In case you didn't see this, we announced our first and third party accessories today. There are LOTS of people who have been working really,really hard to get these out. So, congrats to the partners and congrats to the team! Now back to work!

After the announcement last week that we would take a stake in Facebook, I thought I'd spend some time with it to understand just what we are investing in. To be honest, I thought that it was really a glorified version of Linked-In. I've been pleasantly surprised at the depth of the site. What makes it very interesting is the application model. Being able to add apps to the site is a cool idea. Friends have sent me everything from fish to Bloody Marys. I've had a bunch of people write on my wall and I've written back. Finding folks is easy and joining groups is a no-brainer. So, not only is this not Linked-In, it is really head and shoulders above other sites like MySpace. I now understand the purchase. I only hope someone creates a ZuneTag app so I can put it on my page.

In what little time I have these days, I've been spending time with two on-line activities. The first is exploring Facebook (more on that later) and the second is really digging in on podcasting. I'll admit, I never really cared for podcasting. I know Dave over at Zunster loves it. I've heard for at least 2 years that I'm missing the boat. But, frankly, I just didn't think the content was all that compelling.

I have to say after giving it a second try, there there may be something to it. Clearly the content has improved over the last year. Podcasts are generally far more "professional" in nature and it isn't just a bunch of guys blathering on about nothing. Generally speaking, these are slick productions with interesting content. Some are obvious - BBC, NPR and my favorite the Economist. Some have really interesting data - like Achievement Junkie. Others are just plain entertaining and frivilous - French Maid TV and Tiki Bar come to mind. The point is that we've moved beyond the amatures to something useful.

I'm not going to talk about Zune specific podcasting until after launch (well, maybe I'll say one thing at the end). But, generally, I've noticed a few trends. First, it is a lot easier to find and subscribe to podcasts. I found several guides online that made it really easy to browse by subject and subscribe. Second, the production is actually pretty good. I found Adam Curry producing several, which surprised me. I think there are new and interesting tools for managing subscriptions. It isn't all drag and drop by hand, which is nice. I think the iTunes guide is interesting in that respect (and as a side note, can be used in conjunction with Zune if you are so inclined). Lastly automatic syncing has improved greatly across all these tools. You can imagine some of the new features we are adding, will also greatly improve that experience as well (see, I didn't give away too much).

So, I'm really digging podcasting right now. Ii hate to say it, but Dave was right. I'm going to live with it for a month and then report back to see if I'm still using the feature. I suspect I will be.

A few weeks back, I was in a meeting where J was telling the entire team how the products were received. He told a great story about timing how long it took people to smile once they played with the device. I thought that was a really interesting metric and I thought I would test it out.

This week I had four meetings with major companies. A couple were partners or potential partners and a couple are competitors. When the time came to hand out the devices and do the demos, I watched their reactions. Now remember, these guys all have their poker faces on since we are in the middle of business discussions. In no case did it take them over 20 seconds to smile. J was right. In one case, one gave me a thumbs-up from across the room.

Bottom line is that while I'm not going to give out a lot of details before the launch, I am really happy with how the product is received. I can't wait to get it in people's hands.

I haven't picked a winner for the banner contest. I'm going to do that this weekend. Things have been a little busy lately. this next week *should* be better and you should start to see a little more movement on the site.

Last night I was playing PGR4 (it was midnight, after I finished working) and I noticed something. I'm sure I must have missed it in the past. I saw an add for Ford Sync on the wall as I drove by (who am I kidding, I crashed into the wall and saw it close up). I never noticed that before. While not an explicit Zune ad, most people know that is a Zune interface (as well as others).

This coincides with the now semi-famous line in Halo 3, where the soldiers say, "welcome to the Social" and you get on the Warthog (which is perhaps the best part of H3 in my opinion). It is nice to see some adoption into the other products even if it is a little subtle.

I'm not sure how I missed this in the past, but I came across an interesting website this week while doing my weekly Amazon check for third party accessories. It is called Riptopia. Basically, it is a CD ripping service. You buy a set number of CDs to rip, they ship you a box, and it comes back to you on DVD or HDD.

At first, I thought this was a dumb idea. I mean, everyone has this available to them for free. Then I started to think how long it takes me to rip a CD. Maybe five minutes per CD. Perhaps ten. What's that time worth to me? In addition, I've ripped and reripped my entire collection several times. First is was 96KBPS MP3. then 128KBPS WMA. Most recently, 192 KBPS WMA. Now, with the new Zunes, I've started to rip in lossless.

I bet I've got 400 CDs at five minutes a piece. Is that worth a buck a CD to me? It is starting to look a lot more attractive. Then I saw that they support Windows Home Server. That's where it gets really interesting. Don't even get me started about how cool that would be with a DAR or Sonos. And, I could set this up for my mom and dad and I'd never (well, maybe never is a strong word) have to help them with their collection again. I think I'll try them out and let you know how it works.

I've got a couple of really great designs (see comments in the thread below). This is the last call for new ones. I'm going to make a decision at the end of this week. I've secured some SWAG so we are all set. Get them in ASAP.

Note - it doesn't have to be an update of the existing design. I just like the black/white motif. It can be something totally new.

Besides the obvious (work from home, spend time with the family, volunteer, etc) I sometimes get asked what I do for fun. Well, you can probably tell by my GamerTag, I don't play a lot of Xbox (and the DDR is my wife, so no wise cracks).

Whenever I get a chance, I like to go fishing. Pretty boring, I know. But, that is exactly what I like about it. It is a chance to get away from the hectic and fast paced MS environment and just unwind. I wasn't always a fisherman. In fact, before this year, it had been years since I picked up a rod. Sort of on a whim, I decided this was the year I'd get back into it. I got a spin-casting rod and I also got a fly-rod. I had only ever fly-fished 2-3 times before this year (and none turned out very well!)

One of the things I've been doing is keeping a list of "newbie" things I've already learned and a list of things I'm still learning. I'm thinking about starting another blog (if I ever get more time) on the subject. Specifically, it would be about Bass fishing basics, fly fishing for trout, tying flies and restoring bamboo fly rods. those are all the things I've been doing this year. So, if anyone likes fishing and wants to contribute ideas for a new blog, send them my way. In the meantime, check out a very good local site called Washington Fly Fishing.

A few folks have seen this and asked me whether it is my open head. Well, it is. I'm looking for someone to help me drive the accessories business. I'm looking for someone with great "block and tackle" bizdev skills (negotiation, contract drafting, strategic business analysis, etc). Further, I'm looking for someone with a background in accessories preferably with retail experience. Lastly, I'm looking for someone who has had experience in fashion. Know anyone who fits the bill? Have them apply at the link above.

I thought it was kind of funny to read the challenge sent out earlier in the week from ZDNet and SanDisk folks (sometimes I miss being in marketing). In case you didn't see it, the challenge was that if Zune was #2 in the market after Christmas, the folks at those organizations would shave their heads. They specifically challenged Robbie to accept the challenge and do the same if we were not #2.

I doubt if they'll get any response from the team since this is really comparing apples (pardon the pun) to oranges. The problem is that we don't compete (or compete very little) in the same pricepoints. SanDisk mainly concentrates on the sub $100 pricepoint where the volumes are much higher. Whereas we'll compete at the $149+ pricepoints.

But in the spirit of good fun, I'll make a counter proposal. I know I'm not as visible as Robbie, but what the heck - I'll propose it anyway. Let's take two similar products and at the end of the Christmas selling season determine the winner. So, my proposal is to compare sales from the Sansa Connect to the Flash Zunes. Since the Connect has been out some time and has a head start, we just flat out compare our Flash line (4 and 8) with theirs.

What's the bet, you may ask? Well, if you haven't noticed by my picture, I already shave my head. So that won't work. But, I look pretty silly when I grow my hair out. So, I'll grow my hair out for 6 weeks and post a photo on my blog if I lose. If I win, they shave their heads and post a photo. Any takers?

Cat's out of the bag. Stephen (Welcome to the Social, Stephen) over at cliczune points out that the M414 is coming out soon. What the photo doesn't show is that is is designed for both the v1 and v2 products. I'm especially excited about the battery/ac option. I can now take it camping with me or keep it in my office. Altec has been a GREAT partner and it is good to see this on the market.

I was just looking at the site and I realized I need to update the masthead with the new Zunes. So...Just like last time, I'm going to run a contest. Winner gets some Zune swag. Probably a t-shirt and a case (or whatever else I can muster up). Only request is that it fits with the existing color scheme of the site (mainly since I am too lazy to apply a new template).

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll know I've worked in this space for a long time. So, when it comes to evaluating how a particular announcement is seen in the market, I generally take a wait and see approach. I have this theory that for the first couple of days, you can influence the message by picking and choosing who you talk to. After that, though, the message becomes organic. When bloggers and users digest the message, they form opinions and start to voice them in their various outlets. At that point, is when you should really start to look at things with a critical eye.



So, now that we are a couple of days out, I've started to read the feedback and I have to say that I am pleased by what I'm reading. Sure, there are lots of comparisons to the iPod and lots of stories that say that Apple have sold a hundred million units and we only sold just over a million. But, if you read further, there are a lot of really great stories being written. First, we're getting a lot of kudos for upgrading v1 to v2 software. I am pretty proud of that feature and it wasn't a trivial effort. Next, we're getting credit for the MP3 store. Considering I used to work in the PFS/DRM side of Microsoft, I can say that's a big step for us. There is cautious optimism surrounding wireless sync (which is actually really cool in practice). Also, people who use the Zune Pad seem to really like it. Lastly, we're getting praise for the physical hardware.



What has been really interesting to me is reading the comments on most of the stories. Last year, my perception was that the vast majority of folks posted fairly negative feedback. Sure, lots of them were fanboys. There is no doubt of that. But, even some fans seemed to have their criticisms (software updates as an example). While it is certainly too early to proclaim success or failure, there seems to be a good number of people who are excited about the products. I read one article written about whether Zune will be the top of anyone's Christmas list (written in a sort of snarky way), and several of the posters actually said it was.



So, what's my point? First, I am happy with the first impressions we're seeing. Second, it feels like we've gotten over the hump of criticism. Don't get me wrong, I've been at Microsoft a long time and we're often a target for criticism and I expect nothing less. But, it seems like we've paid our dues and are starting to get a fair shake. Lastly, I'm excited for people to try the devices. They say the proof is in the pudding. I don't think you can judge the product without trying it - both stand alone and as the end to end. I think we're going to really surprise a few folks out there this year.

OK, so now you guys know what we've been up to and why I haven't been blogging as much as usual. To say things have been busy is a bit of an understatement. New firmware for v1. Check. New devices. Check. Check. New software client. Check. New features. Check (check, check, check...) MP3s in Marketplace. Check. New Social website. Check. I think you guys get the idea.

I'm going to monitor the press coverage over the next couple of days. as I see areas where I can add some color commentary, I will. I'm also going to ask some of the accessories partners if they would be willing to share some of their new products with you guys. I'm betting one or two will take me up on the offer.