pass

The Zune forums are alive with complaints that a bunch of music has suddenly disappeared from Zune devices. The reason: it appears that Microsoft has pulled a bunch of music from the Zune Marketplace. If users downloaded this music to their devices via the subscription-based Zune Pass service, then it apparently disappeared when they synced their device. (I'm talking about subscription-based "tethered" downloads, of which users get an unlimited number per month. The Zune Pass also offers 10 permanent MP3 downloads per month, and those downloads have not been affected.)

I'm not a Zune Pass subscriber, … Read more

KeePass Password Safe Professional provides a helpful directory for remembering passwords and keeping them secure. While its layout was slightly confusing, its excellent results made us very happy, and to top it off, it's free.

The program's interface has a stark, directionless layout that initially turned us off. However, a visit to the Help file's instructions and some experimenting quickly opened this program up, and it actually proved to be easy to use. The program's functionality is quite simple: Follow an onscreen menu to enter a Web site's information and its corresponding user name and … Read more

If you sometimes forget your online passwords and log-in data, you're not alone. You need iPassMan. It provides a helpful way to collect your usernames, passwords, and related Web sites and keep them organized and secure. This program's simple design and encryption end forgotten log-in information.

The program's interface takes a matter of seconds to master. The controls are easy to master even though the program lacks a Help file. This program acts as a filing system for all your log-in information. You simply create a new entry and fill in the appropriate Web site, user name … Read more

I had a fascinating conversation with MediaNet CEO Alan McGlade on Friday morning. Unless you're deeply involved in online music, you probably don't know MediaNet, but it's the back end powering a lot of music services you might have used, including MOG's subscription service that launched earlier this week, as well as Microsoft's excellent Zune Pass subscription service and iLike's online music marketplace. (MySpace acquired iLike in August, and in November, links to iLike's service began appearing directly in music-related search results on Google.)

They've also got more history in online music … Read more

This robust password manager is a must-use freeware tool that supports multiple operating systems and browsers. With LastPass, you create a master password, and then it uses automatic form filling and one-click log-in to simplify password entry.

LastPass will create secure passwords for you, as well as allow for secure password sharing, password import and export, secure note-taking, and password backup and restore. Because the data is stored on its encrypted servers, you can access your passwords remotely. If you're worried about key logging, LastPass can make a single-serving-use password for you. You can manually add sites, like financial … Read more

If free ad-supported music services aren't going to make it financially, what about paid subscription services? Rhapsody and RealNetworks continue to soldier along, but RealNetworks is apparently looking for investors to take some portion of the Rhapsody business off its hands, and we haven't heard much about Napster since Best Buy, which acquired it a little over a year ago, slashed subscription prices in May in a bid to build membership.

Soon, there will be another competitor in the market: MOG. The company has offered a kind of music blog site with a social-networking spin for a couple … Read more

Secret Guide 2: How to Pass the Real Estate Exam offers some brief common sense explanations for taking the test, but not much useful information. Anyone studying for this test should be able to find better information out there.

We were immediately disappointed by this program's interface, not because it was only a PDF document, but because it was only nine pages long. We didn't think this was long enough to give in-depth assistance for such an important test. Unfortunately, we were right. The bulk of the study tips and test-taking advice are things most people will know … Read more

The more time I spend with my Zune HD, the more I like it. Sound quality aside--and I know opinions differ dramatically here, but I'm stuck with my ears and my preferences--there are a bunch of features that make Apple's products seem like they've fallen behind the curve. Here are five things in particular that I miss when I use my iPhone or one of my iPods:

Zune Pass Apple has long maintained that people want to own rather than rent their music. I counter that a subscription-based music service, combined with a state-of-the-art player, is one … Read more

Microsoft's Zune HD portable media player has been sitting in a sealed box on my desk for two weeks now. Don't worry, I haven't lost my professional fascination with portable media players. The only reason the box has stayed sealed is because the Zune HD is little more than a $219 paperweight if it doesn't have the Zune 4.0 software client to connect to.

The wait is finally over. As of this morning, Microsoft's free Zune 4.0 software is available for download. Perfect timing, too, since the Zune HD officially goes on sale … Read more