Seeing Pink

I've been wanting to get a Pink Zune for my wife. When I saw Circuit City's sales flyer this week, I knew it was time to buy. The Pink Zune is a limited edition, only 100,000 of them are begin sold, and they are selling better than any other color of Zune. The retailers have started charging different prices for the different colors (see amazon.com), so at $199, I jumped on it.

We got the Pink Zune yesterday, and we let it charge and sync overnight. I'm excited to play with it tonight - specifically, to try the wireless sharing feature (this is the first time I've had two Zunes together to try it!).

My wife loves it, and I must say, the Pink looks very cool. It's much better in person than in the photos I've seen. I do find it curious that the Pink Zune does not have the Zune logo on the back like my black Zune has.

Zune Download of the Week: Fourth Edition

"Breakfast in America" was a huge album. I remember when it was released back in 1979. "The Logical Song" was a big hit, and I remember a story about how the saxaphone solo was recorded in a bathroom because they liked the sound of the echo in there.

There were some huge hits on that album, and not surprisingly, four of the tracks on "The Very Best of Supertramp" come from that album. Also included are some other Supertramp greats like "Give a Little Bit," "School," and "Bloody Well Right."

The Zune subscription is a great way to reaquaint yourself with old favorites.

Microsoft Surface

Check out Microsoft Surface. At first you may wonder what the purpose is. A table top computer? Why?

But think about the possiblities. For example, a demo at the end of this video shows an interesting example of this technology in a retail setting.

Another cool idea: You and a friend have lunch, and wish to split the bill. You each lay your credit card on the table, and it automatically recognizes who you are and then displays pictures of each item you ordered. You and your friend can each drag your food items to your credit card, making splitting the bill easy. You then drag a slider over for the tip and touch the "pay" button.

How about this: You lay your Zune on the table. You then scroll through your music library using your finger, and you drag the songs you like over to the Zune and the music is synced to the Zune.

Then, you lay your digital camera on the table, and the table shows you the photos on the camera. You drag a few of them over to your Zune so you can show them to your friends.

It's all done with your finger and with no cables to attach. Very cool.

Zune Download of the Week: Third Edition

Okay, okay… so I missed a couple of weeks. So sue me!

To make up for it, I'll give you two downloads this week.

First up, an example of what makes the Zune Subscription so cool – rediscovering old favorites. I grew up listening to the FM Album Rock station, which included a healthy dose of David Bowie. I never considered myself a Bowie fan, but after years and years of hearing those songs, they just sort of stick with you. To feed my urge, I downloaded "Best of Bowie."

Isn't it funny how there are some songs that you never really thought you liked, but then at some point a switch if flipped and that old familiar song becomes a favorite. Bowie's songs are like that for me. Songs like "Changes," "Suffragette City," "The Jean Genie," "Rebel Rebel," and especially "Young Americans" are just great tunes. These are songs that I've heard over and over but never really paid any attention to, but now are some of my favorites. This CD also includes one of my favorite all times songs, "Under Pressure" which Bowie did with Queen.

Speaking of Queen (and rediscovering old favorites)… I don't remember how old I was, but I remember getting Queen's "Jazz" album out of a discount bin. It had a little cut in the corner to remind me that I paid less than retail for it. I pretty sure I bought the album for the music, but a side benefit of course was the poster that was included in the album. The album included some great songs like "Bicycle Race," "Fat Bottomed Girls," and the lesser known "Don't Stop Me Now." I also very much enjoy the swingy "Dreamer's Ball."

Bowie Downloads

• Changes
  


• Suffragette City
  


• Young Americans
  


• Under Pressure
  

Queen Downloads

• Bicycle Race
  


• Fat Bottomed Girls
  


• Let Me Entertain You
  


• Dreamer's Ball
  


• Don't Stop Me Now