Blog entries for category "annoyances":

I'd like to briefly report about the bad experience of staying in the Tivoli resort hotel in Funchal (Madeira) and why I recommend to avoid that place at all costs.

As a parting gift Microsoft presented me with a Zune. For those who do not know – Zune is Microsoft's version of the iPod. I must say, it is a very nice device. I've got the 8GB version. The casing is of metal and hard plastic. The build quality is very good. The device seems to be just the right size, it is not too light and not too heavy. The controls are functional and convenient. The screen is bright and easy to see, the buttons have a nicely distinct click point and the stroke-sensitive button is easy to get used to. The software is intuitive and convenient to use, the menus make good use of the space available. There are a lot of extras, gimmicks and options. And, most importantly, it produces crisp, high quality sound. Overall, it a worthy competitor for the iPod (well, at least if Microsoft would market it properly, but that's a different story). But I am not writing this to advertise the Zune. It is a great device, but I got it for free. Despite all of the above, I would not buy it for myself, even at a big discount.

In this post, I'd like to share my thoughts about why I would not buy the Zune, or, in fact, the iPod or any of the gang. I hope that in mid-term the designers can address some of the following issues.