Sportsmen, Gamer, IT Freek and Project Manager

ZUNE

2007-02-22T12:53:00.001-08:00

Najnovija igracka koju smo napravili u Microsoftu (Bill i ja) se zove ZUNE. Ili kako ga Apple-ovi poklonici zovu Microsoftov iPod.

Realno je reci da je ZUNE nesto sofisticiraniji od iPod-a iz prostog razloga, izasao je dosta kasnije, tako da je Microsoft imao vremena da dobre strane tog uredjaja pokupi doda dosta novih feature-a i izbaci proizvod koji (s obzirom da je jos u nekoj beti) dobro izgleda i odlicno funkcionise.

ZUNE je dostupan jos od 2006. godine, ali kao sto to obicno biva, US & Canada only. Imao sam prilike da u Redmondu posetim jedan od okvirno hiljadu Best Buy objekata u US i pazarim Microsoft ZUNEtm za tricavih 250$. U principu to i nije toliko mnogo, a i pored toga nakupio sam i par razlicitih gedzeta koji su i tekako ekstra (o njima nesto kasnije). Dolazi u crnoj, beloj i braon boji. U principu crna i bela su deja vu zbog iPod-a ali da ne bi bilo isto Microsoft se postarao da crna bude nesto vise sivkasta, a bela nesto vise zuckasta u odnosu na iPod boje. Ono sto je novina, a sto je zapavo i najprodavaniji model je model za koji se i moja malenkost oducila a to je njegovo velicanstvo brown Zune.

Dakle, posto vecina Vas vrlo dobro zna sta je iPod i kako funkcionise, uporedicu ovaj Microsoftov beta prozivod sa iPod video proizvodom. Dakle od osnovnih stvari recimo da ima reprodukciju muzike (mp3 i wma), slika (bmp, jpg) i video (avi, wmv). Ono sto ga izdvaja od konkurencije je odlican UI i jos bolji feel prilikom koriscenja. UI je veoma intuitivan i vec prilikom prvog koriscenja se stice utisak izuzetne ergonomije i udobnog rada. Ono sto je takodje veoma primetno poznavaocima iPod-a, je nedostatak click-wheel tehnologije. Naravno, Apple je to registrovao kao trademark i samo nekoliko hrabrih kineskih proizvodjaca su izbacili prozivode sa slicnim tehnologijama, dok Microsoft taj luksuz sebi nije smeo da dozvoli. Takodje, uredjaj je nesto veci nego sto smo navikli, ali taj "nedostatak" ako se tako moze nazvati zamenjuje izuzetno veliki i kvalitetan ekran, cak 3 incha, na kome bez problema mozete odgledati dvd ili divx film koji cete prebaciti sa vaseg racunara sa par klikova i softverom koji odradi resize i prilagodjavanje i smesti film na vas ZUNE (third party softver). Za sada Microsoft ostavlja slobodi na volju svim ISV-ovima da razvijaju sve sto im padne napamet za ZUNE i podrzava to u velikoj meri. Naravno interni razvoj ne zaostaje, tako da ovde dolazi do izrazaja benefit psece hrane koju Microsoft stalno baca svojim zaposlenima (Eating your own dogfood projekat) na testiranje i probe, tako da na raspolaganju imam nekoliko odlicnih aplikacija u svojim betama i alfama koji npr. omogucuju snimanje vasih Outlook 2007 "To Do" taskova ili vaseg kalendara sa agendom u obliku JPG fotografije na ZUNE. Takodje u obzir dolazi i kompletna Power Point prezentacija. Jos jedna zanimljiva funkcionalnost je funkcija grebovanja filmova sa google videos, youtube-a ili bilo kog drugog sajta koji ima neke video sadrzaje, jednostavnim add- onom za IE7 koji direktno napucava zeljeni sadrzaj na ZUNE.

Takodje, uredjaj poseduje odlican built-in radio FM reciever koji omogucuje da u bilo kom trenutku overite neku stanicu, prijem je iznenadjujuc posebno u zemljama gde nema ni reda ni pravila, tako u Turskoj na svakih 0,5 nalecete na super etno-folk-pop dobro poznat na nasim prostorima, cak toliko da se covek oseca kao kod kuce.

Moram jos da napomenem, da smo obezbedili (Bill i ja) izuzetno mocan servis (jedan od najfunkcionalnijih u poslednje vreme) po imenu ZUNE Marketplace. Softver koji se instalira silcan je iTunes-u, ali omogucuje pristup Marketplace-u uz jednu dodatnu funkcionalnost koja je meni konkretno legla odlicno bez obzira na misljenja razlicitih ljudi. U pitanju je "All you can eat" funkcionalnost gde korisnik koji nakon 14 free trial dana nastavi da se subscribe-uje na Zune "All you can eat" za svega 14$ mesecno ima opciju da skine svih 5.000.000+ pesama koji se trenutno nalaze na Zune Marketplace-u. U cemu je catch neko ce se pitati? Pa stvar je jednostavna, u svakoj pesmi integrisan je "Rights management dodatak" koji se aktivira u trenutku kada vasa pretplata istekne. Ukoliko niste nastavili pretplatu, pesme se zakljucavaju i nemate mogucnost da ih slusate dalje (naravno, apsurdno bi bilo da dobijete za 14$ 5mil pesama). Naravno, ne bi smo mi bili Srbi kada vec ne bi smo nasli nacin da vec downloadovane pesme ipak normalno slusamo bez obzira na taj WRMS, koji necemu sluzi a uz to i ne radi, ali to nije tema danasnja. Glavna stvar je da pretplatom imate pristup najnovijim stvarima i mogucnost da stalno skidate nove stvari, dok 14$ mesecno cak ni za nase uslove nije neka velika stvar, jos posebno ako nekoliko njih dele muziku. Kako to dele? Jednostavno. Svaki ZUNE je opremljen WI-FI uredjajem koji je u mogucnosti da brzinom 11Mbit/s prenosi (prima i salje) muziku na drugi ZUNE koji je u okviru njegovog community-ja. U community se jednostavno ulazi ako ste relativno blizu jedni drugih (setite se da je u pitanju WI-FI ne BT tako da je poveca udaljenost moguca). To i jeste Microsoftov novi pristup (Welcome to the Social) koji je podosta lejmerski, ali je put ka ostvarenju community ideje dosta dobar pojedinim servisima i dodacima za sve moguce microsoft prozivode kojih ima jaaako puno. Ono sto je izuzetno dobra stvar a sto cete imati prilike da citate u nekom od narednih postova posvecenih "WI-FI world we live in", je nesto sto se zove XBOX360. On zasluzuje potpuno novi post sto ce i dobiti ali za sada samo da spomenem da se Zune odlicno integrise sa XBOX-om trenutno preko usb kabla, a uskoro i preko WI-FI (kao trenutno izmedju XBOX-a i PC-jeva, tostera... u kucnoj wi-fi mrezi). A kecap na vas pomfrit je kupovina "Microsoft poena" koji vam inace sluze za pravu "kupovinu" pesama na web-u, znaci ne "iznajmljivanje" na mesec dana nego kupovinu, gde jedna pesma kosta otprilke 1$, ali isto tako svaki Microsoft poen koji ste kupili mozete da koristite kako za Zune Marketplace, tako i za XBOX LIVE koristeci jedan isti WINDOWS LIVE ID (pre se zvao .net passport) da nabavljate igrice, filmove u HDTV format, clipove (Borat, Comedy central) i naravno ultra demoe novih stvari koje tek dolaze.

Sve u svemu dosta toga se kuva, puno stvari imamo trenutno na raspolaganju a potrudicu se da vecinu prepricam i da imate prilike da cujete kako to izgleda, jos posebno uz svakodnevni dog fooding koji imamo na raspolaganju puno stvari koje su sada pseca rana jednog dana bice svetski najprodavaniji proizvodi.

Za sve koji zele da saznaju vise, a ZUNE to svakako zasluzuje, posetite www.zune.net i uzivajte!!

Borko

Being a Microsoft FTE

2007-02-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

Jedan sat po ponoći. Sedim u Radisson SAS lounge caffe-u neposredno pored staklenog zida, iza koga se vidi osvetljen i fascinatan Galata Bridge, most koji spaja Evropu i Aziju doslovno a u nastavku Azijski kontinent i put koji vodi prema Ankari. Nalazim se u Istanbulu na još jednom treningu koji će me pripremiti za izazove koji me čekaju dokle god budem bio u redovima jedne od najvećih svetskih IT kompanija, The Microsoft Corporation.

Završavam svoj poslednji email i čistim preostalih 34 koji su još "unread" u inboxu koji za nepuna 2 i po meseca mog rada u Microsoftu broji skoro 3000 mailova :) Oooo da!

Istanbul je prelep, iako je vreme za obilazak potpuno ograničeno i svedeno na nekih par sati nakon završetka dnevne sesije koja traje skoro do 18h. Zdanja koja su izgradjena u ovom gradu su fenomenalna, od onih koje oslikavaju tipičnu islamsku kulturu, preko nekih koje u sebi sadrže simbole sinergije dva sveta: hrišćanskog i islamskog. Istanbul je zaista grad na medji izmedju kultura, izmedju kontinenata, izmedju dva drugačija sveta.

Sve je manje i manje vremena, a tema je sve više. Toliko novih stvari. Od Minhena u Novembru i prisustvovanje keynote-u Billa Gejtsa, preko prvog radnog dana u Microsoftu, pa do posete Redmondu, Microsoft Campusa, Microsoft Home i Microsoft Office ture. Sada Istanbul i sve čari Microsoft Solution Selling treninga :) Uskoro ću nadam se posvetiti malo više vremena i vratiti se redovnom bavljenju ovog sporta tako da će svi propeleri mojih pisanija imati priliku da čitaju o najnovijim stvarčicama koje se kuvaju allmighty Microsoft kuhinji, Vista i Office hype dešavanjima i nešto što svakako ne želite da propustite a ja ću vam to pružiti pre svih, to je Windows Longhorn insight. Informacije vezane za najbolji serverski operativni sistem ikada napravljen, od prve alfe i prvih beta do RTM i final release verzija potrudiću se da prenesem sve što "javnost" ne bi trebalo da zna a odnosi se na interno praćenje Windows Longhorn Servera do konačne verzije.

Polako se spremam za qnt. Uskoro treba da se ustaje i počinje sa novom borbom svih zala ovoga sveta među kojima i zli učitelj iz Rusije, veliki plavi sa crvenim šeširom i naravno firma sa dva o.

My Essay. "Present Time". Please Review

2006-12-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

“Crown of Success” Essay

PRESENT TIME

Since the ancient times, ages of great minds, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, human race observed with utmost respect the mystic presence of “Time”. Time was always deeply analyzed and was a frequent topic of discussion and rhetoric speeches. Great people whose names are embossed in great book of human history tried to figure out the essence of what “Time” consists, they feared and admired something that never could be stopped, accelerated, nor turned back. They observed something that keeps on flowing, and in comparison to which, the human kind, and all its presence is insignificant. Great catastrophes, wars and epidemics left their mark on the lives of our ancestors, but time... it flows. Despite the sufferings, despite victories and defeats, it advances, it flows, and when we are no more, it will continue to flow.

Historical victories of mankind and great wars that are symbols of certain ages resemble mere grains in the sands of time. As man discovered fire, the wheel and the primordial society, across the ancient times when great people, thinkers and warriors ruled the lands, and great pharos with the help of their gods and religious dogma, human race was developing their own perception of the world we live in, developing the system on which lay the foundation of the human society, constantly being confident that the center of collision of time and space is in them alone and in the system of values they have built. The strengthen of Roman empire, great sufferings of Christianity recorded in the holly books and latter retribution under the shield of this Christianity and against the people of same race which opposed the religious dogma during the inquisition ages. The ages of great religious magistrates, warriors of cross and Templers, human kind continues to develop blindfolded not realizing that we are victims of great pandemics and great sufferings made by our own hand. The aftermath of wars and battles which ravaged the lands and people during dark and middle ages haven't been reorganized yet, when history repeat itself when human race perceive their leaders and gods emissary in religious and ideological fanatics which lead them to conquests and wars which were written in the pages of history as horrors which no riches, power, or glory could be justified. Nothing on this world can legitimate evil which lies deep inside people with only one purpose, to obtain the ultimate power to rule the system which generations of people have built.

Today, we are witnesses of time when all values, al ethical norms which make the essence of one person are being neglected because of one purpose, one which was present throughout the history always in different form and shape, but always had a common goal, the complete control of our lives and degradation of our ethical standards. Modern society has its bases on economic prosperity and technological breakthrough, but do we know who pays the price of this prosperity and great advancements in the field of science, medicine and the developing of social system? Do we see in our selves the followers of religious inquisition or as the blindfolded slaves of great Pharaohs of modern age, are we building the great desert monuments in honor of those who will find themselves post mortem in the fiery pits and swamps of lost souls like the ones Dante Alighieri wrote about. The price to pay for prosperity is equal to that which Bruno Giordano never accepted, but also our individual battle for better tomorrow is equivalent to one which Sisyphus had. Yet, we are living proof that the foundation exists and that we inherited the legacy to move on, developing further, that only we can contribute for good of today to be the better of tomorrow. Is there way to undone all the harm and injustice that were made? Hardly. But what we have in front of us is the time that gives us an unlimited opportunity to cure the incurable, to develop the undeveloped, to build further and expand the boundaries of human mind to unbelievable reaches. The present time resembles challenge, in the first place. The system and social norms evolve and develop thru time in correlation to the progress of human society. Although at still primitive level of development, we learn about ourselves and about our abilities and skills of which we are capable of and which are forged inside of us. Fast everyday life and tempo which frequently leave us breathless, are a certain requirement for living a modern life. Rules are simple, and human kind, nations as well as individuals in front of them have a crossroad. To work on developing the system and to make an individual and group contribution across society or to ignore everything that generations of our ancestors have built and the norms they've established.

It's up to us to push the boundaries of possible, to celebrate success and contribute each in our own way to what will one day be written as modern age history or distant past for some future advanced generations. We observe history as edification which helps us to understand what human society is and how it was developed, but even more important, to shows us what awaits us in our future and to what we are converging. In front of us are the rest of our lives and the time that is still here, still flowing, fully independent from the system, independent from mankind, and gives us the opportunity to build for ourselves and our future successor the chance for a better tomorrow.