What a bunch of... What a load of ...

The Zune player gifted by the BIL, via the Microsoft Store with a discount, had the screen crack. This for no apparent reason.

Was fine in the night. Was cracked in the morning!!

No one dropped it, never even went near it.

The player is fine. I can press the play button and songs play. The screen below the top plastic (inside screeen) has cracked! There is a light 2mm x 2mm square and cracks radiating from it.

Note : when the player is off, you just see a normal screen. When you turn it on, you see the cracks light up as in the picture..

Now here is the rub..

1. The Zune warranty does not cover the screen.
2. Microsoft suggests I can go buy this screen at any electronics part store
3. By opening the Zune myself and trying to install this screen, I void all warranties!
4. This LCD thingy is not available at your local store! Plus iPOD/Zune type pod repair shops want 99$ for replacing this thing..

The player cost the BIL only 130 bucks.

I just cannot believe that they can get away with this!!

Internet search on "Zune screen replacement" throws out a ton of webpages where people are telling their sad stories on how they have a cracked screen overnight for no apparent reason and no easy way to address the problem..

Let this add to that count!

Note to BIL: You did your best...and yes, yes.. I know this is like looking a gift horse in the mouth.. But a gift horse which needs a few cavities filled and a couple of root canals done, has to be looked at in the mouth!

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Patience is a virtue

That is one virtue that I don't have and I know it!

Jr. on the other hand seems to have been gifted with infinite patience.

As the video clearly demonstrates, she just sat there for a full 8 mins, then continued to be there for another 5 before she got all upset that the battery charger was not turning green..

Finally I took the half charged battery and put it in the camera. She now takes pictures with the old S30. Her hands shake when she finally clicks the shuttter but the pictures still come out okay.

I seem to be going through a Jinx. The Tamron lens wont autofocus when the subject is close. The Zune player's screen cracked and it was not even dropped. It cracked because of temperature fluctuation is my guess. To top things off, there is a viral infection in my eye and all this happens on Sunday.

This is one of those weeks where I just want to go close myself in a small room and shout .. no.. scream!!

Would like to think on the brighter side of life though. The manual focus ring still works and my fingers are not bandaged, so I can take pictures. The Zune dudes aka Microsoft, said that this is a most common failure mode on the player and I should be able to get this screen in any local electronics store (although they won't pay for it) and my eyes are getting better or at least the pain is gone with the drops they gave me.

It may be a day or two before I come back to blog...

Until then..

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Viva Microsoft-eeee!

The BIL gave me a gift.. well two gifts actually!

He got me a Zune player from the Microsoft store!

It has like 30 GB, plays music, videos, pictures, has a built in radio!

He also gave me more than 1900 songs including all the Tamizh and Hindi oldies from his CD collection!

Ooo laa laa...

Have been playing with the Zune.. so no time to blog. Will complete my unfinished post once I am all set with the player.

In other news, here is an evening conversation:

Me: do you know any songs?
Little one : Yesh!
Me : sing a song for me
Little one : tee tee tee joti joti joti
Me : !!!!!!!!!!!!

I was expecting something more along the lines of twinkile twinkle or baa baa black sheep!! Should have seen this coming..

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