Notes on earlier posts

I thought it might be worth following up on a few things.

1. Microsoft’s browser ballot screen proposal still isn’t enough for Opera, who complained in July that having icons on the ballot screen (specifically Internet Explorer’s familiar blue “e”) would be too much of an advantage for Microsoft. That’s right, icons. They also suggested Microsoft offer the ballot screen (which is Europe-only) to Windows users across the world, which ain’t gonna happen.

I’m starting to think Microsoft bent over so far backwards just to show the world what a whiny bunch of babies their competition can be.

2. I said in my iPhone post that AT&T had not given me a discount on my first bill; I’ve since corrected the post, but it took me a while to get to it. They did give me my discount on the first month, it’s just that they also charged me an upgrade fee of eighteen bucks that I had no idea was coming. Oh, well. Just got another bill and it’s all good.

The one time I needed my phone to last a whole day, it let me down, running down to seven percent after 3:21 of usage. This was a day when my sister made a surprise visit to town and I drove down to my parents’ house late that evening. Something weird was going on because even while just listening to the iPod app that day I could practically watch the battery life drop in real time. (Seriously, every minute or two I’d look and a percentage point was gone.) Before that day and since that day it’s been fine, and overall despite my concerns the battery has been good enough, but I figured this warrants mentioning.

3. Microsoft told a reporter that the Zune HD will be the only model of Zune going forward. This means that the 16 and 32-gig models of the slick new touchscreen device will soon be the only options for Zune buyers, though the older models are still available while supplies last.

While I said I was looking forward to the Zune HD, I was also hoping to get a refreshed hard drive model. The current 120-gig Zune has a large 3.2-inch display and plenty of capacity. I figure if I’m ever going to spring for a music subscription, I’ll want as much space as I can get, right? Unfortunately I’m not blown away by the battery life (30 hours of music is solid, but four hours of video isn’t great). The iPod classic, on the other hand, is listed at 36/6, but iLounge got an amazing 42:29/7:59 out of it last year. So I was hoping a new Zune 160 or something would provide space and last longer.

Am I ever going to watch four hours of video in one day on an mp3 player? Probably not. Still, it seems that the device I was hoping for is not going to exist.

4. I was playing Batman: Arkham Asylum the other night and some parts were getting pretty tedious. I can’t really say what they were without giving away plot points. I still think it’s an awesome game and highliy recommend it, it’s just not as perfect as I was gushing earlier.