Microsoft, not a maker of MP3 player hardware, has nonetheless deemed itself enough of an authority on the subject and is offering its suck…, err, Microsoft Windows Media website visitors, “Six Tips for Buying an MP3 Player with Flash Memory.”
Microsoft warns, “If you’re the type of person who’s on the go all the time and wants to jam to your favorite tunes while commuting to work, trekking across campus, or working out, then having the ‘right’ MP3 player is essential.”
Some selected tips* from Microsoft:
Make sure you’re getting all the goodies: Many portable music players can do more than just play music. Some players have a built-in voice recorder, FM recorder, or stopwatch. And some come with extra accessories like high-quality headphones, a belt clip, or an armband. Because most of these features are included at no additional cost, make sure the device you choose is filled with these fun extras.
You’ll want a display: When you have hundreds of songs on your player, you really need an easy way to select your music by artist, album, or genre. This is critical if you want to find that one song or artist you really want to hear. A display also comes in handy when you’re looking for your favorite radio station.
Let a professional make your next playlist: Having an FM radio lets you put your player on autopilot as you mountain bike, cycle, or rollerblade. And when you’re sweating it out on the stationary bike at your health club, you can listen to the program airing on the club’s TV. You want to have something that is fun, lightweight, and flexible. And FM radio is a key feature that many players offer at no extra cost, even for less than $100.
Don’t get locked into one online store: Have you ever been on the hunt for a particular song? Some obscure indie rock tune or rare jazz performance you heard on the radio? You might have to shop at more than one store before you find the song you’re looking for. Having the flexibility to choose from over 1 million tracks of music from multiple online music stores such as MSN Music, Napster, MusicMatch, and Wal-Mart can be the key to getting the music you want. Several stores even offer subscription services so you can download all the songs you want for about the cost of a CD each month.
If you buy a device that has the PlaysForSure logo, you’ll know that you can use it with your choice of PlaysForSure music stores. Shop for devices at the PlaysForSure.com Web site.
MacDailyNews Take: So remember, don’t buy an Apple iPod shuffle, don’t use Apple’s iTunes Music Store and you’ll be all set, the Microsoft Way. It’s better to have a second-rate codec from one place, a random non-iPod music player from somewhere else, and an also-ran online music store from a third outfit. It’s okay, it’s okay – they’ve all got identical PlaysForShit stickers stuck on them – it’ll all work just fine, just like you’re used to with Wintel! Enjoy your “experience.”
[Attribution: Digital Media Thoughts]
*Please remember, it’s “tips,” not “propaganda,” okay?
It’s really sad to be the richest man in the world and yet you can’t buy the computer or music player you really want.
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Bill Gates middle initials is F
BFG
If you define popups as “hell,” you should be on your knees thanking God every minute of every day for your wonderful life. And MDN doesn’t even serve popups, you spoiled fool.
MS is obviously scared of Apple’s utter dominance of the online music scene…
Yeah, it’s all about the PlaysForSure sticker baby..
I mean.. hey.. software doesn’t work ? No worries.. look to the sticker.. LOOK TO THE STICKER…
the logo is there, staring you in the face.. dont you know? you’ve already downloaded the songs and synced your MuVo player..
Visualize your MuVo player working properly.. Visualize Bill Gates wiping his ass with 50 dollar bills..
Yeahhhhh
excuse me mr. popups are hell..
does the work COMPETITION mean anything to you?
cuz … you know.. lying is one thing, competition is another..
“Visualize your MuVo player working properly.. Visualize Bill Gates wiping his ass with 50 dollar bills..”
Awww, shit, pissed me pants again – MDN is the worst for pants!
ok now, who’s going to creat the 10 tips for buying an operating system?
I don’t understand this fixation of the FM radio. I know part of the reason I have been making mix tapes, mixed CDs, and now playlists is so that I don’t have to listen to the radio and those irritating radio personalities with all those commercials (15 to 22 minutes of commercials for every hour of airtime). Now, radio stations are just compuuterized feeds from one or two locations (exaggeration). So, you rarely get local talent anyway. With that being said, the day the iPod comes prebuilt with a radio, is the day I never buy another iPod again. For me, the lack of a radio along with its style, elegance and ease of use is what sets the iPod apart from all the cheesey, electronic nerd looking gunk that is out there.
(No, I am not bitter. Bill Gates just makes me sick.)
Funny, I am using a PC for the moment on Netscape 7.1 and I get NO POPUPS! Ironic, eh?
“Let a professional make your next playlist: Having an FM radio lets you put your player on autopilot”
Why would I want someone else to pick the songs I have to listen to when I can pick a hundred of my favorite songs? Change your iPod to shuffle and you got autopilot.
Did any of you fscks read the tips? It made no reference to an iPod Shuffle. God you people are complete morons. You all just went to a whole new level of hallucination, hysteria, illusion and inanity.
MW “Didn’t” as in Didn’t anyone teach any of you how to apprehend anything?
Man, I thought I was an Apple fan. You guys are just technology segregationist’s….you’re like a bunch of jingoist’s.
They do make some great points on their website — such as the need for many people to have an FM tuner & a voice recorder. It boggles my mind why Apple has avoided these 2 top-requested features!
kernel panic,
insinuation
1 a : to introduce (as an idea) gradually or in a subtle, indirect, or covert way
Obviously if anyone is even going to that page to read these “tips”, they arent interested in an iPod in the 1st place.
kernel panic,
it is obvious propaganda. If they were trying to give completely unbiased tips, they would have altered their tips to read something like this:
Many players have additional features. Some can be very useful, but they can also be very frustrating to use. Make sure the player you choose is good at what you need it for. There is no sense in having a music player that can do fifty things, but none of them well.
A display has its uses, but often times it’s hard to use a display during activities, and your are not recommended to view a display while jogging or riding bicycle or other such activities. First decide what situation you will be in when you use your player the most. If you need a display, make sure the player has a display that can actually be used to navigate through songs. If navigation is not necessary, then a display is not necessary, since you will not want to spend extra money on a useless display.
Many people enjoy listening to music in varying orders. Make sure your player has the ability to create playlists and play in random order. An FM player can be useful if you don’t mind listening to ads, a DJ, and music that you can’t select.
If you plan on buying songs online, make sure your player is compatible with the store that you prefer. No store is directly compatible with every player and no player is directly compatible with every store. In making your decision, make sure you know what is required to play purchased songs on your player.
If you buy a device that has the PlaysForSure logo, you will only be able to use select music stores. Likewise, PlaysForSure stores will only play on certain music players. The music listening experience is comprised of the player, the music store, and the software. Make sure your choice seamlessly integrates all three of these areas if you want to have the most enjoyable experience.
They forgot to add that the wma player needs to be as ugly as possible and difficult to use (partly because of all the “features”).
Well, just tried to help a coworker get his new iPod photo to work with Windows XP and it would never work. I have been touting the superiority of the iPod and the Mac for a long time, but there seems to be a big issue with getting iTunes/iPods to work right with Windows. Apple does not need this kind of experience to be happening to Windows people. The guy was sick of fiddling with it and returned the iPod. I told him to call tech support and document it, but he has no time to screw with that. He would never switch to the Mac anyway, but his impression of iTunes/iPod has turned sour due to his experience.
My favorite part…. * Approximate figures based on CD-quality WMA (64 Kbps)
Wow…. 64Kbps is CD-quality… Now that is really funny…
“Obviously if anyone is even going to that page to read these”tips”, they arent interested in an iPod in the 1st place.”
So if I merely click on bmw.com, “obviously” I’m not going to be interested in buying a Lexus? When people are shopping, they seek out information from many sources, and want an honest appraisal of all comparable products. Do you really think the MS “tips” do that?
i just love redmond’s take on “consumer choice”; that is, as long as one “chooses” one of its equally crappy partners. heaven forbid that anyone would “choose” a product from a company that makes things that have an appealing appearance and that actually work. redmond is the borg; Apple is pure heaven!
(response to the clown whining about the united state’s refusal to ban land mines: what a jerk; anything that allows the US to win with the least risk to its military personnel is just fine and dandy. i really don’t care how many third world scumbags, of any age, suffer as a result. don’t piss us off; we won’t screw with you. waaah!
does anyone here know what a vegetative state is?
obviously if you’re a liberal <cough> ricko, you have no idea. vegetative state does NOT mean brain dead! mrs. schiavo still shows emotion and recognizes people according to family members.
the fact is that she is legitimately mentally disabled, but certainly not brain dead. and killing the retarded doesn’t sound like something that a liberal would want to do, but it does fall in line with abortion and other efforts to kill the unwanted.
Hey, have anyone tried to search on the Plays For Sure-site? When searching for iPod or iPod mini, you get the Rio Carbon-player over the nothing found-notice. When searching for anything else (including “shuffle”) you get nothing.
Have anyone mentioned this before?
Most of Apple’s competitor’s have built-in voice recording. I think that’s great, because it makes the products “contraband” inside most large employers. I can’t wait to see a DellDJ inside my company, so I can report it to security!!!
“and killing the retarded doesn’t sound like something that a liberal would want to do, but it does fall in line with abortion and other efforts to kill the unwanted.”
making statements about politics, especially stupid ignorant statements, is way, way off topic here.
go back to stupidassreligioustool.com to post that type of shyte.