Zune HD - Up Close & Personal

Don’t ask me Why did I choose Zune instead of an IPod..because the choice wasn’t mine.So i am not going to stack up why Zune is better than IPod touch(there are renowned blogs who have skinned them both and reviewed extensively.) Instead I will tell you what’s good & bad in Zune HD.

In terms of design Zune HD comes closer to the IPod touch than all other existing PMP’s (portable media players).

The brilliant OLED screen with HD resolution is the best of all PMP displays in the market.(like Matrix I cannot explain how good it is..one has to see it)

I have used the Iphone and the touch interface in Zune is almost of the same quality (sometimes its too touchy.. especially while scrolling)

The metallic back finish gives a nice feel while holding it and it not too big it fits in your palm quite nicely. however if ur not using a Smartphone the Zune will be bigger than your mobile.Zune Originals lets users to personalize their Zune not just by engraving their name but also with cool tattoo like designs & patterns.

I wont get into detailed specs, but the following are the things which has changed my attitude towards Zune..(and i didn't get these from any of the tech reviews i read)

Zune Software – This is really cool….iTunes does not even come close…the look, feel, navigation is mind blowing with its awesomeness..Quick play history, Smart DJ mix, exploring music using Music Mix view (i listened to album previews from the net with just a click), fresh hits list ,automatic syncing etc etc

Best of all is the is the Zune pass content, where the software pulls info from the web about the song , singer ,photos and displays in the backdrop as a cool slideshow.This is also transferred to the Zune so it works offline too

notice the text just above the taskbar

I strongly recommend to music explorers like me to give it a try (Zune player is not necessary for using Zune software)

Audio Surf Tilt : Even though Zune has very little apps for it, this game is a killer app which has made even apple fan boys to drool. Basically its a game where a space jet moves along the track and one has to hit the colored beads and stay clear from the speed bumps…but what really cooks the noodle is that , the track is designed based on the song you choose, the bumps,pace of the game etc are based on the song pattern.

PGR-Ferrari Edition : Nothing unique abt the game per se, but the Tegra chip in the Zune brings out the finest details & textures of this Zune version of Project Gotham Racing which is very close to the PSP (in display i mean) which shows the potential of Zune as a great gaming device ( heard rumors abt a spl Zune version of Gears of War..yay!! :D)

Okay, now the bummers ..

• The headphones are good ..that's it… not great
• Zune marketplace does not work in India.. although you can see the content you cannot buy it ..my free Zune pass(14 day trial) has gone to waste
• Charger not inclusive , have to buy it separately (of course.. you can charge using the USB PC cable)
• The web browser isn't as great as i thought it wud be..but yeah it has wi-fi and wireless sync support.
• India has no HD radio so no point in flaunting that Zune supports it (The Radio feature works like breeze though :) no complains there)

ZUNE HD from Microsoft Click 4 CNET review

Funny thing is I had always studied that Apple is for niche and Microsoft aims at mass..in this case its a role reversal…I am sure Zune is a rare thing in Bangalore with a mystic aura while iphones and iPod touch have lost their niche factor…

for that reason alone i am happy it is a Zune HD and not an IPod :)

Happy Journeys from KPN- a true story

Well even though i have my personal blog for my stories, this story (well since its true u can term it as a incidence) deserves a place here since the moral of the story stems from marketing :P

It all started 3 months ago, when I came to know to the train to Madurai has been fully booked for Diwali and has a waiting list longer than Apple fans queue waiting for the iphone.

So these were the last 2 options which can result in a peaceful journey, if not a happy journey.

1. I can wait till the last two days and try to book the tickets in Tatkal scheme within the 12-15 mins i will get when the booking opens. – [booking starts at 8 am (online ) and usually its fully booked within 15 mins-bcoz Madurai has only one train to Bangalore :( ]
2. Or I can wait 2 more months and book the tickets in KPN travels before 30 days when the booking opens @ 12am online.

Since I have not gone home for 6 months and because it was DIWALI..I went for the 2nd option.

So I kept a reminder and dutifully booked the ticket-Volvo Ac onward to Madurai.Mission –1 accomplished.

I have to wait to more days to book my return journey.And my reminder was working fine and i proceeded to book the tickets then I found the price was higher – Rs .650… Rs.200 etc (diff becoz it night trip,but no Volvo no AC)

My super intelligent brain thought about “value for money” and i didn't book it.thought I will check with my brother before booking.

After me and my brother agreed to go ahead with KPN itself, i was shocked to find that no more tickets left and it was just 6 am

All I could think was……….u too KPN?

Anyways we couldn’t get anything else and I told my dad to book whatever he can get. And he booked it in Balaji travels Rs 550 for airbus ..Rs 100 more..but its k at least we have got a reservation.

we didn’t know that's the only thing we were gonna get…

The onward journey was great..we were picked up by minivan to the main boarding point. and since it was VOLVO A/C, no heat,no bumps.it was a breeze and reached Madurai @ promised timing.

On the day of departure we call those guys and they give us a shock by saying bus has broke down and we are refunding..after we blasted him for not informing before ..he offered a deal..u come in 30 mins i will get you 2 tickets to Bangalore in some other travels

and so we ran to bus station and he acted as if he was generous to arrange two tickets.then he took us to another travels office and gave us 2 tickets for special bus to Bangalore and said good bye to us.

we waited n waited and finally the bus came…to shock us even more.This special Bus was as ordinary as a bus can be.it was not even a semi sleeper and posed as a tourist bus. To spike our misery they started playing loud music with Dolby DTS effects.As silent as I am.. even i couldn't take it and screamed to reduce it.Then they showed some mercy by keeping it at ‘normal’ volume. We thought of switching, but we were too tired to fight with those guys and since we didn't now if we would get a better bus.After another 3o mins bus finally started and came out of the bus station.Since we were both tired we slept off and hope to see Bangalore on the morning.

90 mins later i wake up and get the worst shock of the whole trip..the damn driver has just took a U turn and come around the other side of bus station. that was the time i realized what is a brand name & just a name.

KPN stands for great service..correct timing,stops only @ quality restaurants, comfortable seats, less sound..(read WHY KPN ?)

Balaji travels stood for one thing ..Govinda.. Govinda….

PS: well by Balaji’s grace or whatever they did drop us in Bangalore safely

PS2: If u wonder what is this post really about ..read this

Social Media in your Hands

“Facebook zooms up mobile sales”

Don’t Believe Me?

Take a look at the ads of the all  the recent mobile ads. You will notice social media integration  especially Facebook ,(Twitter next) being highlighted as a prime feature.

Its true that consumers are particular whether their new mobiles have seamless social media integration. Gone are the days only Iphone used to have such things ,  even a budget phone costing around Rs.5ooo comes with Opera Mini browser and Java support and provision for Facebook application.

With better phones & faster GPRS, also  with 3G coming up, there will be a significant increase in Mobile browsing especially in terms of social networking.

  I think a lot of WEB oriented applications will have a critical role to play , than the megapixels & memory cards in the upcoming models.

What’s with the Brand thing?

Jeans – Rs. 499

Levis Denim wear – Rs. 2499

That’s a hell lot of difference in the price and very nominal difference in the product. So are consumers stupid to pay that premium price? Of course not they pay because they get a guarantee for its quality.

But we all know this.. don’t we? So why I am digging basics here?

Because when you say brand many consumers (at least in India) think of only Coke,Pepsi, Maggi, Levis, Nike, Reebok etc. But what about Local Brands who  are not really hip n happening  but still have a brand equity?

For example KPN travels is a well known transport service provider in south. I forgot brand KPN stands for their service  quality and did a terrible mistake of booking  in some other travels to save 5oo bucks,and what I got was the most pathetic travel experience.

If  I had been willing to the extra premium for the Brand KPN  I would have  had a return journey.I can say this for sure because  my onward journey was through KPN.From now I am not going to book in any other travels other than KPN. 

This experience made me observe many local brands I come across in my daily live, which I should be specific with, like for example I always prefer Adigas over Shanti Sagar (chain of restaurants) – Adigas is a lil costly but worth it & most of the Shanti Sagars suck big time.

The point is Big or Small, Local or Global, Branding is essential ,  important & worth having. Many of my batch mates are now managing  their family business and I strongly suggest them to develop a distinct brand,logo, etc (anyways, what’s the point of an ‘MBA’ running the business if its not branded?)

BTW Any idea how do Big brands protect their brands logo etc from being misused?

Because I saw , SONY brand crackers, Disney & Harry Potter  Fireworks and a Tamil magazine with a tweaked Google Chrome on it

Will/Can/Should Google sue these guys??

Chrome Brow (ser) needs to Grow

Yeah its light ,yeah it loads fast,yeah its smooth,but wats the use ??? Its not working good.

I am yet to Chrome experience that Google says.Every time I log onto to orkut or youtube , it says try Google Chrome.But when I try Chrome ,except for the awesome message (“you are using Google Chrome awesome!!)  nothing else is awesome its all just ..awhh(yawn)

See the pic closely  “Please try using Google Mail with a Supported Browser”  and the browsers was Chrome!!…what can I say?

If this wat Chrome is all about they better chuck their OS plans.If they are serious about it they better make Chrome more robust and btw when the plug-ins are gonna come??

Worst part is Chrome crashes than IE 8..now that's pathetic when something crashes more than a MS product then it has got serious problems

Firefox is the best browser till date,yeah it hogs on memory at least it works.It hardly crashes,even if it does it bounces back in a zing.IE8 is lil faster,but when you consider user friendliness, compatibility,java script performance,add-ons etc Firefox is still hot !!

Of all the products from Google from Google Earth to Picasa,I think Chrome is the exception as it is very much worse and I sincerely hope they fix up the flaws before they roll out the Chrome OS

Macs on Air

Since my 5th headphone of my mp3 player has broke down,i switched to the FM in my mobile (only good thing left in it).Due to this I got two issues to talk about.

1. My favorite stations – primarily Radio Indigo and occasionally Radio One simply because of the language –English & Hindi.Two Tips to Radio Indigo –

• learn the sound quality from Radio Mirchi and Fever 104 .Except for the theme music, songs sound dull.
• plzz change your selection of morning songs.I don't want to listen gangsta rap , explicit rap or depressing alternative rock.Oldies and classics will do.This is the reason I switch to Radio One and not the ads between the songs

2. Coming to more serious issues –the ads.I have learnt some concepts in developing print and visual ads and I have tried to apply it too in my assignments.But I think Radio Ads is totally a different ball game.I don't understand the logic of telling the phone number breathlessly in the end .Why or How would the listener remember the telephone number? (only a really good fancy number has the slightest chance) .

Ads I like to hear are

• Tuborg –fun starter nights (btw its a beer ) good music, nice voice and she does not mention its a beer,but we get the hint..
• GRT stylus jewellery – a slow ,long,nice song, sung in style.
• McDowell's Accessories – starts with cheesy French lines followed by really classy voice bringing the international feel and “Paris” helps a lot.

Ads which are not worth hearing:

• Open magazine – just what the hell is the magazine about ??,I am sure the magazine sucks big time just like the ad.
• Mac Ads (this has nothing to do with my MS bias) – first of all i am surprised to “hear” ads for Macs-And the so called confessions neither sound cool nor realistic.

Best of all they finally say the cool dudes say thanks mommy for Mac and thanks daddy for the Mac.Aren't Macs supposed to be owned by cool dudes??

I am not disrespecting their love or gratitude for their parents but i don't picture any college guys with Macs,showing off “look My Mom bought this really cool Mac for Me” . Do bike ads or mobile ads feature guys say “thank you Mommy”??Either be cool or cute don't try to be both,but if u really want to people to switch, be logical, at least for technology products.

Other Ads weren’t worth remembering :P

If there are any basic rules or framework for radio ads kindly let me know,I will be most obliged.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENOVOS !!!

  THIS AUGUST MARKS

THE FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSAY OF

 DENOVOS

THANK YOU ALL

FOR YOUR

LOVE & SUPPORT :)