Addicted to Digital Media

Upload to Facebook and YouTube from Windows Live Photo Gallery (Beta)

Sean Alexander — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:13:18 GMT

I just discovered these gems on Channel 10 - upload plug-ins for Facebook and YouTube coming to Windows Live Photo Gallery. I've often wondered where the rest of the upload wizards are. Now, can we just get one plug-in that handles upload to multiple services at the same time?

Zune Pass: Now with 10 Free MP3s a month

Sean Alexander — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:03:20 GMT

More Zune news trickles out. Customers spoke and Zune listened. The people said

"We want all you can eat music, but let us keep the ones we like."

"Oh and make sure the songs are MP3s"

"P.S. Make sure the music doesn't suck. Make the MP3 library a part of the offer"

So now as a Zune Pass subscriber you can download from millions of tracks, and you can keep 10 songs a month as MP3s in your permanent collection for $14.99/mo. Even if you don't like the subscription model, this is still a pretty sweet deal. I know my Zunes and other devices will be happy during the holidays.

Zune Software Updated, Price Drop for Holidays

Sean Alexander — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:11:33 GMT

Hot on the heels of releasing the Zune 3.0 release in September, the Zune team went into full swing this week for the holiday season:

Starting with a new Zune TV spot during Monday night's episode of Heroes. The ad is funky and features crossover DJ/Artist Common and featuring the Mixview feature I'm officially addicted to for exploring new artists. Apparently we'll be seeing the ad during NFL games, and a lot of playtime on MTV networks.
Then came the Zune 3.1 update on Tuesday. Three new games: Checkers, Sudoku, and Space Battle add some WiFi-multiplayer action as well as updates to Zune Social, and rounding off some edges in the software and firmware
And lastly, a Zune price drop for US and Canada (the current markets for Zune). Flash-based devices and accessories dropped for the 4GB from $129.99 to $99.99, and 8GB from $149.99 to $139.99. Additional details on accessory price drops can be found on Cesar's Zune Insider Blog here. You should find the new prices at ZuneOriginals.net and major retailers.

If you've been wondering what Zune is all about, my recommendation is to download Zune and take advantage of the free trial period. Remember there's a large library of DRM-free MP3s waiting inside if you prefer to go the non-subscription route. If you like what you see, the rest is up to you and your wish list. :) As always you can ~~make fun of~~ browse my music collection with ZuneTag: Vhyper.

Microsoft Store Launches Online in US, others to follow

Sean Alexander — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:22:00 GMT

Last night, Microsoft unveiled the official Microsoft Store online in the US, offering direct purchase of Microsoft products online, including the largest library of Microsoft digital downloads. Additional countries will be coming soon including UK, Germany, Korea, Japan, France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

If you're looking for an Xbox 360 or accessories for the holidays, Microsoft published games like Gears of War 2, Lips, or Zune devices and accessories, this is a great place to start. With Xbox 360 bundles starting at $199, there are some good deals to be found.

Tip of the hat to Brandon LeBlanc at the Windows Experience

Flip MinoHD released, your Holidays in HD?

Sean Alexander — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:22:08 GMT

There are a few essentials my wife has in her purse and/or diaper bag - wallet, snacks for kids, emergency juice box, and a Flip Mino video camcorder. It's so fast and easy to use for the first time she's taking home videos on a pretty regular basis (vs never before). We have a great Canon HV20 that shoots 720p video but I'm the only one that seems to use it.

I've been on an HD kick, shooting all our home video on the Canon when I can think of it, but it turns out a lot of our video is now shot on the Mino. This grates on my nerves because the quality has been so poor compared to the Canon. Enter the new Flip MinoHD announced just today. For $180, only $50 more than the original Mino, you get 1280x720 (720p) video in a tiny package that fits in any bag. The Mossberg Solution wasn't so keen on the companion software and there's few details so far other than it records in MPEG4. There's also no optical zoom on the camera which is disappointing but for capturing those quick moments, this looks to be a winner with fewer compromises in video quality. I'll post more with videos over the weekend after I've had a chance to put one through its paces.

Outstanding overview of Windows Media Center in Windows 7

Sean Alexander — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:56:15 GMT

My old buddy Charlie Owen has posted an outstanding overview of Windows Media Center in Windows 7. This oft-overlooked feature is getting a number of refinements. While PDC is focused on developers, there is a lot of goodness happening here. A few of my favorites:

Turbo Scroll- an essential for those of us with large libraries
Refined Album Art Presentation
A great new Now Playing view with animated album art
Shared Libraries - yep, that's right - navigate Photos, Music, Video and even Recorded TV stored on other computers in your Home Group
Pictures with Ambient Slideshows and Ratings - more needed refinement
The Slideshow Creator - Now just give me the ability to order the photos to tell a story.
For Video, H.264 playback out of the box. Yes, you heard that right. Even on Media Center Extenders.
Bookmarking for videos so you can return to where you left off.
HD Pivot in the Movies Guide

Kudos to the Media Center team. Apparently I need to start testing again. Time to dust off my old(er) PC for some Windows 7 goodness. Beta can't come fast enough.

Sonos introduces Pandora, Last.FM, iPhone Controller for FREE

Sean Alexander — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:58:48 GMT

My favorite home audio solution just got a little sweeter and just in time for the holidays. On top of over 15,000 radio stations being added, Sonos now has Pandora and Last.FM support for FREE. When Pandora support was added last year, it carried a monthly fee after an evaluation period, leading many customers (including myself) to evaluate and discontinue in favor of our own music libraries. Now with the support of arguably the two largest "free" personal music services, Sonos ups their game.

But it gets even better with support for Sonos Controller for iPhone and iPod Touch. Let's admit it, the Sonos Controller first introduced in 2005 is getting a little long in the tooth. While it continues to be best of breed, the lower-resolution display and large form factor just don't add up as well in today's marketplace. While no less than four 3rd party solutions hit the market a short while ago, this natively supported application is a great addition for consumers who have an iPhone or iPod with WiFi support. It also effectively drops the entry price for Sonos to about $350 for customers who already own a Sonos unit. The application is also free, adding new value to their customers. Check out the video for even more. In a tough economic time when many companies are looking for any way to improve their bottom line by charging for updates and service packs, it's nice to see companies such as Sonos continue to innovate and add value for free. Their higher price tag certainly looks better when you factor in the free updates. Now how about support for Zune playlists? ;)

More here

NetFlix bringing instant streaming to PC and Intel Macs via Silverlight 2

Sean Alexander — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:56:58 GMT

Today, NetFlix announced that they have begun deployment of their new player to their customers, incorporating dynamic streaming for DVD-style fast-forward and rewind over the Web. This is a big shot in the arm for Silverlight 2, and hot on the heels of the overwhelmingly successful NBC Olympics coverage in Silverlight 2 beta.

It's hard to believe it was 18 months ago at the Microsoft MIX conference that Netflix first demonstrated their instant streaming application on-stage. One of the top features of this Netflix player was the ability to view movies on Mac and PC, and have a richer viewing experience. I'm very excited to see this happen as it brings one of my favorite Silverlight projects full circle.

When we first approached NetFlix, we had an idea for the player. I quickly wrote a two-page speclet describing the functionality. For fun, I codenamed the project, "Big Red". The concept was approved by Netflix and one of our top design partners refined and built the prototype in less than six weeks. Many didn't think the app would be done in time to see the stage in time at MIX, and others didn't think it would ever get released. I'd prefer to think this proves that good things come to those who wait, not to mention a ton of better instant watch content thanks to deals with Starz, The Disney Channel and others providers. Combined with the new Xbox experience with NetFlix coming soon, it's going to be a NetFlix-powered holidays around the Alexander household.

Congratulations to the Netflix and the Silverlight teams.

TOOL: IE8 Web Accelerator for Zune

Sean Alexander — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:25:20 GMT

This weekend I spent some time assembling new playlists with Zune 3.0 for an upcoming trip. I was visiting a # of websites to look at playlists (e.g. XMFans.com) and an annoyance was the number of steps required to copy/paste between the browser and Zune. So I wrote an Internet Explorer 8 Accelerator to help simplify and reduce the amount of copy/paste actions. According to the IE8 website, "Accelerators let you efficiently complete your everyday browsing activities like mapping directions, translating words, emailing your friends, and more in just a few mouse clicks." In building the accelerator, I discovered a wealth of detail available in Zune Marketplace on the web - you can sample music, read artists bios, browse charts, comments, similar artists and more.

Install Zune Accelerator for IE8 (Beta 2)

To activate the accelerator, highlight the text on a page (Left Click+Drag). You'll see the new accelerator icon (in blue in image to right). When you click on this, it will launch the accelerator window.

I'm sure there are better ways to do this, but it was fun and useful enough for my needs. Other Zune accelerators tend to break out accelerators by Artist, Song, etc. instead of aggregating into one. Maybe I'll try and build an IE8 Web Slice for Zune Social next. More details on writing IE8 Accelerators is available here.

For more accelerators, check out the IE8 Accelerator Gallery

Selling our House in Carnation, WA (Part Deux)

Sean Alexander — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:38:29 GMT

They say you can never time the real-estate market. In June we took our house off the market in order to focus on family events - namely three birthdays, eleven out of town guests, a baptism, and an anniversary all in July. Then our friends across the street put their house on the market and we certainly didn't want to compete with them and figured we'd wait another year or so. Now we're putting our house back on the market knowing with the amount of inventory it may be spring before we find a buyer and are comfortable with that. This has been a hard decision again the second time around due to our close friendships in the neighborhood, but I'm confident they can weather our move. We're not that important, nor going that far :).

Here's the listing if you know anyone interested: MLS 28156335. Priced reasonably at $500,000 and includes over $30,000 in documented upgrades. 1yo Hot tub, Stainless Grill and outdoor speakers stay.

Stunning Swiftwater craftsman w/ thousands in upgrades. Charming & inviting w/ radiused corners, vaulted ceilings & painted doors & millwork. Custom window treatments. Warm wood cabinets, slab granite counters & stainless appliances grace the kitchen. Family rm wired for home theater. Bright & sunny 5-piece master bath. Cul-de-sac, professionally landscaped private 1/2 acre lot w/ garden space, fruit trees, shed, play equipment & privacy fence. Large patio w/ ext speakers & hot tub. Much more!

As for where we're moving, we're staying in the area and are watching two neighborhoods but won't do anything until our house sells. We're considering using RedFin as our buying agent given the 2/3 commission back. We know where we want to move and over 130 Microsoft employees have used them so far. We could really use the money to keep expenses in check should any move happen. Our goal is to move to location with more interior space - we don't need as much land as we have now though I'm apprehensive about losing the peace and tranquility. We're looking in a few areas, ideally with just under 1/4 acre.