Well, I finally made it into Google+ and am more than happy to share. Just let me know your gmail address and I’ll do my best. Inviting seems to have opened up a bit today. Be smart about how you post your email. Use (a), etc.
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Tag: Technology
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Goodbye Zune?
So I’m just going to take a moment to talk about a great piece of technology that has been consistently underappreciated.
The rumor mill now is that Microsoft may be killing the Zune hardware though the software and brand remain alive and well on other platforms such as the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7.
Subscription music is where it’s at and I have been a huge fan of the Zune platform since early on. Paying one flat fee per month, about the price of a CD, and getting unlimited music is really great. I also get to keep 10 DRM free tracks every month, basically dropping the subscription price to $5 a month.
Either way, I love my Zune and the Zune software, and I’d still recommend people buy one if they are in the market for a media player.
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Barnes & Noble NOOK
I love my Barnes & Noble NOOK! So much so that I am willing to follow their silly stylized rules of always capitalizing the word NOOK. Trust me, that’s love.
I dismissed e-readers for a long time; I loved (and still do) the feeling of a book, having books on bookshelves, shopping at my local used bookstore (I’ll miss you Two Buck Books!), and the list goes on. Over time I began to see more and more people with them 
on the train as I commuted to work, and was drawn to their size and convenience.
After doing my research I ultimately decided on the Barnes & Noble NOOK due to a few reasons, with the main reason being the ability to check out library books. I think that anyone considering buying an e-reader is going to at least consider the Amazon Kindle, and I did, but it lacks the library book option, and that was important to me.
I also liked the fact that NOOK is built on the Android OS, even though that really has no impact on the user experience. I’m an Android fanboy, that’s all there is to it.
Also worth mentioning is the lending feature available on the NOOK. Being able to share a book with a fellow NOOK reader is pretty great and maintains some of that social aspect of reading a good book.
The NOOKbook store has an always changing selection of free and discounted books, and after asking for B&N gift cards for Christmas I shouldn’t have to pay for a book for quite some time.
Now complete with my Flip Style Case (pictured above) and my Mighty Bright Clip-On Light, I enjoy reading in a way that I haven’t since my nerdy teen summers.
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Dropbox Invitations
Update 8/11/08: I still have Dropbox invitations available. Follow the instructions below.
Alright you Googling geeks, I’ve got 10 invites to use Dropbox, currently in invite only Beta. The first 10 to leave a comment (just include your Email address in the details, you don’t have to put it in the actual comment) will get an invitation to sign up to the beta.
So far the service is great. I’d need a lot more than 2GB for backup use, but I think this is probably more geared at people using multiple computers who are needing to sync, more so than a backup service. I have my Amazon S3 account for that.
Anyway, enjoy!
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Nokia N95-3
So I have a new phone, a Nokia N95-3. It’s absolutely amazing.
One service I’ve been loving is Qik.com. Live, interactive streaming video from my phone to the net. People can write in questions or comments which then immediately show up on my phone.
You can view my random videos at http://www.qik.com/beaupedia.
In less happy technological news, my beautiful 22″ LCD monitor burned up last week, hence the lack of blog updates. I am currently working on a 15″ widescreen Acer I bought tonight at Wal-Mart, it’s so tiny!
On a related note, is it terribly unethical to “rent” monitors and then return them once your real monitor is repaired, even if you despise the company? I’m tempted to do this, especially considering how snotty the Manager was with me when I asked her if I’d have any problems if the monitor was damaged, considering one corner of the box was crushed pretty badly.
They had offered me a 2 year service plan on my monitor which I declined, when did Wal-Mart start offering those anyway? I haven’t shopped there in a couple years. When I asked about the crushed corner of the box for some sort of reassurance that they’d take it back if it was damaged, she said “Well, that’s why those service plans are a good idea.” in a very condescending tone.
As though I need a service plan to take care of damage that happened before I purchased the product. Either way it wasn’t damaged and I have 15 days(or 30…or 45…she wasn’t sure, have I mentioned I hate Wal-Mart?) to return it.
I think I’ll be alright. My monitor may still be under warranty, if not, I believe they can have it sent off for repair. We shall see.
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Helio, Opera Mini, WordPress Mobile
Helio, meet Opera Mini and WordPress Mobile. Helio is officially offering Opera Mini as an Application! No more backdoor hacks for me!
I’m also trying out WordPress.com’s Mobile version(through Opera Mini on my Helio Ocean.)
Not bad, I’m fairly impressed. Guess I’ll see how this post goes when I get on my computer.