I never understood the logic behind the idea of a Microsoft and Yahoo! merger. I mean, what does each bring to the table?

Microsoft brings a few cash cows, buckets of cash, and an ailing online service. Yahoo on the other hand, brings over a lot of eyeballs, some cool bits like flickr, delicious, and others, and a lot of duplicated services (WL Mail = Y! Mail, WL Messenger = Y! Messenger, WL Search = Y! Search, WL Maps = Y! Maps, etc). Anyway, it's an interest idea that they could merge, but I'm not sure what it would do to slow down Google. If anything, it'll slow down the newly joined-at-the hip "Yahoosoft!" I mean, let's take two very large bureaucratic companies with overlapping services, mash them together, and watch the ensuing politcal firefight ensue.

Anyway, I hope these two giants will take a good look at why Google is winning. It's certainly not the breadth of services or the even the reliability of them as I've experienced first hand. No, they are winning for two simple reasons:

1) Search: accurate. They've built the better mouse trap
2) Syndication: They allow you to make a few (or quite a few) bucks on your own blog running on your own server that you can do whatever you want with.

That's it folks. Those are the two reasons that Google is winning. Smashing Microsoft and Yahoo together will NOT get you these two things. The only two things that Microsoft, Yahoo, or Yahoosoft (or Microhoo, or Mihoo!, or Moohoo, or...I can go on for days) can do to beat Google are:

1) Search: make it more accurate than Google.
2) Syndication: get off your "walled garden" wall and let people syndicate your ads on their own site with their own servers that they can do whatever they want with. Yahoo figured this out eventually, but it is most likely too late. The other way to do it is to offer more cash than Google is willing pay. That should win you some converts (until Google ups their payout too, of course).

There you have it folks...no fuss, no political war with clashing cultures ensuing. Just a way to really win over Google. The question isn't if they can merge, because we know they can. The questions really are: does it matter? and will it help? The answer is most likely: no.

Big ups to Ars Technica for sparking this rant: Yahoo-Microsoft merger talk resurfaces

Hello folks! The brand spanking new wifi connected Sansa Connect is out finally. I just wanted to compile a review roundup mega-post that will link out to all other reviews, impressions, videos, photos, whatever of the Sansa Connect. Got one I don't have? Let me know by posting a comment!

By the way, I'm a ZING employee (if you don't know where ZING fits into all of this...try this).

Also before, we start, you'll see some reviews say the device is 15.2 ounces...umm that's like 1 pound almost. It's actually closer to 3 ounces so it won't actually feel like a block of cheese in your pocket.

Here we go...

UPDATE 4/18/2007: Gizomodo's Frankenreview

Some eager beavers over at MobilitySite got to Circuit City first and put out a nice unboxing vid. MobilitySite also hooked the interwebs up with a more detailed walk through video of the major differentiating features of the Sansa Connect.

Gadgetaholic was also one of the very first to give their 2 excellent cents.

Engadget also figures out that Sansa Connects snuck into Circuit City stores a few days early. After returning home from the local Circuit City, they give a nice hands on review.

Not to be outdone, Gizmodo gropes the Sansa Connect too. Gizmodo goes one further by dropping some science and actually showing an unedited video of downloading a song over the air so that future Sansa Connect owners can see how it works before buying one for themselves. This is a great video that underscores how easy it is to grab the tunes without a PC.

AnythingButiPod also give a great vid on the Sansa Connect's major features. They even have a nice Sansa Connect Forum for those of you who want to discuss your experiences with the device.

Ars Digital has some nice words to say as well.

EarlyAdaptor notices that the Sansa Connects are sold out at the SanDisk online store.

Blogging Molly thinks it's time for a review in haiku.

Damion at ZuneThoughts wishes his Zune can Zing.

Jezlyn is promising a review really really soon now. UPDATE: And here it is. (Also, thanks for the photo). She also gives us a piece of her mind about the Yahoo Music Jukebox.

Rodfather just picked up his Sansa Connect and loves it.

SeekingAlpha wants a little more out of the Sansa Connect.

Even our friends to the north at Gadgets.ca think the Sansa Connect is a great alternative to the iPod and Zune.

CrunchGear weighs in and says "me likey".

Yahoo toots their own horns at Ycoolthing

The big players notice the interwebs have gone abuzz about the little-wifi-mp3-player-that-could and jump on the bandwagon. Yahoo hits up their Y! music blog with the official announcement (and by far the best photo of the device in action to date).

Wired does an "big news" channel unboxing and eventually a short and sweet review.

The WSJ takes notice of the Sansa Connect and writes it up as well (but demands you pay to read their article...sorry).

CNET also sends out a very nice review of the Sansa Connect.

Both PCWorld and PC Magazine give a nice thumbs up. ComputerWorld thinks the Sansa Connect "surpasses iPod and Zune -- for now". Laptop magazine also likes it.

For you geeks, here's some details of the guts of the Sansa Connect.

See what you like? Think your Dad or Grad would like the coolest and easiest to use music player out there? preorder on amazon or grab it at Circuit City.

Yahoo has been gobbling it's way to Web 2.0 greatness and I'm glad they're doing it that way. Now they're getting into the increasingly crowded mapping game. Here's something I found while poking around flickr's apis: Yahoo! Maps Web Services - Maps Application Gallery