Suman Chakrabarti - SharePoint and ASP.NET blog : Multimedia

Surface Computing

Suman Chakrabarti — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:42:00 GMT

I've got to say the surface computing stuff is the coolest new invention. I can't wait to see this in restaurants.

Here are some great links and videos (yes, it’s ironic that the best online press is available through Google’s YouTube):

http://www.microsoft.com/surface
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=microsoft+surface

I think it's important to note that under the covers, there is still Windows Vista and the Windows Presentation Foundation.

Zune drive

Suman Chakrabarti — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 21:20:00 GMT

It didn't take people long to hack it.

http://phaleux.com/?cat=1

This is obviously not supported by Microsoft. Hey, it works, though.

Zuner than later

Suman Chakrabarti — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 05:26:00 GMT

Got my Zune! WooHoo!

This thing is awesome! First impressions were that it's a little bulky, and I was a little annoyed that there's no wall charger (charges off USB connection). I had just gotten home after flying 5 hours and just wanted to play with my new toy which I had been anticipating for weeks now, so having to break out my laptop to get more juice into it kinda sucked. Nonetheless, I really like the case. I thought it would be solid black, but it's a kind of greenish translucent with black as the base. I probably would have gotten the brown if I had seen it in person before buying it.

Anyways, I love the screen. The default movies it comes with are crystal clear and the video quality is awesome. It makes my camera photos (which are a little blurry) bigger, but not computer screen size, so they don't look bad like on the computer, nor small like they do on the phone. I played with a Zune a few weeks ago in the office, and thought the controls were a little complicated. But, for some reason, as soon as I picked it up this time, everything made sense--so easy this caveman could do it.

Cool thing I noticed about the Zune was that it was missing the famed wireless activity. I couldn't figure out why it was not showing up in the settings--I figured it was because I hadn't sync'd with my computer yet. So, after switching drives on my laptop to run XP (Vista support will be out soon enough), I installed Zune Marketplace and started the install. First thing it did was upgrade the firmware on my device and....instant wireless! So, since I've discovered this feature, I want to list a few features I'd like to see released as firmware upgrades for my Zune.

Clock - still don't know why I don't see a clock
Alarm - this goes along with the clock thing. My phone has an alarm, but it's not supposed to be a music player.
and a Calendar that syncs with Outlook through Zune Marketplace

I'll keep a running tab on this one, I'm sure I'll think of other features after the glory of getting my new toy is over. Congrats, Zune team. This is an awesome job!

Can't wait till Zune!

Suman Chakrabarti — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:43:00 GMT

I've never owned an iPod or any music/video specific device (just my smartphone), so I never really spent time ripping all my music from disc to mp3. In preparation for my Zune coming next week, I decided now would be a good time. I don't own many cds in the first place, but of all the music I have, I only ripped 2GB of music. I really hope a lot of video stuff starts coming out for Zune soon. I'd love to get my favorite tv shows on my Zune. I wanted the Zune specifically because the screen is bigger than the iPod's. I got to play with one a few weeks ago, and I have to say, that screen is awesome. I was a little concerned about the size, but I looked at a standard iPod and it's not much thinner and it's length & width are just a little bit larger on the Zune (again, bigger screen). I hate the fact that the buttons aren't as cool as on the iPod and I think the Zune could have come in better colors--once again, we chose "practical" instead of "hip & trendy," but I'm guessing market research shows that most people buy white or black. Anyways, (IMO) I still think this venture is going to be a success for Microsoft--especially with the whole community gimic Zune marketing is talking up.

Zune to get rid of the iPod

Suman Chakrabarti — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 07:24:00 GMT

If you have an iPod or have been thinking of getting one, the new Zune media player is coming out soon. There's been a lot of press about the new Zune player that Microsoft is releasing, but it's difficult to find any great photos or information on it—especially since the marketing hasn't really begun. The best part is, Apple owns the market, so anything Microsoft does in the entertainment arena is still underdog, so more risks will probably be taken to get your business.

Anyways, here's are a few great links to some public information on it:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/zune/default.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/sep06/09-14ZuneUnveilingPR.mspx

Some highlights of the press announcements:

"The Zune experience centers around connection — connection to your library, connection to friends, connection to community and connection to other devices."
"Wireless Zune-to-Zune sharing lets consumers spontaneously share full-length sample tracks of select songs, homemade recordings, playlists or pictures with friends between Zune devices."
"The Zune device features wireless technology, a built-in FM tuner and a bright, 3-inch screen that allows users to not only show off music, pictures and video, but also to customize the experience with personal pictures or themes to truly make the device their own."

Photos are on the Zune.net site

DRM - Not a fan

Suman Chakrabarti — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:37:00 GMT

I was trying to deal with my old iTunes library and import it into my Windows Media library so I could, eventually, copy all my music to my smart phone. No dice. In the process, I learned a bit more about the Digital Rights Management licensing software that holds up my paid for music from being copied between devices. In this process, I found this funny video about DRM by ZDNet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKI_w_VBoTQ