Posts from — December 2007

Daniel Eran Dilger
Amazon’s new Kindle ebook reader is billed as the iPod for digital reading. Will it inspire a new era of mainstream electronic reading, just service a dedicated niche of hard core readers, or simply fizzle out into failure? We put the new device through its paces to find out.
[Read more →]

Daniel Eran Dilger
Apple is reportedly considering an expansion of its iTunes offerings to include video rentals. How can Apple succeed in a market where so many other online media outlets have failed or are struggling for relevance? By taking an new approach that follows what works in the real world, and respects the existing culture rather than trying to overturn it. Here’s what’s involved in the complex world of digital rentals.

[Read more →]

Daniel Eran Dilger
Forrester Research seems to be working hard to publish the demise of iTunes. Curiously, the better iTunes does, the more Forrester researchers ratchet up the alarmist fear-mongering. Comparing the increasingly shrill reports of doom for iTunes with actual sales data makes for an entertaining look at the nature of sensational reporting masquerading as independent research and analysis.

[Read more →]

Daniel Eran Dilger
Some ideas just won’t die. Proponents of the Mac OS X Leopard Windows API Myth are so convinced that Apple desperately needs to wedge Microsoft Windows into Mac OS X that they’ll run with any hint that might suggest a plausible way for this to happen. The latest take on the subject is that Mac OS X Leopard loads PE files and requests Windows DLL files, which more than a few pundits have determined must be a new development because Tiger didn’t do this. Therefore, they’ve decided that the only sensical conclusion to jump to is that Apple is secretly implementing the Windows API so that Macs will be able to run Windows programs natively. They’re wrong, here’s why.

[Read more →]

Daniel Eran Dilger
The video industry is heavily promoting HDTV as the biggest new thing since color. While it’s uncontroversial that HDTV can deliver an exceptional picture for users of the latest large flat screen displays, sometimes a high pitched marketing message can drown out more interesting realities. In 2008, it appears that low definition video will actually have a bigger impact on consumers; Apple’s strategies in video take that potential into consideration. Here’s why Low Def is big and getting bigger–and why it’s bigger than HD.

[Read more →]

Daniel Eran Dilger
If you’re comparing the iPod with Microsoft’s new line of Zune music players, there’s several important facts you should consider before making a purchase. It can be difficult to find a realistic, direct comparison between Apple’s iPod + iTunes and Microsoft’s Zune MP3 player and its accompanying Zune software.

As a tech consultant, digital outfitter, and the author of a variety of in depth consumer electronics reviews for popular technology web sites, I keep close track of the consumer electronics industry. I’ve prepared a free buyer’s guide based on my hands on experiences with both product lines, as well as my work with individuals and groups who buy computers and electronic devices both for business and for personal use.

If you find this comparison useful, you can follow the links at the end of the article to purchase a player. Any commissions I earn are unrelated and independent of the recommendations I make, and I don’t earn any support or ad revenue from any of the products I review.

This article compares the Flash-based Zune 8 with the identically priced 8 GB iPod Nano. There are also a wide variety of competing products from Creative, SanDisk, Archos, and other makers worth comparing as well, but much of the attention for iPod competitors has been placed on Microsoft’s Zune, resulting in most undecided buyers looking at these two brands.

[Read more →]