Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Zune

I've been looking for podcatcher software to replace iTunes. iTunes is ok, but there are a few features I would like that it doesn't have, and the fact that it doesn't use a regular Windows window means it has compatibility issues with other programs I run. One of these is my screen dimmer, monitorBright, which makes the screen dim enough to use while driving at night - iTunes just blazes brightly away in Mini Player mode, or doesn't display anything readable in regular mode). I also would very much like a rewind button - not only a slider that backs up in huge chunks. I listen to audiobooks, sometimes the files are as much as ten hours long, so if I miss a word and have to back up 1% of that - I have to listen to 6 minutes of book that I just heard, and by the time I get back to the word I missed, I'm daydreaming and miss it again!

So, I downloaded and tried Zune. After trying it a little, over a couple of weeks, I decided that there is one feature I like very much about Zune - it's very easy to find in Control Panel's uninstall list, which is alphabetical.

Goodbye Zune. You were horrible.

- Trevor.

Somewhere in Oregon (if I knew, I would tell. I-5 exit 148, if I remember right).

2009-01-27

p.s. Any recommendations on podcatcher software? I'd also like to be able to change the playback speed dynamically - some things can be listened to much faster than others! And hey, if I like it, I might write about it here (if I don't I almost certainly will!)