Microsoft, I have to hand it to you; it has been a good month for you. I am a Apple Fanboy, but this month my heart has been in Redmond not Cupertino. In the past month, I have installed Windows 7 on my HP Mini (a 1116NR) and I have purchased a Zune HD with the Zune Pass. I couldn't be happier. Don't get me wrong, my MacBook Pro is still my workhorse computer, and I definitely could not and would not get everything done on my little Windows 7 netbook, but I am not carrying my MacBook around with me on a day to day basis anymore.

First, the Zune HD is a winner. It is an iPod Nano, Shuffle, or Classic killer. I don't think it will knock the iPod touch off of the media player throne anytime soon, but I don't think it was meant to. The iPod Touch is an altogether different machine; it is a mini tablet or quasi computer, and it does many things pretty well. The Zune HD however is a media player, and it does that job nearly perfectly. When you add it to the Zune Pass (the Zune HD killer app) it becomes perfect. With the Zune HD comes the ability to download music directly to the player, and the courtesy of having a nearly unlimited media library at your fingertips. Plus, with the new Zune.net, I am able to steam my media to my Mac via Fox or Safari. Zune.net has replaced Pandora on my desktop and the Zune HD has replaced my iPod for music on the run. There are several reviews about the Zune HD and most of them are spot on. The device is thin, light, and sexy. The Screen is beautiful and the touch control is fabulous. There isn't an app for everything, but I don't need it to do anything but play music well.

Second, I have picked up my little HP Netbook again. To be honest, I have hated the thing since I received it. It wasn't that the keyboard and screen aren't great (because they are), but Windows XP sucked and stuttered on it and Vista was a joke. The little SSD drive in it just hated Windows XP, and I didn't want to invest the hours necessary tweaking the device to be better. After all, my MacBook just worked. I received an educational discount on Windows 7 and decided to experiment with installing it on the HP 1116nr. Not only did it install flawlessly, but it brought new life to the little device. I know have a little workhorse with a battery that lasts nearly 4 hours, complete wireless access to my Evernote library or Google Docs at my will. Plus, with the Zune Software on the machine, it has turned into a tiny media server. It is the most fabulous portable computer, and it is all thanks to Microsoft. To be honest, it feels a little strange.

I won't be a fultime Windows user anytime soon. Again, I love my MacBook, but until Apple produces something lighter, faster, and more powerful than my HP Mini with Windows 7, my MacBook will not be leaving my desk anytime soon. It will be all Microsoft on the run.