Archive for category Software
Let’s get Press Pause on the Zune Marketplace
Posted by jasoncross in PC Tech, Software on October 30, 2009
Okay gang, I have a quick task for you. Don’t worry, this will take about 10 seconds and you don’t have to get up from your computer.
For some reason, Press Pause, the weekly video game web show I co-host with Carlos Rodela, is not listed in the Zune Marketplace. You can get it on iTunes here. You can subscribe to it in the Zune software by adding the RSS feed. But we want to be listed in the excellent Zune Marketplace, and for some reason it’s not there.
So, I need your help to submit it. If they get enough submissions, they’ll add it. Just follow these three steps.
1. Go to the Zune podcast page on the web. Any browser should work fine.
2. Click the bright “Submit a Podcast” button on the left-hand side.
3. In the dialog box that pops up, enter the following URL and click “Submit”: http://mevio.com/feeds/presspause.xml
That’s it! Thanks for all your help! And to show you that this wasn’t just a complete waste of your time…hey, you’re already at this neat Zune podcast directory thing on the web. Did you check it out a bit? You might want to. You can stream any podcast in the Zune marketplace (which is really big) right on the web page. Free. That includes audio and video podcasts. And you don’t need to have a Zune account, or to sign up for anything, or enter in some arcane RSS feed, or any of that stuff. It’s just a big, totally free podcast playback machine on the web. Neat, huh?
Update: Looks like we’re listed now. Thanks to everyone who submitted.
Ninite: A life-saver for new PCs and fresh Windows installs
Posted by jasoncross in PC Tech, Software on October 28, 2009
Upgrading to Windows 7? Sure, a lot of noise has been made about whether or not you can do an “in-place upgrade” or not, depending on which version of Windows you’re going from and which version of Win7 you’re going to. My advice – never do an in-place upgrade. If it’s a major new operating system, wipe your drive and start fresh. It’s nothing if not a good excuse to back up all your precious data.
Maybe you’re not doing an upgrade. Maybe you’re shopping around for a new PC. Either way, the biggest pain in the butt with getting a new PC or wiping your drive and starting fresh with a new OS is re-downloading and installing all those indispensable apps you use every day. (Well, the biggest pain is actually backing up all your photos and music and stuff – but you really should be doing that anyway.)
Enter one of the greatest websites in all creation, Ninite.com (no, that’s not hyberbole). It’s an idea so brilliant, so simple, and so useful that I wonder why it hasn’t been done years ago.
Microsoft Security Essentials – Thumbs Up
Posted by jasoncross in PC Tech, Software on September 29, 2009
Today, Microsoft launches its anti-malware software package, Microsoft Security Essentials. It’s honest-to-goodness anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-bad-stuff software that offers real-time protection. It would be pretty easy to make some sort of joke about Microsoft making business for itself, producing operating systems that are open to malicious attack with one hand and selling software to protect yourself from it with the other. But MSE is free, as in no dollars and zero cents free. Free to download, free to use, free updates, free free.
This, of course, means jack-all if the software is crap. Fortunately, it is not crap. In fact, it’s quite good. The fine folks at Ars Technica have a first-look that is favorable, but I’ve been using the beta myself for a couple months on both Windows 7 and Windows Vista PCs so I thought I would offer my two cents.
The Case for Zune on Mac
Posted by jasoncross in Media, Software on September 16, 2009
I’m currently working on a review of the Zune HD for Maximum PC. So I’ve been neck-deep in Zune (and iTunes) for the last few days. Of course, this comes hot on the heels of a major update to iTunes with iTunes 9, and some new iPod goodies, which I wrote about earlier. Since I’m reviewing this stuff elsewhere for pay, this is not going to be a review of the software or device (I’ll probably do a Zune 4.0 software review here in the future). Rather, this is an argument for Microsoft to finally bring Zune to the Mac.
Seriously Microsoft, it’s time. The iron has never been hotter, so to speak. The stars are aligned. And other clichéd turns of phrase. You have the right device, the right momentum, and the right opening to establish to the Mac crowd that, yes, Microsoft is indeed capable of making great software and sexy devices that have great features and are easy to use.
iTunes Got It, Zune Doesn’t
Posted by jasoncross in Media, Software on September 11, 2009
I really enjoy the Zune software and marketplace, and the subscription thing is great. But I’ve often been disappointed at the way some of the music I look for simply isn’t available. Not for subscription, not for sale, not “Album only” sales, nothing. I go and look in iTunes, and it’s there. The Zune folks say they have over 6 million tracks, but I’m honestly not sure how many iTunes has (I last heard 12 million, but that was some time ago), and this may be a meaningless metric anyway.
So I’m making a list, out of curiosity. After the jump you’ll find some of the albums they don’t have on the Zune marketplace, but do have on iTunes. Sometimes the album and tracks are in the database, just unavailable for purchase/download.
Help me make my list, won’t you? Post in the comments some of the songs or albums you can’t find available in the Zune marketplace. (If you’d like to play along but don’t have the Zune software, just go download it. It’s free.) I just started. What follows is a partial list, by no means complete, just some of the first things I found. But I figured I’d solicit some help before I got too far along.
Apple’s New iStuff
Posted by jasoncross in Media, Software on September 11, 2009
Like many other geeks that take great interest in what Apple does to for them, I followed along with Wednesday’s press event. I eagerly updated my iPhone 3G to 3.1 as soon as it was available, and constantly refreshed the iTunes page until I could download iTunes 9.
Of course, Apple announced some stuff beyond iTunes 9 and a new iPhone firmware update, like a major upgrade to the iPod nano, and new iPod touch models and pricing. There was no huge, drop-everything-and-run-down-to-the-Apple-Store announcement, but overall a decent day of releases.
(A side note: On the bus one day, I heard a group of inner city teens talk about going to the “iPod Store” downtown, referring to the San Francisco Apple Store location. That’s what Apple is to them – the iPod company. Take that to mean what you will.)
Now that I’ve had time to use this stuff and let the other announcements sink in, here are some thoughts.