I had a hiccup with the Zune yesterday.  I was trying to find a way to organize my photos better, rather than burying them deep in the Zune photo menus.  I discovered some registry hacks for WinXP to get the Zune to appear under My Computer…which worked, but my rearranged folders reverted to their original status once I synced the player again.  Then, while trying to reorganize things with the Zune software, I ended up in a state where I could not get the new images to appear on the player.  I did a couple of resets and managed to get them to appear…but again, deep in the photo menus.  Still trying to find another way to organize these–I did it once, but heck if I remember how I did it.

Anyway, to reset a Zune, make sure the hold switch is not activated.  Then, hold down both the “back” button and the top of the directional pad.  Keep holding them until you see the Zune logo and the white progress bar.

If you’re in the mood to reload your whole player, there’s a method to clear all contents.  Details here:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926917 .

I’m having a heck of a time finding decent in-ear monitors (headphones). My Sony IEMs died two days ago, and I picked up the JVC “Marshmallow” IEMs.  Having owned the JVC and the Sony, all I can say is:  “I’m still looking”.  The earbuds that came with the Zune 120 were not all that good–they lacked bass, and were very uncomfortable to wear.  I have other headphones, but one does not walk around with a Sennheiser over-ear headset (aka “cans”), and the cheap freebie Panasonic headphones sound OK but are too lightweight.  The Sony IEMs looked interesting, so I picked them up.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the packaging promised good bass, and the price was OK if not spectactular…I wanted to try something on the lower end of the scale to see if I liked that style of headphones.  So, what became of the grand experiment?

Continue reading In-Ear Monitor Quest, Parts 1 and 2 (Sony and JVC) →

I may be crazy, but I’ve been thinking about getting another portable music player.  My 120GB Zune has been working great, and has been getting a few hours of daily usage around the house.  But that’s just the thing: I really want to use a portable player when I’m outdoors, working in the yard or out on a walk, but am a bit nervous taking the Zune 120 with me during any kind of activity.  One drop the wrong way, and I could wind up sending it to the media player graveyard.  As I have some gift certificates from Amazon.ca, and the exchange rate is good, I can actually get an 8GB Zune for about $90 U.S., and having a buddy bring it over from Canada the next time he comes over on a buying trip. For an additional $10 or so, I can get a Belkin armband for it.  Given my lack of pockets in the summertime, the armband may be just what I need.

I’m still also considering a Sansa Clip 8GB, but I don’t know if I’d be frustrated by the smaller screen size.   One thing in the Zune’s favor: I can easily sync up a second player using my existing Zune library on the computer, saving me some work.  I figure I can fit about 100 CDs worth of music on the 8GB, although I’ll most likely use compilations rather than complete albums in most cases.  The Sansa Clip does have outstanding sound quality, though, and has the built-in clip, so I’m still a bit undecided.  With this Amazon.ca deal, though, it’s not that much more to step up to the Zune.