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iPod Zune hacked

Macnoviz

Macnoviz

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 10, 2006
1,059
0
Roeselare, Belgium
bad news: one of the "killer" -ahum...ahum- features of the Zune could really become a killer feature.
With ordinary kitchen-and-garden computing you are able to send any file wirelesly. It still involves some work, but the possibility is there.
The hack can also be fixed by M$, so no panic yet. Maybe this could even have a positive effect. If it becomes known that the Zune can be hacked to transfer anything else than DRM'ed down music and photos, they will automatically know that the Zune can ONLY transfer those out of the box.
 
I doubt I would go through the trouble of renaming my .mp3 files so I can give away my songs for free. Too much work on my end. But then again, Zune users are probably your typical Windows user, so they are used to putting in the extra effort.
 
Macnoviz said:
bad news: one of the "killer" -ahum...ahum- features of the Zune could really become a killer feature.
With ordinary kitchen-and-garden computing you are able to send any file wirelesly. It still involves some work, but the possibility is there.
The hack can also be fixed by M$, so no panic yet. Maybe this could even have a positive effect. If it becomes known that the Zune can be hacked to transfer anything else than DRM'ed down music and photos, they will automatically know that the Zune can ONLY transfer those out of the box.
Click to expand...

Oh my, the Zune is worse than I thought.
 
Eraserhead said:
Oh my, the Zune is worse than I thought.
Click to expand...

:D Let me wipe some of the irony off my lip.

I think the Wi-Fi transfer feature was *the* innovative thing about Zune, and really is a neat concept. And it came from MS first, even though it is Apple that has invested so heavily in ad-hoc networking technology (Bonjour). But first reviewers started complaining about the way the DRM xfers work (three day limit, playcount limit, etc), and now MS is going to get criticism also for the security loopholes... and the one good feature is going to go down in flames. :(

I do hope Apple makes their own take on this feature at some point, but does it right.
 
Eraserhead said:
Oh my, the Zune is worse than I thought.
Click to expand...

u are lack of PC knowledge.
"being hack" is M$'s tradition, and sometimes good, sometimes bad, hacking into system is bad, but this hack is apparently good, M$ can now push Zune with better functionality, while not to worry about copyright law. Just like M$ allow the piracy of their OS in order to occupy the market.
 
clevin said:
u are lack of PC knowledge.
"being hack" is M$'s tradition, and sometimes good, sometimes bad, hacking into system is bad, but this hack is apparently good
Click to expand...
Sure but only geeks will use it, like how the iPod has more features with Rockbox or iPod Linux.
clevin said:
M$ can now push Zune with better functionality, while not to worry about copyright law.
Click to expand...

I think it's ignorance, I have been quite interested in the Zune and read a lot of tech sites and I didn't know about the fact that they had to be DRM'd to share until today, many people won't know that you can't share their mp3s from P2P.
 
Eraserhead said:
Sure but only geeks will use it, like how the iPod has more features with Rockbox or iPod Linux.


I think it's ignorance, I have been quite interested in the Zune and read a lot of tech sites and I didn't know about the fact that they had to be DRM'd to share until today, many people won't know that you can't share their mp3s from P2P.
Click to expand...

I think you get wrong info, MS said Zune will not add DRM to user's own music (not bought from Zune MP)
about Geeks, remember how MS windows spreading around the world?

update, i think u were right, i can't find the article i read before, so can't argue with u on this, however, there is work around.... http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/how-to-bypass-the-zunes-wifi-sharing-drm-217042.php
 
clevin said:
I think you get wrong info, MS said Zune will not add DRM to user's own music (not bought from Zune MP)
Click to expand...
Unless I am missing something, at the moment the Zune ONLY allows transfer of DRM'd tracks wirelessly so the users own tracks cannot be transferred wirelessly. Without this hack of course.

I assumed all music would be transferable even if not DRM'd, that means the wireless thing is pretty rubbish IMO. Also some DRM'd music cannot be transferred wirelessly (see the Arstechnica Zune Review) and that it was up to the exact MS got with the record label.

EDIT: I have to admit I am pretty confused as to what the Zune can actually do.
 
Eraserhead said:
Unless I am missing something, at the moment the Zune ONLY allows transfer of DRM'd tracks wirelessly so the users own tracks cannot be transferred wirelessly. Without this hack of course.

I assumed all music would be transferable even if not DRM'd, that means the wireless thing is pretty rubbish IMO. Also some DRM'd music cannot be transferred wirelessly (see the Arstechnica Zune Review) and that it was up to the exact MS got with the record label.

EDIT: I have to admit I am pretty confused as to what the Zune can actually do.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that it can only transfer most music bought on the Zune marketplace (some of it can't), and photos (hence the .jpeg hack). everything else: videos, non ZM music, or anything else (calender events if it had a calendar,...) cannot be sent wirelessly
 
It seems that if you have to go through all that effort just to wirelessly share anything, you'd be better off just sending the file to your friends over the computer. Besides, with so few Zunes out, it's not like you'd have anyone else to share it with yet. :rolleyes:
 
here are what Zune wifi feature disadvantage.

1. can't sharing files with your PC or mac(?)

2. if the distance is more than 10 feet, it can't catch other zune, gets error.

3. listening 3 songs or in three days mean if you listen to music to the end. for 10 seconds preview, it's already counted one.

4. if zune hack could allow users to commuicate with their PCs, hackers will create zune viruses. so when you share files, viruses will spread to yours, and another zune.

5. if zune will be multi media player like others, it will lose identity easily. as throughout MS history, they like to add a lot of features. none of them are successful yet or already failed.

6. MS already thinks about Zune phone now. but it's funny. why don't they try to fix zune problem or prepare for better image or marketing rather than developing freaking zune poophone.

too many things they've thought so far. but the result is not clear as much as they think or hipnotized as if their products are going well.
 
archurban said:
here are what Zune wifi feature disadvantage.

1. can't sharing files with your PC or mac(?)

2. if the distance is more than 10 feet, it can't catch other zune, gets error.

3. listening 3 songs or in three days mean if you listen to music to the end. for 10 seconds preview, it's already counted one.

4. if zune hack could allow users to commuicate with their PCs, hackers will create zune viruses. so when you share files, viruses will spread to yours, and another zune.

5. if zune will be multi media player like others, it will lose identity easily. as throughout MS history, they like to add a lot of features. none of them are successful yet or already failed.

6. MS already thinks about Zune phone now. but it's funny. why don't they try to fix zune problem or prepare for better image or marketing rather than developing freaking zune poophone.

too many things they've thought so far. but the result is not clear as much as they think or hipnotized as if their products are going well.
Click to expand...

well, it does has some advantage over non Wi-Fi products does it? like ur photos
 
archurban said:
5. if zune will be multi media player like others, it will lose identity easily. as throughout MS history, they like to add a lot of features. none of them are successful yet or already failed.
Click to expand...

I think it's hard to call Windows Mobile a broad failure. It has pretty much marginalized Palm in the handheld market, and its inroads into phones, although not decisive yet, seem on the uptick.

For that matter, Internet Explorer is awful...god awful. But it did succeed in gaining a huge marketshare and has yet to be completely dislodged....
 
Well so long as the Zune's WiFi is neutered under these restrictions, it's not even worth forking the dough over, and simply having the gadget isn't satisfying for the normal user because there's so little freedom. The fact that I wouldn't be able to share my own music, even if i wrote and performed it myself is complete bulls#@! if you ask me. The 3x3 rule is complete garbage. I don't care how anyone tries to slice it or shed some positive light on it...it sucks..plain and simple. One should be able to share permanent songs with a limited number of people, with the transferred copy being locked as a non-transferable that way there wont be an epidemic of freebies. This "social" stuff is kind of like indian giving. The zune is actually a pretty good player, but these little nagging things really wipe the luster off of it.
 
mkrishnan said:
I think it's hard to call Windows Mobile a broad failure. It has pretty much marginalized Palm in the handheld market, and its inroads into phones, although not decisive yet, seem on the uptick.

For that matter, Internet Explorer is awful...god awful. But it did succeed in gaining a huge marketshare and has yet to be completely dislodged....
Click to expand...

But isn't Win Mobile just the software, and the hardware is not actually affiliated with MS, thus another one of MS's OEM sales?
 
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