Opinion Archive

0

What Microsoft acquiring Skype means for Xbox, WP7

By
Tyler Rowe
– May 13, 2011

Some big time news is circulating about Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype. Skype was one of the first internet calling services that allowed the user to chat face to face via webcam. While there were other webcam chat based services out there, Skype allowed the user to make phone calls, both domestic and international, for very reasonable prices. When it first came out, it revolutionized how we interacted with others over the internet when we were sitting in the comfort of our own desk. The problem is that with our busy and nomadic lifestyles, Skype is less effective because we are to the point that we would simply rather use our cell phones to talk. Since Microsoft purchased Skype, it is likely that we will see many changes and additions to the way we currently use Skype. With both the Xbox 360 and the WP7, the possibilities are seemingly endless! While it is quite unclear as to what Microsoft plans to do with its new toy, all we can do now is speculate.

Xbox 360

Skype and Xbox Live seems to be a match made in heaven. With the recent release of the Kinect, Skype has never been more ready to nest itself on our Xbox dashboards. The current face to face chat hosted by MSN for the Xbox is nifty and useful and integrates the Kinect very well, but it lacks many chat features that hardcore Skypers desire. There should be little trouble in replacing what is already there with Skype that is pretty well developed already.

Another addition that we’d like to see is in game video chat capabilities. Having the ability to begin a skype conversation with a friend and then join a game with them would enhance the user experience that comes with xbox live greatly. Imagine starting a private match of your favorite Call of Duty game and reserving a small part of your screen to chat and see your friend. Being able to directly compare in game results to their real life reaction would make xbox live play just as fun as the old days of actually sitting next to your friend playing split screen. This would bring a whole new dimension to your gaming experience and bring smack talk to a whole new level. After all, that is what Xbox live is all about!

Window Phone 7

We have all probably seen a Skype application for a jail broken ipod, but legitimate Skype capabilities for the Windows Phone 7 would make it more competitive in this extremely tight market. If newer WP7 models are released with a dual camera system (one on the front and back), then Skype could directly compete with facetime on the iPhone and iPad. Since Skype is a name that consumers already know and recognize, it would not be hard to market the WP7 with Skype. Skype would also be able to make your phone able to text chat, voice chat, face chat, and make international calls through the 3/4G networks or a local wifi connection. All of these features would make WP7 device much more competitive, marketable, and desirable in the future. Being able to sync your PC, Xbox, and Phone and chat across platforms through Skype would set the standard for not only the communication industry, but would also put Microsoft ahead of the pack when it comes to superior social networking through some of the most amazing and user friendly devices.

18

Anticipating an Xbox 720

By
Tyler Rowe
– May 2, 2011

Mark your calendars for June 7th, because that is the date of E3 2011, and there is going to be some pretty exciting stuff being revealed to us. No, its not a new Xbox or PlayStation, but the next generation of Wii. Nintendo is going to try and meet with the next generation of gaming a bit sooner than Microsoft or Sony, and this is considered by many a very bold move. The next generation Wii is anticipated to be released sometime next year in 2012, while the anticipated release date for the next Xbox or PlayStation isn’t until 2014. Wii is going to have a two year head start in the next generation console war, and this is quite a big deal.

In a few months, we will know a lot about the next Wii, but what about the next Xbox? It is safe to say that they won’t call it Xbox 3, because that sounds too much like the current console. So if you aren’t a skate or snow boarder, 360 times 2 is 720 (referring to two complete rotations), so that is what we will arbitrarily code name it. Microsoft, no surprise here, is keeping extremely quiet about the next generation of gaming. When asked about the next Xbox, Bill Koefoed had this to say:

“We’re really not talking about that. Right now we’re incredibly excited about what’s going on with Xbox 360 and certainly Kinect, which is relatively new to the market, so we’re focussed on that.”

Publically, Microsoft is trying to promote its Kinect and pretend that the next generation of gaming has already come with their new peripheral. Out of 20 million Xbox live users, half of them have Kinects sitting in a position that is relatively close to the center of their television, so this claim isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds. What Mr. Koefoed explained makes the speculated release year of 2014 seems relatively soon, and maybe 2015 or 2016 is a little more accurate with Kinect in the picture. However, what they aren’t publically announcing is that three new job postings have been posted within the Xbox websites that may be indicative of a new console. If you have any experience with the following, get hired and let us know what they are up to.

  • Hardware Design Verification Engineer
  • Audio/Video Hardware Architect
  • Senior Architect and Performance Engineer

You may be thinking that this prediction based on job postings is a bit reaching, but I disagree. It was a job posting on the Zune website that led us all to believe that a “Zune Phone” would be coming in the future (which kinda happened), and that is why we are having no trouble believe that this job posting is going to have a similar result with Xbox.

Let us know what you think with a comment!

 

2

More WP7 development will require more users

By
Tyler Rowe
– May 1, 2011

Love your Windows 7 Phone? Wish it had more cool stuff? Well get excited because Microsofts new deal with Nokia will definitiely attract a few more developers, and since that announcement, they have also revealed that they have released a few more toys for developers to play with. Microsoft is obviously taking huge strides in getting more developers on board and keeping them on board once they get there. This is obviously an attempt to reach in for a little bit of the Android/iOS market. Developer surveys are showing a decent number of developers are interested in the WP7 (about 29% last month). This is very good considering that WP7 is still in its infancy compared to the other phones it is trying to compete with. Word on the street is also that developers are concerned with fragmentation with Android devices. This could spell really good things for WP7, and this is something that Microsoft should definitely pay attention to so that they aren’t doomed to make the mistakes that others are making.

The biggest shocker by far is the drop of for developers in the Blackberry market. Microsoft should celebrate their micro-victory (by micro I mean small, pun not intended) of placing themselves ahead of blackberry when it comes to attracting developers. But the one thing that Blackberry has over WP7 is that they are releasing their sales figures, which means developers know exactly how much money is to be made off of Blackberry users. Microsoft is still keeping a tight lip on sales figures, and developers are right in thinking that this is because there aren’t many sales figures to show for. The concept is simple: a developer wants to develop where there is money to be made, and not knowing how many people are available to download your app presents itself as a huge risk. It is somewhat of a slippery slope when it comes to development; consumers and developers are locked into a symbiotic relationship. Developers will develop when people are buying phones, and people are buying phones when developers are developing new cutting edge and attention grabbing apps for them. Microsoft is working on both sides of the equation by advertising WP7 very heavily and making their interface more attractive to developers.

We want to hear your opinion! Is Microsoft taking the right steps, or should they be doing something else?

10

Would peripherals help the Kinect?

By
Tyler Rowe
– April 25, 2011

The Xbox 360 unveiled the Kinect boasting that, “you are the controller.” Since you and I are now the controllers, we will be saving a lot of money on batteries and replacement parts when it wears down, and start spending more money on food to provide the calories necessary to flail around with the precision required to become experts at our newfound form of gaming. The Kinect does work exceptionally well with party games and simple sports games that require very simple gestures and body motions, but this is, unfortunately so far, the extent of the appeal. For the slightly more grown up or hardcore gamers, if it can’t play Halo or Call of Duty, it probably isn’t worth considering. Activision has confirmed that the next Call of Duty title (Modern Warfare 3?) will not be compatible with the Microsoft Kinect. This is extremely unfortunate because it is impossible to watch even a few minutes of television anymore without seeing how cool that new Playstation Move thing is when it is attached to that sweet gun thingy.

If you’ve played the Kinect, you understand that is has many limitations when it comes to tracking your movement. One way to improve this is to increase the resolution of the tracking system, but this would require that you go out and spend $150 more on a brand new device that you’ve barely broken in. Another way is to offer “attachments” for your controller, or even game/genre specific stand alone controllers that may serve very specific functions depending on what you are playing. For first person shooters, the current Kinect technology would be impossible to implement because it does not have resolution capable of tracking finger movements, so pulling a trigger is out of the question. I think the solution to getting more hardcore gamers on the Kinect (which means getting more people on the Kinect) is to create a very slick, operational gun peripheral that is able to be tracked by the Kinect and easily translated to the game. Allowing players to aim freely, pull a trigger, reload, and physically move would allow for an immersion into the games that gamers love to play that is incomparable by any other device. By allowing the player to move more rapidly by using the current running and jumping tracking that the Kinect already has and allowing for a seamless real-life aiming experience would add a dimension to the Call of Duty and Halo franchises that will be unbeatable when stacked against any other current generation console.

I understand completely that with the Kinect, “I am the controller,” but consider the following: controlling your controller with a controller is not an extremely far fetched idea. Of course, imagining your xbox controller being manipulated by a machine that you control with an additional controller is crazy, but that is not the point. I would think of it more as an enhancement to the current capabilities of the Kinect. The Wii introduced an additional attachment for their controllers that allowed for more accurate and smooth tracking with what was, at times, a nightmare to control. This is the same idea, increasing the accuracy with which the user may implement their skills with a simple addition to their gaming technology. This would get developers more excited to make games compatible with the Kinect, and create more excitement for the gamers who want to play these newly developed games. What is your opinion of adding more toys to use with your Kinect?

12

Is Apple’s suit right? You decide

By
Tyler Rowe
– April 20, 2011

Apple is suing Samsung claiming that the “product design, user interface and packaging of the Galaxy products” copy that of the iPad and infringe on their patent. Is this lawsuit just a well timed business strategy or is Apple just being outright stupid about this? If one were to draw a pie chart for slates, the iPad would be like Pacman coming to eat that completely colored in circle. Because of this, it is completely natural for consumers to want choices and it is completely natural for companies to want to provide us with those choices. Without these choices, we, the consumers, are missing out on getting the absolute best products possible by the necessity of improvement enforced through competition in a free market. Here’s a few specs on the two devices:

Product Design:

Galaxy
ipad

iOS
Galaxy OS


The two devices are very different in many ways. The iPad has the physical dimensions of 7.47 inches wide by 9.56 inches tall and .5 inches wide, while the Galaxy has the dimensions of 4.74 inches wide by 7.84 inches tall and .47 inches wide (different sizes may be available). Using size comparisons, the Galaxy slate boasts a much more compact style compared to the iPad. The argument can be made, however, that they both have very similar shapes. Square-ish with rounded corners do seem to be the norm, but non-iPhone types of phones seem to be straying away from the rounding of their corners. Apple may be making the argument that looks wise, they need to square off the corners on their device like the phones have.

User Interface:

The two operating systems are extremely similar. The square icons that represent applications are evident on both devices. The only difference that seems to be present is that the iPad allows for some docking of certain apps at the bottom of the screen that will always be there even when you scroll over to another page of apps. It is not clear whether this is also available on the Galaxy, but there are very few obvious differences in their operating systems.

Packaging:

I hope they both come in boxes. Problem solved.

Conclusion:

Whether apple has a case or not, this cry of foul will only help them in the short run. As of now, the Galaxy slate is a device that may be able to be the ghost to apples pac man. Consumers planning on purchasing one of these Samsung devices will wait and watch what happens instead of go out and buy one. Should Apple win, the Galaxy won’t die out, but its growth will be stunted, and will affect the way people perceive it, and many of those who wanted one before will most likely stay away from it in the future. Is this suit right or wrong? Will they win or lose? There are similarities between the two, and there are differences. What do you think?

2

Newest Tech Wonder: Arc Mouse

By
Tyler Rowe
– April 17, 2011

A while back, Microsoft introduced a new computer mouse to the market, but didn’t really look to break any advertisement sound barriers or create too many waves about it. The computer mouse, simplistic by design, yet elegant in its perfection to create an extremely intuitive way to interact with your computer, is considered one of the greatest inventions that made computers something to be desired in a home. The thing is that this technological innovation came out somewhere in the 80′s, and that was basically forever ago. The mouse, so perfect at its birth, is still considered to be perfect today. So perfect, in fact, that the design has remained virtually untouched still today. Sure, you can run down to your computer store and buy a mouse with more buttons than your keyboard, or interchangeable weights or even special software that adjusts every diagnostic aspect from clicking speed to signal frequency. The thing is, Average Joe sitting at work with his laptop doesn’t care about how quickly his mouse helps him react to a multi-player game of counterstrike; he just wants to get some crap done!

Open and Folded Arc 1

Average Joe likes to use a computer mouse, but computer mouses are catching on in style like a bicycle helmets (I mean they aren’t cool). Microsoft, known for making cool stuff, wanted to change that. They didn’t want to add buttons, allow for complete customization, or any other unnecessary crap. They took a perfect object, and didn’t seek to make it more perfect, just cooler. The original arc mouse did just that. The computer mice we are accustomed to have a slightly rounded top, and this mouse, when in use, fit that same bill. The difference was that it had not flat bottom; the only thing separating it from the moues pad was air and opportunity. It was actually an arc(h) and fit very comfortably and neatly in your hand, and kinda looked cool at the same time. I’m sure you understood that there was air underneath the mouse, but what of this opportunity i spoke of? Well, when you wanted to turn this puppy off, all you did was fold it up to about 60% of its operational volume. The USB receiver that it came with was even magnetic to the underbelly of the mouse, and sat very safely and securely in its grip when folded up! This was the perfect mouse for that cool guy who was constantly on the go, because when he was all done, he folded that puppy up, dropped it in his pocket, and forgot about it until next time.

On and Off positions of Arc 2

Get off of Amazon right now, you can’t buy this mouse just yet. I know its really cool and all, but hear me out. What I described above was only the first generation of the arc mouse, and now, there is a second generation. The second generation takes all the cool factors of the first and multiplies it by a hundred. What i described as the operational state above, just like a normal mouse, is still the same in arc mouse 2 design. So Microsoft did not stray from their original plan: don’t make a better mouse, make a cooler mouse. The arc 2, like the arc 1, is just as easy to use as any other mouse. The coolness factor comes into play when you see how they manage that space between the mouse and the mouse pad when the thing isn’t in use. Instead of folding in on itself, it actually fold out making it completely flat. At its widest point (where the AAA batteries go), it is thinness is comparable to an iPhone! This dramatic reduction in size makes it even more portable than its posterior, and even cooler as well. There are also no joints for its folding, it is actually made of a flexible material that is outstandingly sturdy. Unlike the arc 1, it has no scroll wheel. Instead, it has a touch sensitive scroll pad in between the left and the right clicker. This scroll pad idea seems a bit scary at first, but after using it for 20 minutes it begins to feel like a wheel anyways. There is a motor built into the pad that gives you a very small vibrating sensation, like a wheel catching the inner components signaling that your computer needs to scroll down. This vibration, along with its clicking wheel noise, maintains every ounce of usability that computer mice are known for, but just puts everything into a friggin sweet little package. Don’t take from me, listen to Young Kim, the guy who invented this mouse. He can take you through the functionality, design, and usability aspects of the mouse himself.

Arc Mouse 2 Demonstration

If you own one of these things leave a comment below and share your experiences. A good pro/con list from a few of our viewers would be nice!

25

Tablet vs. Slate

By
Tyler Rowe
– April 16, 2011

Seen one of those really fancy iPad commercials lately? These commercials are really slick and show off a lot of the great functionality and application support that goes into your $800 portable media device. Many consumers are finding that the main reason that they “need” an iPad is that their current laptop is out of date or too slow to keep up with their favorite youtube channel. As a college student, I look around many classrooms and can’t help but shake my head at all of the ex-laptop owners who are doing anything other than taking notes on their little iPad. This fact begs one really important question: a question that will actually have the potential to change how we view computing in the future. Can a slate device, like the iPad, be a full fledged replacement for a laptop in both academic and business settings?

The answer to this question is a lot closer to “no” than we are lead to believe based soley on the sales figures for these devices so far. The iPad for example, is a slate, not a tablet. This is one thing that many people, especially the media, get wrong. A slate is actually a subcategory in tablet computing, not actually a tablet itself. The slate variety is unique in that it simulates a computer while lacking many of the peripherals that a computer needs to handle one’s day to day activities, such as USB, Ethernet, CRT/HDMI, mouse, keyboard capabilities, and disc drives. A slate is basically a very slim, lightweight touchscreen, that features an OS that is very basic in nature, usually close to something found on a smartphone. A tablet, on the other hand, is actually a computer. It has all of the portable features of the slate but it comes with all of the ports and external device capabilities that its slate friend unfortunately can’t handle. Another separating feature of the tablet is that they tend to feature stylus capabilities. Being able to write directly on the screen of your computer opens up a completely new way to interact with other people and organize your daily tasks.

As a college student who owns a tablet, I can say from first hand experience that note taking and organization has never been easier since I began using my tablet. Since I have made this transition, I have used 80% less paper and spend 100% less time organizing folders and managing documents. While others have their bags crammed with between five and six one inch binders, several books, and a room full of file folders and drawers, I can neatly fit everything I need into a two pound 12.2 inch laptop. Had I waited and instead purchased an iPad, I would have missed out on being able to take handwritten notes in class and type my 10 to 20 page lab reports with ease and comfort on a keyboard. On my desk, my computer is serves the purpose of a desktop (with a small screen), and on the go, my computer serves as both a laptop and a portable device that is capable of handling everything that a computer can.

If you have actually read this far without hitting that x in the corner of your screen, I appreciate your patience, because I’m stepping off of my soap box now. The reason for my writing this article is that I want everyone to realize that this slate revolution is completely changing the business model for many of the major computer manufacturers. Take HP for example. I purchased an HP Touchsmart tx2 tablet laptop about two years ago. This two year old computer has all of the things that I mentioned that these new slates do not have (USB, ethernet, CRT/HDMI, mouse, keyboard, optical drive). If you visit the HP website, click on laptops, portable, and the one at the very bottom is their newest tablet, the tm2t. If you click on customize, and begin building this computer, you will very quickly find something that is extremely startling: the computer has absolutely no internal disc drive. Many of us can lean back in our chairs and try to remember the last CD we actually put into our computers, and actually have trouble. Others, however, can look over at a pile of music CD’s and DVD’s that that serve as an impressive conversation piece for visitors and feel sad at the thought of never being able to use these in a computer again. It is obvious that HP notices that this slate craze is very profitable, and that a “bulky” 12 inch laptop just isn’t going to cut it in this new market. The makers of this tablet have opted to sacrifice usability and and part of the reason that we can still call this device a computer for a slimmer, lighter device.

This is especially bad news on the eve of the new Internet Explorer announcement. Windows Vista will not be able to run the new IE10. While we live in an age no longer dominated by Internet Explorer, some people still prefer its comfortable and vastly improved interface. Those same people who are still sitting on top of their old OS, Vista, would have a lot of trouble keeping their computer up to date as far as jumping onto a new OS like windows 7 without a disc drive. While it is possible for one to upgrade their OS without a disc or a disc drive, someone who isn’t quite as technically savvy would have to spend about a weekend trying to figure it out, or throw $150 at an external disc drive or a computer person to do it for them. This is obviously not a problem right now because this computer I have described to you comes preloaded with Windows 7, but when it comes time to purchase a new computer, we should always be looking ahead at the future. When Windows 8 comes out, will you be able to upgrade if your computer doesn’t have a disc drive? How long can you keep using updated software on Windows 7 once Microsoft decides to start killing off your OS?

The point of this article is this: computer manufactures do not need to start dumbing down their devices because of this fad that is come and will probably go. We need the heavy hitters like Dell, HP, and Apple to maintain their line of computers and tablets simultaneously with their slate introduction, not merge the two.

Now I want to hear your opinion. What do you think of this “slate revolution.” Do you think that having more hybridistic designs by merging our computers with these new slate technologies is a good thing or a bad thing? I am one man, with one open minded opinion, and I am very curious to how you, the educated consumer feels.

 

6

Editorial: America is app crazy

By
Tyler Rowe
– April 6, 2011

Not too long ago, people purchased their portable media devices (PMD) based on the specific features of that device and the software that works with the device. Many people bought the old school iPods because it had that nifty little wheel and iTunes was extremely intuitive and simple to use. If we were stilling using this standard to predict the success of a PMD, the Zune HD hands down would beat out all other devices because it has more features than any other device and the software is beautiful and extremely well developed.

Unfortunately, this is not the standard that we currently follow. The people want apps, period. We are so deep in the app fad that a phone cannot be successful if its app-store doesn’t offer “Angry Birds.” I didn’t even realize how big apps are until I started doing some research on the iPhone app store. There are currently 371,225 applications available in the app store, and applications are submitted at a rate of about 540 per day by large companies and single programmers alike (of course, not all are actually sold in the app store.) Zune users are, in relative terms, spoiled because we’ve been given the promise that all apps will be and are free and all advertisements have been removed. For our friend, the iPhone, this is not the case. Only 36% of the apps in their store are free. To take my previous statement even further, the people want apps, and they are willing to spend extra money to make sure they get them.

The Windows 7 Phone has also jumped on this bandwagon by releasing 11,500 apps themselves. There are many sites that explain how the WP7 app store stresses “quality instead of quantity,” and relative to apple this is very much true. This can also be seen in many of other Microsoft applications on different platforms, i.e. Xbox 360. The number of applications that are available for download haven’t been inflated by one-time-use gimmicks. Who cares if the screen on your phone looks like it is full of milk, and when you shake it turns into cream? Other app stores should follow the WP7 model of “Quality over Quantity” to make it easier for consumers to choose the best device that plays the most useful apps.

In a discussion about portable apps, someone who doesn’t own a Zune can’t help but feel bad for the poor little device. It was given the gift of brawn, but was never able to develop the brains. For Zune owners, the discussion of apps brings out a steroidal rage of sorts that is the number one killer of iTouch owners everywhere. The Zune HD has a whopping 44 apps, and on the model of quality over quantity, these apps better be able to print money, or winning lotter tickets right? Sadly, they don’t, but they are a lot more fun than turning milk into cream. For a college student, addictive, yet time wasting games are much less desirable than more useful apps, such as WolframAlpha or Google Maps. Here, again, the Zune HD falls short. The calculator app is kind of nifty, and if you have speakers that can take an auxillary cord the alarm clock app is useful as well, but on the same front, the Zune is good at keeping paper from falling off of your desk as well right?

I love my Zune HD, but I can’t help but understand why rumors of its death are so common. It has been set up for failure from the beginning, and the reason for why no one in charge of developing the Zune has seen this before is simply befuddling. Why hasn’t anyone realized that when your app store is only .012% the size of your largest competitors app store, you cannot possibly make any argument for why your device is superior to a market full of consumers who simply want the biggest and best applications. The Zune HD is simply a canvas, made of the highest quality material and has been primed with a first class bucket of the finest primer. For the Zune to ever be successful, it needs an artist.

7

Editorial: Zune is a brand. Windows Live is a mess. And the two together is…

By
Michael Collado
– February 15, 2011

*Too long; didn’t read notation below

“The Zune brand is dead! Off with Microsoft’s head! The end is where we’ve been lead!”

In the news today is that Microsoft is trying to slowly, but very surely, kill of the Zune brand name. They want to take all of the elements from Zune and move it to other services, like Xbox and Live and maybe even Xbox LIVE. The result: outrage from Zune users all over the Internet clamoring away that their favorite music service has gone the way of the DoDo.

Our friend, Travis Pope, posted an editorial earlier today on ZuneSpring that stated the exact reason most of this is just a lot of bull… droppings. A statement by Paul Thurrot ignited into an Internet phenomenon and has taken over. And while that in of itself isn’t enough credibility that Microsoft is, in fact, killing off the Zune brand (regardless of how much they didn’t say “Zune” instead of “music app” at MWC this week during their keynote) it’s important to note one thing.

Thurrot said that Microsoft wants to kill of the Zune branding.

Read the rest of this entry »

0

Editorial: Hey Microsoft, can we get reviews for songs, too?

By
Michael Collado
– November 5, 2010

Welcome to the Social.

Or at least the somewhat Social. It’s the slogan Microsoft has ingrained in our brains whenever it comes to Zune and anything related to it–so much so they released an actual social network around the idea. The execution behind that network can sometimes leave something to be desired. And high on that list: reviews.

Counter point? Songs in their entirety can be listened to on a multitude of different mediums and even when they can’t, there are 30 second previews. For the more fortunate, there’s Zune Pass where you can download entire music collections and delete them on a whim without any reprucussions!

The problem: Well that’s not the problem. If the issue was because you need a better idea if you will like this song or that music video then the same could be said about applications. Windows Phone 7 apps are allowed to let you try before you buy them… and if they don’t (which is a poor decision), even the least popular applications get demoed on YouTube. It all goes back to being Social.

The Zune Social already posts every single song that you listen to whether you want it or not, from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Ke$ha to N.E.R.D. to N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” because you just can’t get it out of your head this week! Don’t your friends (erm, “friends”) deserve to know whether or not you liked that song in the first place? I shouldn’t be pigeonholed because I listened to Enrique Iglesia’s “I Like It” once and didn’t like it (just re-read this and noticed the pun, sorry about that). In fact, if you think about it, this is even more of a problem for Zune Pass users since they most likely test out their listening habits on Zune than anywhere else.

Adding reviews to songs, music videos, movies, and TV shows–especially TV shows and movies if you agree with the check-out-the-reviews-before-you-buy philosophy!!–adds that social entity that the Social has been lacking. My Zune Social friends don’t get anything from my current Social feed other than the fact that I listened to a song. But that doesn’t say anything about my experience with that song. It doesn’t tell you if I liked the song, if I hated the song, or if I feel quite apathetic about the song. I can’t tell my friends why I decided to give Song A a broken-heart, perhaps because I couldn’t care for the auto-tuning; I can’t tell my friends why I hearted Song B, perhaps because it’s just addictive. All my friends see is a stream of what I’ve listened to and they’re allowed to judge (yes, me if I’m listening to too much N’Sync) their own habits and try to expand them through me. Surely, if I play a song multiple times I like it more than if I played that one song that one time.

But what about the times I didn’t listen to that song? What happens if I’m sharing my account with other members of my family? What happens when I’m a DJ, like our very own Jon Young, and am requested to play “I Like It” every single time? Then playing a song constantly doesn’t exactly equate to being a fan of it. That’s where reviews and ratings come in, to offer a sense of balance between those margins of error and to better align you with other members and friends who feel about music the same way you do. And let’s not even get into television, movies, and podcasts where there’s no measure of knowing how you’d like that media.

A few weeks ago I was about to write a Zune Social vs. iTunes’ Ping article where Ping took the cake. And in a way, the same is true here. I don’t want to make this a pro-Ping argument because that’s not what it’s about… but at least Ping manages those social features slightly better in some ways. Thankfully, for now, you can post a song as your favorite on the Social, but will you post every single song you like as a “favorite” in that connotation? I wouldn’t. And I don’t, currently.

Reviews: a smaller way to make the Social just a tiny bit more social. Or at least a tiny bit more effective.

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