Zunes!

It's now January 15th so it must be time for me to post about yet another cool gadget I've been craving.

All right, so the 15th day of the 1st month has absolutely no significance regarding my avarice for uber-geeky toys, but my headline writer is on holiday so you'll just have to bear with me.

I have retired the Sony Reader to the back burner for the now, as I am chocka-block full of 'real' books at the moment, so until I chew threw all of those I cannot justify purchasing a flash electronic book.

The Reader is also taking a back seat now because I've just read my latest issue of WIRED Magazine and every time I do that, I discover there are scads of new gizmos out there that I realize I just have to have! It's really quite disheartening to read this magazine sometimes, excellent though it is. I'm halfway convinced that in the not-too distant future I'll open the newest edition to find they are discussing the latest model of holodeck for your home, or how to have a replicator installed in your car so you can have that hot Earl Grey tea on your drive to work. Technology really is racing ahead these days.

Well, duh, Brooksie.

But the latest gotta-have-it gadget I've been frothing over is the new Zunes, from Microsoft. Yes, I realize I should just as well barter my soul away to Beelzebub since I'm picking Bill Gates over Steve Jobs (Apple), but the latest dope on the iPod has me wanting to reach for a Zunes instead. Especially for the kind of cash layout involved - and don't even get me started on the prices of accessories!

The stock woes of Apple notwithstanding right now, I'm also concerned that they seem to be getting a bit snarky with what exact content is allowed to be played on their iPods versus what isn't. The Zunes player seems to have a much more 'open source' approach to files and sharing, and they also have an FM tuner on there - something I don't believe is available on the iPod.

I am an avid iTunes user and am amped that it is finally available to us here in New Zealand, as of just about a month ago. The software is top-notch and I've always pulled for Apple from the very beginning, for a number of reasons. But dollars are hard to come by these days, so if I'm going to fork it over for an MP3 player, I'm thinking long-term here and you really just can't beat the prices of a new Zunes with all of its features.

I've really cut back on my spending on such frivolous things for the most part, only allowing myself the occasional macchiato from Starbucks (a venti one, made with soy milk) and the odd used book or three (all sizes, and no soy). But there is an apt reason for my wanting this particular hunk of silicon and metal, and that is it would serve to make my hikes to and from Cannon Point much more enjoyable.

You know how it is with something like exercise: there's that initial burst of enthusiasm you have as you set out to try and do it three or four times a week. But once the novelty wears off, the initial rush of your routine begins to ebb and before you know it, it's difficult to become motivated again. This is particularly true with walking/climbing, especially if it's the same route every time. Don't get me wrong - the view from above is extraordinary and on most clear days I can see right into downtown Welly. But I must be getting a little jaded for even that fine sight is beginning to become less surreal, so I am looking for other sources of inspiration.

Being able to listen to the latest podcasts* of "Pardon The Interruption" on my Zunes while hiking to and fro would double my reasons for getting out of the house and taking those hikes!

The odd bit of music wouldn't hurt, either.

* I'm aware of the irony of using my Zunes to listen to podcasts, but all's fair in love and war, dontcha know.