New Shuffle

Wow, the new shuffle really is like a "paperclip that plays music."

Renew Your Passports, People

They're about to put RFID chips in passports. I guess I'd better get mine now before any fool with an antennae can read it from across the room. :-/

Via Bruce Schneier

Who "Launches" a Product That You Can't Buy Yet?

Microsoft does.

I'm sure they're not the only ones, but I'm in a mood today.

Now, I've shared my opinion on the Zune's chances already. The iPod is a tough nut to crack. John Gruber recently reported on Apple's "Showtime" event on Tuesday. From that entry:

• Apple claims 88 percent of non-bootleg music downloads in the U.S.
• 70 percent of 2007 model year cars sold in the U.S. have iPod connectivity built-in. Not “MP3-player” connectivity. iPod connectivity. Note to Jobs: Send nice Christmas presents to the engineers who came up with the proprietary iPod dock connector port.
• 450,000 Nike + iPod Sport Kits have been sold in fewer than 90 days. Not Nike + MP3 Player Sport Kits. Nike + iPod.
• The iTunes Store is the fifth-largest music reseller in the U.S., and expects to pass Amazon early next year, at which point they’ll trail only Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target.
• Apple has sold 1.5 billion total songs to date.

So, probably the only company that is afraid of the Zune is Creative.

To be fair, the Zune (somehow they've managed to come up with a name even sillier than iPod) -- the Zune will come to the table with a couple of nice new features. The wi-fi song sharing sounds nice and the bigger screen is certainly a plus. I find it interesting that these are two features that Apple is reluctant to add because of battery life concerns. It should be no suprise, therefore, that we've heard no mention of the battery life of the Zune.

I should be nicer to the Zune, I know. Competition for the iPod can only result in good things. It's just that ... well, Microsoft's actions tend to speak much louder than their words.