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Why will Microsoft beat Apple to the living room?

Windows Vista + XBOX 360 + Zune

A recent NYT article about the next generation of media delivery hints at upcoming Microsoft deliverables for the home theater.

“When it comes to home video, the Xbox 360 has the potential to be a triple threat. Not only does it let users have access to PC-based media files over a home network, but its Xbox Live service, the Internet network that connects Xbox users around the world, can distribute movies and television shows directly to the box. Microsoft proved this recently when Xbox Live offered a 45-minute special download of the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica.” Does that mean that the Xbox Live team might soon go into the video-on-demand business?

“The infrastructure is there,” said Aaron Greenberg, group marketing manager for Xbox Live. Mr. Greenberg says that the number of connected Xbox users will hit six million by June 2007, and that Hollywood is noticing. Though he will not confirm that Xbox Live will start offering feature-length movies, he said, “We have a platform that is built for long-form video entertainment.”

Microsoft will soon own all three screens - your living room, your home office, and your mobile (whether it be the Zune or a Windows Smart Phone). They have proven with the XBOX 360 and Zune that they are paying a lot of attention to integration. Integration will be the key to success in providing the means of content distribution and winning consumers over in the category of entertainment. And Vista will provide a central management point at the PC which will inevitably transform into your home management console. I like where Microsoft is heading in their entertainment strategy and I think they have an Ace up their sleeve. Look out Apple, you may be late to the game for once - or at least you may end up getting picked last.

A Movie Library in Your Living Room - NYT - Wilson Rothman

tags: microsoft, apple, zune, entertainment

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Oops!

From Reuters:

“NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod digital music players shipped in the past month carry a computer virus, according to a posting on Apple’s technical support Web site.

Apple said since September 12, less than 1 percent of Video iPods — pocket-sized devices that can play music files and video clips — left its contract manufacturer carrying the virus RavMonE.exe, which affects computers running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system.”

Coincidence this only affects Microsoft Windows? Dun dun dun dun…….

I’ll tell ya what - I can’t wait to get my Zune!

Read

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I’m back on Google Reader, and I can say that I have missed it.

I had been on the Flock train for about two months using it for blogging, feed reader, flickr posting, etc. Last week I kicked that habit after I finally just got too annoyed. It’s instable, crashing at least once a day and often times consuming > 50% of the processor (yes, I have plenty of hardware running it). I also found that it wasn’t purging posts from feeds it had downloaded thus taking up > 50gb of room on my hard drive. That’s when I was through.

Now I’m back on Google Reader, after the latest release. I am liking it thus far although it is still ugly it is functional.

As for Flock, it’s goodbye until a stable release if ever. I love the feature set but if it’s not gonna work…it’s not gonna work.

I have been tagging a lot of posts ’shared’ in Google Reader, which is an excellent feature they have added. I used to tag posts and articles in delicious that I have read and wanted to share. Now, I click the share button and it aggregates to my website, a page Google set up, and is syndicated via ATOM in a feed.

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IE 7 Requiring Restart, originally uploaded by abrudtkuhl.

Why Microsoft, Why? They make me download two seperate applications to make sure my version of Windows is legal, which for all I know is spyware / malware. Then it takes 5 minutes to install (c’mon, it’s a damn browser). Now, I get to restart.

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Here are two reasons to attend the Iowa State University College of Business..

Amrit, who was one of the best professors I’ve ever had…

Watch

Prem - learned a lot from him

Watch

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