That Technology Magazine

The new iPod touch players look fantastic. So much so that I’ve become determined to make the switch to an Apple iPod.

Unfortunately, I use an Xbox 360 and a Roku Soundbridge to stream music throughout my house. The Soundbridge seems to have no problem streaming the “unprotected” Itunes plus tracks, but the Xbox 360 was a no-go.

Here is what I did to get it to work.

Microsoft’s Zune software has the same media server abilities as Windows Media Player. However, unlike WMP it is also capable of streaming Apples AAC format as well as mp3’s and WMA tracks. Plus, it streams video’s and photos as well, which apparently is a requirement of Xbox 360’s media streaming function.

I downloaded the Zune software onto my laptop and it automatically imported my Itunes plus AAC tracks into the library. I also downloaded the Xbox 360 update that enables AAC decoding. Its a free download in the games section of the Xbox Live Marketplace.

I disconnected my WMP streaming laptop from the “Computers” section of the system blade in the Xbox 360. Then I went to the Music section and selected “Computer.” I was given the option to select a computer to stream from and I selected the “Zune” server.

Xbox 360 was able to see my Itunes plus track but it did not play it. However, it did play AAC music that was ripped from a CD into Itunes. This was progress.

Apparently, the “unprotected” Itunes plus track has some extra data that makes it unplayable in the Xbox 360. Not exactly DRM free. Hopefully Microsoft will address this and fix it in the future. In the meantime, there is a semi-painless workaround.

If you open Itunes and right click your Itunes plus track, you have an option to convert it to AAC. This will slightly downgrade the quality, but it will make the track playable on your Xbox 360. Unfortunately, it also makes an extra copy the track on your hard drive which eats up more space.

Not a perfect solution, but its good enough for me. I’m going to order an iPod touch now.

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It has been more than twelve years since the Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony has entered the gaming space. Since their first gaming console offering, Sony PlayStation has been successful in craving out a special name in the game player’s niche. Till recently, PlayStation’s legacy remained untouchable and its leadership barely challenged. However, with the launch of seventh generation gaming consoles from two other major player in the league, namely Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony PlayStation lost good grounds in terms of market share and brand loyalty.

Their latest seventh generation gaming console – the Sony PlayStation 3 seeks to win back lost grounds. The PlayStation 3 was first launched in Japan – the company’s home ground on November 11, 2006, with the North American release coming a mere six days later on November 17, 2006. The system was then released in Europe and Australasia on March 23, 2007. Right from day one of its launch, the gaming console gained enormous popularity among all gamers around the world. According to Media Create, 81,639 PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan. Initially, the Sony PlayStation 3 was available in two configurations – 20GB and 60 GB. However, the 20GB module was discontinued after a while due to lack of demands and was replaced by an even higher 80GB module.

The PlayStation 3 is based on open and publicly available application programming interfaces. The PlayStation 3 includes the ability to store different user profiles, explore down loaded photos, play music and movies from the hard drive, compatibility for a USB keyboard and mouse for additional aid in navigation through its user interface and computer like game play, and a full fledged web browser. These features and options gives a Sony PlayStation 3 user the freedom to diversify the usage of the gaming console apart from its primary function – to play high quality video games.

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