| The Zune Universe Expands, Where's The Bling?
If Microsoft wants to even catch a sliver of iPod's market share, it's going to have to build up its base of third-party accessories for its Zune music player... Oh, wait. That's just what they did this week. Microsoft on Tuesday touted 60 new accessories made by nearly two dozen partners for its second-generation Zune. Most of the items will be on store shelves starting Nov. 13, Microsoft said. Some of the fashion items include: Speaker docks from Altec Lansing, iHome, and Kicker Cases from Belkin, Case-mate, DLO, Incipio, and Speck Cables, FM transmitters, and car kits from Belkin, DLO, Monster, and Kicker Is that it? What a snore-fest. The look and style of these add-ons are just about as exciting as the Zune itself. I mean, really, how does Microsoft expect to sell Zune without some serious bling bling to add on to it? Apple's iPod wasn't always a fashion statement.
But will it survive a dip in the bathtub?
The battle to persuade us all finally to abandon the familiar spine-creased paperback in favour of words on a flickering screen was ratcheted up several degrees yesterday with the launch by Amazon of its long-awaited - and undeniably natty - electronic book-reading device christened Kindle. "Why are books the last bastion of analogue?" Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos asked at an unveiling of the gadget in a New York hotel, referring to the recent revolution in digital entertainment that increasingly has us downloading the music we listen to and even the films and videos we watch. It is Mr Bezos's dream that the 283g Kindle, which has been under development at Seattle-based Amazon for the past three years, will change how we enjoy the written word just as quickly (and as profitably) as the iPod, the ground-breaking player from Apple, has done our music-listening habits.
Fix your broken iPod via Web
With gadgets ruling our lives, they also pose problems when they fail to work. Web sites can help users find and share solutions that can save a device from the landfill. A number of Internet-based firms offer highly specialized repairs via overnight mail. .
But can it handle an iPod?
VANCOUVER - One of the more intriguing sides of watching other automotive journalists at work on manufacturers' test drive programs is hearing their bitter comments after getting into a new vehicle that doesn't have what seems to be universally called an "iPod hookup." Even if the vehicle is some megabuck supercar with every imaginable option and a powerplant capable of uprooting tree stumps, it isn't properly equipped until a favourite MP3 player can be connected. It's amazing how such a small point can mar the overall driving experience, but there's no arguing with the huge success of devices like the iPod. .
In Tomorrow's Paper
... IT'S THEIR UNION. Teachers are back in the news after agreeing in principle to a deal with the provincial government that will see them stay off the picket lines for at least five years. La-dee-freakin-da. It seems a couple of times a school year, at least one of the different boards has a strike threat, a lockout or some sort of complaint. .
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