Welcome to the first ZuneMAX.com Zunecast Episode #1. It’s not a podcast but you iPod fans can still watch it. You may call it a Videocast although it’s not an Audiocast and Netcast sounds so 90’s I won’t bother so I produced my first Zunecast instead. It’s more a tutorial that I’m not totally happy with it but it’s done and I’m looking forward to trying it again.

My first try at Zunecasting is a continuation of my Meet MAX article and I spend a few minutes running through the Zune firmware for you. You can tell I had some notes to keep me on track because the first two times I tried to do it on the fly and I kept messing it up. I realized if I was going to properly cover all of it I would have to have notes to keep me focused and still I messed it up. I barely go over the FM tuner and there is one mistake in the video. We’ll see if anyone catches it.

Since it’s my first Zunecast I am trying a few new tools with our blog software. You have the choice of watching the Google Video you see here now or you can use the player located at the top of this blog post to watch the movie now or you can download the entire file for playback later.

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I finally got the Zune software to work properly. I was forced to remove my original installation and reinstall the software on my PC. I have been careful to only run the Zune software and no other programs or downloads and it seems to be running fine now. I’m syncing now with multiple programs and have been running for about 2 hours with no troubles. The problem with that is that when I reinstalled the software it did not recognize MAX and I was forced to replace the content on my Zune. I lost all the preloaded video clips and I think some of the songs are different as well but they are still cool. I’m bummed I lost the Kranked Video and I hope I can find it again. Anyone?

I dug up a rack of CD’s that has been in my closet for a long time. I found 5 or 6 with music files on them from back in the day when music and warez were available spam free courtesy of alt2600 and college ftp servers and P2P sounded more like an illegal drug. I think a couple of them date back to 98 when I got my first DSL account but the files were fine and I loaded about 50 full albums of some classic rock, reggae and more.

I spent most of my time with my new Zune listening to some of my old favorites. It’s been some time since I listened to so much music and it’s been very nice to hear some full albums I have not played through in years. I have now gone through almost everything from alternative and metal like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Guns and Roses, Pantera and Metallica to classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, Janis Joplin and the Who to other stuff like Violent Femmes, Green Day, the Beatles and more Reggae then I realized I had.

I have killed and charged my Zune at least once each day since I got it and it’s been on around the clock. I forgot how much I loved certain music like Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley. The original rasta man has been very soothing to me these late evenings working on our Zune site and when I need a pickup there is no one like Jimi Page to crank things up a bit. I’m amazed to this day by the work Led Zeppelin produced. They really were more than a rock band with loud guitars and pretty hair. They put down some great music with so much variety and so many instruments. I forgot how fast a tune like “Whole Lotta Love” or “The Song Remains the Same” can get and still sound like good music. I’m afraid most groups or bands these days don’t deseve to call themselves musicians. They are more like noise makers to be honest and I’ve met pets with more talent.

They can be celebrities and performers but most are not as musically talented as those before them. I think a lot of todays music is about one beat and a hook to play with, slap a trick line or two of lyrics on it and repeat the whole thing over and over again for 3 minutes. I can barely handle the radio any longer and use it to amuse myself with the idiots on morning radio or when I’m driving. I can’t belive those people get paid to be so dumb.

I’ve had MAX for just over a week now and I’ve been using him non stop. I’m not always thumbing through the GUI or testing some feature out but I play lots of music with it and I love the picture shows and videos also. The screen is perfect for photo slideshows and I’ve got lots more pics to add to my Zune but the most fun has been going back through time with music. Listening to so much of my old favorites has brought up lots of memories from lazy days gone by jamming to the latest and greatest tunes.

I was thumbing through the Zune MarketPlace recently and came across a Playlist labeled “What’s Zune MarketPlace” and I downloaded it without even checking it out first. I was surprised to find a cool collection of songs beginning with the phrase “Welcome to the” including hits from GNR, Pink Floyd, Public Enemy and Tanya Stephens. I have not heard of Ms Stephens and was most impressed with her song “Welcome to the Rebelution”. Its a good tune and I suggest you check out the Playlist if you get the chance.

My musical taste is wide and varied. I like almost every kind of music and at some point in my life have considered myself a fan of almost everything. Growing up I listened to lots of R&B type music and I have vivid memories of the beginning of rap and the hip hop movement. I was hunting for something different from what I have here on CD and decided to check out some more Zune Playlists. I found two that I’m really having fun with. The first is labeled “Old School Rap” and it has quite a few decent old school tracks on it from Run DMC and UTFO but the bomb playlist has to be the #1 Playlist on the Zune MarketPlace labeled “B-BOYS AND B-GIRLS”.

This collection of Old School jams took me back to the early 80’s when I listened to classic rap on 12″ vinyl in my bedroom with the boys in my hood. I listened to each of these playlists once and was out hunting for more to add to my collection right away. I grabbed some LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and everything Run DMC I could find on the Zune MaketPlace but came up empty when I looked for stuff like Space Cowboy and Pac Jam from Jonzun Crew. Not many of you may know or remember Jonzun Crew but they were pretty big for a short time in some small places down south I found a YouTube video of their song “We are the Jonzun Crew” that I can’t remember ever seeing. It was funny to see the video as it makes the song sound even sillier than I remember it but it was the funk of its time.

It’s amazing to me how my mind associates so much with music. I can hear a song and tell you so much more about the time and place I was in my life when I was into the music then I can about the song lyrics or the band. I seem to be one of those people that remembers people and places by music and MAX has been taking me down memory lane. It’s been a total blast but I think I’m ready for some new stuff with an old skool twist possibly. So tell me some of your favorite memories with music and suggest some songs or albums I should pick up in the Zune MarketPlace. I have no idea where to look and I’m not interested in just downloading random playlists cause they sound cool. What are you listening to on your Zune?

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I’ll preface this by saying that I have never owned a portable mp3 player of any kind and I do not consider myself any kind of expert on these things but I do own a Zune so I’ll tell you what I think about it. I think all mechanical devices have a life/mind of their own and my Zune will not act like your Zune or her Zune or even his. My Zune is mine and unlike any other, his name is MAX but you can find him on the Zune network as zunemax-com.

MAX is a sexy man with an executive look and sensible styling. He’s a tough guy that can handle a fall from 3 feet high to the floor below without skipping a beat and has been 35MPH on my 4 wheeler up and down some pretty rough trails and never cried once. MAX fell off my desk to the carpeted floor twice and rolled from my lap onto the parking lot when I parked the car the other day. I thought all of that was tough until MAX took a swim in the glass of water next to my desk last night and came out with little more than wet skin. That’s right, my Zune took a dip in my drink and came out perfectly fine. Yes, it was playing when I snatched him back from death by his earbud cords. It was literally nothing more than a dunk but he came out fine and still rocks on. No troubles yet. I think I jerked him out so fast he never really got wet but he did go underwater. I told you guys I was tough on my equipment and MAX has handled the worst of it thus far with no trouble.

MAX carries my Zunetag which is affordableweb, I could not get my old Gamertag from Microsoft on this Zune because it’s been reserved. Of course it was reserved for me but they can’t seem to find that information yet. This may have something to do with the fact I don’t have an Xbox 360 yet and my original Gamertag has been retired or something. I don’t really know, I’m hoping for an Xbox 360 from Santa Cuz this year so we’ll see how that goes. Maybe I’ll set my old Gamertag up on it and use it for my next Zune player I guess. I understand I’m not the only person that had trouble securing an old Gamertag for use as the Zunetag so at least I’m not alone at the social.

Setting up MAX and the Zune software on my PC for the first use was pretty painless. The Zune software CD installed fast and easy. I never received any errors or had any issue besides my Zunetag registration. It appears some have had worse luck than I and even got some Sexy Zune Errors that I was not privy to. That’s a shame as I would have loved to have seen that womans face on my monitor. Whatever she’s going through it looks like fun. I would have enjoyed writing about that one but its done now. It’s just my opinion but I think someone staged that photo. I just fail to believe it passed through unnoticed from artwork through development, testing and then into production without anyone seeing it. I think it was inserted somewhere in the process by someone for nothing more than bad PR. I mean did no one ever actually look at that photo? How was it selected for inclusion in the Zune software and how did that end up on the installation error page of all places? That’s simply to convenient for me to believe as random and not setup.

I have a very limited music collection and have decided to give the Zune pass a shot. I realize I don’t own the music but do we ever really own it? I mean even a CD has restrictions and limitations. I figure for the money I can experience quite a bit of new music and if I really like something I am still free to purchase the CD. I do not think purchasing digital music is the way to go for long term storage of your collection and keeping it on something as delicate as a harddrive is risky to say the least. The convenience of the Zune MarketPlace and Zune Pass will hopefully offset my monthly cost. I plan on having two players and we already have two computers. If I get the Xbox 360 and can actually sync music on all the devices then its well worth the money. Everyone in my family will have a different use for the Zune MarketPlace and I’m sure we’ll enjoy it. I’ll let you know how that goes in further reviews.

Signing in with the Zune Pass free trial was pretty fast and easy as well and I experienced no troubles at all with this process. No one has asked about a credit card yet so we’ll see how that process goes next week sometime I would guess. The pricing plans are limited and you get no breaks for paying for 3 months. I would think they want to sink some long term buyers and would offer a discounted annual package but no go. Sad as I would have laid down $100 for a full year, I assume they would rather milk me for $14.99 in monthly installments. The $44.97 for 3 months is silly as it offers no benefit to me for the additional investment. Of course a certain percentage of us will not even bother to do the math and realize there is no price break and we’ll pay it anyway. Those are most likely the same people that won’t really use it either but I’m looking forward to a world of new music risk free from my Zune pass.

Some folks in the Zune forums stated it would have been better for Microsoft to offer Points cards with each player to get people into their Microsoft Points system and I would have to agree. I think they should have offered either a choice or even both. Offering even $5 worth of free music in the Zune MarketPlace with a free Points card would have kick started the Zune MarketPlace. The subscription service will probably find limited acceptance in the beginning and an incentive like some free music to keep might help draw attention to the store. I have not gotten into the Microsoft Points program yet so I’ll wait to review that later also.

For being a wireless device Max sure is attached to my PC an awful lot. I have to use the PC installed Zune software for such mundane things as creating a new playlist and deleting files from the player. Each of these is a rather simple task I would think the player should do on its own. I’m not real sure why it doesn’t but it may be related to the sync process. Either way it would be nice to delete items from the device and have the software ask me if I want to delete from just the device or the library as well on my next sync. Zune software lets you add songs to your Quick Playlist but you cannot create a Playlist without using the PC software. I don’t really understand why you can’t create a list using music already on the device but you can’t.

I was also bummed that MAX can’t play music on the player and sync at the same time. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to ask that when I have my Zune attached to my PC and it is syncing that I be able to listen to the player with my earbuds but I can’t. I have to listen through the Zune software and my PC speakers, time for new speakers obviously as MAX cannot play while in a sync.

Of all the things I love about my new Zune the PC software is the one I don’t care for as much. The Zune MarketPlace is nice and the user interface is clean and easy to navigate but the software is buggy. I have had some real issues in updating MAX and it seems I can’t keep the software up and running for more than 2 hours without it crashing. At first I assumed this was due to PC memory as I run lots of programs so I restarted and ran just the Zune sync but that really offered little help. When I first entered the store I added quite a few full albums of music that I expected I could download in one evening. Man was I wrong. It has taken me 5 days to download just over 1GB of content from the Zune pass and storefront. I have yet to even complete my first sync and this creates even bigger problems.

I cannot delete a song from my sync list until after the song has been downloaded to the device. I can’t seem to delete the entire list either so for now I’m stuck downloading all the albums I wanted on that first evening last Friday. I selected over 2GB worth of music and in 5 days I have managed to sync less than half of it. I have not experienced much in the way of new music on my Zune yet because it can’t sync the old stuff I tried loading the first time as of yet and I can’t delete the sync list.

I tried to sync MAX by installing the software on a second PC but you can only login as a guest or if you chose to move the installation you must replace all your Zune content with that on the new PC which then becomes the home base for your Zune. It says its a full replacement of all content and I am assuming I will lose all the preloads etc. I really wanted to review some of the preloads and so i don’t want to chance losing them yet and have decided to tough it out for now on this PC.

The Zune MarketPlace has loads more music then i’ll probably ever need. It may lack in some areas but i personally think it will make up for this in may others. I’m open to suggestions on new music from the Zune MarketPlace. Tell me what I should be listening to and I’ll definitely check it out as soon as I can get my Zune to sync.

The Zune Operating system or firmware is really rather simple and does not offer much at all in the way of extra features or anything. I was totally shocked not to even find a clock in my Zune player. I realize that the iPod is known for it’s simplicity but the Zune seems lacking in this area. I suppose I expected it would do lots more as most Microsoft software often does. The graphical user interface (GUI) is very clean and easy to navigate but its a straight forward media player, no extra bells and whistles yet. The 400 MHZ Freescale processor clicks through the menus so fast it’s a breeze to move across a large number of files easily.

The control pad is also easy to use and the entire device and navigation controls fit my hand well. The Zune is a man sized player and not made to hang on your lapel like the Apple Shuffle did for Soledad in the CNN Zune review. This bad boy has a 3 inch screen plus an FM Tuner and WiFi antennae to pack in under the durable rubberized finish when compared to the 5G Video iPod . It ends up less than half an inch in width and one ounce in weight more than the iPod in order to carry these features and the buzzword for slamming it is “clunky”. I think it’s just because they can find little else wrong with the device itself and had to go with its slight difference in size as an issue. I’m an average sized guy and the Zune fits me fine, it carries easy enough in my jeans and even a T-shirt pocket with no problem. It’s not heavy but it feels well built and sturdy.

MAX does not have a cheap or plastic feeling like so many consumer electronics devices these days and I’m not scared to scratch it up although I am very careful with that gorgeous screen. It’s a thing of beauty. They say size does not matter but when you’re watching portable movies it surely does. The Zune screen is sweet. It’s super bright and very colorful. I realize the processor and TV chip can handle higher resolutions and would probably be nicer but with a sacrifice in battery consumption and that’s where we can’t afford it. The battery life is not up to the 12 hours advertised. MAX seems to get between 10 and 11 hours of actual play time on audio only using the random song feature on a loaded player and making volume adjustments. Regular usage, which includes viewing all the preloaded video clips and pictures at least once and listening to music ends up at 9 to 10 hours.

I can’t tell you what the battery life is after a feature length movie because I’m having some issues ripping DVD’s to my Zune. I’m fairly proficient in the use of software but I have never really messed with DVD recording for more than data storage. I decided to rip the longest movie I had recently seen and pulled out the widescreen version of King Kong. I wanted to see how MAX handled a full length movie and what it was like to sit through 3 hours of Zune video but my rip failed using a popular open source method and I’m trying it again. I need to find a decent DVD to WMV software application but I have not had the time to find one. I’m open to suggestions on that one and I’ll get back to you on a Zune software review soon.

The one thing MAX has done for me is open me up to hearing music I would normally tune out. I listened to everything on the Zune and although I’m not buying anything on it I liked it enough to listen to it more than 3 times. Would I buy it? Who knows, maybe I would but with the Zune pass I won’t have to. I am looking forward to more from BitterSweet (what a sexy voice) and CSS. I’ve been a fan of Kranked videos since the first one and have had up to the first 4. Those guys are absolutely nuts but inspiring to watch. Every time I ride my bike I think of some sick things I would never dare on the trails around here and the ease with which some of these people do it. It’s blows my mind to watch a man jump a bicycle off a mountain like that with what seems like no fear at all. I haven’t taken MAX for a ride on the bike but I will soon. I’m thinking about one of the sports arm bands for the bike thing but the earbuds have to go first.

MAX has a lock button on the top that disables any changes to the player. If you don’t read the Product Guide, which is little more than a liability disclaimer as it offers nothing about how to operate your Zune in real world because its too busy telling me not to walk in traffic during a lightning storm with my Zune on, you may not notice it. This can lead to a mini fit when you don’t understand why your Zune is locked up. Don’t worry these are easy enough to get over but they can aggravate your day.

The USB port on the other end stays open if you have no case and that seems bad to me. Leaving this port open for dust, dirt and grime is not the best design and should have been covered with something similar to the lock on the top. A small sliding hatch would keep MAX clean on the inside. The Zune USB plug has small tabs that lock the cable into place on the player when inserted. It’s a nice tight fight and probably helps save the port but these clips can get stick if you don’t remove the plug properly and are a hassle if they stick. Don’t yank it out, just firmly depress the tabs on the plug and it should slip free.

MAX is a music player and he does this well but they stuck him with this set of cheap earbuds which can numb the ear canal after a few hours of listening to them. The Zune earbuds seem pretty large also as they do not fit in my wifes ears at all. We’ll have to find her a more suitable set for extended play. Any suggestions from our lady Zune fans would be appreciated. I think I’ll go for a pair of nice headsets myself. I can’t handle the earbuds much longer. The cord has to go also, it just gets in the way. The first company with a decent set of wireless headsets on these has a hit for sure. The Zune rocks and it rocks loud. I’m not an audiophile but I like loud music and with 20 settings you can get some volume on these things. I ran my ATV off road with the level at 20 and could hear it over the motorbike. I was pretty impressed with that and the Zune makes a trip through the trails just a bit more fun.

Beyond that I’ve become familiar with what is known as gapless playback and I wish my Zune supported it. It really makes a difference on Live Shows and when listening to a full CD. The gap sucks! Some complain about a lack of support by Microsoft of different formats or codecs as well as the Mac OS. I don’t quite understand the logic in it but they must have one. Even with only 6% of the OS market they should still be recognized as valuable consumers and Zune should work on the Mac. I don’t have many music files so I’m ok with wmv and wma files primarily because I don’t know any better as I imagine most of us don’t.

Microsoft has promised more to come in the way of firmware updates and their seems an ever increasing number of accessories for the Zune. I’m ho ping to see some great things from the updates and expect we can get max up and above a 9.5 some day soon.

I have not gone searching for a Zune to share with yet. I will soon enough so the wireless is off for now. I’m working on a second player for myself and I’m going setup a local Zune users group with the help of the kids at Walmart.

That said, I’m in love with my new Zune. His name is MAX. He’s not perfect but he’s good enough for me. On a scale of 1-10 I think MAX is an 8.5. You’ll be seeing more from him in the days and weeks to come. I think I’ll tackle the Zune PC software next and try a reinstall. Maybe I can get my Zune synced and loaded with some new music suggestions from you Zuners before the weekend.

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