A quick update to my previous post. My opinion was given as that of a consumer with no window into the Microsoft/Zune world.

Here's the timeline of events (from the outside looking in):

• 11.13.2007 - Zune released version 2
• 11.19.2007 - This thread started in the Zune forums
• 11.26.2007 - I posted the work-around that was hinted at in the forum thread and worked for me. This was scooped by Zune-Online and Engadget.
• 12.14.2007 - Zune Insider acknowledges the issue.
• 12.18.2007 - Zune releases a fix.

Zune users [vocal ones I might add] waited 4-1/2 weeks to receive official confirmation that there was a known bug and the Zune team was actively working on it. The update/fix was released a mere 4 days later. As an internet-savvy consumer that experienced this problem I was really irritated with the lack of public accountability during those first 4-1/2 weeks, as were many others.

Now for the flip side....

I consider myself pretty damn lucky that I work inside Microsoft and sometimes have access to information/processes that others don't. That was the case this time. I know for a fact that the Zune team was working their asses off on a fix for us [the consumers] while we were bitching and moaning. And they did it. Found the problem, debug, fix, test and released...all since November 13th. Look at the timeline above, that's 22 work days! That's a great accomplishment and kudos to the team for doing so!

It's obvious the team is passionate and talented. Now they just need to work on their transparency and public relations.

~tod

If you've been experiencing the dying battery issue with your Zune 30 (and 80), get the latest firmware update just released today! This fixed the issue for me...at least I'm 99% certain.

From Zune Insider:

Zune will be issuing a firmware update today. There are no new features in this update, but it does address some issues we’re reading about in the forums. Specifically the battery issue affecting a small percentage of Zune 30/80 GB users - I posted about this last week in case you missed it.

Did they learn anything? I hope so. I still think they handled this poorly. Even though they got a fix out to us within 6 weeks it took them 5 weeks to publicly acknowledge the problem. That's waaaay too long in the world of the internet. Not to mention, I read about people being told by the official support channel that their Zune's were broken and needed to be sent in for repairs. I'd be pissed if I later found out it was just a software issue and all I had to do was wait for the next firmware to be released. Ouch.

Well, if you've been having the problem fire up the Zune software, plug in your Zune 30/80 and update your device.  I'm getting about 14-15 hours of battery life now.

~tod

Zune Insider has finally acknowledged that the latest firmware update tanked the battery life with a few [ahem...17 pages] Zune 30s.

I reported this 3 weeks ago, a scant 2 weeks after the update was released. I'm glad to see they're finally acknowledging it publicly & officially, but I really wish they would have done so sooner [unless I missed it somewhere].

I honestly feel Zune is a great product, both hardware and software, and the team is obviously very passionate about it. I use my Zune 30 all the time, which is why the battery issue was such a drag.  But, and you knew it was coming, I wish they would embrace the idea of transparency a little more. If you have a 17 page post in your forums about a problem...chances are pretty good that more than a few people are seeing it.

You'll do more good than harm by simply saying "yep, we know about it and we're working our asses off to get it fixed for you."

~tod

Here's where I put on my 'company man' hat, jump up on a soapbox and scream out..."come and get it, come and get access to the Office Live Workspaces beta at OfficeLive.com!"

Seriously though, it's official today: Microsoft Delivers Office Live Workspace Beta

An excerpt [emphasis mine...a personal pet peeve for years now]:

Customers have asked for an easy way to save their documents from Office to the web, so that they can get to their information or projects if they’re away from their PC. People also get frustrated with the confusing free-for-all that can result when multiple versions of documents circulate in e-mail attachments that then have to be manually pulled together by the original author. We’re hopeful that Office Live Workspace helps solve these challenges by providing a place online to keep a single version of a document that everyone can work on – so you’ll always know if you’re working on the latest draft.

Office Live Workspace also provides a seamless connection with Office on the desktop, which has been one of the most important customer requirements. For example, if I’m creating or editing a document in Word, I want to be able to save it to the web as if I’m saving to my own hard drive – no hunting around for URLs or saving and then uploading. We’ve seen that if people are working on a document and have to go to the browser to upload, many just can’t get over that hump. So we’ve learned you have to make it super easy for people to do things like get their documents from Office to the web, as well as to save work back to the web with one-click if they’re making edits.

I have played around with the internal beta [available only to employees] before this public one and it's pretty sweet. There are some obvious things missing, but if you use Word, Excel or Powerpoint and share documents [at work or home] then I think you'll be pretty happy with the experience. Not to mention, it beats the hell out of sending a 2MB word document as an attachment in email [personal pet peeve of mine].

Sign up at OfficeLive.com!

Check out the Workspace Team Blog. It's a little light on content, but hopefully that will change in the future. And here's an interesting article that has some good information in it.

By the way, Office Live Workspace is a different beast from Office Live Small Business.

~tod

This is a re-post of one of many articles I wrote while publishing a site titled thDad.com [my thoughts & experiences about being a father]. I have since retired the site and removed the content, but this post in particular was the end result for many searches. As such I want to preserve it here, my primary online presence, for future reference. Enjoy and I hope it is useful....

Rating: suhweet!

Durability – 5 stars
Appearance – 5 stars
Price point ($25) – 5 stars
Ease of use – 5 stars
Portability – 5 stars
Battery life – n/a
Warnings – n/a

Pros:

• Very well made and solid construction.
• One set of straps goes underneath the chair while another set goes behind it and they are adjustable to fit securely on pretty much any kind of chair.
• The tray comes with a base flat tray, an inserted tray with divided spaces and a lid to keep food in its place at least until you get back home.
• The plastic tray is extremely easy to clean off.
• The back folds down and the trays then clip on top to provide a nice, compact method of carrying it around.

Cons:

• The seat back is very low which allows for a lot of wiggling and squirming, which can make it difficult to feed a little one that doesn’t want to eat at that very moment.

Summary:
I used to always keep this in the car and used it frequently at family get-togethers. There was no way my daughter would have sat down and eaten at family functions without this booster seat. She would be way too busy running around. We didn't eat out much, but on the occasions where we have this chair beats the heck out of the ones provided in the restaurants! You know the ones I’m referring too, the tall wooden ones with one little strap that goes across their lap [and is broken most of the time] to supposedly hold them in place. The one time I tried one of those it didn't work at all. If you take your little one anywhere outside of the home where you’ll be feeding them, this is a must-have item!

Go get it!

~tod

It's that time of year again...time for the next release of the annual Santa picture. And this year she actually warmed up to 'ol St. Nicholas. She didn't want to sit on his lap, but at least sat down in front of him. Of course I'm partial, but isn't she just the most beautiful little girl, even angelic. By the way, the dress was handmade by Grandmama (my mom)!

I feel pretty fortunate that we have been going to the same photographer and Santa since my daughter was born. The photographer takes her time to make sure she gets a few good shots versus rushing each kid through the line. And I think it's great that she'll be able to associate Christmas with the same Santa over the years. I would hate to hear "Daddy, why did Santa smell so bad this year and why did his beard keep falling off?" "Well honey, sometimes Santa has special medicine he drinks to help him through the long days in the mall."

Also, it's interesting to look back at her growth and changes over the years with the same Santa:

The first 2 years she didn't want anything to do with Santa, hence the sneaky whispering pose behind the chair. And the third year is actually a Photoshop fake...here's the real Santa! Can you say "Daddy's little girl?"

~tod

PS: I'm sure she's on the Good list this year.