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Obama's "ZuneGate"
Posted by
kdawson
on Sun Dec 07, 2008 05:17 AM
from the et-tu-barack dept.
from the et-tu-barack dept.
theodp writes "Barack Obama supporters were left shaking their heads after a report surfaced that the president-elect was using a Zune at the gym instead of an iPod. So why would Mac-user Obama be Zune-ing out? Could be one of those special-edition preloaded Zunes that Microsoft bestowed on Democratic National Convention attendees, suggests TechFlash, nixing the idea that the soon-to-be Leader of the Free World would waste time loading Parallels or Boot Camp in OS X just to use a Zune."
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so? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)
You took the words right out of my mouth.
An MP3 player is an MP3 player - you don't have to use an Ipod. Me, I use an Insignia that I got for free from Best Buy and it works just fine.
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Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:so? (Score:5, Informative)
The Samsung YP-U[123] (BTW, don't import one from the US; the US firmware has no support for Ogg Vorbis) devices seems to be quite easy to get hold of all over Europe; I bet you can find that one in Italy as well. But I'd recommend trying to find a Cowon iAudio instead (possibly by ordering it online). Less bugs in the Ogg Vorbis support plus support for Ogg FLAC.
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Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)
I thought this was
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Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
What vastly outsells iPods? Last I checked, the iPod brand still had about 85 percent market share.
Assuming that's true (*), that's almost certainly by market value, not units sold- that is, a £200 iPod Touch counts way more than a £15 no-name player.
Important perhaps from a business perspective, but from the point of view of what player a given person is likely to be using, definitely misleading in favour of the higher-priced iPod range.
(*) And even for a market leader it sounds very high; I'm sure the headline figure hides a more complex picture.
Re:so? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:so? (Score:5, Informative)
If you don't mind a small "REFURB" engraved in the case, consider something like a refurbished Sandisk Sansa C2xx or E2xx, likely among the cheapest Rockbox compatible players out there. Regardless of what an mp3 player is designed for, if it can run Rockbox (and is not an Archos) it will play Ogg Vorbis and mp3 files, as well as a number of other file formats [rockbox.org]. Woot [woot.com] features players like this often enough that it has become a sort of running joke; if you're patient you might get a good deal there. I got my refurbished 2GB Sansa C250 at Woot for $15 + $5 shipping, then added a 2GB MicroSD card I had picked up elsewhere for around $5.
Rockbox, on any supported player, allows far more customization than the built-in software. You can even write your own programs (plugins) to run on it, or modify the Rockbox software itself, if you're so inclined. Rockbox is open source.
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Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)
Our top story tonight... Obama: To Apple or not to Apple, that is the question posed to our team as rumours surface about major Mac user President Obama using a Microsoft Zune to listen to his music. We bring you the detailed analysis after this commercial for iPods.
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Re:so? (Score:5, Interesting)
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Or... (was: Re:so?) (Score:4, Funny)
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Re:so? (Score:5, Funny)
I am absolutely thrilled that the dumbest thing this president has done so far is use a Microsoft product. Dubya had already planned to blow up half of the world by now.
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Re:so? (Score:4, Funny)
He's quite clearly an Apple guy, and like all their fanbois he is a religous zealot, who will do his hardest once president to push to ensure the spirit of the Mac leader does not die. After all, he has pledged to create 2.5 million Jobs - I just hope they've ordered a load of black turtlenexk sweaters for all those clones.
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More pop culture (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:Why not use a phone (Score:4, Insightful)
- Because I'd like to avoid shooting my mobile's battery to hell through constant use for music.
- Because despite the propaganda from various cell phones makers, there's more and more evidence coming out that tends to show it's not very healthy to carry one over you for long stretches of time.
- Because I'll never again bind myself with another 12/24/36 months contract to have the latest 'ooh, shiny' and I much prefer buying a cheap phone with no strings attached which will last me at least a couple of years. That way I can change provider whenever I feel like it.
That's thinking about it for a couple of minutes. I'm pretty sure different people could find other reasons easily enough.
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Re:Why not use a phone (Score:5, Informative)
Considering the battery is there for running a moderate output transmitter, its not surprising that playing music pretty much has bugger all effect on battery life if you are involved in a call a day. (My W350's battery is barely scratched by playing music as opposed to normal standby).
If you read the GSM spec, you'll find when your phone is idle its transmitter is switched off. It listens to the closest towers, and when it notices its switched area (as in group of towers) it wakes up, notifys the BSC and goes back to sleep. Considering then its mainly a non-transmitting device like an iPod - I doubt the health issues are from anything but hippies. (I mean come on, its got a tiny battery - just how much energy can it deliver to your balls without flattening it? :P)
Me too. Thats why I bought outright every phone I have owned.
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Re:Why not use a phone (Score:4, Informative)
Well, yes in a certain very distorted sense of the word there is more evidence coming out that carrying a cell phone isn't very healthy, I mean as time passes we do see more studies claiming connections between negative health outcomes and cell phone use. However, we also see more studies disputing this link.
Could cell phones be somewhat unhealthy? Sure, but there are some careful studies [arstechnica.com] suggesting the opposite and most importantly any theoretical basis for the supposed effect is at best pretty speculative [arstechnica.com].
First of all ask yourself if you were a cell phone company would it make sense to go out and suppress the science with some organized cover up? For starters given that lots of smart people who have read the research aren't convinced it's likely that your biases as a cell phone exec would virtually guarantee that you didn't believe the health claims. But in that case you would want to fund the most reputable scientists and perform the most respectable study possible rather than funding less influential rent-a-studies. Even if these execs have been convinced of the link by a unpublished stream of compelling evidence the lawsuit against the tobacco companies should have taught them that you shouldn't cover up the science and risk liability when you can just use advertising to associate your product with healthy living in the mind of the public despite the science.
I mean let's be serious, the idea that the cell phone companies are engaged in some intentional plan to cover up the evidence about cell phone harm just isn't plausible. But while it isn't as sexy we know that publication bias exists and can have a substantial effect. Scientists want to spend their time on papers that will bring recognition, grants and employment not ones that say "we didn't find any statistically significant correlation in the groups we examined." This means we are a lot more likely to hear about data sets showing a link than those that don't. After all 5% of studies should end up with an effect at a 95% significance.
Moreover, it's hugely difficult to run a randomized trial for this kind of claim meaning that any effect could be nothing more than an unrecognized prior cause. People who use cell phones are far more likely to use a wide range of other products and probably correlates with a ton of genetic and socio-economic factors. Even studies linking which ear people used for their phone to later cancer occurrence aren't definitive. It's certainly plausible that our dominant hemisphere is more active/different and thus runs a greater risk of cancer.
The truth is that these sort of weak statistical links between an item an ill health effects are frequently wrong and need to be examined carefully. If, as we see in the cell phone study, not only do the studies go both ways but the more careful positive studies show a weaker effect and we lack any firm theoretical foundation for expecting an effect we should conclude it's probably just an artifact of publication bias or common causation.
Of course given that people are so conviced radiation is evil that they falsely convince themselves it makes them sick [arstechnica.com] I don't expect this kind of reasoned consideration to have much impact on the public at large. However, if you are that afraid of "radiation" you should find another website.
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In other news... (Score:5, Insightful)
Obama is said to have been wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear instead of his usual Hanes...
WTF...*this* is news for nerds? I could care less what any politician uses to listen to his or her music.
Re:In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, but if it turned out he was listening to c64 sid music, I'd wet my pants ;-)
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Re:In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Note to self: Remember never to allow Albert sit on the couch without plastic seat covers.
-
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Re:In other news... (Score:5, Insightful)
If the presidential choice of MP3 player seriously matters to you, kill yourself. With all of the problems facing the US and indeed the entire planet, this is the most trivial of matters, and people reporting on it should be ashamed of themselves.
Next we'll be hearing about Obama getting a hangnail. Just shut up.
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Right. So obviously nobody has modded your post +5 insightful yet.
But they should. I mean seriously. Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick. Who cares? In other news, he might wear string underwear, use hugo boss suits and play the banjo in his spare time too... And I still ask myself "who cares?"
All of these bloggers, newsmen, execs and /. editors ought to get something that at least resembles a life. Really. Seriously.
It reminds me of a Cake Song:
Shut the Fuck up
Ok
All right
Oh no
This one, this one, this one
Heads of state who ride and wrangle
Who look at your face from more than one angle
Can cut you from their bloated budgets
Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets
Now, heads of state who ride and wrangle
Who look at your face from more than one angle
Can cut you from their bloated budgets
Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets
(Shut the fuck) up
Yo, shut the fuck up
(Shut the fuck)
Right, right, learn to buck up
(Shut the fuck)
Right, shut the fuck up, hey, ho
(Shut the fuck)
Now, now learn to buck up
(1, 2, a-1, 2, 3, 4!)
Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
Will eat your children and steal your thunder
While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
Will crunch like nuts in the mouths of squirrels
Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
Will eat your children and steal your thunder
While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
Will crunch like nuts in the mouths of squirrels
(Shut the fuck) up
Yo, shut the fuck up
(Shut the fuck)
Right now learn to buck up
(Shut the fuck)
Right, shut the fuck up yeah, ho! Yow!
(Shut the fuck) Yow! Yow! Yow!
Learn to buck up
Now, simple feet that flicker like fire
And burn like candles in smokey spires
Do more to turn my joy to sadness
Than somber thoughts of burning planets
Now, clever feet that flicker like fire
And burn like candles in smokey spires
Do more to turn my joy to sadness
Than somber thoughts of burning planets
(Shut the fuck)
All right
Ok
I don't(Shut the fuck) wanna
I don't wanna hear it that's right
(Shut the fuck)
Oh no, ok, I don't wanna
(Shut the fuck)
I don't wanna
(Shut the fuck)
Yeeaahh, ho, yow!
(Shut the fuck)
I don't wanna...I don't wanna...
Ooooh ooh oooooooh ooh ooooooohhh ooh
You guys (Score:5, Funny)
oh my god (Score:5, Funny)
He is one of those f*** bastards who use the tool that best fits him (for example being free, if it is really a gift from microsoft) instead of "what he should use"!
(or better)
He is one of those f*** bastards who only want to listen mp3 ignoring how stylish is his player!!
Impeachment now!!
God help us. (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe he cares more about the music he's listening to rather than the make/model of the player.
If I did n't have an mp3 player and got a zune for free, as long as it played my mp3s correctly I'd use it. Sometimes I wonder if Apple is a religion or just some company that makes tech products.
Re:God help us. (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe he's found out about how Apple make it impossible to use third party hardware with the iPod classic, or maybe he got one of the crippled EU ones with a volume limiter which precludes the use of a lot of high end headphones. Or maybe he doesn't like the fact many iPods have problems with batteries, or the effort Apple goes to to thwart people's attempts to use their own software or firmware in the Apple so you can't play ogg/flac etc format files. Apple's successes with the iPod are chiefly marketing related, not technological. They're like Microsoft - they adopt other people's work and stick it inside fancy cases. There's no reason why Obama should use Apple instead of Microsoft stuff - it means nothing.
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Reality Check Needed (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't believe that some people care more about which MP3 player he uses than what policies he's going to implement.
Can I get a reality check to aisle S, please?
Jesus... (Score:5, Insightful)
Holy Christ! Our president to be is using "such and such" as his mp3 player!? Holy Christ! Some one please tell me what popular Hollywood celebrity is dating what Hollywood celebrity right now as well because this is all totally fucking relevant to my life!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Actually, I didn't mean to repeat "holy Christ" twice in the same post. I'm very sorry everybody. I'm very sorry Slashdot is posting tabloid bullshit.
Re:Jesus... (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, I didn't mean to repeat "holy Christ" twice in the same post. I'm very sorry everybody.
That's ok, you actually have to call his name three times in order for him to...oh wait, I think that was the other guy...
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Re:Jesus... (Score:5, Funny)
Beetlejuice.
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Great (Score:5, Insightful)
As MAC user with a Zune, he will be able to experience the true value of DRM. I hope he'll remember that the next time some DRM lobbyist asks for a favor...
Re:Great (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm pretty sure our current president has had these issues, he's an ipod listener, but I also guess he probably has his staff do everything for him and doesn't really care if his staff have to infringe on copyright while they are working on his behalf or violate the terms of the license to listen to the songs by moving them amongst un-authorized computers.
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I don't care! (Score:5, Funny)
I'm posting to let you all know that I don't care!
Impeach Him! (Score:4, Funny)
Watergate is a God Damned Hotel You Turds (Score:5, Insightful)
Soo... (Score:5, Funny)
Was it a brown one?
Doesn't matter (Score:5, Insightful)
This is classic (Score:4, Insightful)
It's one of those "what a product represents" things. The Zune is immediately uncool at slashdot because Microsoft, newsflash- Microsoft make some decent products. Rated Excellent at cnet- http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/microsoft-zune-120gb-third/4505-6490_7-33259222.html?tag=mncol;lst [cnet.com] . Reality check, this is a good mp3 player that he got free, I'd be concerned if he went out and spent $250 just for a different make.
Zune sighted in real world! (Score:5, Funny)
You guys are all missing the point! The "news, things that matter" part of this isn't that Obama is using a Zune, but that a Zune has actually been seen being used by someone. Happens to be the president-elect, that's just the bonus celebrity factor. But have you ever seen a Zune outside a store? See, now you know why this is news. :-)
Re:Zune sighted in real world! (Score:5, Informative)
F*ck your right, I think we all missed that one.
An other observation: it seems he got it for free, so this one had never seen the inside of a store.
Conclusion: no1 buys these things.
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for the record (Score:4, Insightful)
I dont care to know any of the following about Obama's preferences:
1. Ipod or Zune
2. Apple or PC
3. Charmin or Scott
4. Missionary or Doggy
5. Chevy or Ford
Folks get over it - Obama is not the second coming and he's not the Antichrist -
What really happened (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe because Zune Pass is a great deal? (Score:5, Interesting)
iTunes Store: millions of songs. Download and keep any song for $1.
Zune Pass: millions of songs. For a flat rate of $15/month, download as many as you want, for use on up to three Zunes and three computers. Each month, you get to designate 10 of these as permanent. If you cancel your subscription, you keep the ones you designated as permanent, and the rest go away.
I have two iPods and an iPhone, and I'm sorely tempted to get a Zune for Zune Pass. That's a fantastic deal.
Re:"soon-to-be Leader of the Free World" (Score:5, Insightful)
As a Dutch citizen I have the perfect freedom to:
- get abortions
- do soft drugs of various kinds
- drink alcohol from the age of 16
- get serviced by a hooker
- get euthanasia
- get married whether I'm gay, bi or straight
- get divorced
- speak my mind
- drink on a sunday
- have sex in public places so long as it's not visible from the street
- go where I please (we don't need visa for 99% of the planet)
None of which are freedoms I've seen Americans enjoy.
So I second that motion. Obama will be president of the USA. Calling him "Leader of the Free World" pisses me off too since he sure as shit don't rule my country.
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Re:"soon-to-be Leader of the Free World" (Score:5, Funny)
- get married whether I'm gay, bi or straight
Americans can get married whether gay, bi or straight... as long as they marry someone of the opposite gender!
Take that cloggie!
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Re:"soon-to-be Leader of the Free World" (Score:5, Insightful)
As a Dutch citizen I have the perfect freedom to: - get abortions
Legal in the US
- get serviced by a hooker
Well you can do that in Nevada. Its not like the Dutch have NO restrictions on prostitution, (no street hookers)
- get divorced
You can't get divorced in the US?
- speak my mind
We can't do this in the US?
- drink on a sunday
WTF? Have you been to the US since 1950? Their are some states that have prohibitions on where/when alcohol can be sold, I don't know of of any state that prohibits consumption in a private residence.
- go where I please (we don't need visa for 99% of the planet)
Getting a visa is going to largely depend on the *other* country, not your own.
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Re:"soon-to-be Leader of the Free World" (Score:4, Informative)
In the interest of full disclosure: I'm dutch.
Yeah, I'm afraid you have a point. Dutch tolerance is more a sort of institutionalised indifference.
However, you must take into account that right up until the 1950's, most Dutch people had only seen foreigners as pictures in a book. Even I at 27 years can recall watching TV in primary school, and half the class starting to scream and yell profanities because the announcer was black.
That's not an excuse, it's just how it is: people that are "different" are scary. In the Netherlands it used to be the Turkish Dutch, now it's the Moroccan Dutch. In the US it's the gays and potheads.
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