It seems Microsoft is sticking to their plans not to introduce a Blu Ray player for Xbox. I have no idea why they would refuse to do when Sony won the format war fair and square but it seem they feel Xbox does not need HD capabilities in order to compete with the PS3 at this point.
Maybe Microsoft is about to roll out their own own alternative HD DVD player. Oh wait, they were partne3rs in the one that lost right. Maybe thats why they don’t want to support Sony, they would be forced to admit that it was a better player and they backed a loser.
At the conclusion of the format wars, also known as when Toshiba formally threw in the towel and officially stopped making the HD DVD players, most stores dramatically marked down all things HD DVD formatted, including the Xbox 360 peripheral device that was sold out by most retailers for about $50.
Microsoft then announced that it was going to halt manufacturing the device and that nothing would replace it. Since that time, the Internet has gone wild with speculation and rumors that Microsoft would eventually come out with a way of incorporating the Blu-ray player into its Xbox 360. Microsoft has stood firmly that there was no way that it would ever incorporate the Sony technology into the Microsoft console game device. Nevertheless, it seems that Microsoft has had to repeatedly reiterate its position each time the rumor resurfaces. As a result, do you strongly think there might be some truth to the rumor?
Everyone loves a cool t-shirt and there seems to be no end to the number of designs you can find online these days. I do quite a bit of shopping online but I don’t buy much for clothing on the web except that I may buy myself some t-shirts on occasion. The last t-shirt order I placed was from T-Shirt Hell, which specializes in offensive t-shirts, and some of the shirts I ordered were a bit much for some people. I guess I have a crude sense of humor and some of my friends took offense at one shirt in particular. I wont go in to details but suffice to say some folks are still kinda sensitive about 9/11 and can’t handle a t-shirt about it yet.
I decided to search the internet to find some new t-shirt websites and I came upon LocalCelebrity.com which offers a great selection of funny mens t-shits and of course they have the same designs for womens t-shirts. I like the Wigga shirts and a few of the Fresh ones as well and I also like their choice of colors in the shirt graphics.
The site is rather simple and straightforward. They offer domestic shipping only so I’ll have to have my t-shirt order delivered to moms house so she can forward it to me here in Jamaica but I think I need some new super fresh t-shirts to brighten up my wardrobe.
I may stick with some of the more plain shirts but no 90s t-shirts or any Shutter Shades for me thank you.
Real Networks and MTV have partnered up to release a new mp3 store under the Rhapsody label. The online music store will feature the latest music releases from the 4 major labels in DRM free format available for download at 99 cents for a single song and $9.99 for an entire album.
I think another DRM free music store will be good for the industry. It will force iTunes and Zune to push more DRM free content in their own stores if this new store takes off. You have to wonder how well another mp3 store will do and what they might offer different from others
Rhapsody America, the Web’s top subscription-based music service, opened a digital download store today, becoming the latest company to challenge the dominance of Apple’s iTunes.
Like other recent challengers — and unlike iTunes — the Rhapsody MP3 store will feature songs that aren’t constrained by anti-copying measures. The four major record labels will provide Rhapsody such songs, which work on any digital music player and can be copied an unlimited number of times. Apple has such music from only one major label.
The store from Rhapsody America, a joint venture of RealNetworks and Viacom’s MTV Networks, offers another indication that the music industry, in its struggle with Apple over the pricing of music, is cultivating a new breed of Apple competitor.
Rhapsody is charging 99 cents for a single and $9.99 for an album, the same pricing as on iTunes.
So of course music and Zune are not my only passsions. As I have mentioned in previous posts I’m very interested in all aspects of internet marketing and specifically search engine optimization. I have been reading about internet marketing online for a number of years but most of that was in newsletters from the big players in the industry. I get the WebPro news emails as well as those from Search Engine Land and some from Internet.com as well but a lot of my new reading is coming from blogs.
it seems to me blogs have some of the most up to date information and you can always find the latest and greatest information about Zune players right here in our blog and you can pick up new marketing tips on all aspects of search marketing and even Pay Per Click campaigns with blogs and it seems everyone has one these days. Blogs seem to work well for lots of things but marketing guys like the folks at RedFly marketing and Reciprocal Consulting seem to understand the strength a blog can be for a business online. I have been reading the ReciprocalConsultingBlog.com site for weeks now and the articles they offer on internet marketing seem to come from some experienced marketing professionals with a wealth of information and knowledge of the industry.
Search marketing and the internet are the new power in advertising and many of the old school businesses are scrambling to remain relevant in a digital age. I understand the newspaper industry is in much turmoil over the changes the internet has forced on them with instant information available online. I wonder who is next.
Description: A thrill ride of melody and transition… Hard rock energy with alternative styling. Not afraid to drift into metal/hardcore influences or to strip down to a intimate alternative setting. Our music thrives on melody, transcending chords and rhythm.
Biography:
Fading out Silence is…
Jonathon Trone: Lead Vocals
Deanna Trone: Keyboard and vocals
Dominic Bellasperanza: Guitar and Bass
Thomas Turner: Drums
A thrill ride of melody and transition. One that will drop you from a cliff and convince you that the impact won’t come, have you experience the shock of a lifetime, then smile and walk away leaving you bleary-eyed and breathless.
That is the goal we try to achieve with every single song we write, and every show we play.
What we want to bring to the listener is a message that is eerily haunting and beautifully hopeful.
Started roughly in 2001, it began as a couple of friends getting together to have fun, but slowly grew into something resembling a dream. When we realized that is could become something more than just a way to put our talent to constructive use, we began pursuing it with all we had. We’ve hit some rough spots along the way, lost members to moves and harder situations, and hit some times where it seemed honestly hopeless. But all the difficulties have helped mature our sound and strengthen our drive to what it is today.
The love and passion, for the art that is music, is still growing and will continue to grow exponentially. It goes beyond just enjoying stepping onto a stage and having fun…it is truly something that when we get together and write, perform, or practice we get lost…lost in a euphoric bliss that can only truly be experienced when we share it with others, which is exactly the desire that drives us.
To all our fans now and the ones to come, thank you so much for the amazing support, we love you dearly! And heres to the future! May you be there with us!
That about sums us up…
Peace and Mercy!
Jonathon
Press
Release:
Fading Out Silence
Fading Out Silence is about filling your mind with music. These alt-rockers have got the tunes to carry out that desire. Fading Out Silence is a versatile band, covering a broad range of emotional impact in its music. The band’s softer side offers melodic textures and intelligent, heartfelt lyricism while the heavier side of the band takes the melody and smarts and delivers them with crunch and punch and hints of metallic energy. Either way, it’s a musical rush of songwriting passion.
Essence of Expression
For Fading Out Silence, writing music is more than just tossing some beats, notes and words together to make people clap their hands. Much more. Music is the embodiment of the human spirit, emotion captured in melody, the communication of inner self to inner self, artist speaking to audience. Music is a reality in and of itself and one inextricably entwined with the mind and heart of man. “It truly is the essence of expression,” says Fading Out Silence. “To take what you’re feeling and mold music around it to fit the mood is one of the most amazing gifts one could have.” Music, declares Fading Out Silence, goes beyond telling others about what happened to you – it’s sharing with them the experience in a way they will truly understand. “To sculpt your experiences into something tangible for someone else to hold is showing people who need hope that there is someone else who understands the pain or love or any other emotion that they are going through.”
Soul of Sound
Music is part of the very fabric of our senses. We can feel the beats vibrate through us. Our ears revel in the music. With a computer program (or something else …) we can even visualize the concept of music. Music can be translated to mathematical formula. Music is everywhere. It’s part of us and part of everything. And that’s exactly Fading Out Silence is here to conquer silence and bring music as a messenger of promise. It’s way more than mere entertainment. “Music is the soul of sound,” says Fading Out Silence. It can shape the world and alter the direction of the future. It can be used for dark purposes and light. It has power and requires responsibility. “With the ability to be a gift one moment and a weapon the next, it is a medium of purpose, and as such the wielder must always be aware of the message’s intent.”
The Artist at Work
Fading Out Silence has shared concert time with 30 Seconds To Mars and has recently completed a pair of CDs, each designed to show off a facet of the band’s musical personality. “Our softer, more indie rock album entitled ‘The Set It to Silent Project’ will be released in November 2007,” according to Fading Out Silence. “Our harder alternative rock album entitled ‘Improv-ed Improvement’ was released in August.” Fading Out Silence is working with A&R Select, the world’s leading artist development firm, based in Los Angeles, CA.
“The diversity of Fading Out Silence’s sound is key to the depth and impact this band has on mind and heart with its serious rock energy.” - A&R Select
Here is a spooky looking skin for you Zune from Decal Girl. This one is cool for5 those of us who believe, or know for fact, that we are not alone. If you belive in aliens and you own a Zune then you should probably buy this Zune skin and show the world not only are you so cool you don;t own an iPod but you also belive in little green me. Now thats cool right?
The first invisibleSHIELD™ was designed sometime in early 2005 by a man with a wrsitwatch who wanted to protect it from scratches while wearing it. The easy to apply urethane protective film offers great additional protection to glass and plastic screens on just about anything. Why they cannot design these things so they don’t scratch as easy as they blows my mind but it seems that just about any sort of portable device you can own has scratching problems.
The invisibleSHIELD™ was designed from urethane plastic for military applications such as protecting the leading edge of helicopter blades from wear and tear. I think we all know just how tough something like that would have to be and placing it over your screen is sure to save it from the toughest scrapes and scratches.
Since their inception Zagg has introduced dozens of new designs which cover everything from iphone cases to pda’s, laptops and of course watches.
With a LifeTime Warranty and 30 Day Money back Guarantee its almost a no risk buy for some added protection on your favorite electronics and a pretty cheap investment at that. I suggest you take a look at the invisibleSHIELD™ when you consider a screen protector for your Zune or other devices.
Here is a well done review by a Canadian of three iPod alternatives available to their market. he chose three devices with wireless fucntionality and some form of online stores. He was not impressed with the fact Microsoft released zune in Canada but the Zune MarketPlace is still not available. It does seem odd that they hav enot had time to prepare the online store for release at the same time.
Another misstep on their part because the MarketPlace seems to be one of the strong features with the Zune and there are a number of us happy with the subscription music model. I still believe its the best choice for me and my desire to search out new music. The Zune stacks up best against the models he’s selected but I think Zune is better than all of them don’t I?
Apple’s iPod so dominates the MP3 field that it has become a kind of black hole into which competitors fall. Manufacturers could make a better MP3 player and it wouldn’t really matter — the iPod is so iconic that to want another brand demands an excuse at best, or expresses a betrayal at worst.
The three players under review here — Microsoft’s Zune, the Sony Wireless Video Walkman and Sandisk’s Sansa Fuze — are worthy iPod competitors in technical terms. They each have minor differences, with some features — such as the inclusion of an FM radio receiver, Bluetooth wireless headphones or larger storage capacity — that vary the overall cost.
So Halloween is a ways away still but some friends of ours have planned a halloween party and guests are required to wear a nice Halloween Costumes. I guess there will be a costume contest with cash prizes for the best costume and things like that. I’m not really a costume kinda guy but I am sorta stuck going to this party and I want to actively participate.
The first thing I did was look for an excuse to not have to wear a silly halloween costume but then I realized the kids would really like it and it may actually be some fun for me too so why not right? When I was a kid my mom made costumes for us but thats probably not going to happen for my kids. We’re not that talented and making a halloween costume would be me picking out something from our existing wardrobe and making customizing it. I could probably make m,y kids into some horrible halloween monsters with some fake blood and props but that may not go over well with some of the other parents at this party so I think I’ll have to find something else for all of us.
Of course those would go best if I dressed the kids in a Chewbacca costume or maybe the Jedi Knight costumes so we can do battle for the party and use our Light Sabres to entertain folks. I can see my youngest son Robby wrecking the place with his Light Sabre and smacking a few of the other kids. He’s a bit rough so he may be better suited for the Chewbacca costume. I think the older one, AJ, will be fine with a weapon but who knows. He’s seen Star Wars and watched the Light Sabre battles between Luke and Darth. He may get carried away with the costume. Then again, I may be the one they need to watch. A Darth Vader costume could be a powerful thing for a Star Wars fan who saw each of the movies in its original release at the movie theater. I remember watching Star Wars at the movie theater in Key West Florida when I was like 8 or 9 I guess. It was a packed house and we had to wait in the longest line I had ever seen.
The cool thing with CostumeCauldron.com and what drew me to their site was the worldwide shipping offered via USPS. I’m still in Negril and getting things shipped here is nearly impossible. I think its cool they take the extra effort to export to those of us not residing in the States. They have a great website and a huge selection of what seem to be higher quality halloween costumes then you find in the Walmart or Target down the street. if I do go to this party I think it may be a Star Wars theme unless the monsters win out and we tear up some old clothes instead.
If you’re buying a halloween costume online this year you should check out the selection at CostumeCauldron.com, it looks like exactly what i need and it may be what you need as well.
I am pretty sure they will not be splitting up the company. Bill may be gone but I am certain he took care of a few things and one of them was to insure his baby was kept together. He’s fought hard to have it remain in one piece and I doubt they will ever do this.
Then again just how big could they get before someone forced them to split?
Conventional wisdom has it that Microsoft’s brass would never choose to break up the company — even in the name of making it more agile.
After all, when Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, as part of the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust case against Redmond, ruled in 2000 that Microsoft should be forced to be halved (into an operating system and application company — a judgement later overruled — Chairman Bill Gates & Co. was dead-set against such a plan.
