“The Portable Media Center — a new, Microsoft-conceived handheld device that presents video and photos as well as music — would be a decent idea if there weren’t such a thing as lampposts. Or street signs. Or trees. Or other cars. All those obstacles explain why no sane person tries to walk, run or drive while watching video, even as millions do partake in those activities with music playing,’ Rob Pegoraro reports for The Washington Post.
“A Portable Media Center’s ability to display photos and play back recorded TV programs, digital video clips and downloaded movies is supposed to set it ahead of mere digital-music players, but there just aren’t that many places where you can make use of it. Everywhere else, a Portable Media Center turns into the world’s heaviest, biggest, costliest MP3 player,’ Pegoraro reports. “It’s just too big to run with or even to stash in a pocket. Every time I took it on my commute, I spotted other passengers listening to their iPods and couldn’t help imagining what they’d think of anybody lugging around such a chunky gadget: ‘loser.'”
Full article here.
Well, this is to be expected when Bill tries to do “the vision thing.” I think this whole media center debacle, which by the way will be highly entertaining to watch implode, perfectly exemplifies what Microsoft is all about. They’re a marketing company that happens to make software. When they actually try to pretend it’s the other way around, sh*t comes out.
Last Post!!
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But on a serious note, this thing was doomed from the start. Nice comment Ed “Shit comes out”, ya and you can’t even wipe your but with the damn thing!
There is only one company that will create a portable media centre that answers all these usage ideas and that is practical for all uses.
And that company is APPLE!
All I want is an iPod with a colour screen so that I can store pictures of my grandchildren and show them off. You know! Grannies bragging book.
Grandma Crawford
well that’s pretty much MS for ya: chunky gadget losers
I like the idea of video on the go….I travel alot and could make use of such a device…
This was a very closed minded article…
Typical of this site…Is this Microsoft daily news or MAC Daily news…?
SnagglePuss, get a portable DVD player, it’s cheaper and has a bigger screen. Better yet, use your laptop.
eBook readers were a flop, expensive and limited in usefulness. As long as there are laptops there is no point to these things.
What would you expect from the makers of Internet Explorer, XP-only Service Packs, non-64-bit OS designs, and vaporware with less and less features (i.e Longhorn)?
Microsoft’s vision looks more like a nightmare.
Ahh, the perfect accessory for the Gateway Profile 5.5.
By the way, Gateway’s Profile 5.5 numerical suffix was chosen in honor of the 5 and 1/2 inch floppy drive. Rather sentimental of the Gateway folks, don�t you say?
When they come up with an encoding so you can download a full length movie off the net in half an hour then it would be cool to have an ipod with a video out feature so you can hook it up to watch on a TV, small screen you hook up to it, or maybe even goggles that you can wear which show as a full screen. You could then just play it when you want and would not have the bulk associated with the POS media center. If it becomes so it makes sense to do it I am sure Apple will lead the way.
Anyone know what the battery life of this ‘offspring from an M$ bastard child’ is?
1 hour… 2 hours…?
If you watch video on it it bet it wont be longer than 2 hours – as the screen would have to be backlit permanently to see the video!
Portable Media Center: Technology with a thousand and one uses!
Use #5. Chock for yer car when you hafta change a tire.
Use #23. High-tech paperweight.
Use #107. Wireless feature announces when Paul Thurrott’s video stream for the “new” Longhorn release is available.
Use #241. Nightlight and lullaby player fer yer little baby. Let Bill Gates nightly plant the seeds of MS dominion in the mind of yer innocent child.
Use 425: Back up yer �old� Windows OS before you install the next Service Pack.
Use 760. Link yer family�s PMC�s together to make yer own exclusive �home version� of a Microsoft supercluster-supercomputer.
Use 828: Run Windows externally after the latest virus has just trashed yer internal hard drive. (Only for Windows XP users with pre-paid subscription services.)
ONE BIG REASON ms pmcenters won’t sucksede is because there was no apple prototype to copy.
I think this picture pretty much says it all:
Could you actually see yourself holding that little brick up like that for half an hour to watch a TV show on that tiny screen, let alone a 2 hour movie? AND pay $500 bucks for the privilage??
The other promotional pictures look just as ridiculous. To me it already looks like a dated piece of technology.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002J6GLG
readerX:
Congratulations for finding the power switch to your computer. Now, find a dictionary or use spell check. Yours has got to be the most wretched and infantile attempt to spell “succeed” that I have every seen.
I hear that Mrs Crawford. Good to see proud grandmothers on this site.
According to the Microsoft website you can use the PMC for movies, television, or still photos.
You cannot use the PMC for movies, television, AND still photos.
Wow, what versatility, expansion capacity, and convergence?
Well, I suppose, that most Windows users will pay $1,500 to use all 3 grand features (excluding having to pay to upgrade to XP). Maybe Bill Gates will offer his non-XP user lemmings a discount to upgrade to XP.
Public Education Inaction:
It looks (more to the point) like you need a lesson on how to interpret sarcasm and wordplay. Lay off ‘readerx’ for trying to express his point of view with a bit of clever wording… While you’re at it – shove that dictionary up your a$$ and enjoy a good colon cleansing…
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devices/portablemediacenter/overview.mspx
Every TV show you’ve ever quoted. *
Every movie you’ve ever loved. *
Every photo you’ve ever taken. *
* This storage capacity requires that you have a Portable Media Center with a hard disk that is 40 gigabytes (GB) in size, with all hard disk space dedicated to either video, audio, or pictures.
Rite. I git it know. Werd play. Im goink to be a kreative riter lik readerx an scoty the toilet tissue. Say scottie i hope it tasted good.
werd play? wird play? help mee scotie. I furgit wat yu taut me in skool. kreativ ritin is hard too doo kus i cant tell when i start or when i stop it.
kan i go back to reglar riting. this kreativ stuf makes my hed hert.
yer lil pupil, readrex
portable media centers already exist, they are called laptops…theyre a phenomenal creation
microsoft get a clue, youre not going to kill the ipod with something that is not comparable. is the ipod competing with laptop computers? no. a portable media center is just a crappy notebook computer, and who wants one of those? i guess money doesnt buy common sense
woo needs gammur or punkuashun im a kreativ riter
i will rite kreative riting fer dummys to proov that i kan rite abowt kommunikashun an kreativ ritin at the same tyme. if u kant deel wit it two badd
no rools iz the roolz doo yoo whant moor or shud i shut up know or iz it reelee anoying
how kan u tel if it iz wat it iz call skoti fer sarkasm
so now i no wer scoties dickshunhairy is lodged – it iz up hiz kolon – i thaut that waz a kweer playce to put it
o no look at the tyme – gotta go
bin nyce rite sune