Showing posts with label filthy richness haha. Show all posts
iPod versus Zune
Wednesday, March 18
this article is something i found out from the internet. in an effort to move my heart closer to zune, i posted this on my blog. enjoY! :)
It's time to settle the debate. iPod or Zune? Did Microsoft kick the pod where it counts or is the mighty whitey still the king of the ring? Each player is loaded with features, flashy video capabilities and music storage galore. What one should you take home? Well, I can't tell you exactly which one you should rush out and buy. But maybe I can help to point buyers in the right direction.I've fiddled with each of these players for well over a month each and have developed likes and dislikes, fondness and disgust (see our Zune and iPod reviews for complete coverage). Each player tackles the needs of consumers in a different way. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.Enough talk. Let's just get right into it. Here is my short list of what I consider to be the most important features of any portable media player. Which player fulfills these criteria and which stinks up the joint? Let us begin.
The Face-Off
Design
The iPod is an icon that set the pace for the product race. The Zune is a late comer to the party, slightly drunk and making boastful promises. While I actually like the Zune's brown and green color scheme, that iPod white is hard to beat and it looks just as good in black. Aesthetically the iPod is relatively simple yet timeless. Straight lines and rounded edges capped in glossy plastic with a chromed arse.Advantage: iPodSize & WeightThere is hardly a battle to be fought in this arena. The Zune is a heavyweight struggling to keep up with the tap dancing iPod. Despite weighing only 0.8 ounces more than the iPod, the chubby Zune is noticeably heavier and bulkier than the iPod!a drawback that is enhanced when resting in a shirt or pants pocket.
Advantage: iPod
Features
Both players do music and video well. But, in an effort to stick it to Apple, Microsoft packed an FM radio and wi-fi chip into their Zune. The Zune menu screens and album art are much more pleasing to the eye and the Zune offers customizable wallpaper. The iPod has a clock, games, contact list, calendar, notepad and stopwatch. An impressive list of extras but nearly all are available on cell phones and aren't terribly relevant to portable music or video. Sharing songs between two Zunes may be an exercise in Digital Right Management nonsense, but it's a heck of a lot more useful on a media player than a stopwatch feature.Advantage: ZuneSoftwareThe Zune software has been agonizingly slow and annoying on my laptop. iTunes has proven easier to update, sync and navigate. The iTunes podcast subscription support is still the easiest way to get your podcast fix. And strangely iTunes didn't seem to freeze up as much as the Zune software. This issue is made even more peculiar as I'm running Microsoft's own Windows XP operating system.Advantage: iPodUser InterfaceApple is awful proud of their touch sensitive scrolling wheel. I'd hold off on showing those baby pictures just yet, Steve. The Zune's D-pad may be reminiscent of an 80s model Nintendo controller; but it is quicker and easier to navigate menus and long lists of music with the clicking D-pad button than rubbing your thumb raw on the circular touch pad. After more than a month I still over-shoot menus while using the iPod.
Advantage: Zune
Content
More music, movies, and TV shows are available on iTunes. The Zune Marketplace offers less variety and more absurdity with the asinine Microsoft Points system.Advantage: iPod (although I still think 99¢/song is a rip-off)VideoEach player has a bright, crisp screen. The iPod's 2.5" screen offers the same 320x240 resolution as the 3" Zune screen. As such, videos played on the iPod are just a touch sharper. But the discrepancy is minor and not enough to make me choose the iPod's smaller screen for my viewing (dis)pleasure. Bigger is better.Advantage: ZuneMusicBoth players come with top-notch earbuds and pump out great sounding tunes. I could tell no significant difference in the clarity or quality from one player to the other.Advantage: TieOverall UsabilityThe sleek, thin shape of the iPod feels natural and lightweight in my hand. The brick-like nature of the Zune is less pleasing to hold despite the nifty textured surface. Having to go from portrait to landscape mode to view pictures and videos with the Zune is somewhat counter intuitive, especially when the menu and play/pause buttons get moved around to less ergonomic positions in the process.The Zune is heavier, bulkier and doesn't fit as nicely into a pocket as the iPod. And despite my dislike for the scroll wheel, the iPod gets away with using two less buttons than the Zune, making for a cleaner input surface and better usability when switching from music to video.
Advantage: iPod
Conclusion
By my count the final tally is 4 to 3 in favor of the iPod, with one tie. Not too shabby considering this is the first generation of Microsoft's Zune and the 5th of Apple's iPod. But, in the end, the king of the hill remains un-toppled.So what player would I take home? Well, neither to be honest. Both players rely on bloated loading software making it difficult to transport your music from computer to computer. Add in horrible Zune Marketplace points and over priced iTunes and I'll aim for an iRiver or Cowon product long before giving more money to Apple or Microsoft.But if I had to suggest a player to a new user or someone who is on the fence about choosing a Zune or iPod, I would probably recommend the old standby. I may never own one, but I'd have to agree with the market and declare the iPod champion! for now.
my conclusion? ipod is more popular NOW. Let's see what happens next. hahaha
What is your choice? :)
Be Rich..
Tuesday, February 3
Love has many faces. In HS, we have studied these. hmm.. And because it is the month of love, i would want to concentrate about how this magical word builds up our world., haha :) There are for kinds of love. The Storge (pronounced as stor-gay), Eros, Phileo and Agape.
- Storge refers to familial love. It is evident, for example, in the warm affection that parents have toward their children.
- Eros is the desire to draw out all that is good, beautiful and true. It is motivated by need. It's often understood to refer primarily to sex, but that's really only one part of it - albeit a significant part. Eros involves the emotional need to elicit physical love and affection ("beautiful expression" in general) from the one you love. In most contexts, this involves a romantic kind of love.
- Philia is Friendship Love. It is not sexual in nature, though (in the right circumstance) it can lead to or complement Eros.
- Agape love is the selfless love for others. In Exodus 32, Moses confronts God and asks forgiveness for the people of Israel. God refuses, at first, to forgive them, but allows that no penalty or sin is on Moses' head. Moses isn't satisfied, and casts his fate with those of the people. If God won't forgive the people of Israel, then Moses wants to be punished along with them. THAT is Agape love. It is, in fact, a picture of what Jesus did on the cross for our sins. Selfless, sacrificial love - in which nothing is asked in return. This is the kind of love that everyone should pursue.
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in my own understanding, Storge is human love. Like, i love apples. I love music.In my own life, i've noticed that winning usually follows losing. before i finally learned to ride a bike, i first fell down many times. i've never met a golfer who has never lost a golf ball. i've never met people who have fallen in love who have never had their heart broken. and i've never met someone rich who has never lost money. --robert kiyosaki, rich dad, poor dad
i love robert. i love his book and i am loving his thoughts. (storge, haha) to all those people who are inspiring to get rich the right way, i SUPER recommend this book.. super, :) other people may think that this book is only for money-thinking people, but it's not. it's for futuristic ones.. haha why do i want to be rich? haha.. that is because i don't want to work all my life. i don't want to spend my time doing hard office stuff when i could be spending time with my love ones. i don't want to grow old, not having the time of my life.. and those are my strong, personal reasons. haha it is worth a try.. school teaches us to be employees, and this book will make us realize to let ourselves be our own inspiration, not to work to earn money but to work for learning. the belief that your life will prosper if you just finish your education and fine a secure job is not applicable always. build a strong financial intelligenc and use your creativity to make money work for you. read it, now.
