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This is a great read for anyone who has ever purchased an iPod or music from any online music store. Steve Jobs tells it like it is, that DRM isn’t working and the big music companies are still selling over 90% of their music DRM free.

He goes on to say that, “If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store.”

I think this would be a great thing. He also statest that where 2 billion songs were sold last year online with DRM, over 20 billion were sold without.

I think this is a very bold move to put right on the front page of Apple.com, but I also think that he’s right. DRM sucks, and the best part is that Apple (the number 1 seller of online music and portable music players) thinks so.

Read it here

I decided to get myself a Christmas present today, granted it is after most of the shipping deadlines to arrive before Christmas, but it’s been something I’ve wanted for a while now.

It’s the Western Digital Passport Portable 120gb USB HD. I saw it in this week’s Best Buy ad for $99, and was planning on purchasing, but am glad I waited.

I checked Buy.com since I know they have the deal with $20 off a $50 order if you use Google Checkout. They had the drive for the same price as Best Buy, $99 down from $179. With the Google Checkout discount it came to $79.

I don’t know where you can find a deal like that on an external HD, especially one that looks as sleek as this one. My MBP’s hard drive is 120 gigs, so it will make a perfect 1:1 backup drive. It runs off of USB, so there is no need for a power cord, making this thing is ultra portable.

If you are in need of some extra storage for your laptop, and I doubt this price will last long, check this thing out.

I can say I hadn’t really heard of eMusic till earlier today I saw a post that referenced it as the 2nd largest online music store next to iTunes. Really? 2nd? Why haven’t I heard of it before?

Well I went to check their site, and here’s the thing…THEY GIVE YOU DRM FREE MP3′S! You can play them on any device you want! Any Zune, iPod, Creative, or any other device that plays mp3’s. How do I sign up?

Well it gets even better. Just for signing up you get 25 free songs. They have over 2 million to choose from.

So how do they make money? The charge $9.99/month and you get 30 tracks of DRM free mp3’s. You can do whatever you want with these tracks.
Other plans include 50 tracks for $14.99/month and 75 tracks for $19.99/month. That is 27 to 33 cents per track!

This is MUCH cheaper then iTunes, and since AllofMp3 doesn’t take Visa/Mastercard, are getting sued by the recording industry, and a trade agreement between US and Russia to not allow the site in the US, it seems like the 2nd best option.

Where is the downside? Well if you can’t find 30 tracks per month to download, then you are losing out. Right now with my Zune, I am using the Zune Marketplace subscription service, but if/once I stop paying $14.95/month the music is gone. With this service, you keep the music and put it on any device you want.

Even if you don’t pay for the service, the initial 25 free tracks makes it worth it to sign up with their 14 day free trial.
There is rumor that Amazon is about to launch a similar service where you can get totally DRM free mp3’s. No word on price or if it will happen, but rumor is that it will be more expensive then eMusic.
Check it out today

You can now buy the song used in the E3 Halo 3 trailer (a slow and dramatic version of the Halo theme) on the Apple iTunes Store, and I just did.

The ironic part, is that Microsoft owns Bungie the creators of Halo, yet you can’t find this track on the Zune Marketplace, nor any other Music download service. Isn’t that just a little bit counterintuitive?

This isn’t the first time that I’ve purchased music from a Microsoft (or Apple for that matter) ad. I most recently purchased Mad World which is used in the Gears of War ad (which is available on the Zune Marketplace).

I’m not sure how many people out there have experienced or even seen the Zune to Zune transfer feature. I found a few videos on YouTube that really show you how fast it is.

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Also one that shows not only music, but photos. (Video transfer is not supported ::crosses fingers:: yet)

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Compete.com is a web analytics service. They have a toolbar that alerts you to malicious sites, special deals, and site profiles, which you can download here.

I was sent a link from Andy over at Compete about an article they wrote comparing the iPod to the Zune.

“Since the Thanksgiving weekend Zune demand has held steady, but continues to trail the Ipod Nano by a factor of 4x and the iPod Video by a factor of 2.5x.”

Simply reporting the facts. I do think that as the Zune becomes more widespread, that people will look into getting one for the social features and bigger screen, plus it helps that something like 90+% of the computers out there are compatible with it out of the box, unlike the iPod when it first launched as a Mac only product.

I open the box of my brand new Zune, of which they took on an Apple-like strategy by making the unboxing seem cool, and the first thing I see after I lift the top is, “Welcome to the Social.”

I grab my Zune, turn it on, and try to find this social feature. It is no where to be found. Wait? I thought I was instantly in “the social.” What happened?

I IM a friend who has a Zune and he says I have to hook it up to a PC first. WHAT? The box already welcomed me to “the social,” why am I only a member once I plug it into the PC?

I’m working on more as I start to use the Zune. I’m downloading a bunch of cd’s right now to put on my Zune with the 14 day free Zune Pass.

Boy oh boy, have I got a few tales about this thing coming up.