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Watching Microsoft Like a Hawk Since 2002
Ricky Lim asked:


If you have just acquired your Zune player and are just excited to use it, here are the ways on how to put music on your Zune.

Rip from a CD. Insert the disc to your computer and access the list of songs in the windows media player. Choose the songs you want and select the rip option which would then appear on the media player library.

Once you connect the Zune player via USB cable, it will by default automatically synchronize with the songs in the library and download them. Remember that the only music formats that the Zune player supports are WMA, WMV, MP3, MP4 and MOV.

Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace. Just like a real marketplace, you may purchase songs for 79 Microsoft points each or get a subscription every month for unlimited download. Microsoft points are also purchased and as for the subscription, once it expires the songs will too. Web stores. Aside from the Zune Marketplace, there are also sites such as itunes and Napster to get music for your Zune player. You can also pay for a membership on Zune music download sites, a good example of which is Zreactor.

These zune download sites allows you to download unlimited Zune music for a one time fee. Besides zune music, you can also download unlimited Zune movies, games and much more. The cost is affordable, usually costing less than 50 bucks. The download speeds are fast and they have a huge selection of zune media files to download.

Wireless transfer of songs from another user or you can also use guest sync after connecting your Zune into another computer.

By the way, always update your Zune firmware. This ensures that your player gets all the latest features as well as improves power management of your Zune player.



Stephen Davis asked:


So what is the Microsoft Zune? Is it going to be the so-called iPod killer?

Zune is more than a brand from Microsoft that incorporates a line of portable media players. It is also software that will drive the devices, and an online service for acquiring and sharing media. The flagship Zune product is the portable media player, that will compete directly with Apple’s Ipod. The Zune was released on the US market on November 14, 2006 with a price tag of $249.99, and you can order it today here at OneStopZuneShop – as well as all of the Zune Accessories.

The Zune has a 30 GB hard drive which stores up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video. It has built-in FM tuner with Radio Data System, 3.0-inch screen, and 802.11 wireless networking. The player comes in three colors—black, brown and white. Supported codecs include H.264, MP3, WMA, WMV, MPEG4, JPG and AAC6 [7].

The wireless networking connects two Zunes together, enabling the sharing of “full-length sample tracks of select songs”, recordings, playlists and pictures with others. Tracks received from another person can be played for up to three days or three plays, whichever comes first, after which it will need to be purchased via the Zune Marketplace store—their official name for the store.

The Zune is able to connect to the Xbox 360, which allows the user to stream music, videos, and pictures via USB. Microsoft Points is used to buy music via the Zune Marketplace. The Zune Marketplace can be used as a per-song purchase plan or as a subscription-based flat-fee service, known as a “Zune Pass”.

What does the future hold for the Microsoft Zune?

Rumours suggest the Zune will, in the near future, also act as a mobile phone. But in the interim, we’ll have access to a broad range of Zune accessories, such as:

Zune Car Pack and Auto Installation Kits Zune Cases Zune Speakers Zune Docks Zune Movies Zune TV Shows Zune Music Zune Videos Zune Software, and Zune Downloads

Bill Gates

Jonathon Hardcastle asked:


Bill Gates, the co-founder and chairman of the Microsoft Corporation, has certainly reached legend status and not only because he is considered as the world’s richest man. As the moving force behind a company that is considered “The Most Innovative Company Operating in the U.S.” (1993, Forbes magazines), Gates is certainly in a league of his own. With Gates at the helm, Microsoft launched a number of revolutionary technological advancements that have changed the face of the computer industry and the way people around the world use computers.

History has acknowledged Microsoft’s great contributions and has judged Mircrosoft to be the first truly dominant player in home computer operating systems. Even today, Microsoft’s influence is felt around the world through the broad usage of Microsoft Windows, currently the most widely used operating system in the world.

Gates first made his mark as is widely regarded as the prime mover and innovator behind the Microsoft Corporation from the time it was founded in 1975 until 2006. As the man responsible for product strategy, Gates greatly expanded Microsoft’s product lines and established as well as defended the leadership position in many of its key areas of operation. Gates has not been perfect as some of his decisions have led to antitrust litigation over Microsoft’s business practices. But his reputation as one of the most popular and respected entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution is unquestioned. Gates is actually one of those men who is larger than his area of expertise. To illustrate this point, New Statesman magazine voted Gates as number eight among the “Heroes of Our Time.”

Of late, Gates has been delegating many of his key functions in Microsoft. He announced last June that he would be naming someone else as the head of operations of Microsoft by July 2008 although he did say that he will still sit as the company’s chairman and as an advisor on special projects. Sources say that the leading candidate to succeed Gates as operations hear is Ray Ozzie, former president of the Groove company, which Microsoft purchased in 2005.

His latest focus has been in the area of philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Some sources in the press estimate that Gates has probably contributed over half his fortune to charity.



Lovely Wmv To Zune Converter To You

JessieWhite asked:


usa-finder.net ( http://www.usa-finder.net )The “World’s Most Popular Now!” award is our way of helping you wade through the mire, of pointing you in the direction of superior software. Today that mire is WMV to Zune Converter. There are literally hundreds of programs that do the same basic things, and some programs out-perform others. We’ve made it simple: we give each program 1 to 5 stars in each of five categories ? UI skin, speed, ease of use, user rating and popularity ? for a total score of 25, and the top scoring program wins.

Today’s winning WMV to Zune Converter is listed below. As you can see from all the high ratings, WMV to Zune Converter these are all truly superior programs. They’re hassle and bug free, and they all produce great results.

1. Cucusoft Zune Video Converter + DVD to Zune Suite

Cucusoft Zune Video Converter Suite is an all-in-one Zune video Conversion solution. It can convert DVD to Zune, VCD to Zune, SVCD to Zune, AVI to Zune, MPG to Zune, MPEG to Zune, MPEG-1 to Zune, MPEG-2 to Zune, MPEG-4 to Zune, Divx to Zune, Xvid to Zune, ASF to Zune, WMV to Zune, RM to Zune, RMVB to Zune, MP4 to Zune, 3GP to Zune, SWF to Zune, DV to Zune, M4V to Zune, AMV to Zune, QT to Zune, DAT to Zune, H264 to Zune, VOB to Zune, flash to Zune, PSP to Zune, iPod to Zune,

2. Avex Zune Video Converter

Avex Zune Video Converter converts AVI, DivX/Xvid, WMV, MPEG videos (and many more) to Zune WMV or MP4 video format in one simple click. The software features superb video & audio quality and fast conversion speed. And it is very easy to use.

3. ImTOO Zune Converter Suite

ImTOO Zune Converter Suite is a discount suite consists of ImTOO DVD to Zune Converter and ImTOO Zune Video Converter, which can convert your favorite video files and DVD movies to your Zune video and audio formats and enables you enjoy your favorite movie on your Zune anywhere and anyway.

4. Cucusoft Zune Video Converter

Cucusoft Zune Video Converter is the easiest-to-use video converter software for Microsoft Zune Movie and Zune Video. It can convert almost all video format, e.g. DivX, XviD, MOV, rm, rmvb, MPEG, VOB, DVD, WMV, AVI to Zune Movie / Zune Video format.

5. Okoker Video to Zune Converter

Okoker Video to Zune Converter is a new conversion tool. The converter software can convert various video files to Microsoft Zune. The format including 3gp, asf, avi, mov, mpeg, mpg, mp4, vob and wmv etc. With unmatchablespeed and high quality, the whole process is easy.

6. Wondershare Zune Video Suite

Wondershare Zune Video Suite is a powerful and discount pack including two excellent Zune conversion tools: Wondershare DVD to Zune Converter and Wondershare Zune Video Converter.

7. Moyea Video to Zune Converter

Moyea Video to Zune Converter is the easiest to use video converter software available. It can convert almost any video format to play on Microsoft Zune Video Player, e.g. DivX, XviD, MOV, RM, rmvb, MPEG, WMV, AVI to Zune Movie / Zune Video format.

8. Lenogo Video to Zune Converter

It can convert AVI, MPG, MPEG, ASF, WMV, MOV, 3GP, AMR, FLV, FLIC, SWF, RM, RMVB to Zune. Its standards-based encoding algorithm ensures that the videos you create have best quality, and video conversion has never been easier or more cost-effective

9. Xilisoft Zune Converter Suite

Xilisoft Zune Converter Suite is an integral and powerful Zune conversion pack for your Zune Player. It includes two perfect products, Xilisoft DVD to Zune Converter and Xilisoft Zune Video Converter.

10. MovieTaxi Zune Video Converter

MovieTaxi Zune Video Converter is an extremely easy to use 1-Click solution to convert Tivo, DivX, Xvid, MPEG, MPEG4, WMV, AVI, (S)VCD, RealMedia videos and many more to Zune in high quality at high speed.

Source: http://www.usa-finder.net/article/Lovely-WMV-to-Zune-Converter-to-You.html



Zune New Lineup With More Features

Rizky Permana asked:


Audiophiles and media junkies may remember a certain device unveiled by Microsoft almost three months ago which was rumoured to be a worthy competitor to Apple’s fantastically popular iPod line of products.

The device, known as the Zune, made a splash here in Canada roughly a year and a half after the first models began to make their way out to American consumers. The new brand of media players hit the ground running with a unique image, brand new software, a diverse range of products (4GB, 8GB and 80GB sizes were immediately available) and unique features such as Wi-Fi wireless syncing with computers and other Zunes.

However, perhaps due to a lack of persistence in marketing — when compared to the omnipresent Apple — or because of the already established iPod line dominating the market, the Zune failed to pick up the steam it needed to reach even ground with the Apple products. And for a device that flaunts its social capabilities such as wireless file sharing with other Zune owners, as well as the Zune Social aspects of the software, market saturation is key to making growth exponential.

So, with that idea in mind, Microsoft is trying to breathe a bit more life into its sleek and stylish Zune line.

New announcements informed the public that as of today two new Zune models will be available. These models are the 16 GB Zune and the 120 GB model. These will initially be available only in all black, though they can still be etched with personalized artwork and patterns. Other Zunes now have different colour schemes; the 4, 8 and 80 GB models are available in black and red, with the 4 GB models also available in pink and the 8 GB model also available in pink or blue.

At the same time, more features will be added into the products themselves complete with software and firmware upgrades for all sizes of Zune. These will include the ability to play and download games onto the Zune as well as audio books. The audio book feature is a welcome surprise, as it adds to the diverse range of content that the Zune can support (podcasts, music and videos included) but the games feature should not be a shock to any Zune owner.

That’s because earlier models included — in addition to the music, pictures, video, and other options in the main menu — a games tab. The tempting button would unfortunately bring users to an empty list that sadly stated “no items.” Some more persistent owners might have found a way to install C# onto their Zunes along with a handful of independently created games, but these were basic and installation was complicated.

Now that the firmware is released however, Zune fans are now able to get games officially through Zune’s own channels.

The audio book feature is also an interesting touch as it gives people another reason to carry their Zunes, not just to listen to radio, but perhaps to learn Spanish through audio lessons or listen to Macbeth on the go.

If you own a Zune, check out the official Zune site for all of the details and to get your firmware update.



Ricky Lim asked:


So you have a new Zune player but there is no way to enjoy it because all the fun music videos are not installed. Finding genuine sites that offer Zune music videos downloads can sometimes be stressful. There are some risks that come with downloading Zune music videos.

Though downloading Zune music videos can let you enjoy your Zune player, you still have to take note of some of the dangers so as you won’t regret doing the download.

The first danger of getting free Zune music videos can expose your computer to harmful software applications like worms, Trojans, adware, spyware and a lot more. Being infected with this harmful software, your computer can suffer from the loss in computer processing speed and data.

Also, not only will your computer be affected but also your Zune media player. The worst thing that could happen is that spyware and adware and reveal all important information stored in you computer such as the password.

Second risk in downloading Zune music videos is the download speeds. Once many users download Zune media files at the same time, this will consume too much bandwidth especially the Zune music videos.

And lastly, incomplete or corrupted downloads can also be experienced. After the long hours of waiting, there is a big possibility that you will get an error message saying that the file is incomplete or corrupted.

A better alternative is to join paid Zune download membership sites. These Zune download websites allows you to download unlimited Zune music, music videos, games and movies for a one time fee.

The files are certified free from spyware and viruses and the download speeds are faster reducing the chances of getting incomplete or corrupted downloads.

So if you want to download Zune music videos, I highly recommend you check out some of these Zune download sites.



hans raj asked:


Strategies are strategies. Dismiss for a moment from your mind what some people are saying about Bill Gates’ offensive practices he used to transform himself from a small business entrepreneur to a titan in the business world. There are yet honest-to-goodness strategies we can glean from his sleeves. We can study, learn from them and possibly apply them in our own home based business. Upon this premise that this article was written.

Strategy of Bill Gates - Have a Vision:

At the outset, I will lay down the results of my research on one secret strategy of Bill Gates. He used the same strategy to jump-start his small business to today’s business behemoth. Based on my research, the strategy of Bill Gates is grounded upon the following:

“Have a VISION of what you want to achieve

and hold on to that vision come wrath or

high water.”

His vision was:

“A Personal Computer on every desk.”

By the way, I didn’t want to use the grammatically correct expression “comes hell or high water” - for personal reason - so excuse my grammatical preference. Anyway, let’s go back to our subject. When you have a vision, you can make the impossible possible.

Almost everybody is familiar about how once upon a time the small business entrepreneur Bill Gates secured mighty IBM’s contract to supply the latter’s operating system. When he was negotiating with the IBM people, he had no operating system as yet. He was able to buy a Disk Operating System or DOS for $50 thousand. In the end, he got the contract. Why?

Bill Gates was guided by his vision - that every desk all over the world should have a computer on it. This vision enabled him to provide IBM with a DOS operating system and have control over it including to whom he wanted it sold to.

Beginning Entrepreneur:

Before he became an entrepreneur, Bill Gates had nurtured the vision that software will one day rule the world. During high school he spent many late nights with friend Paul Allen tinkering with the school’s computer system.

He dropped out of college after completing his junior year at Harvard. Instead, he and his bosom friend Paul Allen set up a small business - a software company - in far away New Mexico. This move was in accordance with his vision.

His vision became clearer as he moved from a total newbie to one with a small business to keep. His vision was clothed in clearer terms, as he negotiated the DOS deal with IBM.

Better late than never:

Bill Gates’ company ultimately became the leader in the software arena. During the first half of the 1990’s - 1993 to be exact - he was among the last of the software titans to acknowledge the future significance of the Internet.

But once he did realize that indeed Internet was the wave of the future, he had the tenacity to reshape his vision. His vision retained its old flavor - that is, software dominance in commerce, industry and in every field. It was rehashed in his own words as follows:

“In the years ahead, the Internet will have

an even more profound effect on the way

we work, live and learn … this technology

will be one of the key cultural and economic

forces of the early 21st century.”

At this moment in time, Bill Gates is guided by the vision that the Internet is the wave of the present and the foreseeable future.

Lessons Learned:

You can learn from Bill Gates by having your own vision for your small business. Lay down this vision in your mind. Then put it into writing. Read your vision everyday while at work in your small corner of the house. Your vision could be as short-term as the following:

“To make my web site land within the top five of

Google when people search for the keywords

‘home based business,’” or

“$200,000 earnings this year from Google

Adsense,”or

“To enrich the content of my web site using

the theme ’scrap book making.’”

Do not limit yourself to short-term vision. Aim for the long-term. A five to ten years period would suffice. Technology may change but your vision will essentially be the same. You may refine it if deemed necessary, like incorporating the effect of technological changes - as Bill Gates did.

Your Share of the Pie:

Everybody - from Bill Gates down to your netpreneur friend - has recognized the tremendous role of the Internet in business developments. Some of the more immediate pressing concerns you should consider at this stage concerning your home based business are the following:

- General preference for digital transactions by clients. For example, as a beginning Internet entrepreneur you should meet your clients’ demands who favor the use of online payment system.

At this juncture, I would like to refer you to my web site at InternetMarketingLearningCenter.com which offers free learning stuff on Internet marketing and home based business. One category being tackled in the web site is the online payment system. You may read online news and keep yourself abreast of the best software companion for your small business.

- Choose products that are preferred by people at this time when the Internet is dominating people’s lives. It has been determined that information products and web shopping are favored by most consumers. Information products include your very own eBooks and “how-to” manuals.

- Make it your aim that your products are cheap, very useful, and the best among the rest of competing products. This applies most especially to shopping products. For your own digital products, you have the advantage of pricing them according to your own estimation.

You as the author of your own digital product determine the price level. It is no wonder why gurus like Jay Abraham, Jim Daniels and the late Corey Rudl have become so wealthy from selling their own digital pieces.

As for these three, they will be among the titans that we will tackle in future issues of this series.



Brian Theiler asked:


Are you tired of paying monthly fees for access to songs, movies, videos, and games for your zune? Don’t let this bother you any longer as there are tons of services out there now that will allow you to download as much as you want for a one time (lifetime) fee. In addition, you no longer have to worry about your account being synced up with your zune. You get to choose the songs you want on your zune and the songs you don’t want, and the songs or movies are yours to keep for the rest of your life, even if you get a new zune player or other mp3 player.

With all of the sites and membership deals that are out there, it is difficult for one to research and choose the best option that will meet their needs. So I have taken it upon myself to research and find the best deal out there for zune users. My research consisted of finding the best deal for your money in order to get unlimited zune downloads. In addition, the sites bonus offers, customer service, and variety of downloads also played a factor in identifying the best site.

The first criteria that the site had to pass is the amount of files available to the users. The site had to provide at least 1 million files and in most cases we found the top sites to offer millions of files over this bare minimum. These files included music, movies, videos, games, wallpaper, and more.

The next criteria for the best unlimited zune download site was affordability. While many of the sites still offer the per month option for those that didn’t want to pay a one time fee, the per month option was usually less than $3 per month which is very affordable and is well worth the money considering if you download one album or movie, you have already received your money’s worth. However, the one time fee we were looking for was under $40 for lifetime access to the site. So a one time fee would allow you to download as much as you would like for the rest of your life. This criteria was the main benefit we could see in deciding on the best unlimited zune download sites.

As far as some other features we looked at, we wanted the site to have excellent customer service and offer some additional bonuses than just simply access to the site. While we found that most sites offered you extra software to convert your current dvd’s to the zune format for easy transfer to your zune player, they also offered other various software to convert several other types of files for easy transfer to your zune player as well. The better sites also provide anti-spyware, and other helpful software programs to keep your computer clean and safe, which is very nice.

Lastly, all the sites offered customer service, but obviously some were better than others. We weeded out the ones that could not help you with technical difficulties or were too slow to respond in our book. Because when I got caught with a problem downloading files, I wanted to get the issue fixed as fast as possible so I can continue what I’m doing. To me, that is also a factor when considering the best unlimited zune download site.

After months of contacting site owners and going through membership areas, I finally gathered all the data and ranked the best unlimited zune download sites on the internet today.



Robert Mecenas asked:


Your choices for sites that offer Zune downloads are numerous. Which site should you use? Today, I’ll quickly look at some of the more popular sites.

Zune Video Pro - This is the spot you need to visit if you want video. This site features: music, movies, music videos, cartoons and TV shows. Zune’s video can be fully enjoyed, but files will be significantly larger to download, which means you will benefit from having a faster internet connection. This site comes in fourth place, because of slower downloads. A good effort, but if your primary interest is music, you might find it a little slow.

My Online Downloads - Other than games, videos and songs for your Zune. What else would you like? CD covers? DVD covers? Screensavers? MyOnlineDownloads delivers it all. It’s a 1-stop entertainment center. I wish the creators had spent more time on the site’s interface. It would be so much more enjoyable! A good effort, but still a third place finish.

Unlimited Downloads - Unlimited Downloads is close to the top ranking because of its library of over 95 million files and 7 million users. The bundled software lets you enjoy all of the music, video, books and games you download – right on your computer. You’re no longer restricted to the Zune. That is nice. The off-line features score points and the site comes in a very respectable second place, missing top spot by a small margin.

Zune Access - And finally, let’s name our #1 spot. PC Magazine rated this site as the “best music resource”. Zune Access is my #1 Zune download site. Over 250 million files that include music, games and movies and providing 100% Zune compatible downloads. Zune Access is definitely the site. Being rated as #1 by NBC and CNN definitely scores extra points and easily pushes for the top spot.

Check out my blog for full reviews and helpful links. The link is below.



Ricky Lim asked:


Now that you bought yourself a Zune player, you should start putting Zune videos and music on it to test it. You might think it’s easy, but you first need the actual music and videos. You can visit the Microsoft Zune Marketplace to do that, but as you might imagine you need to pay in order to gain access.

If you can afford paying the $15 every month, then the marketplace is great, but you might be interested in a cheaper variant. There is a problem though, that it can be illegal to download files on some sites or dangerous for your computer.

There are plenty of private sites these days that offer the same thing as the Microsoft Zune marketplace. But, they accept payments in a different way. Most sites that offer Zune files do that after you pay for the membership. This means that you pay for the membership once and have access to unlimited downloads.

These types of sites usually have millions of video and music files that can be downloaded by their members. The best part about it though is that it’s all legal.

And, who would want to pay just to have access to the latest Zune videos? This is why sites that offer membership for a one time fee in exchange for Zune downloads are getting more popular. If you want to really enjoy your new Zune, make sure you become a member of such a site to get the full benefits.

You should remember that most free Zune download sites will put up a lot of pop-up ads and banners and that might slow down your downloads. This is because they need to put up ads to make money to keep the site running. If you’re a regular user, you might be able to ignore the ads and the banners and download all the files you need.

There are sites that ask for a monthly fee, but they ask for less money. You can use these if you really don’t want ads on your site or if you prefer the content of these sites.

If you want to be sure that you pick the best Zune site, you should find one that not only has a lot of files to be downloaded, but also a fast site that works well 24/7. 24/7 customer support is another thing that a good site should have.

And, something essential is that the video files are compatible with the Zune. I’m betting you wouldn’t want to pay for files and then see that they don’t work on the Zune or you have to get a video to Zune software converter to convert the video files.