The good sounding mp3 is one of the most exciting sound pieces of equipment today. I am amazed at how much high quality product they can put in that little piece of equipment. The surest bet is that the great ideas of today will be even better tomorrow.
For now the ipod audio book phenomenon of today is the star of the show. The mind of man, when inspired, will find new and better entertainment equipment to modify and invent forever.
For suppliers, distributors and manufacturers to stay in business they have to keep making better products for us to give us more benefits like fun, education and entertainment. Simple inventions from great minds spawn eternally new products and more innovative ways to use them.
As long as we keep buying them, inventors will come up with new ways to get desirable new products on the markets like the mp3 and of course the ipod audio book.
The ipod is one of the hot new technologies that is shooting up in consumer use. It allows you to take downloads of audio book discount products almost everywhere.
Young people like to listen to music as they wish. When they get older they will have to pay more bills and their mental outlook will change. They will want to listen to fiction book products and training oral books.
You can tune into your vast vault of sound product while doing many things. Do not get into trouble doing this while working or you could get in trouble with your boss.
Many listen to audio products while jogging though I wish they would walk, wish is safer and healthier for them. Listen to Dale Carnegie life training while you exercise at home without street noise distracting you because of your head phones.
The loaded ipod audio book comes with convenient and comfortable carrying devices for you. They are not as klutzy as some product of the recent or distant past, like the big boom boxes of yesteryear.
Sure you can still listen to your valued music but guess what my friend? The pen is still mightier than the guitar? I know, I know, if you are sixteen this sounds like a big lie.
If you have time for musical instruments and musical voices that is swell. Please keep in mind that there are limits to the value of music and rap.
Please also keep in mind that there is unlimited value to audible training you can get from your ipod mp3 player. If you are not reading you are seriously limiting your personal growth.
I realize your mind, eyes and physical body get tired after work and even play. Let me ask you something though? Have you ever listened to the creative writing genius of Stephen King in, Green Mile or other of his great works?
I promise you your mind will connect to his brilliance when you listen to his abridged or unabridged book stories being told. You will get smarter and more creative because this is how the human mind works. Silly sounding but true.
When you are depressed and bored sometime, like the next time, try clicking onto an audio book website. You will see thousands of tales and training and just plain fun stories all spoken to you by good speakers and even celebrities and original authors.
Any good audible web site will have free samples of almost all their presentations. Click on ones that appeal to you. Try some free downloads and eventually buy one that you like the looks of and make it your own forever.
This technique is called making time when you all along thought you do not have time. Like reading a book. Remember when a loved relative read you stories while you sat by them as a little shaver? Try and believe me that the warm satisfaction of this great experience is still there when you listen to an audio book being read to you.
The ipod audio book will have a magic solution to some of your problems. You can learn how to load them up and download them from my other articles and of course from your favorite web site that carries these audio goods.
It is fairly easy to learn how to do this and to load them onto your ipod mp3 player. This will expand your brain and concentration and listening power to the point of improving them. Sound good? I thought so!
Listen to Carnegie and Stephen while doing routine chores. Keep up to date and get up to date with your favorite foreign language training and dieting advice. Keep alert while driving your F-150 or semi with trailer. Know that you are doing this while keeping up with the rest of your life.
Your depression and loneliness will lessen. Your brain power will grow and make you feel better about yourself and give you more to talk to others about.
While there are lots of sites available for you to shop in you will soon develop your own favorites. Your listening desires will direct you to the areas you feel drawn to the most. You will find fiction book, true stories, training, education, self development and virtually everything else that has ever been printed.
So here you are. Are you ready to be a little happier? Are you ready to be a little smarter? Are you ready to meet the great minds of today and yesterday? Then my friend, the ipod audio book is surely for you and I do mean you.
About the Author
James M. Lowe has lots of audio books for your listening pleasure to have read to you{a href=" http://www.lisneen.com/"}downloadable audio books.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Two Tremendous Budget mp3 Players Compared
As you are possibly aware from my previous articles, on my site at http://Buy CheapMp3Player.info, I have a shortlist of my top six favorite cheap mp3 players.
A couple of my top six are lower end of the price range machines from brand name manufacturers (Apple iPod and Sony).
Most people will be pretty familiar with these two companies and the quality of the products that they produce. Also, most of mp3 players that they have produced have been covered in some depth elsewhere, on review sites, in press reports and the like.
I therefore see little point in recovering well trodden ground by describing these machines in any detail.
What I would like to do instead is go into a little more detail with a short comparative review of a couple of cheap mp3 players from lesser known manufacturers.
Both of these machines, in my opinion, beautifully encapsulate the reasoning behind my impartial recommendation to buy a cheap mp3 player, rather than perhaps wasting our money on an expensive brand name machine.
The simple fact is that there are many cheap mp3 players that offer great quality at exceptional prices, and why pay more than you need to?
In other words, the two players that I have highlighted below simply provide tremendous value for money, and who amongst us doesn't want that?
iRiver iFP-700 (780T model - 128MB - @$60)
The first point to note about this player is the great sound quality, and my previous articles have all attempted to highlight how important this is. The bass response, in particular, is simply outstanding, making this a very good choice for those who will use their mp3 player mainly to listen to rock music, hip hop and the like.
The 128MB available to you translates into something like four hours of music, well within the lifespan capacity of the battery, which can easily last twenty hours plus in normal use.
It will play MP3, WMA & OGG music files, and can record from any sound source, not just through your PC. It also features an FM radio, is pretty resistant to the skips and jumps that are often a feature of Flash based players, and weighs in at just 3 grams!
So, there are a heck of a lot of good things that you can say about the 780T, making it an outstanding buy in its class and price range for me.
I do, of course, have a couple of small gripes!
First, the radio reception is often not particularly good. Obviously this is only relevant if you are interested in listening to radio, but, it is something to be aware of.
Second, I found the earphones a little difficult to use, and pretty uncomfortable into the bargain. Not that the 780T is unique in this, and, of course, earphones can be bought separately, but I didn't really like the standard phones that come with the 780T.
That being said, it is still a very, very good example of what you get if you buy a cheap mp3 player, and for the price, it is exceptional value for money.
SanDisk Sansa e100 (e140 - 1GB - $80)
This one comes with 1GB memory, so it obviously has the ability to load up considerably more music than the 780T above.
Again, this is five star mp3 player, great quality from a lesser known name, that can play mp3 or WMA files, weighs in at 0.4ozs and has a battery life of 15 hours continuous playback.
Also like the 780T, this one offers terrific sound quality, with its "TruBass" feature again adding considerably to the response at the lower end of the tonal scale.
The controls are extremely ergonomically laid out and are simple to use, and the backlit LCD screen, allied to the detailed album and/or song information shown on it, make this a very easy player to actually operate.
It has the added advantage that there is no requirement for special software to load songs on to it - simple Windows "drag and drop" is all that is required - and for pure functionality, the Sansa e140 is pretty hard to beat.
Again like the 780T, downsides are very few.
There does seem to be a noticeable (and slightly irritating) gap between tracks playing on the e140, but this seems to be a feature (or fault) that I have found with some other Flash based players a well, so maybe it is an inherent fault of the technology, rather than the manufacturers.
I also, once again, found the earphones uncomfortable, but (given the frequency that this appears to be the case) maybe I should blame that on the shape of my own ears, rather than on the phones!
In conclusion, the iRiver 780t and the SanDisk Sansa e140 represent all that is good about the idea of buying a cheap mp3 player!
Both retail for well under $100 in the high street or local mall, but, before buying, don't forget to check the special eBay deals from my signature at the bottom of this page for extra cheap prices!
Both offer great sound quality, excellent functionality, light weight and good looks.
So, your choice is pretty simple.
Do you want to pay the extra $30 or so necessary to move up from four hours of music with the iRiver 780T to the fifteen hours or so (before a battery change becomes necessary) with the Sansa e140? Otherwise, there is so little to choose between them....
As they say, you pays your money, you takes your choice!
About the Author
Steve Cowan is an avid fan of both music and spoken word mp3's. Get his "fabulous 30" free audiobooks at http://www.TalkAlive.com, then download his own unique free report "Top 99 Free mp3 Downloads" at http:/www.BuyCheapMp3Player.info. And, before buying an mp3 player, don't forget to check out Steve's unbeatable eBay prices at http://buycheapmp3player.info/ebayspecials.html
A couple of my top six are lower end of the price range machines from brand name manufacturers (Apple iPod and Sony).
Most people will be pretty familiar with these two companies and the quality of the products that they produce. Also, most of mp3 players that they have produced have been covered in some depth elsewhere, on review sites, in press reports and the like.
I therefore see little point in recovering well trodden ground by describing these machines in any detail.
What I would like to do instead is go into a little more detail with a short comparative review of a couple of cheap mp3 players from lesser known manufacturers.
Both of these machines, in my opinion, beautifully encapsulate the reasoning behind my impartial recommendation to buy a cheap mp3 player, rather than perhaps wasting our money on an expensive brand name machine.
The simple fact is that there are many cheap mp3 players that offer great quality at exceptional prices, and why pay more than you need to?
In other words, the two players that I have highlighted below simply provide tremendous value for money, and who amongst us doesn't want that?
iRiver iFP-700 (780T model - 128MB - @$60)
The first point to note about this player is the great sound quality, and my previous articles have all attempted to highlight how important this is. The bass response, in particular, is simply outstanding, making this a very good choice for those who will use their mp3 player mainly to listen to rock music, hip hop and the like.
The 128MB available to you translates into something like four hours of music, well within the lifespan capacity of the battery, which can easily last twenty hours plus in normal use.
It will play MP3, WMA & OGG music files, and can record from any sound source, not just through your PC. It also features an FM radio, is pretty resistant to the skips and jumps that are often a feature of Flash based players, and weighs in at just 3 grams!
So, there are a heck of a lot of good things that you can say about the 780T, making it an outstanding buy in its class and price range for me.
I do, of course, have a couple of small gripes!
First, the radio reception is often not particularly good. Obviously this is only relevant if you are interested in listening to radio, but, it is something to be aware of.
Second, I found the earphones a little difficult to use, and pretty uncomfortable into the bargain. Not that the 780T is unique in this, and, of course, earphones can be bought separately, but I didn't really like the standard phones that come with the 780T.
That being said, it is still a very, very good example of what you get if you buy a cheap mp3 player, and for the price, it is exceptional value for money.
SanDisk Sansa e100 (e140 - 1GB - $80)
This one comes with 1GB memory, so it obviously has the ability to load up considerably more music than the 780T above.
Again, this is five star mp3 player, great quality from a lesser known name, that can play mp3 or WMA files, weighs in at 0.4ozs and has a battery life of 15 hours continuous playback.
Also like the 780T, this one offers terrific sound quality, with its "TruBass" feature again adding considerably to the response at the lower end of the tonal scale.
The controls are extremely ergonomically laid out and are simple to use, and the backlit LCD screen, allied to the detailed album and/or song information shown on it, make this a very easy player to actually operate.
It has the added advantage that there is no requirement for special software to load songs on to it - simple Windows "drag and drop" is all that is required - and for pure functionality, the Sansa e140 is pretty hard to beat.
Again like the 780T, downsides are very few.
There does seem to be a noticeable (and slightly irritating) gap between tracks playing on the e140, but this seems to be a feature (or fault) that I have found with some other Flash based players a well, so maybe it is an inherent fault of the technology, rather than the manufacturers.
I also, once again, found the earphones uncomfortable, but (given the frequency that this appears to be the case) maybe I should blame that on the shape of my own ears, rather than on the phones!
In conclusion, the iRiver 780t and the SanDisk Sansa e140 represent all that is good about the idea of buying a cheap mp3 player!
Both retail for well under $100 in the high street or local mall, but, before buying, don't forget to check the special eBay deals from my signature at the bottom of this page for extra cheap prices!
Both offer great sound quality, excellent functionality, light weight and good looks.
So, your choice is pretty simple.
Do you want to pay the extra $30 or so necessary to move up from four hours of music with the iRiver 780T to the fifteen hours or so (before a battery change becomes necessary) with the Sansa e140? Otherwise, there is so little to choose between them....
As they say, you pays your money, you takes your choice!
About the Author
Steve Cowan is an avid fan of both music and spoken word mp3's. Get his "fabulous 30" free audiobooks at http://www.TalkAlive.com, then download his own unique free report "Top 99 Free mp3 Downloads" at http:/www.BuyCheapMp3Player.info. And, before buying an mp3 player, don't forget to check out Steve's unbeatable eBay prices at http://buycheapmp3player.info/ebayspecials.html
How to Copy Music OFF your iPod
So, you've got music on your iPod that you don't have on your computer?
It doesn't matter how you got in this predicament -- maybe you've lost a hard drive (or an entire computer), or you've accidently deleted just a little too much, and for one reason or another, you don't have the original source of the music.
If any of that sounds familiar, the time to fix it is now -- before you lose your iPod (and your music), or iTunes manages to get set to automatically sync your entire library (its default state, if you have to re-install it) and starts deleting all of the songs it doesn't know about.
Unfortunately, the standard tool for transferring music between your iPod and your computer (iTunes) is one-way -- it'll put music (or videos, etc.) onto your iPod, but it won't retrieve it back. Why? Uncle Steve wants it that way, I suppose.
Getting music off of your iPod -- the Windows Down & Dirty Method
Unusually enough, this is one place Windows users have an advantage over Mac users. If you have a Windows formatted iPod, Windows actually treats it as a removable drive, and you can go in and copy the files off if you know where to look.
Here's how:
1. Connect your iPod -- =Warning!= if iTunes loads when you plug in your iPod, and is set to automatically sync your entire library (erasing your iPod), you MUST stop it -- hit the little "X" in the upper right hand corner of the window.
2. Open your iPod -- It should show up on "My Computer" as a "Mobile Device"; right click and choose "Explore". Alternatively, go to the Control Panel, Portable Media Devices, and double-click your iPod.
3. Unhide the files -- By default, Windows hides hidden files and folders (thus the name). Go to Options (in the Tools menu), and on the View tab, check "Show Hidden Files and Folders".
4. Find the Music -- The music is stored (in current iPods) in the directory "\\iPod_Control\\Music". This may have a lot of odd looking stuff in it -- it doesn't matter; select everything and drag and drop them to a folder on your hard drive.
5. Configure iTunes -- Go into iTunes Preferences, and under the Advanced tab, check "Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music Folder when adding to the library" (settings move around a bit between versions of iTunes, but these settings will be there somewhere).
6. Add Your Files -- In iTunes, select File, Add Folder to Library, and select the folder where you copied the files from your iPod. Alternatively, just drag and drop this folder onto iTunes
Once you've done that, iTunes should sort out the files from the iPod folder structure, put the artist and album information back from the ID3 tags in the music files, and reorganize the whole thing in the iTunes library folder.
The one caveat with this is that what you won't get back is any "metadata" that isn't stored in the files themselves, such as ratings, play counts, last played and modified information, etc.
It's also very difficult to select individual files or groups of files doing this, as it's not terribly obvious which file is which just looking at them in the way the iPod stores them.
Last but not least, I've never seen (nor read about) this trick being tried with any of the "new" iTunes data types, such as pictures, video, games, etc., so I don't know how well it would work to retrieve that information, nor whether this will retrieve purchases from iTunes Music Store intact.
For more methods of copying data off of your iPod, including links to several free utilities that can copy all of your data, please see:
5 Ways to copy music OFF your iPod (Windows / Mac OS X)
About the Author
Chuck Lawson writes tips and reviews for technology and gadgets at Nonliteral: Metaphoric Engineering. Please visit Nonliteral for more information on this and other related topics.
It doesn't matter how you got in this predicament -- maybe you've lost a hard drive (or an entire computer), or you've accidently deleted just a little too much, and for one reason or another, you don't have the original source of the music.
If any of that sounds familiar, the time to fix it is now -- before you lose your iPod (and your music), or iTunes manages to get set to automatically sync your entire library (its default state, if you have to re-install it) and starts deleting all of the songs it doesn't know about.
Unfortunately, the standard tool for transferring music between your iPod and your computer (iTunes) is one-way -- it'll put music (or videos, etc.) onto your iPod, but it won't retrieve it back. Why? Uncle Steve wants it that way, I suppose.
Getting music off of your iPod -- the Windows Down & Dirty Method
Unusually enough, this is one place Windows users have an advantage over Mac users. If you have a Windows formatted iPod, Windows actually treats it as a removable drive, and you can go in and copy the files off if you know where to look.
Here's how:
1. Connect your iPod -- =Warning!= if iTunes loads when you plug in your iPod, and is set to automatically sync your entire library (erasing your iPod), you MUST stop it -- hit the little "X" in the upper right hand corner of the window.
2. Open your iPod -- It should show up on "My Computer" as a "Mobile Device"; right click and choose "Explore". Alternatively, go to the Control Panel, Portable Media Devices, and double-click your iPod.
3. Unhide the files -- By default, Windows hides hidden files and folders (thus the name). Go to Options (in the Tools menu), and on the View tab, check "Show Hidden Files and Folders".
4. Find the Music -- The music is stored (in current iPods) in the directory "\\iPod_Control\\Music". This may have a lot of odd looking stuff in it -- it doesn't matter; select everything and drag and drop them to a folder on your hard drive.
5. Configure iTunes -- Go into iTunes Preferences, and under the Advanced tab, check "Keep iTunes Music Folder Organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music Folder when adding to the library" (settings move around a bit between versions of iTunes, but these settings will be there somewhere).
6. Add Your Files -- In iTunes, select File, Add Folder to Library, and select the folder where you copied the files from your iPod. Alternatively, just drag and drop this folder onto iTunes
Once you've done that, iTunes should sort out the files from the iPod folder structure, put the artist and album information back from the ID3 tags in the music files, and reorganize the whole thing in the iTunes library folder.
The one caveat with this is that what you won't get back is any "metadata" that isn't stored in the files themselves, such as ratings, play counts, last played and modified information, etc.
It's also very difficult to select individual files or groups of files doing this, as it's not terribly obvious which file is which just looking at them in the way the iPod stores them.
Last but not least, I've never seen (nor read about) this trick being tried with any of the "new" iTunes data types, such as pictures, video, games, etc., so I don't know how well it would work to retrieve that information, nor whether this will retrieve purchases from iTunes Music Store intact.
For more methods of copying data off of your iPod, including links to several free utilities that can copy all of your data, please see:
5 Ways to copy music OFF your iPod (Windows / Mac OS X)
About the Author
Chuck Lawson writes tips and reviews for technology and gadgets at Nonliteral: Metaphoric Engineering. Please visit Nonliteral for more information on this and other related topics.
So Easy, you too can make money Podcasting!
If Mr. Rush Limbaugh is podcasting, Why not You?
At least once a day, I am emailed with questions of how to rake in the cash by podcasting and have decided to begin looking at this and writing on the world of podcasting as a result. Hey if Rush Limbaugh can use podcasting to his benefit, so can you and make money while doing it. In future articles you will get a more detailed look into driving revenue from your podcasting, but for the time being you will just get an overview on the podcasting issues to get you started. Today, you can not wonder down a city street or an airport without seeing someone listening to their ipod and you have to assume some of those people are listening to a podcast. Have you tried to watch an evening of tv without seeing an Apple commercial? Obviously you will have plenty of consumers and competition with the overwhelming popularity of the ipod. So, we definitely have a demand for podcasting and this the first step in determining if you can make money in this marketplace. Podcasting content has become an important part of this hyped marketplace that is here to stay.
Now that this has been established, you have to also choose the right business model to base your efforts on. The choices can be endless here and can include charging a fee for each users downloads, asking users of your podcasting service for a donation, and charging advertisers for pushing their products on your podcasting site. In future articles, we will discuss each of these strategies to help you choose the best podcasting strategy for your needs. In the meantime, I will finish this discussion with you by providing an overview of how you can create a podcast and easily enter the fast moving world of podcasting. There are many programs out there that make podcasting very easy. Most notably, you can buy programs exceeding $49 from sites such as itunes and podcastblaster. Additionally, you can do a search for podcasting tools on MSN, Yahoo, and Google. This being said, I am going to save you a little time by providing you a direct source to create and quickly publish your podcast by going to LiquidShark.com. They offer a product called Quick podcast, which will let you create and host up to 3,600 one-hour talk show podcasts for as little as $3.99 per month. Please check it out and let me know what you think. I will follow this up shortly with a more detailed overviews to get you started so "Yes, you too can make money podcasting."
About the Author
The article on podcasting was written by David H. Butler. He has been consulting on internet commerce since the mid-1990's. He writes for various sources on web promotion, online marketing, hosting, domain registration and linking. The advice and commentary he has distributed is regarded as "expert advice written for the benefit of the readers." He currently operates Liquid
At least once a day, I am emailed with questions of how to rake in the cash by podcasting and have decided to begin looking at this and writing on the world of podcasting as a result. Hey if Rush Limbaugh can use podcasting to his benefit, so can you and make money while doing it. In future articles you will get a more detailed look into driving revenue from your podcasting, but for the time being you will just get an overview on the podcasting issues to get you started. Today, you can not wonder down a city street or an airport without seeing someone listening to their ipod and you have to assume some of those people are listening to a podcast. Have you tried to watch an evening of tv without seeing an Apple commercial? Obviously you will have plenty of consumers and competition with the overwhelming popularity of the ipod. So, we definitely have a demand for podcasting and this the first step in determining if you can make money in this marketplace. Podcasting content has become an important part of this hyped marketplace that is here to stay.
Now that this has been established, you have to also choose the right business model to base your efforts on. The choices can be endless here and can include charging a fee for each users downloads, asking users of your podcasting service for a donation, and charging advertisers for pushing their products on your podcasting site. In future articles, we will discuss each of these strategies to help you choose the best podcasting strategy for your needs. In the meantime, I will finish this discussion with you by providing an overview of how you can create a podcast and easily enter the fast moving world of podcasting. There are many programs out there that make podcasting very easy. Most notably, you can buy programs exceeding $49 from sites such as itunes and podcastblaster. Additionally, you can do a search for podcasting tools on MSN, Yahoo, and Google. This being said, I am going to save you a little time by providing you a direct source to create and quickly publish your podcast by going to LiquidShark.com. They offer a product called Quick podcast, which will let you create and host up to 3,600 one-hour talk show podcasts for as little as $3.99 per month. Please check it out and let me know what you think. I will follow this up shortly with a more detailed overviews to get you started so "Yes, you too can make money podcasting."
About the Author
The article on podcasting was written by David H. Butler. He has been consulting on internet commerce since the mid-1990's. He writes for various sources on web promotion, online marketing, hosting, domain registration and linking. The advice and commentary he has distributed is regarded as "expert advice written for the benefit of the readers." He currently operates Liquid
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