Apple says Beatles on iTunes soon …so what!

I read earlier this week that Apple are planning a big ad during the upcoming Super Bowl to announce the availability of The Beatles catalog on their iTunes Store. Big deal!

Is anyone else tired of the remaining Beatles cashing in all the time ? Doesn’t everyone who can rip or download MP3s already have at least one of their greatest hits albums, or that CD that has their entire catalog on 1 menu driven disc that was for sale underground a few years back ? Aren’t we tired of making wrinkly McCartney richer by the day? After that fucking awful “Love” album last Christmas I say boycott the money grabbing asshole and if you must, download elsewhere and dont part with a red cent!

And to Apple, come on! Wake up and smell what Microsoft is actually getting right with the Zune. It’s Zune Social site is higlighting lots of upcoming new acts, encouraging downloads of something different. What’s your next move?

technorati tags:Apple, iTunes, iPod, Beatles, MP3, Downloads, Free, Zune, Social, Music, Upcoming, Acts, McCartney

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Oh no they didn’t …it’s a frickin PINK Zune

Oh yes they did! At least there’s only a few of them though..phew. Check out the CrunchGear story from the link below.Apple got it right with the bright pink and green, the same shades of pink and green that made a name for Benetton years ago, and while I can see the girlie attraction, it just doesn’t work on Zune IMHO.

Pink Zunes Surface at random

Does it matter? We all know it should be about ease of navigation and functionality and low cost add-ons that enhance the entertainment experience, but releasing the unit in the same colours (we’ll ignore the shoe leather brown!) as the iPod is shameful plagiarism, a real disappointment and a sad reflection on the Zune Team. There’s so much more imagination among all the talent at Microsoft that could have delivered so much more for this device in every way. Just look at what the Office 2007 team did with the new ribbon interface, fresh and innovative.

What’s your experience with or opinion on Zune? Leave a comment.

technorati tags:Microsoft, Zune, Pink, MP3, Player, Portable, Audio, iPod, Design, Navigation

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Zune is rubbish …apparently.

It seems like the more I read about the Zune from Microsoft, the better I feel about having gone with my iPod Nano a few weeks ago. I was really tempted to wait for the Zune launch (and maybe grab a bargain) but thought it best to go with the devil you know and all that. Man am I glad.

While I haven’t played with one yet, everything I see and hear screams stay away, from that awful shoebox brown colour and the chunky casing to the dreary looking home, travel and car accessories packs, and worst of all, the awful attempt at a community website with Zune.net.

I think this post from David Galbraith says it all:

I just saw a Zune, and guess what? Its a piece of shit.

It’s best to let a better writer than myself bury the Zune, however. Andy Ihnatko in the Chicago sun-Times lets rip:

Yes, Microsoft’s new Zune digital music player is just plain dreadful. I’ve spent a week setting this thing up and using it, and the overall experience is about as pleasant as having an airbag deploy in your face.”

Take the Zune off your Christmas list folks, even the Wi-Fi trickery (that was the key differentiator til they stupidly crippled it with the “3 plays or 3 days” DRM rules) wont save this lame duck.

technorati tags:Microsoft, Zune, MP3, Player, Design, Rubbish, iPod, Nano, Apple

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Forget Jamster and co, save your cash with DIY Ringtones

That’s it, no more Crazy Frog or cute chicken or whatever is “in” this week. I’m so sick of kiddies down the back of every bus I get on blasting out their latest MP3 ringtone. Please kids, nobody wants to hear your idea of cool music, and everyone wants to know where you get the money for the damn downloads!

If you must have MP3 ringtones, put your cash in an online account (don’t spend all your online lives on MySpace!) or the Credit Union, and heed the advice in this article to create your own ringtones, courtesy of Gina at LifeHacker.

Choose your tone wisely

It’s totally up to you what song to use as your ringtone. However, do imagine yourself in different life scenarios and what it will be like when your phone starts randomly playing White and Nerdy. Sure, the Halo theme probably seems like a great ringtone today, but when you’re standing on line at the bank next week, will you cringe when it goes off? The answer to this question is a personal one, but it must be asked.

Personally I like songs and sounds that already sound a bit ringtone-y. In the examples above I used the first 20 seconds of thePostal Services ‘ Such Great Heights. My new text message notification is the Jetson’s doorbell.(Go ahead, make fun of me.) You can also use Audacity to record ANY sounds from your computer, so you could, in theory, record snippets of audio from, say, YouTube videos.

All you need is the free Audacity software, a favourite of mine for donkeys years now, and the right connection.

For those stateside who find themselves hitting a brick wall with a Motorola phone on Verizon, see the comments section for some excellent help on hacking it to load those tunes.

technorati tags:Mobile, Hacking, Phones, MP3, Ringtones, DIY, Audacity, Verizon, Motorola

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