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And the Free Zune Winner is James Hostetler

Community, Free Zune, MAX, Microsoft, The Zune, Zune, Zune Giveaway 1 Response »

Dec 022006

We have a winner of the zuneMAX.com Free Zune Giveaway. Our giveaway turned out to be a little different as we did not offer a random drawing like our friends did at Zunerama and ZuneScene. For better or worse I chose to reward a forum member who most exemplified a friend to the community. It was a tough choice and I had lots to weigh but in the end our friend James Hostetler, who posts under the name Spell 125 in the forums, was able to do the right combination of things to impress me and even inspired me to dedicate a little more time supporting great forum members like him.

James has done so much for zuneMAX.com that I feel I owe him much more than a free Zune. He was the first to really step up and produce some unique stuff for the community and I believe inspired a few others to follow. He set the bar high with top quality assistance to forum members over 100′s of posts at this point. James likes to work with graphics and offered to help with the look of things when he created the zuneMAX.com banner on our front page which has become our official logo and is now emblazoned on my new zuneMAX.com tshirt. He made a logo for ZuneGuy and then updated it recently. He’s logged what must be more 100 hours in the Zune chat helping fans with all sorts of stuff and we all appreciate it.

James has done a lot and I could on listing stuff probably but in the end I think he understands what Zune and zuneMAX are about and that’s sharing good stuff with good people. I hope he enjoys his new Zune and has some great times with it. I’m sure we will see plenty of feedback on his new Zune here in our forums as well as his new site at DAPularity.com.

After all this I don’t know if I want to do that again. Choosing between even a top five contenders was very difficult. We have a few others that are equally deserving of a Free Zune and I wish I had more to give but sadly I’m not a wealthy person and Microsoft seems like they ran out of free Zunes after the Ellen show so for now I only have one Zune to give and James gets it. There will be more stuff given away at zuneMAX.com and this is but the beginning. I’m glad to see it was a hard choice and this has most definitely inspired me to do more for the community in return. For those 900 plus of you that did not win a free Zune today don’t sweat it. If you stick around here long enough you’ll win something someday.

Zune sites Astroturfing? Not here at ZuneMAX.com

Apple, Community, DRM, MAX, Microsoft, MP3, Music, The Zune, Xbox, Zune, Zune Fans, Zune MAX, Zune Reviews, Zune Rumors No Responses »

Nov 172006

As ZuneMAX.com has become more popular the number of critics has increased as well. On occasion I have received random emails and now comments in blog posts about Zune MAX being astroturf. The
first time I heard about astroturfing was from these emails. According to Wikipedia astroturfing is as follows:

In politics and advertising, the term astroturfing describes formal public relations (PR) campaigns which seek to create the impression of being a spontaneous, grassroots behavior. Hence the reference to the “AstroTurf” (artificial grass) is a metaphor to indicate “fake grassroots” support.

ZuneMAX.com is not astroturf because we lack the "formal public relations" tangent and whether you can believe it or not we are in fact a genuine "spontaneous grassroots behavior". Until the day before the Zune launch I had never been given one single thing from Microsoft except a link on Zuneinsider.com and an interview with Dave Caulton and Bill Wittress which they offered to every Zune fan in the universe. When I was invited to attend the free concert on the beach to cover the event for the real PR campaign I was given a tshirt by a chick in the bar across the street because I chased her down for one and at the end of the evening myself and three friends were treated to dinner with a few others by the Microsoft representative as thanks for our help that day. I had a Chicken Cesaer salad and two rum and cokes, my friends kicked a few beers and seafood on "Uncle Bill". I’m gonna give the tshirt to a Zune fan in the forums. We talked Zune and Xbox over a meal and a drink on the beach. We talked as much about the beach the people and the weather as we did Zune. No secrets, no gifts, no promises and no information beyond whats publically known except that Microsoft is supposed to send me a Zune to review someday.

I passed out $200 worth of my own promotional materials to people on the beach to build our Zune community free to Microsoft because I am having fun with the community and I want to see it flourish. One might think they would offer some support to Zune fans but maybe they are smarter than that and see no reason to because they know that fans will exist on their own. I have not seen Microsoft do anything for this site more than what I have admitted to above. If it exists its anonymous and pretty stealth because I simply do not see it, at least not here.

ZuneMAX.com is a fan site which can easily be construed as astroturf because of my real interest but its not. I’m not making a conscious effort to sway opinion nor am I a Microsoft fanboy. If I were this site would not be built almost exclusively on open source software like WordPress.org and SimpleMachines.org and I most likely would not program in PHP using a MySql database on my FreeBSD / Apache webserver.

I do run a PC with XP because Windows is what I learned on and its a superior business tool that runs a variety of applications most linux toys can’t run. This PC does not have Word or any other Office application installed on it except Frontpage which I used back in 1998 for web dev and still keep around for some reason. I run Openoffice.org for office productivity and I run Firefox exclusively. I only keep IE installed and up to date for testing my sites which I often times neglect. This is why my design looks like crap in IE most of the time. I build for Firefox now and I let IE users suffer their own choice.

I use Thunderbird for email and cannot stand bloatware like Outlook. Microsoft software often times does too much for the average user. This causes bloated code and heavy applications. I think they should break software apps up into much smaller modules that can be installed individually based on need by the end user. I am not a coder but a 10 year pc/internet veteran and I think they should reduce the amount of code by giving me exactly what I need which I feel is what Firefox does best. I have dozens of extensions that do exactly what I need them to do and its sweet.

is awesome and if you are not using it you are missing out.

I own a black Zune that I paid $267 for because I was actually interested in the device. No mess about it I bought 10 domains on July 11 and built this site on the same day with the thoughts of capitalizing on this Zune announcement and Microsofts investment. I became a fan of the device after learning more about it and primarily after my articles on the future of the Zune DRM which I need to update soon because I have so many more ideas about where Zune can go its amazing. I see Zune more for what it can be later then what it is today.

We have all seen enough open the box Zune reviews. I have not owned a portable music player since my Sony Walkman Cassette player back so long ago. I’m not a tech guy or a gadget head or an audiophile of any sorts. I like music and I think the Zune is a cool player with innovative features. I’ve had mine now a few days and I’m taking my time to write a thorough and honest review from a novices viewpoint. I’m a first time mp3 player owner schooled on the Windows platform and an original Xbox owner. I think I fall into the demograpohics of most likely Zune buyers but I’m not a fanboy.

I’ll write an honest review of my Zune experience for the community that’s been built around my interest in the device. I’ll tell you what I like and what I dislike in a fair and objective fashion with the hopes I can help some fans learn more about the player so they can make a better informed choice when they are ready to buy. You can buy just about anything you want through our relationships with Amazon and Walmart including a Zune, an iPod or the many other devices on the market. If we’re lucky Microsoft, Apple and the others will listen to us and make improvements on all sides. In the end its best for consumers and that’s us, the regular people who actually buy these things.

The political implications of Astroturfing are scary to say the least. The capabilities to sway public opinion are a powerful mechanism and all of us should be aware of who controls the grass we walk on. Astroturfing exists and its a nasty thing by any description but it’s not happening here, at least not yet. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on further developments

Zune US Trademark Application filed

Games, Gaming, Microsoft, Music, The Zune, Video, Xbox, Zune, Zune Game Player No Responses »

Sep 122006

Microsoft has revealed quite a bit more about the potential plans for the Zune family of devices and services. The US Trademark application Serial Number 78953571 has been posted at USPTO website. The site requires you create a new session in order to do a search so click the Search button on the right hand navigation to get started. You will find multiple applications for trademarks under Zune but the top result should be Serial Number 78953571 which is from Microsoft. The rest seem to be others trying to gain from the previous lack of application by Microsoft. We’re pretty sure those will soon be dead much like the one for Zune.us is now.

The newest news here seems to be the application for the gaming device as listed in US 022 023 038 050 where they claim among other things use namely as "pinball and arcade game machines; hand-held units for playing electronic games". Sounds like confirmation of a Zune gaming device sometime in the future to us. That’s great news as we are very excited about the potential for the portable game player. We’re still unsure why they would abandon the Xbox name for a hand held gaming device so it’s probably just to cover themselves but we can always hope. We would rather see a Zune game player than an Xboy or XboxGo anyday.

A search of the term Zune reveals an application by Microsoft for the Zune as follows:

Word Mark ZUNE
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: multimedia player, entertainment and communications devices; peripherals and accessories for use with multimedia player entertainment and communications device; headphones; earphones; docking stations for use with multimedia players; wired and wireless remote control devices for use with multimedia players; battery chargers; battery packs; electrical connectors, wires, cables, and adaptors; headphones and earphones; speakers; stereo amplifier and speaker base stations; automobile stereo adapters; audio recorders; radio receivers; radio transmitters; hardware and software for connecting multimedia players to existing audiovisual systems in homes, offices and automobiles; memory devices for storing music, audio and other digital content; computer software for use with multimedia player, entertainment and communciations devices for recording, organizing, transmitting, manipulating and reviewing text, data, audio, image and video files; a full line of computer application software for use on multimedia player, entertainment and communications devices; carrying cases, sacks, bags, straps, armbands and clips all for use with multimedia player, entertainment and communications devices; computer hardware and software for recording, playing and organizing music and video recordings; computer hardware and software for online accessing and purchasing of music, videos and other digital recordings; and cell phones; computer software for operating cell phones; peripherals and accessories for use with cell phones

IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: publications, namely, user manuals, magazines and newsletters all in the field of music, videos, entertainment, and multimedia player, entertainment and communications devices; pens, pencils, markers, stationery, stationery-type portfolios, clipboards, desk sets, pen and pencil holders, mounted and unmounted photographs, posters, magnetic boards, memo pads, binders, staplers, paperweights, paper coasters, calendars, notebooks, book covers, sticker books, greeting cards and note cards

IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: shirts, vests, sweatshirts, sweaters, sweatpants, pants, overalls, shorts, rompers, jackets, caps, pajamas, robes, night shirts, suspenders, jumpsuits, coats, sweatbands, scarves, gloves, mittens, socks, hosiery, stockings, underwear, footwear, headwear, hats, ties, visors, wrist bands, cloth bibs, aprons and Halloween and masquerade costumes

IC 028. US 022 023 038 050. G & S: toys and games, namely, action figures and accessories therefor; balloons; bathtub toys; toy building blocks; dolls and accessories therefor; doll clothing; board games; card games; play cosmetics for children; costume masks; miniature die cast vehicles; toy airplanes and helicopters; battery operated remote controlled toy vehicles; flying discs; inflatable vinyl figures; jigsaw puzzles; kites; marbles; indoor slumber and play tents; plush toys; hand-held puppets; sit-in and ride-on toy vehicles; train sets; play shaving kits; skateboards; roller skates; toy banks; water squirting toys; toy pistols; Christmas tree ornaments; pinball and arcade game machines; hand-held units for playing electronic games; model craft kits of toy figures; playground balls; sport balls; basketballs; golf balls; golf ball markers; tennis balls; baseballs; rubber action balls; rubber sports balls; rubber playing balls; squeezable balls used to relieve stress; bags for carrying golf equipment; bags for carrying basketball equipment; bags for carrying baseball equipment; bags for carrying tennis equipment; manipulative puzzles and construction toys; crib mobiles; mobiles for children; target sets consisting of a target, rubber suction darts and toy dart gun; and playing cards

IC 035. US 100 101 102. G & S: advertising services; online retail store featuring multimedia players, entertainment and communications devices, cell phones and peripherals and accessories therefor, music, video and other digital recordings

IC 038. US 100 101 104. G & S: telecommunication services; electronic transmission of data files, documents, music and videos over the Internet and wireless networks; electronic mail services; web messaging services; text messaging services; paging services; streaming of audio and video material over the Internet and wireless networks; wireless voice mail services; voice-activated dialing services; providing wireless access to computer networks and the Internet; cellular telephone services; and audio, video and television broadcasting and transmission

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: entertainment services; providing information on the music, video and entertainment industries; providing website featuring information in the fields of music, video and entertainment including downloadable music, videos and other digital content and allowing website users to interact with one another for remote support.
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Design Search Code
Serial Number 78953571
Filing Date August 16, 2006
Current Filing Basis 1B;44D;44E
Original Filing Basis 1B;44D;44E
Owner (APPLICANT) Microsoft Corporation CORPORATION WASHINGTON One Microsoft Way Redmond WASHINGTON 980526399
Attorney of Record William O. Ferron, Jr.
Priority Date May 29, 2006
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

UPDATE: It appears that Mr.William O. Ferron, Jr and the USPTO needs to run a spell checker as the word communications is misspelled in the application above.

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