Checking Out The New Zune HD

By popular request from many friends, I had to take a look at the Zune HD, Microsoft’s first portable multimedia player that combines a built-in HD radio receiver, High-Definition (HD) video output capabilities, organic light-emitting diode (OLED), touch screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser. Other than the radio capability, you could say it’s similar to Apple’s iPod touch.

Before I go any further, let me clarify a common misconception: The “HD” in HD radio does not stand for High-Definition as it would for HD video. It is the trademark/marketing tool for iBiquity’s in-band on-channel (IBOC) technology that was selected by the Federal Communications Commission as a digital broadcasting method for the United States. Essentially, the “HD” has no real meaning.

Note that Hawaii has six HD radio stations: 98.5, 93.9, 92.3, 101.9, 100.3 and 105.1. This is the first time I have a device that can actually play HD radio, and these six stations sound the same as any other “regular” radio station. I cannot hear the supposed “higher quality sound,” but I do enjoy being able to switch back and forth between the HD1 and HD2 channels that most of these have available. I wish my iPhone or iPod touch could do this.

That aside, other than the obvious new slender look of the Zune HD, the biggest change is in its software. The new interface is simple and easy to navigate through with its large typography. Being accustomed to the iPhone/iPod touch, going through the menus required a small learning curve for me, but I adapted to the change within a couple of minutes. The sensitivity of the touch screen is different. It’s not as reactive as tapping on my iPhone, and it doesn't feel as fluid. But the Zune HD’s display looks extremely sharp (16:9 widescreen display, 480x272 resolution). A huge plus is the ability to play back HD video files in 720p from the Zune HD using a docking station (sold separately for $90).

In addition, you have access to a limited amount of apps such as a calculator or the MSN Weather application. Later this year, there are plans to release other apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and 3D games like Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition. As you would download apps, songs and videos from the iTunes Store on an iPhone/iPod touch, you would acquire these for the Zune HD from the Zune Marketplace.

There’s nowhere near the selection of apps/media you would find on the iTunes Store, but I have a feeling it’s not Microsoft’s goal to compete with the iPod touch here. The bottom line: The Zune HD is a great media player and big improvement on the original Zune. This would have been better as a media phone ... maybe in the future?

It comes in 16GB ($220) or 32GB ($290), plus you need to subscribe to the $15/month Zune Pass (which gives you access to everything on the Zune Marketplace). Buy it at your nearest Best Buy (bestbuy.com) or find it online at Zune.net or Amazon.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Labor Mate
There must be something in the water because I have many friends and friends of friends who are pregnant or just gave birth recently. A tip from one of them who recently gave birth: White Peak Software’s Labor Mate app. It’s a labor contraction stopwatch and your best friend if you have your iPhone in-hand while you’re having contractions.

Instead of thinking about or counting your contractions, you tap the labor stopwatch as the contractions stop and start. Labor Mate then tracks the information and reports the timings back to you in an easy-to-read format so you’ll know when it’s time to call the doctor and head to the hospital. Find Labor Mate at the iTunes Store for 99 cents.

Microsoft's Windows 7

Apple’s latest operating system, Snow Leopard Mac OS X 10.6, came out a couple months ago, and this week (Oct. 22) we’ll see the next big operating system release with Microsoft’s Windows 7. I’ve been playing with it since the beta came out in January, and it’s basically a streamlined version of Vista with many visible changes.

Here are some of the main highlights that come to mind:
* Installing Windows 7 was a breeze, and now anytime I turn my computer on or off, both are very quick to do - faster than when it was XP or Vista. Following the install, the first thing I noticed about the display was the choice of fun, colorful desktop pictures. Of course, you can still use your own pictures, but I enjoy some of the ones you can choose from since they remind me of cute Japanese anime.

* The new Aero Peek feature helps you through desktop clutter by giving you X-ray vision through your open windows straight to your Windows 7 desktop. To activate it, point to the right edge of the taskbar and watch your windows instantly turn transparent. Going hand-in-hand with that is Aero Shake - click on a pane and literally shake your mouse. This causes all your open windows, except the one you just clicked, to close. It’s perfect to clear a cluttered desktop quickly. Also related is Aero Snap: This gives you a smart and fun way of resizing/working with your windows.


* If you use OS X, you’re probably quite familiar with Spotlight. Information on your hard drive is better organized in Windows 7; the new search built into the Start Menu works similar to Spotlight. As soon as you start typing in a search query, the results start populating in the window immediately, as it looks at your entire hard drive and not just where you tell it to look. Another OS X similarity is the Taskbar - it reminds me of the OS X dock, but it has larger icons and it’s not as pretty. As far as software compatibility goes, Windows 7 worked with everything I tried loading on the machine, including Office 2007. I didn’t try to install anything out of the ordinary, so maybe I was lucky.

After running Windows 7 for more than nine months, I can say that this new operating system patched up the potholes that Vista left in the road and is a huge improvement. I wouldn’t call it a complete makeover, but more of a refined version of the Windows you already know.

Is it worth it? For the fixes and software stability, yes. The Windows 7 prices vary: $120-$220/upgrade from XP or Vista or $200-$320/full version. Find it at the Windows Store (store.microsoft.com) or Amazon.com.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: Babyphone
With a baby on the way, I’ve been doing a lot of research on baby tech stuff and, in the process, found Babyphone. You place your iPhone near your baby and it turns into a baby monitor that will call your house phone (or another number) to let you know your child is awake.

Babyphone’s main screen shows the current status, microphone sensitivity and the threshold for triggering the alarm. Once the microphone display reaches or exceeds your set threshold, it will call your designated phone number. Since I don’t have an actual baby on whom to test it yet, I used it on my parrot - it works great with him! Find Babyphone at the iTunes Store for $3.99.

IngBoo: Information At A Glance

Launched earlier this year, IngBoo brings you a new way to interact with information updates on the Web. It’s basically a heavy-duty tracking tool that analyzes each feed to give you the latest information. It tracks and helps you to quickly find just about anything you can think of, including specific news stories, traffic reports, sports scores or ongoing sales. In today’s economy, this is really helpful for a job hunter to do quick, yet personalized job searches.

“IngBoo provides all of the information on the Web that is important to you in glanceable, snackable snippets,” says IngBoo co-founder and CEO Rikard Kjellberg. “Unlike similar services such as Google Alerts, Trackle and Alerts.com that deliver updates via e-mail, IngBoo updates are experienced in the form of a uniquely designed list that is accessible on desktops and smart-phones.”

There are a number of Web applications similar to IngBoo, but really none is as efficient as IngBoo. It helps you keep all your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, social networking accounts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter) and online interests in one place. Setting up your feeds/info interests is very easy to do with the predefined content catalog/big buttons, or the search function. Once you have that ready to go, you scroll over your topics and the full story appears without actually clicking on the link - very convenient!

For you bloggers, Web publishers and retailers looking to increase your Web site revisits, IngBoo offers a free button that you can place discreetly on your site (similar to an RSS button). This button lets you subscribe with a single mouse click instead of a whole complicated process. Basically, the IngBoo experience is tailored to the folks who may be intimidated by the complexity of an RSS reader.

The best part of it all: IngBoo is free! Too bad there’s no iPhone app to go with it yet. Visit ingboo.com to begin your efficient information flow.

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Click Chick’s iPhone App of the Week: myStarbucks
It was only a matter of time before Starbucks came out with its own iPhone app, and now it’s here. There’s not really much to the app, but, hey, it’s Starbucks - and as cliche as it is, I love Starbucks coffee. The most convenient thing about the app is the Store Locator. It’s not such a big deal here in Hawaii since I know where all my nearby Starbucks stores are, but if I were traveling, I would want to know where all the Starbucks are.

You can build your perfect drinks, save and share them via e-mail or if you’re close enough, iPhone to iPhone. The Coffee Menu and Food Menu will let you see the full Starbucks selection along with the detailed nutrition information (sometimes it’s better not to look at all - but at least my favorite latte is only 170 calories).

Mr. Click Chick’s Top TGS Picks

This year’s Tokyo Game Show (TGS) in Japan just finished, and it was yet another expo I could not attend this year. I’ve always wanted to attend a TGS, but keep missing the opportunity - the show is similar to the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3, in Los Angeles that I’ve written about. This year my schedule looked open, so I registered early, but I’m now well into the third trimester of pregnancy, and per doctor’s orders I cannot travel.

As with all the shows I missed this year, I sent “Mr. Click Chick,” my husband, Alan (systems manager for MidWeek and the Star-Bulletin), to cover TGS for me. Held for four days (Sept. 24-27), this year’s theme was “Game, it’s so energetic!” During that time, a whopping 185,030 attendees showed up, even though it was much smaller than a typical E3. Pretty impressive for a show that had 180 exhibitors and 760 game titles.

There were obviously too many titles to mention individually, but here are a few highlights with release dates/platforms that caught Mr. Click Chick’s eye:


* Tekken 6 (Oct. 29: PS3, Xbox 360, PSP): Both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were featured at TGS, just as they were at E3 by its publisher, Namco Bandai. Only this time it was all in Japanese and the Scenario Campaign was playable along with its entire 40-character roster. First impressions from the demo: Along with normal moves, you can pick up weapons, heal downed opponents (not to full health) and there’s a new energy drink that adds electrical damage to your attacks.

* Lost Planet 2 (Feb. 21: PS3, Xbox 360): Developed by Capcom, this is a great sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. It’s a first-person shooter with RPG elements and big bosses to take down with three of your friends in coop campaign mode. One of the best games at TGS.

* Bayonetta (Jan. 2010: PS3, Xbox 360): From SEGA/Platinum Games, this is an action-adventure story in which Bayonetta is a reborn witch who battles against angels with her unique shape-shifting abilities and weapons equipped to her hands and feet. The gameplay is similar to Devil May Cry and involves melee and long-range attacks.

* Front Mission Evolved (spring 2010: PS3, Xbox 360, PC): This latest addition to the Front Mission series by Square Enix moves away from turn-based play to full third-person shooter. If you are a fan of robot battle games such as MechWarrior, you’ll love this latest installment. It has great graphics and gameplay, as you can customize your mech’s armor and weaponry.


* Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (released Sept. 29: PS3): KOEI TECMO’s compelling action-adventure game is a redefined version of Ninja Gaiden II and shares a similar gameplay style to God of War III and Heavenly Sword. There are 17 levels in the game that traverse to several locations to show off the impressive graphics.

You’ll be seeing some of these titles and more in my upcoming columns. If you’re curious about the Tokyo Game Show, visit the Web site for more information/pictures: http://expo.nikkeibp.co.jp/tg s/2009/en/.