Microsoft has applied for a patent that would automatically download content to Zune players based on the content already stored on the device. So, if you had a few songs from Third Eye Blind on your device, and they released a new album, Zune would auto-fetch those songs for you (provided those tracks were flagged to be promoted by being given away — or that you had agreed to pay for the new songs). The user could have some control, according to the patent document, by subscribing to various playlists or to playlists of others. An indepth discussion of how the patent works can be found on Russell Shaw’s blog at ZDNet here.
The device would likely have to be equipped with WiFi access for this to happen seamlessly.
What seems worrisome about automatic downloading of content is its potential for abuse. It creates a situation where files automatically show up on a device via WiFi connection. A user can set preferences to simply be given a list of new music options (ok, that’s cool), the patent says, but for those that turn over control of the device itself, what new types of worms, Trojans and other attacks could this lend itself to?
True, it is only a patent application for now, but somehow, visions of The Terminator – a world in which automation has overrun our lives – keeps popping to mind.
