The Windows Experience Blog states in their story, “When students buy a Windows 7 PC over $699, they will receive a FREE Xbox 360*” and the Asterisk mark does not state that retailers can put extra conditions on the deal.

Basically Dell, one of the leading participants in this deal wants to add extra conditions and Microsoft should of talked to their OEM’s and made sure they were on the same page. Which led to some angry comments on the blog.

I’ve been thinking about buying the XPS 15 for a bit now, as I need a new laptop and my Macbook Pro is finally giving out on me.  This deal was the extra push I needed to go PC this time instead of Mac.

Then I find out that you can only buy specifically configured Dell PCs, and the only XPS 15 configuration I can choose from doesn’t have the specs I want at all.  Not only that, but it’s marked UP, which means I wouldn’t be saving any money at all!  What a scam, Microsoft.  Very disappointing.  

I wanted to give Dell $1700 for a new PC, and they won’t LET me?  Maybe Apple will get my business again after all.

The way Microsoft marketed the promotion is going to get the company in trouble, the marketing department needs to team up with the legal department and make amends fast. I think giving a two week window for any student to buy any pc over $699 and get the Xbox shipped at no extra charge would be the best solution, then after the two week window it would be select systems like how Dell is advertising.

From other reports from the comment thread this is also happening to HP system purchases as well. So avoid the promotion until Microsoft does something to adjust it.  

Basically the XBOX is factored into the cost of the system.

Right now I am taking course one out of five, an introduction to Sociology class, it may be a three hour lecture class, but it can be informative and rather fun. Sad thing is the state budget crisis might make it harder for anyone who wants an education who does not have money or connections to advance up on the ladder of life. We might not even have summer classes in most of our public higher education facilities no matter if it is Chaffey College or UC Riverside. And I should of used my knowledge of Political Science to realize I should of just signed up for a Cal Poly Pomona Summer extension course at $400 because the doors of Chaffey College and Riverside College might close down until the Fall. Republicans do not want the kiss of death from Grover Norquist or John and Ken if they allowed the voters to decide that tax increases should be decided on the voters.

My new web host has fair pricing, and I hope I have a good experience with the company. And I do thank my sister for her partial sponsorship of my website.

There is one likely way you can get back at them and still see the content. Use Google Reader. What will the county supervisors do next, ban Google? If Brad or Gary ban Google off county computers, then that would be a big embarrassment.

Google Reader is a web based application from Google where you can read various articles from your favorite blogs.

There is a local branch of the county library that I might be able to test my work-around against the censorship policies, but that would entail me getting a new library card.

I hope Time Warner enjoys losing some customers due to this ill-timed price increase. I know companies do need to make a profit, but they need to be tactful in this economic climate.

If you have a yearly plan you will likely be grandfathered until your subscription runs out, then you will get the new pricing afterwards.

Hmmm… I am being downgraded from 40 to 30 downloads now. Will it be worth it?

I used emusic in the past to get into bands such as The Presets and Sparks which helped me get into following these bands by buying their latest releases or attending their shows. However since Emusic decided to increase their prices, it will be naturally up to the consumer to find other quality alternatives to stretch their entertainment dollar. People will not be eager to take risks in new and unheard music acts, which made emusic known for independent music if there is not an incentive for people to take a gamble on these new on the scene or unheard musicians.

I just ran out of downloads and I am looking towards alternatives, amiestreet has a interesting pricing system stuff thats new will be dirt cheap, then cap out to 9.99 or 11.99 based on how many people download the music, so if you buy it when it is just released you will save money in the long run.

Just consider your options, and maybe if emusic encoded their music at 256 instead of 192, maybe the grumbling would subsdie from the customer base.

I wish the store had an option for people to confirm the purchase instead of instantly billing and downloading the music. I prefer using a shopping cart because it gives an extra layer of security so I do not end up buying a 169 dollar box set of Depeche Mode music because of the wrong click when you wanted to buy a remix of “I Feel Loved” and not the box set.

I tested out the feature and disabling your credit cards prevents you from clicking on the music on Amazon, so that is a good thing. I finally found the song I REALLY WANTED to buy and now I am prompted to list my credit card if I want to pay for it.

The economy is becoming rough for all of us and we all do need to save money. However I do need to consider my options in who would become my hosting provider when my subscription ends. If my web site traffic is not as heavy, then maybe I could afford to get a reasonable hosting provider.

Think of it as a mix between the movie Species and the Fifth element.

The video is displayed below the post.

There is not that much music outside of America right now that is catching my interest, but I will let you all know as time goes on.

Next ad is about tax filing with our civil unionized woman versus our married woman.

Next one is about the differences in a social atmosphere, which is awkward when you try to explain the constructs of civil unions at a party.

Then lastly the fourth one is called counsel equal, where the two women visit a counselor to discuss their differences.

Also Rhapsody also prides itself on people being able to listen to 25 full length songs for free each month as long as you are a member of the site. When I tried to sign on with my details, I was never able to listen to a full length song.

As what they always say in economics, there is always no such thing as a free lunch. There is also coverage in Betanews explaining how disappointing their service is during its first few days it has been open.

For now, I am staying with itunes and Amazon for my major label online music needs. And if I am interested in imported music I will go with 7digital at least.

If you want to try something adventurous and independent, I also recommend emusic.com. I have been a member for two months and downloaded quality music from Cut Copy, Sparks, The Presets and Thom Yorke. There will be a link on my site about emusic.com, if you find their selection good join up today.