Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Shuffling Along With Your iPod

No matter how great the next gadget is, there is always a better one right around the corner. Thats exactly what Apple keeps doing with the iPods.

The iPod Shuffle is the smallest of the iPods. It is a little more simplistic, making it less confusing to use for some people. It is basically just for music, but can also be used for storage. With this model it is more affordable than many of the other iPods. Starting at $69 this little iPod has a lot to offer.

The iPod shuffle is also more compatible with MACs or PCs than many of the other iPods available. It is so compact, weighing maybe as much as a car key. Or, it is about the size of a pack of gum. But, this little device has a capacity to hold from 120 to 240 songs and can play for 12 hours straight. It can charge in as little as four hours. Do not worry about having another charger in the house because with the iPod shuffle it uses a USB port as its charger.

Do not let the iPod shuffle fool you. The shuffle can be set to play playlists in the order that they appear. Or it can be set to shuffle. Shuffle is not its only feature. You will love its simplicity and its cool and relaxed style. The autofill feature will help save time and keep your shuffle full of your favorite songs. There is also a dock for the shuffle. This can be purchased and will also autofill, or it can be used as a charger for your iPod shuffle.

The iPod Shuffle is great for walking, running or any other physical activity because of its size. Also, it is very popular to take along on activities because it is skip free and can have 12 hours of continues play.

One of the neat features of this device is that it has a navigational wheel. The center is the play/pause button. This same button can also be used to put iPod into Hold mode. Just hold the play/pause button about three to four seconds and Hold should be set. To adjust volumes press the top or bottom of the wheel. For previous or go to next song press left or right. To fast-forward or rewind press left or right on the wheel and hold for a few seconds.

There is also a LED green light that indicates that the iPod is receiving and performing all the given commands. An orange light will be seen if there is any sort of errors. There is a battery indicator located on the shuffle. Green light means good, orange means running low and the red means that it is running very low. If it does not respond at all, that means it is dead and needs to be recharged.

It seems like any other iPod when you use it with iTunes, but there are a few features that only the shuffle has. It is much more convenient to put songs on the shuffle than other iPods. An autofill box will appear at the bottom of the iTunes window. This is where you can choose your source of music. You can pick iTunes library or a playlist. Otherwise, you can just choose songs at random. This can replace all your songs on the shuffle each time you choose autofill.

To get the most out of your iPod shuffle you will want to go into your preferences and you will want to choose the option - Convert Higher Bit Rate Songs to 128kbsp AAC for this iPod.

With the shuffle only able to hold one gigabyte of songs and this feature can be very important to use with the shuffle. The shuffle will not allow songs that are AIFF or Apple Lossless files. These types of song files can really weigh your iPod shuffle down. But thats what is so nice about that built in feature.

Once this option is set and iTunes is used it will turn that once fat file in to 128 kbps AAC as it syncs with the shuffle. But the original size of the song file will be kept the same in iTunes. Using this type of sync can be a bit slow, but it will benefit you on the many songs you will be able to keep on your iPod shuffle.

Unfortunately this is a feature that is only available on the shuffle. Maybe with the iPods growing popularity it will also be an option put into other iPod models.




http://www.articleco.com/Article/Shuffling-Along-With-Your-iPod/46914

Seven Tips To Avoid iPod Repair

When spending a lot of money on pleasure components like an iPod, life gets a huge kink in it when iPod breaks down. Everyone knows the convenience of the iPod makes listening to music easy when doing practically anything. Instead of going out and buying a new iPod, consider trying some other ideas. Here are some tips that may put the dance back in your step, letting you avoid repairing your iPod by a professional iPod repairman.

First, you should obviously use a hard protective case to avoid scratching the screen of your iPod. The hard cases are better because if you drop your iPod while in a hard case in water, your iPod is usually protected in up to three feet. Plus, if you drop your iPod, a hard case help protect your device from sustaining damage to its internal devices, which are necessary for proper function, and external cosmetic damage to your iPod.

Second, Dont use your pockets, backpacks, or a purse to carry your iPod tunes. LDC screens are pliable under pressure, which is easily created if you bend down, sit down, sit on your backpack or purse or if you fall down. This will put pressure on your iPod, which can bend or crack your LCD screen. You might also think of your screen when left in your car such as extreme heat or cold.

Next, you should always avoid pulling, wrapping, or causing any other type of tension to the cord attached to your headphones. This can break your headphone sockets. Avoid letting your wires get tangled up when you are not using your iPod. You would not want a short in your headphone wires. It would also be totally inconvenient having to untangle your headphones each time you go to use them. Another tip is if your iPod does not boot up as it usually does, you might try charging it. Sometimes, when you are to low on juice your iPod cant boot up.

Also, when you buy your iPod, you could also purchase an extra battery and battery replacement kit. This is ideal for when your battery dies. You dont have to go anywhere to replace it. The average iPod battery takes about three hours to fully charge. What if your iPod would not shut down You have checked that the hold switch is turned off, and you know your battery is fully charged, and then you need to reset your iPod, deplete your battery all the way, and then update your iPod.

Another tip is that you should also check for regular updates for your iPod, just like your home computer. You want it to continue to work properly. If the LDC screen on the front of your iPod shows a not so happy face, this means that you should check that the requirements for your iPod match your computer. If so, try to restore your iPod by putting it in disc mode and then restore. Remember restoring your iPod is not the same as updating. Make sure you back up your music files before you restore. To update plug your iPod into your computer and down load the newest version of iPod updater. You could try plugging your iPod into a different fire wire or USB port connecting to your computer. Then restart your computer, and reinstall your iPod or iTunes software.

To check your iPods hard drive for errors, run the scan disk feature. If the face with an upside down smile comes up then the problem cant be fixed at home.

Last, if you are constantly on the go, running, skating, dancing, and your iPod is always being jarred around, you might have a problem. Your iPods internal protection function will come on, which will freeze your iPod up. Fix your frozen iPod, hold the select and the menu button at the same time. If you have an older iPod, hold the play button down for a few moments, which should repair your iPod issue.

These are only a few basic ways to avoid iPod repairs. For a more in-depth look into solutions, most companies have websites, which corresponds with the brand of iPod you own. If you iPod is still under warranty and you are still having problems, return your iPod to the manufacture that can exchange it for a new one.


http://www.articleco.com/Article/Seven-Tips-To-Avoid-iPod-Repair/43650

Reasons To Go Manual With Your iPod

If you are like most iPod owners, you probably have never even considered using the manual mode on your iPod. Do you even know what the manual mode is First consider what exactly the manual mode is and then, why you should use it.

So, you go to your computer to upload music to your iPod, if you just plug it in and your iTunes music library automatically starts sending music to your iPod, then this is the automatic mode, not the manual. This is the default mode; it is already configured to update the contents whenever your iPod is plugged in.

When using your iPod, the manual mode, on the other hand, lets you select only the files you want and then transfer those selected files to your iPod. To switch your iPod into the manual mode, you first have to go to your iTunes Source list and select the iPod icon.

When you do this, a new icon should pop appear at the bottom right corner if your iTunes window. If you click on this icon, the iPod Preferences window will pop up. Now, to get your iPod to stop updating automatically, you need to enable the Manually Manage Songs and Playlists option. Click OK and the Preferences window will close. Now you are ready to start adding only the music files that you want.

In order to place new music onto your iPod, you need to drag the selected file from your iTunes library and onto the iPod icon in the Source list or into one of your playlists. If you wish to create a new playlist, just click its icon in the Source list and then click on the Plus button at the bottom.

If you have too many files to move manually, or if you just want to get music from a particular genre or artist, you can use the iTunes Browser (press Command-B) and you can select whole genres, albums, or artists to be moved to your iPod. Now that you have changed your iPod to update manually, you should not have to do it again unless you want to switch back to automatically update because this setting is stored on your iPod.

Now that you have changed your iPod to update manually you can easily connect it to more than one computer. This works for people who have more than one computer where they have music stored, like at college or work.

If you had your iPod set on automatic and you went to connect it to another computer, a window will pop up saying that your iPod library is about to be erased and will be replaced with music stored on this computer. Manual mode will save the user a lot of time and grief.

Another reason, you may want to use the manual mode of your iPod is because you are able to play songs that are stored on your iPod through speakers on the computer that the iPod is attached to. If you wish to do this, simply click on the iPod icon in the Source list and pick a song that is shown in the iTunes main window, press play. Or you can play an entire playlist by selecting it and pressing play.

More and more people are starting to change their iPod to manual mode for many reasons. For instance, you may be running out of space on your iPod and wish only to upload a certain few songs. Others want to delete songs from their iTunes library but want to keep it on their iPod.

However, you will not be able to copy music from your iPod back to your iTunes library. This is a protection added to try and cut down on the number of people who pirate music illegally.

Now that you know exactly what the manual mode on your iPod is, how to switch your iPod to manual mode from automatic mode, and some benefits of using it, you are now able to be more in control of the music that you have on your iPod. With the growing number of iPod owners and users, knowing how to use your iPod correctly is becoming more and more important.




http://www.articleco.com/Article/Reasons-To-Go-Manual-With-Your-iPod/46912

Reason for success of iPod

Ipod has become famous among all age groups. Apple iPod has become the major need for all the funky and young kids. Guys who are in music profession will surely owe one of the different iPod or sometimes more than one.

The demand for iPod is increasing every day. Apple iPod has today become synonymous with the term MP3 player. Apple could analyze the lack of digital music player and launched a hard drive based Mp3 player in late 2001. This model was titled as Ipod which had classy and striking looks. The iPod earphones has its own identification and is always been blamed for majority of street robberies.

Even a normal iPod can store multiple music. It was an achievement from the beginning, but the truth that it was only Mac compatible held back sales slightly, although Apple did in fact see an augment in sales of Apple Macs due to populace wanting to be able to make use of the IPods.

In 2003, the sales boosted even high with the launch of new version of IPod i.e. with iTunes software, that was well-suited on both Macs and Windows PCs. Apple IPod enjoys 90% of the market were as normal MP3 player just shares 70% market as whole.

By launching several versions of MP3 players meeting all the technological advancements Apple has made themselves shine in the world. The latest models display photos and videos as well. Some also give the option to store official hard copy of the documents. iPod mini, iPod nano and iPod shuffle are the three most needed model among individuals. All the three meet the same purpose.
iPod Mini - Apple's first iPod by-product was the iPod mini. This product was quite smaller but almost similar to the original one. This iPod was obtainable in many colors and was planned to target unusual market.

iPod Nano: in year 2005 apple made an decision to discontinue sales of IPod mini. This iPod mini was replaced by iPod nano. They are smaller than the mini players and feature colored screens. Apple has come under some censure though for the screens on the nano as many customers have criticized that they damage too easily.

iPod shuffle: The introduction of first flash drive based iPod began with iPod shuffle. The capacity of these iPod is very limited around 512 MB or 1 GB is available in the market. It doesn't have any display screen. One can easily listen song through it in a random order or can set a playlist in iTunes.

The recently launched cars are intended with wharfing ports to make integrating iPods to the in car system easier. Trendy clothes are designed with a special pocket to hold the iPod. Well, other iPod with wonderful facilities are still available in the market but of-course not as fashionable as apple.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/Reason-for-success-of-iPod/46059

Music For iPods - How to Find Quality Music

Music for iPods can be made to sound even better than it is today. iPod is one of the best electronic gadgets ever created in this generation, and it has been the companion of all too many people, young and old, working adults or schooling kids. Even grandmas and granddads are learning to listen to music from this little MP3. We really need to do justice to our favorite toys by feeding them with the best music for iPods. So how do you ensure the music you are putting into your iPod is of the finest quality

Nowadays, it is easy to access legal music for iPods at online music stores such as iTunes, EMusic, etc. There are probably dozens of other online stores for local labels or international record labels. You have the choice of downloading a song from the whole album, without having to actually buy the whole CD like you used to do. Some even come with monthly or annual subscriptions offering you great convenience to return to download another song as and when you come across a favorite hit. Other than that, you may love to rip songs off your old CDs and sync them to your iPod.

No matter whether you download or rip and transfer your music for iPods, the answer to music with crystal clear sharpness lies with the music converter. With this wonderful software, you can take any audio file and transform it from a relatively poor quality sound piece into a great piece of music for iPods. You need to bear in mind that not all music and songs are created in the same quality since they come in different formats such as WAV, WAV (PCM), WMA, AAC, Vorbis, OGG, ATRAC, MP3, MP2 or another audio format. The music converter takes the music and converts it into beautiful music for iPods.

Click on a few icons on the software is what you need to convert your music video or music files you have downloaded for your iPod. Many convertors now come packed with the fastest conversion technology and advanced audio editing features. You can even be creative about adding some extra bass or tempo to your tunes. In short, be a music editor and customize your music for iPods within your own home so that you can have the finest quality of music.

Find out how to get instant quality music for iPods from my blog and enhance your listening pleasure.

The content of this article is provided for the purpose of education and illustration only and is in no way associated with Apple, iTune, or any company or subsidiary of Apple. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The name of the author, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.


http://www.articleco.com/Article/Music-For-iPods---How-to-Find-Quality-Music/28348

ipod mini accessories

The MP3 players are available at different shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats and download services. These days, manufacturers are adding an ever-widening range of features to their players to set them apart from the competition. Here are the extra features available at your mp3 players that may want to consider.

Radio - Many players provide FM radio reception, although they are more widespread on flash devices, which require the spinning hard drives and the CD-playing aspects that can interfere with the signal. AM radio is very rare. Other radio-related features has FM recording, transmission (for just playing back audio wirelessly through home and car stereos with FM tuners), and presets.

In-line remote - For larger hard drive-based or CD MP3 players that you stow in a carrier, an in-line remote control between the headphone cord is a superb feature. Look for a model, like iPod, with a clip for joining the remote to your bag strap.

Music recording - Most MP3 players that record high-quality audio apt for music recording as different to voice memos or interviews do so through an analog line-input, however there are exceptions. Some devices also record digitally or from mike-level sources. The former works great for dubbing tracks from present stereo components. The latter allows you use a small, un-powered microphone for live recording. If you require the highest-quality recordings, ensure the player has a decent ADC and can record to uncompressed WAV files.

Voice recording - A few MP3 players have a small inner microphone for recording the spoken word. These are suitable for documenting a lecture, a meeting, or a talk but inapt for high-quality music recording. The sampling charge is naturally low, and the recordings are mono.

Data storage - Many MP3 players can twice as exterior storage devices, letting you to shuttle data between PCs. A few models do not even need drivers; thus, you could move a resume or a presentation to the laptop of the individual seated next to you on a flight. So-called plug-in players do not even require a wire since they have built-in USB connectors.

Personal information management - A few MP3 players--notably the Apple iPod and Creative's Zen line--can allow phone books and schedules. The information usually entered into Outlook or another PIM program, and then synchronized to the tool where you can view it but not modify it on the go.

Sound-tweaking options - Audio purists normally prefer to hear songs just the way the recording engineers mixed them and do not have much utilize for digital signal processing (DSP), which adjusts a song's equalization or spatial characteristics. However, since digital audio files come from numerous sources and people have individual sonic preferences, EQ and other DSP settings can be of use. Seek a customizable EQ setting (the additional bands the better; five is the norm), with the standard presets (Rock, Jazz, Bass Boost, and so on). In terms of spatial enhancers, DSP features like SRS Wow add-on can create music coming through headphones sound like it is bouncing around a big room. It is simply a matter of individual liking, but we feel music sounds better with some degree of customization.

Advanced playback features - Almost all player presents shuffle, repeat, resume and play list functions. Still, there is space for improvement. Newer models provide the ability to make on-the-fly play lists sans a computer; smart play lists that can serve up. For example, a combine of '80s hip-hop, song-rating techniques in which preferred tunes show more often in Shuffle mode; automatic cross fading that includes soft transitions between songs and automatic volume control, which composes all songs evenly loud and additional artificial intelligence modes that can make it experience like a pro DJ is spinning tunes for you.

Port compatibility - All present Macs and definite PCs also ship with FireWire ports, while numerous PCs have either USB 1.1 or its faster descendent, USB 2.0. Every MP3 players use FireWire ports, USB 1.1, or USB 1.1/2.0 for loading melodies from a computer. If you plan to connect your MP3 player to your stereo, find a device with a lineout port or your stereo carries digital output, be definite your player does so also. These outputs compose songs sound somewhat cleaner over speakers.

Color screens, video playback & photo viewing - Many latest hard drive- and even flash-based players come ready with a color screen that can show JPEG and BMP digital images. This is a fine feature for those who like to take their precious digital memories with them, but be careful that you pay a little extra for it. Color screens are the wave of the upcoming, and as well the photo viewing, the displays are brighter and easier to study. As well, look out for players with crystal-clear OLED displays. Ever more, MP3 players are even providing video playback.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/ipod-mini-accessories/37479

Ipod As The Most Popular Mp3 Mp4 player

This is an mp3 / mp4 player that music lovers acknowledge the most in the modern time. US-based Apple, one among the largest producers of computers, notebooks and computer hardware and software, introduced iPod in 2001 with a single model for the international music market. Apple kept on introducing new iPods for each generation. The latest one is the iPod 5G. Apple also came up with two different variants: the iPod Shuffle (without digital display), the iPod Nano (the smaller version of iPod). Recently, Apple came up with the new-generation of iPod, the iPhone that integrates the conventional MP3 and video player with an internet ready mobile phone.

This article compares each iPod by its special features. One of the most popular model is the iPod 5G that comes with 30 or 80 GB storage capacity. It is not just an mp3 / mp4 player, you can store, view and share complete music videos, movies, podcasts, play games, share photos, playback music and videos, connect to a video output device, and much more. It can play your favorite music for up to 20 hours as this iPod boasts of higher battery life.

The iPod Nano has many of the same features as the full-size iPod, but with much lesser storage capacity. It comes in 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB models. It has up to 24 hours of battery life and is comparatively lighter and smaller. It also suffers from some limitations; the iPod Nano doesn't support voice recording and media storage via third-party peripherals. iPod Nano is a great mp3 player for people who would just like to listen to audio files.

Apple's most-pocket friendly iPod is iPod Shuffle. It offers a host of advantages: it's affordable for everyone; its sound quality is as good as that of any other iPod; it has flash memory rather than a hard drive; and it's really portable. However, the disadvantage is that it doesn't include a screen for steering up to specific songs. It has a limited storage capacity, 512 MB to maximum 1 GB. So it's good for those who want to be in fashion, yet can compromise on memory space. But the size of this mp3 player is so small that you can easily clip it to your clothes.

With digital music being in-vogue, many portable jukeboxes hit the market, since Apple kick-started the music revolution of our time. Other portable MP3 and MP4 players, besides iPod, are available in the entertainment world of mp3 / mp4 players. There are many Chinese, Korean and Japanese brands manufacturing low cost players in bulk. These are much cheaper, but have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. The fact remains that iPods are the most popular among all, and hold the biggest share of this market. There are enough iPod users in the market and a lot of new things are getting developed around iPods.

Some people just can't do without their iPods, from jogging time to bed time. It sticks to their ears. Obviously, the battery drains out of the device. The latest buzz is that Andrew Schneider, a student from New York University, is exploring a solar-powered bikini that can charge iPods. Yes, it is true! The bikini will soak up the sun rays thru photovoltaic film strips. That means, while the iPod user is getting a sun tan, his mp3 / mp4 player is also getting a charge of 6.5 volts of solar power.

iPod has become a very desired mp3 / mp4 player around the world. iPod player just seems to be ahead of its competitors. Not just by delivering good quality products, but also in providing new solutions for eager electronic consumers. Lets just wait what will be next in the iPod revolution.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/Ipod-As-The-Most-Popular-Mp3-Mp4-player/39631

iPod - The Non-Stop Entertainer

iPod is an ultra-portable digital music player that enables you to bring your music collection with you, wherever you go. It provides you the flexibility that you crave for. Listen to music in the bus while traveling, when taking a jog, at the gym, and even when you are at work. No more heavy baggage of CDs. The iPod weighs just a few grams and you can load over 10,000 songs in it. It comes with varied storage capacity options.

It was in the year 2001; Apple introduced the iPod with a memory of 5 GB. It was the memory which never heard of then. The latest i.e., the 5th generation iPod was introduced in October 2005 with 30 and 60 GB sizes. It can play songs, movies and photo slideshows, and with the recent one you can store up to 60 GB of any type of file you want.

Apple has continuously made innovations in its product. The current generation of iPod players includes:

iPod shuffle which has 1-GB capacity. The only problem is that it can play songs but display is not available.
iPod nano which can play digital audio and display digital photos. Its available in 2, 4 and 8GB storage

iTunes is the integrated media-player software that comes along with an iPod. It is installed on the computer/laptop with which one can use for organizing, playing, converting and downloading files from an external source to the computer and even from the computer to an iPod.

The iTunes Store lets iPod users purchase music, movies, podcasts, audiobooks and music videos with a click. The Store offers 3.5 million songs, tens of thousands of podcasts, 3,000 music videos and 20,000 audiobooks, as well as TV shows, feature films and iPod video games. One can directly watch or listen to the files through iTunes on the computer and download them to the iPod.

The Click Wheel is easy to navigate. Its very fun to select playlists, scroll through artists, and select the song. Even a child can do it playfully. Apples iPod is the best portable digital music experience possible with highest sound quality possible. Some of the notable features include:

Digital Audio:
You can have access to 20,000 songs in 80-GB iPod whereas for 30 GB model iPod, one can store up to 7,500 songs. It supports MP3, WAV, AIFF, AAC, Apple Lossless and Audible 2,3 and 4 audio files.

Digital Video:
The 80-GB version can hold up to 100 hours digital quality video. It supports H.264 and MPEG-4 files as well as MOV files which can be converted to iPod video through the iTunes software.

Digital Photos:
The 80-GB iPod can store up to 25,000 photos. The important feature of the iPod is that it can support files which are converted from JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG and PSD. You can download your photos to the iPod from both Mac iPhoto and Windows Adobe Photoshop Elements/Album.

Other Uses of iPod:

Functions as handy hard disk, carrying all types of files for computers.
Calendar/contacts syncing
Download and create games
Car integration with iPod player into the sound system.

Rather than buying the iTalk for 40 USD, you can install a program called Podzilla on your iPod and use a regular old microphone to record high quality audio. All iPods, except for the shuffle, come with calendaring functionality built in, so you can sync your desktop calendar to your iPod and keep track of where you are supposed to be and when if you are out and about. Using Griffins Total Remote Software and IR device, you can set up your iPod as a remote for any number of devices, including your TV, DVD player, Xbox, and Roomba.

The best notable feature of Apples iPod is that it can work with both Mac and Windows machines.

So with a 30GB or 80GB iPod in hand, one can enjoy music, movies, TV shows, iPod games, podcasts, audiobooks, photo albums, and, of course an entire library of music. In other words, iPod is a pocket-size prodigy.

You can continuously listen to the iPod songs up to 20 hours. Or else, if you want to watch movies and TV shows you can have the nonstop entertainment up to six-and-a-half hours.

On the whole, iPod can give you a non-stop entertainment of 20,000 songs, 25,000 photos, and 100 hours of video or any combination of each. Thus its aptly said with iPod in hand one can enjoy the whole world as a theater.


http://www.articleco.com/Article/iPod---The-Non-Stop-Entertainer/34591

Icon Identification - What Those iPod Symbols Mean

If you are a new user of the ever-popular iPod, you may have noticed that it takes some time to learn what those little icons mean and want to know when you should be alarmed or bothered. Every one of them has a purpose and we all know how much of a drag it is to read the Users Manual.

Would not it be easy if someone just spelled it out in plain English for all to see Instead of digging through a manual full of technical jargon, here we will discuss the meanings of the icons popping up on your screen.

You will see a Battery icon when your battery is low. You will need to plug in your iPod to your computer or the nearest electrical outlet. Let it charge for at least a few hours or longer if possible. After charging, if the battery icon still appears on your screen, you may have a bigger issue at hand. You may need to do a bit of troubleshooting or replace your battery.

To trouble shoot your battery, you should make you sure you have the latest firmware upgrade. Then, you need to discharge your battery and just let your iPod play without interruption until it dies. Then, you need to recharge the battery. To replace your battery, you can contact your manufacturer or retailer.

If you see the Folder icon this means you have a software problem. It is suggested that you restore your entire iPod by updating the system or erasing your iPod. To erase and restore your iPod you need to open :My Computer: on your Desktop. Then, choose :IPOD: which should be located near your C drive. Now, right click and chose :Format:. Select :FAT 32: and :Format: and then reboot your Computer. After you have erased your iPod, you will need to engage the Restore function from the iPod Updater program.

To restore your iPod, do the following: Connect your iPod to your computer using the FireWire/USB cable that came with your iPod. Now, open iTunes. In the event that your computer knows the iPod is connected, it may ask you to install the proper software. If it does not, download the newest version of the iPod Updater application. Install and open the application iPod Updater.

To continue, once you click on Restore, you may be asked to type in an Admin users name and password. When the alert box appears to confirm you want to restore iPod click :Yes:. When the factory settings have been restored, unplug the FireWire/USB cable from iPod. You will be prompted by the iPod to reconnect the FireWire/USB cable after it has turned on, and you see the message :Do not disconnect:.

If prompted, type a name for iPod in the space provided. Deselect the :Automatically update my iPod: option if you wish and click done. The iTunes main window appears, and the download status is displayed in the iTunes display. Wait until the iTunes display says the update is complete. Quit iTunes.

Next, you will need to disconnect the FireWire/USB cable from iPod. In a short time, the language display appears on the iPod screen. Pick a language. Quit the iPod Software Updater application. If the iPod does not turn on at all, disconnect it from power and let it sit unconnected for approximately 24 hours. Then do this all over again.

If your iPod is still under warranty, go to the AppleCare iPod Support Page to arrange for service. If your iPod is out of warranty, you will need to contact a repair service for further options.

No one wants to see the Sad Face iPod. Once again, you should try to erase and restore your system. If the sad face still appears on your screen, you will need to replace the hard drive.

You may see the electrical outlet icon when you are updating or restoring your iPod. First, disconnect your iPod from your PC and connect it to a power adapter for iPods. The electrical power will help finish the process of updating. If your iPod does not have a wall charger, you will need to get one.

The Do Not Disconnect Icon will be familiar if your iPod is connected to a PC.

The Magnifying Glass Icon will appear at times. This is the iPods internal checking system where it checks the hard drive for problems. If you see a disk and checkmark, this is a good thing. Your iPod passed the hardware scan. If you see a disk and arrow, this means problems were found. You should erase and restore your system as soon as possible.

A disk with an exclamation point signals caution and means the scan failed. In this case, you need to reset your iPod by holding the Menu and Play buttons down for ten seconds. The scan should automatically start again. A disk with an :X: means the scan was cancelled.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/Icon-Identification---What-Those-iPod-Symbols-Mean/45614

Free Up Some Space - Tips To Deleting Songs On Your iPod

No matter how much space you may have on your iPod, there is going to come that day that you will want to free up some space by deleting some songs or playlists off of your iPod. Knowing this ahead of time that you cannot delete songs or playlists off of your iPod itself without a computer will help you out in the future. You need to go through your computer and through iTunes to manage your song files. This is the only safe way to really manage your songs and playlists.

In order to do this, you will want to hook up your iPod to your computer. Next, you will then want to delete the songs or playlists in iTunes and revise your iPod. iPod was not designed to delete songs or playlists off manually with out a computer.

There are two different ways to delete songs or playlists and revise your iPod with iTunes. You can do this automatically or manually, whatever type of technique you may choose depends on the preferences that you set up in iTunes. Unless the settings are in iTunes, it will automatically update the iPod when you go to hook it up to your computer after you have followed the steps to delete songs and playlists automatically. If you cannot do this, you should follow the instructions for doing it the manual way.

There is a setting that can be set so that the iPod syncing preference is in iTunes. To do this, you need to connect the iPod to the computer. Open iTunes and select iPod in iTunes source list. Press the option button in far right bottom corner. The option button will not appear if the iPod was not selected in the step from above. iPod preference window appears. Click to select automatic option or manual update option. If the select Automatically Update Selected Playlist Only option is chosen, make sure playlist that you want to delete from your iPod is not selected.

You can have songs or playlists automatically deleted. Open up your iTunes. Pick a song or playlist that you would want to delete from your iPod. Then from the edit menu, choose clear or press the delete key. If a dialog box appears pres yes. Song or playlist should be deleted from iTunes. If the connection from the iPod to the computer chooses to update the songs on your iPod from file menu or the connection from your iPod to the connection to your iTunes will automatically revise iPod and delete songs or playlist that was deleted from above.

When you are ready to delete songs or playlist manually, open iTunes. Select iPod in source list. Choose song or playlist you would want to delete from iPod. Deleting playlist or a song from playlist will now get rid of song from iPod.

Next go to edit menu, choose clear or press delete. Press, yes if dialog box appears. The song or playlist should be deleted from the iPod. Manually deleting songs or playlists from iPod you do not want to delete a song or playlist from iTunes. Deleting a song from playlist will not eliminate song from iPod. Choose iPod in iTunes source list and find song that you would like to delete.

Do not format iPod to erase songs or playlists. Do not use any sort of disk utility programs like Disk Utility, Drive Setup or Windows Explorer to wipe out iPod. Wiping out songs this way can hinder the iPods music playing capabilities and you may have to revise or reset your iPod to get it to work properly again.

To reset iPod with Scroll Wheel and iPod with Touch Wheel:

Connect iPod to power adaptor and plug into an outlet or connect iPod to Macs built in FireWire port.

Press the Hold switch on & off.

For about 6 to 10 seconds press and hold Play/Pause and the menu button until the Apple logo can be seen on the screen. Repeat these steps if necessary.

To reset iPod with Circle Wheel:

Connect iPod to power adaptor and plug into an outlet.

Press the Hold switch on & off.

For about 6 to 10 seconds press and hold play/pause and the menu button until the Apple log can be seen on the screen. Repeat these steps if necessary.

To reset an iPod with a Click Wheel:

Press the Hold switch on and off.

Press and hold for about 6 to 10 seconds the menu and select buttons until the Apple logo appears on the display screen.

With all the tips from above, your iPod will have plenty of free space and work like new.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/Free-Up-Some-Space---Tips-To-Deleting-Songs-On-Your-iPod/50503

Get More Life Out Of Your iPods Battery

Rechargeable lithium-based batteries power most of our electronic devices from cell phones to iBooks, not to mention the very popular iPods. But with so much demand of these electronic devices that use this type of battery, does any one really take the time to find out how to maximize the life of these batteries

You take the time to buy these electronic devices every day and take the time to learn how to properly use them. But do you actually take the time to learn how to properly make the life of the battery work as long as you can before you have to break down and buy a replacement battery In addition, as everyone knows, most of these rechargeable batteries are not cheap. It is actually more economical to learn right from the beginning the proper steps in extending the life of the battery.

Some of the first models of iPods that were introduced did not have a battery pack that could easily be replaced by the consumer. It came with an enclosed battery pack that made it only possible to open by virtually breaking your iPod. Many other iPod knock offs also had similar enclosed battery packs.

With this being a problem for some consumers, Apple, the maker of the iPod, would not even consider replacing these worn out batteries. Apple believed that the consumer should buy either a brand new iPod or a used one.

This is where third-party battery replacement kits hit the market. Apple, being competitive as they usually are, decides to announce a program that would replace worn out batteries. But, of course, with all the third party competition out there that are selling these battery replacement kits, this makes it very possible for the consumer to not only find new replacement batteries, but to also find it cheaper than they would through Apple. This is not to mention the fact that it would have more capacity than the standard battery that Apple originally came with.

When extending the life of your iPod batteries consider the following. First of all, you want to make sure that the most current iPod software is being used. You want to only use the hold switch and make sure to keep it at room temperature.

In addition, you want to make sure that your hold switch is set on your iPod and the remote when it is not in use. So, if any of the buttons are accidentally bumped if its in your pocket or a bag, it will not come on.

One of the biggest issues is keeping your iPod at room temperature as much as possible. If, for some reason, it ever gets left out in the cold, make sure it is completely warmed up first before turning it back on. Also, if you find that your iPod still will not come on, plug it into power adaptor and press the menu button and play/pause button until the Apple logo appears onto the screen.

The iPod should also never be left in a vehicle in extremely hot weather or that is parked in direct sunlight. Also, remember that the iPod should never be left in any kind of direct sunlight for any long period of time.

Charging the battery can also affect the life of the battery. Lithium ion batteries pack in a high power of density, which maximizes the life of the battery and is conveniently lighter. Lithium batteries are rechargeable. Lithium ion batteries are generally good for 300-to 500-charge/discharge cycles.

A brand new battery is going to hold a much better charge for a longer period of time compared to a slightly older battery that is not going to hold as good a charge for any long period of time. Most users will not even really notice this because it is such a gradual decrease.

Fast charges can return the battery back to 80% of its capacity in about an hour. But it is still going to take 4 hours to fully charge the battery. When the iPod is in sleep mode it is still using current and will slowly drain your battery. If the iPod is kept at the recommended temperatures, the battery should empty in about 14 to 28 days.

There are a couple of tips people do not even think will affect the battery. One is charging the iPod while in carrying case or cover. Also, always fully charge the battery even if it is not going to be used right away. Make sure to always use pause when not in use. If left playing, the iPod will keep playing until the battery is completely dead. Use the sleep mode to save the life of your battery. You can set up this feature by pressing the play button till the iPod simply goes to sleep.

Backlighting is also a feature that can use up a lot of battery life. This is a feature that you should try to avoid using. It should also be set up so it is not used. You can do this by choosing the settings and then going to backlight timer and choosing off. The equalizer setting is also another feature that will drain your battery. To save on the battery set this to off also. Choose settings, then equalizer and then off.

If you can avoid changing tracks by pressing the previous/rewind buttons or the next/fast forward buttons, this will also help retain the life of your battery. When you change track by using these buttons the iPod has to turn on its hard drive and open songs. This uses a lot of currency. Try to only use compressed songs. They seem to work the best. If these files are large and not compressed, you may want to compress them or change them to different files. The best files to use are MP3s or AAC when importing to iTunes. Also consider breaking long songs into shorter tracks so the size of the file is smaller.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/Get-More-Life-Out-Of-Your-iPods-Battery/44993

Free Up Some Space - Tips To Deleting Songs On Your iPod

No matter how much space you may have on your iPod, there is going to come that day that you will want to free up some space by deleting some songs or playlists off of your iPod. Knowing this ahead of time that you cannot delete songs or playlists off of your iPod itself without a computer will help you out in the future. You need to go through your computer and through iTunes to manage your song files. This is the only safe way to really manage your songs and playlists.

In order to do this, you will want to hook up your iPod to your computer. Next, you will then want to delete the songs or playlists in iTunes and revise your iPod. iPod was not designed to delete songs or playlists off manually with out a computer.

There are two different ways to delete songs or playlists and revise your iPod with iTunes. You can do this automatically or manually, whatever type of technique you may choose depends on the preferences that you set up in iTunes. Unless the settings are in iTunes, it will automatically update the iPod when you go to hook it up to your computer after you have followed the steps to delete songs and playlists automatically. If you cannot do this, you should follow the instructions for doing it the manual way.

There is a setting that can be set so that the iPod syncing preference is in iTunes. To do this, you need to connect the iPod to the computer. Open iTunes and select iPod in iTunes source list. Press the option button in far right bottom corner. The option button will not appear if the iPod was not selected in the step from above. iPod preference window appears. Click to select automatic option or manual update option. If the select Automatically Update Selected Playlist Only option is chosen, make sure playlist that you want to delete from your iPod is not selected.

You can have songs or playlists automatically deleted. Open up your iTunes. Pick a song or playlist that you would want to delete from your iPod. Then from the edit menu, choose clear or press the delete key. If a dialog box appears pres yes. Song or playlist should be deleted from iTunes. If the connection from the iPod to the computer chooses to update the songs on your iPod from file menu or the connection from your iPod to the connection to your iTunes will automatically revise iPod and delete songs or playlist that was deleted from above.

When you are ready to delete songs or playlist manually, open iTunes. Select iPod in source list. Choose song or playlist you would want to delete from iPod. Deleting playlist or a song from playlist will now get rid of song from iPod.

Next go to edit menu, choose clear or press delete. Press, yes if dialog box appears. The song or playlist should be deleted from the iPod. Manually deleting songs or playlists from iPod you do not want to delete a song or playlist from iTunes. Deleting a song from playlist will not eliminate song from iPod. Choose iPod in iTunes source list and find song that you would like to delete.

Do not format iPod to erase songs or playlists. Do not use any sort of disk utility programs like Disk Utility, Drive Setup or Windows Explorer to wipe out iPod. Wiping out songs this way can hinder the iPods music playing capabilities and you may have to revise or reset your iPod to get it to work properly again.

To reset iPod with Scroll Wheel and iPod with Touch Wheel:

Connect iPod to power adaptor and plug into an outlet or connect iPod to Macs built in FireWire port.

Press the Hold switch on & off.

For about 6 to 10 seconds press and hold Play/Pause and the menu button until the Apple logo can be seen on the screen. Repeat these steps if necessary.

To reset iPod with Circle Wheel:

Connect iPod to power adaptor and plug into an outlet.

Press the Hold switch on & off.

For about 6 to 10 seconds press and hold play/pause and the menu button until the Apple log can be seen on the screen. Repeat these steps if necessary.

To reset an iPod with a Click Wheel:

Press the Hold switch on and off.

Press and hold for about 6 to 10 seconds the menu and select buttons until the Apple logo appears on the display screen.

With all the tips from above, your iPod will have plenty of free space and work like new.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/Free-Up-Some-Space---Tips-To-Deleting-Songs-On-Your-iPod/50503

iPod Download Tips - What You Don't Know About iPod Song Downloads

The technology behind iPod downloads is interesting. If you are an iPod user, it is not new to you that you simply cannot download those stored song files in your iPod to your computer. In short, iTunes only allow a one-way transfer of files, from the computer via iTunes to your iPod device but not vice versa. People have questioned the rational behind this somewhat inconvenient shortfall in the design of these portable digital devices. We will find out in this article how we can work around this inconvenience and also explore other cost-effective ways to download tons of songs and music videos for pennies.

No, it is not because there is a design flaw but rather the design intention to ward off attempts of piracy, ie indiscriminate duplication of music files to be sold or shared. It may sound harsh to say that even sharing song files with friends could be illegal, but it is true that you may be in danger of infringing into copyright laws. The copyright laws are put in place to govern and protect the intellectual properties of their creators, the musicians, etc so that it remains profitable for them to run their music business. Without that, the music industry slowly wanes and dies a natural death. As a consumer, or music lover, you obviously wont want that to happen right

However, not being able to download iPod songs from iPod to computer meant that we cannot do a backup of our song collection. This can be a nasty experience if our computer crashes or when our iPods are faulty. There is a need for easy transfer of song files between the iPod device and any computer such that retrieval would not be so painful. The piracy-proof functionality of the iPod device to prevent transfers of songs to a computer ended up becoming a handicap for owners who genuinely just want to do proper backups.

Software developers saw this shortfall coming and have already designed some applications to work around this problem. iPod users can now conveniently carry out transfers from their iPods to their computers with ease, without fear of formatting problems. Heres a list of iPod-compatible software applications supported by Mac/Windows Operating System that are available for downloading. Free trials are available for testing.

1. iPod Music Liberator

2. iPodRip

3. PodUtil

4. iPod Access

With the above software, you can rest at ease, knowing that your private iPod downloads of song and music collection is safe even when your iPod or computer is down. I am sure you have heard of horrific stories where folks who have painstakingly built up a huge iPod music collection only to see them wiped out with a technical glitch. Its not a matter of effort only but the amount of money that has been invested into the iPod downloads.

Fortunately, there is now a better way to download iPod songs, music and music videos. In the past year, other than iTunes, many new players have entered into the market changing the business model of paid iPod downloads. Instead of charging per iPod download of song or music video, these membership sites are offering life-time membership for pennies. Considering the vast library of millions of iPod downloads they offer which range from the latest music to movies and TV shows, it is proving to be a more worthwhile investment for iPod users. Learn more about how you can access to unlimited iPod downloads of music and other media files at my iPod blog.

The content of this article is provided for the purpose of education and illustration only and is in no way associated with Apple, iTune, or any company or subsidiary of Apple. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/iPod-Download-Tips---What-You-Don-t-Know-About-iPod-Song-Downloads/23251

How To Download Your Audio Book onto an iPod

Books on tape have been around for a long time. As technology advanced to accommodate varying media outlets, books on tape began to be referred to as audio books. Containing recordings of the entire contents of a book, audio tapes can be obtained on cassettes, CDs and, more recently, digital formats.

Now a multi-million dollar enterprise, audio books are
widely accepted for entertainment, as teaching aids for special needs students and for others who want to acquire particular information on a wide range of subjects while involved in other activities.

Audio books come in several formats such as unabridged (word for word), abridged (text edited out), and fully dramatized versions including complete casts, musical scores and sound effects.

As digital devices become smaller (e.g. iPods and MP3 players), more technologically advanced and more readily accepted by the masses, creators of audio books have developed techniques for downloading and retrieval of files.

This article will address the procedure for downloading an audio CD to an iPod, so audio book files can be played there.

1)Set optimal iTunes import settings to audiobooks.

2) Insert CD and wait for tracks to appear in iTunes. Do not select automatic. Select all CDs tracks, and choose Join CD Tracks from the advanced menu. Note: If the Join CD Tracks menu item is dimmed, you will have to re-sort the list by the track number.

3)Select Submit CD Track Names on advanced menu.

4)In the CD Info dialog box, complete information about the audio book.

5)Click OK, to submit. You may be prompted to Select CD Category, if so, choose Books & Spoken, and then click OK.

6)When the submission process is completed, all of the tracks on the CD should have the appropriate information attached to them. Click the Import button (top right corner) to import this disc, using the import settings you set up initially.

7)When the import finishes, eject the CD.

8)Switch to your Library, and find the newly imported track. There should be only one. Select it, and press Command-I to do a Get Info on the track, and switch to the Info tab.

9)Verify information is there. The song Name will be the same name as the album. Since the Name will be what you see on your iPod, you should add the disc sequence number. The shorter the format the better. (e.g. xx/yy xx being the disc number and yy being total number of discs. Add a leading zero to the disc number if the total number of discs will be more than one digit. This way, the tracks will sort correctly when sorted by Name.

10)Switch to the Options panel, and check both the Remember playback position and the Skip when shuffling checkboxes Remember playback position tells iTunes and the iPod to make the file bookmarkable. Skip when shuffling keeps the spoken word track out of your random music mixes.

11)Repeat this process for the each CD in the audio book, until you have imported all of the CDs.

12)Sync to your iPod, and enjoy.

In today hectic society with its emphasis on multi-tasking, audio books serve a dual purpose. They give busy people the opportunity to keep current with literary works while still maintaining their active lifestyles.



http://www.articleco.com/Article/How-To-Download-Your-Audio-Book-onto-an-iPod/22076

Looking Inside An Ipod

iPod represents a wide array of moveable media players which have been designed and are sold by Apple Inc. It was first launched in October 2001. iPod models generally cover digital audio players with a central click wheel to iPod Shuffle that uses various buttons because of its small size. iPod Nano, a fifth generation, was launched in September 2006. This led to discontinuation of iPod mini, which it stored the data on an internal hard disk. iPod Shuffle and Nano employ flash type of memory for smaller size. These devices also act as an external medium for data storage.

iPod was inspired by the shortcomings of existing digital music players, which were not physically compact and the user interface were not very friendly. Apple assembled a group of engineers and within a year, it unveiled the iPod. It was launched as a product which was Macintosh compatible with a hard drive of 5 GB. Apple used PortalPlayer`s reference for its software. The company Pixo helped iPod for developing user interface. But these were refined by Apple after development. The naming of the device as `iPod` was suggested by Vinnie Chieco, who is a freelance copywriter. Coincidently, Apple had the name registered for `internet kiosks`, but it never used it for this purpose.

iPod can run MP3, M4A/AAC, AIFF, Protected AAC, Audible Audio book and WAV format. It also introduced the displaying of images ability with PNG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, and JPEG formats. The 5th generation models can even play MPEG 4. From the 2nd generation model, the software also started working with Windows along with Macs. It doesn`t support Microsoft`s WMA audio format. WMA and MIDI files can be changed using iTunes, a service provided by Apple through which you can view and download latest songs and movies on your device player. iPods having colored displays use texts and graphics which are anti-aliased and sliding animations. The operating system is stored in a dedicated storage medium of the device. Each device player has 32 MB Ram, though later ones have 64 MB Ram. Most of it is used to cache songs through the storage medium.

Apple also added PDA type functionality so that text files can be viewed and an address book can be maintained through a computer. Also, some built-in games like brick are also included. In fifth generation iPod, the brightness of the screen can be adjusted and games can be downloaded from iTunes Store. For first and second generation models, as well as Nano and Shuffle, internal lithium polymer batteries are used and for third and fifth generation models, internal lithium batteries are used. Initially, iPods came with a FireWire connection for charging the device, but with introduction of multipurpose USB ports, they became outdated. Recent iPod models can be charged using USB 2.0.

Many accessories, even by third parties, have been made for iPods. Some additional accessories developed by Apple were sound recorders, FM Radio Tuners, Remote Control and Audio-Visual Cables for TV. Other accessories are external speakers, protective cases, and wireless earphones. Third parties manufacturing most of these accessories are Griffin Technology, Belkin, Bose, and SendStation. BMW was the first car company to launch an iPod automobile interface, thus allowing newer vehicles to control iPod through steering wheels. Later Apple made this technology available to many other car brands too. Even certain Airlines started provided iPod connectors in the seat.

Apple markets its own iPod earphones and claims that they are better fitting for ears and provide better sound quality. Since it was launched, iPod has been market leader in digital players because of their high quality, supreme aesthetics and ease of use. With more cash flowing into research every year, there is no reason for this fact to change.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.


http://www.articleco.com/Article/Looking-Inside-An-Ipod/57163