they are in your market!! Gear up Guys!! …  anyways I am happy with my Iphone and I just wish the diesel prices go down !!

When iPhone came out corporate users complained it couldn’t compete with Research in Motion’s Blackberry devices because it was not compatible with corporate email servers. Today, Apple announced it would fix that by enabling iPhones to work with Microsoft Exchange Servers on the back end to push email and synch other Outlook functions including calendar and contacts. Problem is, I am not sure executives are ready for the touch screen. There will always be something more satisfying about physically pushing a button, and corporate users punch out tons of emails (and have fat fingers). Also, iPhones are still much more expensive than Blackberrys.

Did I mention how sick I am of Apple commercials? They make me want to hate them. Recently I’ve been thinking about getting a Microsoft Zune player instead of an iPod. The Zune has a subscription model that lets you download tons of songs every month wirelessly via WiFi, is video and picture capable, and even has an FM tuner. I can’t find my CD’s anymore (since moving and having a baby who knows where half of my previously beautifully organized collection is, in boxes, case logic cases, ripped to this computer but not that one, etc…) and I don’t want to keep buying music be it CDs, MP3s or whatever if I am going to keep losing the discs and changing computers, etc. Zune will just let me get what I need that month from month to month without having to find it physically or on one of numerous computers. Ever again.

By the way, I tried using my Blackberry 8830 from Verizon as an MP3 player for a while as it takes a micro SD card, but it kind of sucked. The sound was tinny, it requires the micro plug headphones, and the player makes it impossible to go back and forth quickly from email to music controls. Also, the video function is limited to a file format nothing is in. If corporate users become more and more demanding and want to converge devices, they might start thinking about the iPhone — perhaps Apple should add a keyboard for a corporate model, then we’re talking. However, what would be really interesting is a hybrid Zune/Microsoft Mobile phone with push email and a keyboard. I want my ZunePhone, please make it for me MSFT — I volunteer to beta test and promote it!

D

Parodie de la publicité de l’Iphone, qui date un peu certe mais qui est toujours aussi tordante !

Et si Microsoft avait inventé son propre Iphone ?