Information On IPOD Articles and News

How to Download and Convert Movies into iPod Movies

2007-11-15T04:23:00.001-08:00

Watching iPod movies is just one of the many ways you can enjoy your iPod. But hold on. Before you hit the Internet looking for movies to play on your iPod, there is something you should know. You cannot just click and play. First, you'll need some helper software to get the movie into a format your iPod can handle. Although there are some companies that want you to plunk down your credit card for that software, this isn’t necessary. Once you finish reading this article, you’ll know how the secret to downloading and converting movies into iPod movies for FREE!

Step #1 of this free process is to install the latest version of iTunes on your computer. This is easy because there is a free version of iTunes waiting for you on the Apple website. Just click on http://www.apple.com/itunes/, read through the system requirements, and begin the download. The iTunes installation program will guide you through the necessary steps.

With iTunes installed on your computer, you’re one step closer to being able to watch iPod movies. The next step involves moving your preferred movie files into the iTunes directory. If you have not downloaded any movies yet, go to your online movie source and begin downloading. When the movie download is complete, there will be a .mov video file on your computer. Just drag and drop this video file into the iTunes video library.

Once the .mov video file is in the video library, a thumbnail image will appear. If several movies are in the library, you’ll see several thumbnails. To select one for viewing, right-click on the desired movie file. From the menu that appears select, Convert selection for iPod.

Congratulations! You are now converting movies into iPod movies. The conversion process will be quick, lasting a few seconds to a few minutes. The amount of time it takes for conversion depends on the size of the video file being converted. The bigger the file size, the longer the conversion process. The converted file will be easy to identify because iTunes creates a new thumbnail for the converted movie file. It, too will reside in the iTunes Video library.

At this point, you’re almost ready to view your iPod movies! The last step is to get iTunes in sync with iPod. Follow the normal procedure for syncing the two. Once you have finished this step, you’re ready to watch iPod movies – for FREE!

Want more tips, techniques and tricks to enjoy more movies in your ipod now? Discover them in my blogs on ipod movies and ipod video now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yap_Kee_Chong

Pocket PC and iPod Technology Gap Closing?

2007-11-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

Pocket PC owners, if Microsoft has its way, will hopefully have little to envy of their iPod toting brethren in the near future.

According to a TechNewsWorld article, Microsoft brashly announced plans to develop software to combat iPod and iTunes proliferation with their own software, Zune.

In all likelihood they're planning to horn in on this extremely lucrative section of the Apple technology market.

Looks like poor, cash-strapped Microsoft simply doesn't earn enough coin.

You might recall the Windows Genuine Advantage update (a.k.a Windows XP Anti-Piracy Detector) update that was suddenly sprung on fake Windows XP users last month.

This resulted in a multitude of dialog boxes at the Windows XP login page, imploring illegitimate users to please empty their pockets for a valid Windows operating system.

In the interim, Pocket PC and white MP3 player owners remain blissfully unaware of Microsoft's attempt to reclaim their desktop PC property.

Currently priced at $340 CDN according to the Microsoft product site, bundling it with Service Pack 2 affords small comfort.

Having your operating system coded into your handheld's read only memory suddenly doesn't seem all that bad.

This foray into the music software business seems to be an unusual move for Microsoft.

Creative, already floundering against the Apple handheld device phenomenon despite topping the video iPod for the CNET awards will now have to fight for space against Microsoft as well.

Never mind that Creative partnered with Microsoft to put their software on their Zen Micro and video Zen Vision players.

It's akin to befriending a performing bengal tiger only to have it savagely attack after being bopped on the nose with a microphone.

Creative seems to have its hands full, especially with news of Apple iPod and Creative Zen Micro patent disputes among other worries.

Maybe this will prompt Apple to actually create downloads for upcoming MP3 player and video player incarnations rivalling Pocket PC games. We'll see.

Damian Julien is a Pocket PC gaming authority and long time general gaming hobbyist and reviewer.

He is an IT specialist by trade and has posted numerous articles on Pocket PC emulators, gaming and trends in the industry.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Damian_Julien

iPod Download - Download iPod Music and Video

2007-11-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately there’s more to downloading free Ipod Video games than you might first think. Ipods are a big part of today’s world, so naturally there are about a billion ways to get some free games to put on it, but a lot of them may harm your computer or Ipod or worse. I’ve put together some tips for you so you can keep your Ipod healthy when looking for those free game downloads.

Downloading Free Ipod Video Games Tip 1- Stay on the right side of the law. We’ve all seen the thousands of torrent sites offering everything under the sun as a free download, but did you know how illegal they are? It’s pretty risky because anyone can find your address and things from your online details these days, so if the authorities want to track you down, they will. As well as that, there’s also the moral side to it-many video game companies are struggling financially-by stealing their games you are banging nails into their coffins!

Downloading Free Ipod Video Games Tip 2- Find a reputable site. There are thousands if not millions of sites in the world that will offer free downloads of this and that and anything else that’s popular. Some of them are downright shady, with lots of popups and ads which force you to click them just to clear your screen etc. This is not cool-I don’t trust any site with popups as I think anyone who treats a site visitor like that has no respect for them. Be very careful when searching for possible download sites.

Downloading Free Ipod Video Games Tip 3- Look for a site with a clean appearance that is not chock full of ads. That’s usually a sign of professionalism, and when we are looking to download stuff, we only want to deal with the professionals. Only then can we be sure that our downloads will be top speed and all in working order. There is nothing worse than waiting hours for a slow download only to find that it doesn’t work.

Downloading Free Ipod Video Games Tip 4- Pay for quality. I know this is an article about free games, but sometimes you may have to pay an admin fee or something to make sure you get the best download speeds and quality. There are more and more sites like this springing up, and I’ve found a few very reliable ones that I use all the time, and you can find a list of them at http://www.ipodlowdown.com I was doubtful about paying upfront at first, but I’ve downloaded stuff worth much more than I paid, so it’s a win-win situation. If you’re interested in finding out which free sites are the best ones, please check out the links below.

That’s all you need to know about downloading free ipod video games. It can be a tricky world to get into, but once you know the reliable sites the world is your oyster! If this article has been useful why not refer it to a friend using the link on the top right?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Hamilton

How To Check If Your Ipod Has A Virus

2007-11-15T04:18:00.000-08:00

After September 2006 a number of apple iPods had been shipped with a windows virus. Luckily for most mp3 and iPod users only a very small number are actually infected and this virus which only affects windows computers is called the RavMonE.exe virus. So, how do you check or remove this iPod virus?

Firstly if you have your ipod attached to your PC and have the latest anti virus software installed this should automatically detect and clean your pc/iPod of any virus present including the ravmone.exe virus. The iPod nano, shuffle and mac OS are not affected and the latest iPod video are also guaranteed to be virus free.

First steps to check if your pc or ipod is infected is to download a virus scanner (if you do not have one already installed), there are many free virus scanners available and most new PCs already have these automatically installed. In 99% of cases your iPod will be virus free but it is still best to check. Simply attach your ipod to your PC and run the virus scan.

Your anti virus software will then perform the checks and inform you of any viruses that are resident on your pc/iPod. After the removal of any viruses you should use the very latest version of i-tunes to reinstall the software on your iPod. The ravmone.exe virus is attracted to storage devices and you should also scan all storage devices on your PC just to be sure.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debra_Warwick

What To Do When Your Ipod Gets Waterlogged

2007-11-15T04:13:00.000-08:00

The MacIntosh iPod has become a very important accessory to many music and video lovers around the world. They are so small and so portable that you can take them anywhere you want and everyone in all age groups love them. The iPod can hold 15,000 song downloads, 150 video hours and 25,000 pictures. This makes it convenient to hear all your favorite music anytime and anywhere you want. You can also end up dropping it in many unwanted places due to its small size.

Many iPod users have found themselves in the, not so nice position, of dropping it in or near water. It can be dropped when brushing teeth, washing up or at the pool. It unfortunately gets dropped in puddles and all sorts of strange places. The biggest concern for most people in this situation is if it can be repaired. The answer to that in many cases is yes, unless of course it was extreme damage. All it takes is a couple of easy parts or repairs to your waterlogged iPod.
Of course the first move would be to get the iPod out of the water immediately, and turn it off. You can get shocked so make sure it’s off. Then you would want it to become completely dry. This will take some time and wrapping it up in a towel or something to help it dry. Then put it in a nice moderately warm place or room, even on a window sill would be fine. Then it’s best to wait at least 48 hours or longer is even better, before you try to repair. After the required amount of time try switching it on, if you get the folder or sad face don’t get worried yet, it is recommended that you restore and erase the iPod.

To do this step you will need:

- To go to My Computer, then select desktop.
- Next you will click on iPod.
- Right click and select format.
- Next select FAT 32 and
- Then reboot.

The restore and erase should work for you if the hard drive was damaged. If this does not work, you may be facing a more difficult situation of having to replace some parts or getting professional repair.

There are waterproof products to go along with your iPod, that’s always a wise decision so you won’t need to face this again. Otterbox has many accessories to help keep your iPod dry. They can hook you up with waterproof cases so you can even take your iPod in the shower or other places around the water. People seem to love their products and they seem to work well. RazorReef also has a collection of tools for you, even swim belts and headphones. Now there will be no worries when you are on the beach or anywhere else.

http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/What-To-Do-When-Your-IPod-Gets-Waterlogged/117819

Do You Know The Ipod Clock Radio?

2007-11-14T02:16:00.000-08:00

There is little doubt that the iPod clock radio is one of the many features that has propelled the Apple MP3 player line to the amazing success it has had. It seems that Apple has thought of almost any accessory or add-on that the consumer could want, and all of them offer the typical high quality sound equipment that Apple iPod lovers have come to expect. The iPod clock radio is no exception to the rule. With its stylish design and lightweight durability this is a clock radio really worth having.

Selling at right around $100.00 US, the sleek design of the iPod clock radio makes it ideal for any type of home décor. It comes in two colors, white and black, with the front of the system designed for speaker space and an easy to read backlit display that gives the time with a backlight adjustment that can go from very dim to very bright. This is a great function for those that have difficulty sleeping with any type of light in the room, as well as for those that want to be able to clearly see the time at a quick glance.

The iPod clock radio has a dock for the iPod located directly behind the button controls for the AM/FM radio that are on the center top of the radio unit. Since the radio doubles as a docking station, the iPod batteries will be completely charged in the morning, even if you wish to program it to play softly all night. The adjustable sleep and wake up features allow you to choose the volume and length of time that the sleep unit will function before automatically shutting off. There is also a gradual wake feature that allows you to wake up to your favorite tunes. The radio also can serve as the wake up sound, or there is an optional buzzer or alarm that can be used as well. The volumes, when using the wake or sleep function, will gradually increase or decrease, allowing for a very natural wake up or sleep option.

In addition the iPod clock radio has a remote control that allows you to adjust the volume or any other features on the clock simply and without having to move. As with any other iPod accessory there are high quality stereo speakers built into the radio to give the same clear, high quality sound you would get if you were listening directly to your iPod. The iPod clock radio is one of the most popular of the larger iPod accessories and makes a great gift for yourself or your favorite music lover.

http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Do-you-Know-the-iPod-Clock-Radio-/235341

New Ipod Design For Ipod Lovers

2007-11-14T02:14:00.000-08:00

Apple recently updated its popular iPod music players making them thinner and adding great new features that make it worth considering an upgrade for old iPod users.

There are three iPod models -- 10, 15 and 30GB. The 15 and 30GB iPods $299 and include software for use with Windows or Macintosh systems.
The new iPods are about half as thick as the older ones, and there is a dock for the 15GB and 30GB models. Instead of connecting via a Firewire cable to charge the battery or download music, the new iPod slides easily into its rectangular dock, which is connected to a power source or to the computer.

The new controls are backlit and touch sensitive, which means there's no longer a spinning wheel that collects dirt. There's also a great new feature called the On-The-Go playlist. Previously, if you wanted to listen to a particular group of songs on the iPod, you had to make a playlist in the MusicMatch for Windows or iTunes for Macintosh software provided with the device. With the new On-The-Go feature, you can click on a song in the iPod and add it to the playlist without having to hook the iPod to a computer. The playlist is cleared when the iPod is connected to the computer.

The new iPod includes an alarm clock function, and new external sound means the alarm sounds even if the iPod isn't hooked to a stereo or headphones.

There are a lot of extras on the iPod. The equalizer is back with more presets to bring out details of your music. A calendar is available, and the notes feature lets you drag text notes and messages to the iPod when it's used by the computer as a hard drive. Contacts can also be added to the iPod using vcard-formatted contact information. There are new games to play, including solitaire.

The new iPod comes with features found on old iPods, such as earbud headphones that offer great sound and a sliding button on top that locks the controls. This keeps the iPod from accidentally being turned on.

As for the battery, the built-in device charges quickly and drains slowly. On average, I got about 6-7 hours of use out of the device on a single charge.

To complement the iPod, Apple has introduced the Music Store. The store offers songs for 99 cents each and some albums from several music genres. The only downside to the Music Store is its limited audience. For now, it's only available to Macintosh users with iTunes 4.

While there's room for slight improvement, the new design is impressive overall. The backlit control is great to have, even the On-The-Go playlist. The device offers great sound, whether through headphones or a full stereo system. The Music Store complements the iPods nicely, though it would be nice if Windows users could take advantage of the online song database. But at least Windows users have iPods.

http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/New-iPod-design-for-iPod-Lovers/23137

What Else Can Ipods Do?

2007-11-14T02:11:00.000-08:00

Ipods have become synomnous with music. However, with its 30 to 60 gigabytes, the iPod can handle more than just music. In addition to listening to your favorite tunes, you can also store up to 25,000 photos as well as 7,500 videos.

Some owners are even using their IPod with Microsoft Outlook Express or Outlook to assist in coordinating their calendar and contacts.
You can transfer files with your iPod. For example, when the memory on your digital camera becomes full, you can upload pictures from your camera to the IPod, freeing up camera space to take more pictures. After uploading pictures to your iPod, your pictures can be viewed as a slideshow. But if you want to view something more exciting, for a nominal fee, you can also download movies and TV shows off the internet.

Although, not up to par with the graphics of Playstation or Xbox, the iPod also has four different games you can play that include Music Quiz, Solitaire, Brick and Parachute.

Need a recorder? If iTalk, BelkinVoice or Podzilla are installed, your iPod can be used as a small audio recorder. Purchase an FM transmitter and you can hear your favorite music from your iPod on your car radio.

Turn your iPod into a flashlight with iBeam software. Install a program called Podtender onto your iPod, and with more than 900 recipes for mixed drinks, you will become your friends’ favorite bartender. Install Podgoumet which has 260 recipes, with an additional 277 recipes for vegans, and become a gourmet cook.

iPod Weddings has become a popular way to save money on the wedding reception. Rather than hire a DJ select your own songs to be played in the order that you wish. At the end of the wedding you’ll have the recordings of all the songs played on your special day.

And the list goes on. You can also use your iPod as an alarm clock and read audio books. With the right software and an abundance of resources on the internet, you’ll find many exciting things to do with your iPod.

http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/What-Else-Can-iPods-Do-/117015

Ipod Accessories To Protect Your Ipod

2007-11-14T02:08:00.000-08:00

An iPod is a digitalized audio player that stores and plays audio files that are encoded by MP3 or AAC. iPods are very stylish and sleek in appearance. The number of files that can be stored on the iPod is dependent upon the capacity of the hard disk that the player is equipped with. The number of musical files can vary and range from a few hundred files to ten thousand musical songs.

To add to the enjoyment of your investment there are various iPod accessories that can be purchased. Some of these iPod accessories include a separate external speaker in various styles, a universal iPod dock, a radio remote accessory and a camera accessory.
In addition to these types of iPod accessories, there is an iPod accessory that is more practical in nature. That particular item is an iPod case. When considering an iPod there are many reasons why an iPod case should be purchased, casing materials available and cases that match various different lifestyles of the iPod user.

Reasons To Purchase An iPod Case

The portable convenience of listening to your favorite music on an iPod is one of the most appealing features of owning an iPod. However, because this electronic device can be taken with you were ever you go, the odds of some type of damage being done to your iPod increases.

This damage could result in the casing or viewing screen being scratched or damage occurring if the iPod itself is dropped. To minimize this type of damage an important iPod accessory is an iPod case.

Material Used To Construct IPod Cases

As part of the iPod accessories line there are many different types of cases that can be purchased that are made from different materials. Some of these materials include the use of fabric, leather, and plastic.

A fabric iPod case will not only provide functional protection for the iPod, but will provide protection in a stylish manner. This is because these particular cases are available in various colors. By purchasing a number of these iPod accessories you can color-coordinate with your attire as well as reflect your mood with the color choice selected. Generally, these types of cases are less expensive than the leather case.

Another type of material that you can choose for the protection of your iPod is case made from leather. The leather cases firmly hold the iPod through the use of a constructed pouch. Often convenient leather cases have a flap that folds over the screen portion of the iPod to protect the screen. To allow for the iPod to be viewed, the leather flaps may have a window that is made from durable plastic. Also, there may be appropriate cutouts within the leather casing to allow easy access to the instrumentation.

Life Style Cases

Other iPod accessories that are available to protect you iPod include life style cases. These particular cases, that will hold the iPod, will attach themselves to various parts of your body when you are involved in activities. For example there are iPod cases that can attach to your wrist, worn around the waist, or secured to the arm or hand. In addition, these cases will resist stains that can be caused through perspiration.

Also, for those lifestyles that are very active, there are cases that are made from more durable materials. These materials can include casing made from hard plastic and metal. In addition an iPod case can be purchased that is waterproof.

http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/iPod-Accessories-To-Protect-Your-iPod/183022

Ipod Car Holder

2007-11-14T02:06:00.000-08:00

Knowing that you need to better understand this topic I recommend that you take 5 minutes to read what we have to say.

You have your iPod now what? Do you leave it there or do you go browsing through the many iPod accessories which are even whispering evilly in your ear, to take them home with you (paid for of course!). And even if you do give your little shoulder devil the time of day, which of the accessories do you spring for? The iPod case, or the iPod speakers, or possibly even the iPod car holder. It’s all truly a substance of cash availability and preference of course. For one thing if you’re verging on the broke after splurging on your new iPod, there’s very little in the way of buying that you can do, unless of course you go without food for about an entire week, or month or two!

This of course will limit your iPod accessory buying capacity to slightly more manageable proportions – you hope. So what do you look at, what are the best accessories for you to have with you? It course enough depends to a large extent on your day-after-day life habits, but if you find that you spend most of your time on the road going from one work destination to another, you will find that your iPod becomes your best friend.

To this end, you would really want to get an iPod car kit, but since these can be on the expensive side, you might think about buying an iPod FM transmitter instead. And along with that you might also want to look at getting an iPod car holder. These two accessories entirely could be all that you need, at least until you can scrape the money to get the more expensive car kit!...please continue on a site...

http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Ipod-Car-Holder/203488

iPod Covers for Every Taste

2007-11-13T03:07:00.000-08:00

The iPod has had a wide appeal ever since it made its debut five years ago. Almost anyone who enjoys the idea of portable music has explored the idea of owning one of these revolutionary music players.

iPod Accessories

But having a stylish new iPod is just the beginning – once you have one you can personalize it with an amazing array of accessories to match your budget and your sense of style. There are different kinds of ear phones, docks to turn your iPod into a mini sound system, to a wide variety of covers – once you have an iPod, you’ll want to accessorize it.

One of the main accessories you’ll want to purchase is an iPod cover; not only does it protect your iPod, but it can also make a statement about your fashion sense.

iPod Covers Galore

You can find lots iPod covers these days, but a great place to start is right on the Apple website. There you can find an elegant, Italian leather case with a durable yet soft lining. This iPod cover fits snugly and includes a ribbon that you pull when you are ready to use your iPod.

Apple also offers a completely different look – for a fun, trendy look you can clothe your iPod in a colorful ribbed sock! These are sold in a set of six: green, purple, turquoise, orange, pink, and gray.

Coach offers a selection of classy iPod covers for both the iPod and iPod nano. Choose from the classic signature design, traditional leather, or metallic leather cases. Burberry too offers iPod covers featuring their famous plaid.

You can also choose iPod covers made of hard plastic. These can be as simple as a clear color shield designed to protect your iPod’s screen. Inexpensive and versatile, this is a good way to go if you don’t want to deal with a more extensive iPod cover.

Especially for iPod nano

Because of its thinness, the iPod nano has always been susceptible to scratches; a cover is more of a necessity than a frivolous add-on. Apple offers the colorful iPod nano Tubes, which fit like a glove. Just like the iPod socks, the tubes are sold in a set: clear, purple, green, and pink. The tube allows the user to control the clickwheel from the outside.

Another alternative is the iPod nano armband, also available directly from Apple. While it holds the iPod comfortably on the arm, much of the iPod nano is still exposed. The armband comes in a variety of colors, all bright.

Custom iPod Covers

You can also find customized iPod covers on the internet. Going this route means that you’ll be able to add your own logo, or a photograph, or even some text to the cover. Starting at under $15, this is an inexpensive way to personalize your iPod.

http://www.ipodtipsandtricks.org/iPod-Covers-for-Every-Taste.php

The 2GB iPod Nano - Take It with You

2007-11-13T03:06:00.000-08:00

What will Apple think of next? With the 2GB iPod nano, you can store an amazing amount of songs – 500 to be exact – in a pencil-thin package. You can now listen to three days worth of music, and it lasts up to fourteen hours before you have to recharge the battery. Weighing only 1.5 ounces and looking more like a credit card than a music player, the iPod nano can work with both PCs and Macs, and it syncs seamlessly with iTunes. It’s the kind of amazing technology you’ve come to expect from Apple.

2GB iPod Nano Features

Just like the other iPods, this one has a bright color screen (with a 1.5-inch LCD display). While the images it displays are smaller due to the iPod nano’s diminutive size, the quality of the pictures are equal to those on other iPods. And besides playing music, podcasts, and audiobooks, the 2GB iPod nano syncs your contacts, calendars, and to-do lists. The 2GB iPod nano comes in two colors: black or white.

The iPod nano uses flash memory instead of a hard disk. Because of this, it has no moving parts and is a lot more durable than other players.

Consumer Response

Sales of the iPod nano were brisk right from the start. Between the 1GB iPod nano, the 4GB and the 2GB iPod nano, Apple sold a million units in the first seventeen days. Some consumers complained about the LCD screen being susceptible to damage, and a small percentage of customers reported that their screens had cracked. Overall, however, the 2GB iPod nano has continued to enjoy much popularity in the marketplace. At a retail price of $199, this versatile mid-range iPod nano brings a new definition to the word “small.”

Designed to Wear and Go

You can add a variety of accessories to your 2GB iPod nano, making it easy to take with you everywhere. With the nano armband available in five trendy colors, it’s a real fashion statement. You can also get a leather case, lanyard in-ear headphones, or a dock specially designed to give you a home base from which to charge and sync your iPod nano. You can also connect your 2 GB iPod nano to an audio system!

It’s All You Need

So, in a very stylish little unit, the 2GB iPod nano gives you the ability to store an incredible amount of music, plus your favorite photos and lots of your most important data. It looks great and fits anywhere. It’s great for runners and non-runners; it appeals to young and old alike; both men and women are crazy about it. Where else can you get so much for so little?

http://www.ipodtipsandtricks.org/The-2GB-iPod-Nano-Take-It-with-You.php

iPod Accessories for Every Taste

2007-11-13T03:05:00.000-08:00

Getting an iPod is just the beginning! There are lots of ways to enhance your iPod experience by choosing from any number of cool accessories. From simple covers and styles of ear phones to sophisticated sound docks that turn your little iPod into a full-fledged entertainment system, there’s quite a range of iPod accessories to explore.

For instance, you can purchase a multichannel audio system that includes an iPod dock, a CD player, several USB ports, a clock, AM/FM radio, and a memory card. For around $200 you can use this utilitarian product to play mp3 files from non-iPod sources. Consumers need to be aware, however, that a device like this one sold by iLuv has some basic limitations due to the fact that it only supports mp3 formats (not the iTunes AAC files) and because of this, the sound quality suffers.

iPod Accessories – the Genuine Article

iPod accessories abound at the Apple Store and over the company’s website. Available in a wide range of products and styles, you can find trendy, sleek accessories that perfectly complement your iPod. In a wide price range to fit every budget, you can find the perfect add-on.

There are some great leather cases available as well as hard plastic shields to protect your iPod’s screen. But how about something colorful and fun like the new iPod Sock, which is sold in a pack of six different colors to coordinate with your own mood and wardrobe. This is a clever way to protect your iPod, and it will fit many other mp3 players as well. Many well-known fashion companies like Coach and Burberry’s have great iPod accessories now too – the most popular being iPod cases in a variety of colors and styles.

Basic earphones come with your iPod, but this is one the most popular iPod accessories to purchase as well. Why? Because comfort and ease of use as well as sound quality and cost are all factors to be taken into account, and selecting the right earphones are really a personal preference. In-ear earphones are definitely a step up from the standard earbud headphones.

When considering iPod accessories, you might also explore the possibility of purchasing an AV connection kit. What this does is bring your audio and visual library together in your own home. You can connect your iPod to your stereo and/or your television, making it possible to share your favorite music, videos and even photographs with your friends and family. Two other iPod accessories that go well with this are the Apple universal dock and the Apple remote – you can charge your iPod, connect it to the TV and stereo and then sit back and control it all from your own couch.

http://www.ipodtipsandtricks.org/iPod-Accessories-for-Every-Taste.php

All About the 4GB iPod Nano

2007-11-13T03:04:00.000-08:00

With the selections of iPods to choose from, your first dilemma is which device is right for you. Is it the iPod shuffle, the iPod nano, or the iPod with video? You’ll want to think about your needs and price range, and then take a close look at the differences in features.

Let’s say that, after examining all the options, you’ve come to the conclusion that the 4GB iPod nano is the way you want to go. It’s a great choice, and here’s why.

The 4GB iPod nano has the largest capacity of the three iPod nanos available. There’s also a 1GB and a 2GB model available. All of them are pretty astonishing, but the 4GB is the most impressive of the nano lineup. You can hardly believe all it packs into such a small design.

The 4GB iPod nano can hold 1000 songs – about 3 days worth of music. Not only that but you can store and view up to 25,000 photos. The LCD color display is crisp and clear, just a joy to view. The 4GB iPod nano boasts a battery life of about 14 hours between charges. The display shows the album cover of the song you are currently playing, which just adds to the fun of the experience. You’ll be able to store and listen to your favorite podcasts and audio books too.

The 4GB iPod nano is such a lightweight piece of equipment but offers so very much. The click wheel is easy to use, enabling you to fast-forward, pause, play, rewind, and access menus with just a touch of your thumb. It syncs easily with iTunes, and it connects effortlessly to a wide range of accessories. The playback is completely skip-free.

The4GB iPod nano keeps you organized too. You’ll be able to sync your contact list, calendar, and to-do lists, so you’ll always have a reference available when you need to check up on your life. It syncs and charges to either a Mac or a PC via USB.

This little 4GB iPod nano replaces the iPod mini, a predecessor that enjoyed a loyal following.

Accessorize Your 4Gb iPod Nano

Accessories are half the fun – you can choose a lanyard with in-ear headphones. It’s almost like a piece of jewelry – or wearable art as Apple puts it. Or choose a sturdy yet elegant Italian leather case. The soft, durable lining is designed to protect your little investment. The 4GB iPod nano fits snugly in this case, so it comes with a ribbon to help you remove your iPod easily.

The armband is a popular accessory – it comes in sporty colors (pink, blue, green, red, and gray) and allows you to have access to the click wheel and other controls while conveniently fitted around your arm.

A special nano dock provides a base for charging and syncing your 4GB iPod nano. This device also allows you to connect your iPod to your audio system.

http://www.ipodtipsandtricks.org/All-About-the-4GB-iPod-Nano.php

The History of the iPod Mini

2007-11-13T03:03:00.000-08:00

The first iPod mini was released in late February 2004. It was a smaller version of Apple’s first portable music player, the iPod. The iPod mini was able to operate on both Macs and PCs. A year later, in February 2005, a second generation mini was introduced.
Apple discontinued production of the iPod mini in early September 2005 when they unveiled the new iPod nano.

The iPod mini was more popular than even Apple thought it would be. The first generation units sold out quickly, and the iPod mini one of the United State’s most popular holiday gifts during the 2004 season.

But the iPod mini has a strong following even now. Many consumers have been willing to pay top dollar to obtain one. People have been known to purchase iPod minis on eBay for way over the original list price. Why? One reason might be the trendy range of colors – pink (always in demand), blue, green, gold, and silver. (With the second version of iPod mini, the color gold was discontinued.) In fact, statistics show that over 36,000 iPod minis were sold on eBay during the 2005 Christmas season alone.

iPod mini Features

As you would expect from Apple, the iPod mini has exceptional ergonomics, a screen that is easy to read, and great audio performance. The iPod mini features a click wheel that was developed by a third-party vendor called Synaptics. Now however, the nano and 5GB click wheels are developed and produced by Apple in-house.

Both of the two iPod mini models were similar in size, but each had different battery and storage capacities. The iPod mini came with an anodized aluminum case. The iPod mini’s battery life was only about eight hours, which was a main criticism of the device. The second generation iPod mini’s addressed this problem, and boasted a battery life of almost eighteen hours. While this was appreciated, in order to cut costs, these second generation iPod mini’s no longer came with a FireWire cable or an AC power adapter.

Apple did provide a dock connector, found on the bottom of the unit. This allowed for a computer connection which then charged the battery. On the top of the iPod mini, there was a jack for a headphone, another remote port that could be used for accessories, and a hold switch.

The iPod mini supported several different audio formats, including WAV, MP3 and other less familiar formats such as AIFF and Apple Lossless.

Collector’s Item

Today, most consumers will choose one of Apple’s current models: the iPod shuffle, the iPod nano, or the iPod with video. However, the iPod mini is still available if you look for it, and its fans can still enjoy its great features. Like a classic car, the iPod mini can be both a collector’s item and a practical means of enjoying music.

http://www.ipodtipsandtricks.org/The-History-of-the-iPod-Mini.php

Free iPod - Can You Really Get A Free iPod - How Does it Work

2007-11-12T03:19:00.001-08:00

The way that companies can afford to give away a free gift, such as an ipod, is by asking you to complete an offer with one of their sponsors and then by referring some friends to do the same. Once you have done this you are made eligible to claim your free gift. When you complete the offer with one of the companies, sponsors or affiliates they receive an amount of money. With that money they spend some of it on a free gift for you and keep the rest. Why not just keep all the money for themselves I am sure you ask? Well if they did you would have no reason to complete the offer in the first place.

They then request that you refer something like 5 friends or more depending often on the value of the free gift so that they will do the same and more offers will be completed. It is a win, win situation for everyone involved if done correctly; the sponsor is happy because they have had customers referred to them, the site providing the ipod is happy because they have been paid money from the sponsor and you are happy because you have received a free ipod. The reason I said everyone is happy if done correctly is because where many people fail to get their free gift is by forgetting to refer friends or not completing an offer.

This is very effective for the site doing it, because whereas before they would have simply had an ad down the site saying something like "Buy something from our sponsor" now they can say "Buy something from our sponsor and get a free iPod". Which one seems more appealing?

Nathan Hill is an experienced Internet Marketer and has successfully been making a living on the internet for about 2 years.

The BBC and CNN have even verified this fast growing craze. To start you journey to a free ipod visit: The Free iPod Guide for a full step by step guide where you can't go wrong . Good luck on your journey!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Hill

iPod Technology

2007-11-12T03:18:00.001-08:00

iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched in October 2001. iPod classic puts your entire music and video collection in your pocket. iPods have won several awards ranging from engineering excellence, to most innovative audio product, to fourth best computer product of 2006.

iPod shares its hard disk space between the songs that iTunes puts on it and any files you've added when using its disk mode. iPod owners can choose from a vast ecosystem of accessories with over 4,000 products made specifically for the iPod including cases, fitness accessories, speaker systems and iPod connectivity in over 70 percent of US automobiles.

Apple focused its development on the iPod's unique user interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical capability. Apple has studied the possibility of joining an auction for the rights to use a highly-coveted wireless spectrum, according to BusinessWeek sources. Apple haven't even announced it yet but engadget are obviously so certain or have already had a tip they can't reveal, that they've stuck the post up ready.

Battery life will take a hit at the higher setting, so turn it up only when you're watching video or viewing photos. Battery life in the 80 GB is 20 hours, which is what I need. Storage capacity, at 8GB and 16GB, will be deemed stingy by some.

Download movies from the iTunes Store, then sync them to your iPod to watch anywhere, anytime. Download brand-new and classic games, including Bejeweled, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac-Man, Tetris, and Zuma, for just a few dollars each, then sync them to your iPod and play along with your favorite tunes.

Features include a carabiner clip, hidden zippered pocket, a second flapped pocket, and compression-molded EVA outer casing. Features that will migrate from the iPhone to the iPod touch. Users can then download the song that's playing in the shop or get a list of the 10 most recent songs played.

Conclusion

iPod came from Apple's digital hub strategy,when the company began creating software for the growing market of digital devices being purchased by consumers. iPod and iPod photo are now one and the same, with every white iPod boasting a full-color display. iPod makes your music look as good as it sounds, thanks to its big, bright color display.

Learn something? Want to learn something more? Check out other articles in his website about iPod click ipod movies devices Income Opportunity - http://www.phil-islands.com/money.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ruel_Hinaloc

iPod Accessories - 5 Must-Haves To Maximize Performance

2007-11-10T03:30:00.001-08:00

If you happen to be one of the millions of iPod owners throughout the world, then you may be thinking of improving the watching and listening experience by purchasing some newer iPod accessories. However, it can be a bit overwhelming and confusing with the hundreds of iPod accessories that are currently available in retail stores and on the internet to make the best choice for the kind of car devices, cases, stereo as well as other strange or essential iPod accessories.

To help narrow the field of your choices, here are five essential iPod accessories for all you individuals who have had challenges in trying to find the right accessory for your iPod Minis, Nanos, or iPod videos.

Doing The Dashboard Dance

There are dozens of products in the category of devices that connect your car stereo to your iPod. There are a less expensive solutions to this problem that are inexpensive battery-powered devices that utilize your iPod headphone jack that sends audio to the connector of the stereo.

However, if you're in search of simplicity as well as quality, you could locate some car audio connectors that are somewhat more expensive that gives you the ability to mount your iPod holder onto your dashboard. By using a power cable that is attached to your car you can quickly and easily listen to your iPod and recharge it at the same time. One of the challenges with this type of iPod accessory is that you can sometimes get less than ideal reception that is caused primarily by the position of the antenna.

Video Recording and Sound Enhancements

If you're the type of person that still utilizes a voice recording or Dictaphone during interviews or lectures, your existing in a prehistoric times. By plugging a microphone into your iPod it can be your device for audio recording. The cost for these types of iPod accessories is roughly $10 up to $100, depending on the brand that you pick. You don't even need to install any kind of software, you just simply plug the microphone into your iPod.

Sounds Like a Concert

External speakers are another great accessory that you can purchase for your iPod. An additional iPod accessory is a home device that gives you the ability to turn your iPod into an alarm clock, an AM/FM radio that has the ability to play your entire music collection through the speakers. In addition to these features, some of these types of speakers can also be used to charge your iPod. This type of accessory gives you the ability to be awakened by your choice of music.

Look! No More Tangles

If you're the type of person that has been having difficulties with basic iPod headphones, there have been new tangle free headphones introduced to the market that run anywhere from $20 up to $100. These wireless iPod accessories will give you the ability to never experience tangled cords again.

Get Off of My Case, Dude!

Many people would agree that cases are one of the most significant iPod accessories out there today. Of course, this will depend entirely on personal preference as whether you'd want one of these kinds of accessories. However, if you do choose to use one of these the most durable are constructed from sports wraps and leather. Regardless of the types of products that you pick, purchasing add-ons for your iPod should not only be based on appearance, but the functionality as well.

Listen to Korbin Newlyn as he shares his insights as an expert author and an avid writer in the field of electronics. If you would like to learn more go to Ipod Music advice and at Ipod Car Adapter tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Korbin_Newlyn

iPod/iTunes: Under Attack from Hackers

2007-11-10T03:28:00.000-08:00

Apple's iTunes/iPod is a closed business model, built on two essential premises. One is that songs bought from iTunes will only play on iPod players. The second premise is that songs purchased from other music download sites will not play on iPods.

Now Apple's business model is under attack - by 26-year-old hacker Jon Johansen. Johansen, of Norway, has decoded iPod's Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption, known as FairPlay, according to reputable sources.

Johansen is making his hack available - for a licensing fee - to businesses seeking to sell hardware competing with iPod, and download sites competing with iTunes.

Note that Johansen's hack does not remove DRM from downloaded songs. It actually adds DRM, to trick iPods into thinking that a given song has been purchased via iTunes.

If this hack takes off, will the closed business model fall apart?

Hardly. Johansen's decision to market his hack through licensing agreements means that your average teen music-lover is not suddenly going to find his music collection iPod-compatible. Instead, she will have more choices of legal music sites, to download songs that will be iPod-playable.

The effect of this may be to lower the industry-standard pricetag of $.99 per song. Apple could face real competition from other sites that can now sell legal music to load into those insatiable iPod hard drives.

Something to consider for Microsoft Zune... if the hack was figured out for iPod, can a Zune hack be far behind?

[Harvey Chute is webmaster of http://www.Zunerama.com, a Microsoft Zune resource center that provides one-stop for all things Zune, including Zune specifications, documentation, comparisons to iPod, FAQ, user forum, and a blog providing analysis and commentary on Zune news.]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harvey_Chute

Download Movies To Your iPod - Steps on How You Can Put Your Favorite Movies On Your iPod

2007-11-10T03:27:00.000-08:00

People these days are now demanding more and more entertainment in their lives. Because of this, several multimedia companies have invented several devices just to provide entertainment to people. From video games to mobile multimedia players, you will see that there are quite a lot of state-of-the-art entertainment devices out there today that can provide you with high quality entertainment wherever you go.

Today, the latest craze is the iPod. So far, iPod have provided people with multimedia entertainment never before seen on other portable multimedia players. With iPod, you will be able to store and listen to far more music than other kinds of portable multimedia players. Also, it is not only the capability to store and play hundreds or even thousands of songs and videos, but because iPod is so small that it can fit in your pocket. In fact, iPod is so small and compact that you wouldn’t even feel that it's there.

The fact that iPod is so portable and provides high quality entertainment is enough reason to get out and buy one.

However, there are people who don't know how to work an iPod or at least download movies to iPod from their computer. If you don’t know how, then you won't be able to fully enjoy the power of your iPod as you won't be able to use all the features it can provide you, such as the ability to watch your favorite videos and movies while you are on the go.

Just imagine, camping in the middle of nowhere where electricity is non existent. What could be better than watching your favorite videos and movies while waiting for your friends who are hunting to come back? Surely waiting for an hour with no one to talk to is enough to get you bored. With the iPod, getting bored is a thing of the past.

The first step in downloading movies in your iPod is by making sure that your iPod is one of the latest models that are able to play videos. If your iPod is capable of playing videos, the next step is to plug it in your computer via the USB port.

You need to understand that iPod with video capabilities only plays videos or video files that are in MP4 format. You might be aware that most media files in your computer are in AVI, MPG, MPEG, MOV or any other file format. These kinds of files are not actually compatible with your iPod. So, what you do is get a software program that is designed to convert any video format, such as AVI or MPG to MP4 file format.

Today, there are quite a lot of software programs like this that is able to convert video files to MP4 format without affecting the overall quality of the video. And, the great thing about MP4 is that it compresses the file even more. This means that it will allow more movies for you to download in your iPod as the files are smaller.

Now, after converting video files in your computer to MP4 format, you are now ready to download your favorite videos and movie files to your iPod. You can easily do this through an iPod software, such as iTunes. After this, you are now ready to play and enjoy your favorite movies on your iPod.

As you can see, by knowing how to download videos to your iPod, you will be able to fully make use of the features that iPod can provide. By following these few simple tips, you will be able to enjoy high quality entertainment while you are on the go with your video capable iPod.

Sandra Stammberger owns and operates http://www.ipodissimo.com Ipod Tips

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Maria_Stammberger

The New iPod Touch - Hype or Heaven

2007-11-10T03:26:00.000-08:00

With its physical similarity to the iPhone, the new iPod Touch creates an expectation of iPhone versatility in consumers while lacking iPhone features, such as camera and Bluetooth. Nor does it compare to traditional iPods - offering only 10% of the capacity of the iPod Classic. Despite offering web access via a special version of Safari, email is conspicuously absent.

Having said this, one of the main advantages of the iPod Touch is Apple's revolutionary new multi-touch user interface. The device features only two controls, the sleep/power switch and a Home button. All other features are accessed via the multi-touch screen.

The multi-touch interface starts with a single touch on the power button to turn the device on and take you to its "Home" screen. Select applications and settings with a touch of your finger, or push the Home button to return to the main screen. Touch an input box to open a touch sensitive keyboard. Touch to select items in a list. Touch a slide control to adjust a value.

Sort your music via genre, artist, playlist or album and flick through them using the iPod Touch coverflow feature

When viewing photos on your iPod Touch, you can flick through them using coverflow. A photo that was taken in landscape mode can be viewed full screen simply by turning your iPod horizontally. To zoom in on detail simply "pinch" the section of the photo you want to zoom in on and slowly draw your fingers apart. To return to the original view simply tap the screen.

To view video on your iPod Touch, simply touch the video button at the bottom of the home screen and select the video you want to watch. Then turn the screen horizontally to watch in full screen mode on the 3.5" screen that has a resolution of 480-by-320, with 163 pixels per inch. Photos and videos display beautifully on this screen in clear, sharp images.

The versatility of the iPod touch is sure to impress your friends the first time you demonstrate it to them. You can expect gasps of surprise from those who have never seen it before.

The iPod Touch features several applications including the Safari web browser, YouTube, a calendar, a contact list, a clock, a calculator and more.

There are so many things you can store on your iPod Touch too - including, music, videos, photos & podcasts. You can even download content directly from iTunes if you have a WI fi connection. Apple has even made an arrangement with Starbucks that allows you to access a WI fi connection in Starbucks stores without connection fees or login requirement.

Is the iPod Touch for you? Well, if you already own an iPhone there is no need to purchase an iPod Touch as the iPhone includes all the same features plus many more. However, if you want many of the features of the iPhone without having your music disrupted by the ringing of your phone or without that pesky 24-month contract with AT&T then the iPod Touch is definitely the way to go!

The iPod Touch will cost you US$299 for the 8GB model, or US$399 for the 16GB version.

Julia Andersson is an Australian mother of three including two teenagers. Julia is also a student with ProsperLearning where she recently completed learning ecommerce and Search Engine Optimisation techniques. She runs an electronics sweepstakes website at Free Electronics Source

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_Andersson

iPod Alarm Clock Features Explained

2007-11-08T03:38:00.000-08:00

There are lots of iPod Alarm Clocks out there and you need to make sure that you get the right one for you. Here is a list of the different available features for iPod Alarm Clocks. As you read through this list think about which features are important to you or to the person that will be using the iPod alarm clock. When you are done you will educated when it comes time to selecting your iPod Alarm Clock

Alarm and Time Functionality: This is available in two styles built in alarm functions or uses the ipod alarm functions. Most iPod alarm clocks are have built in time and alarm feature meaning they can operate as an alarm clock on there own with out an iPod. The alternative models rely on the iPod's internal alarm to turn on. Technically this is an alarm but not very reliable or user friendly. If you are relying on an alarm clock to wake you up you do not want to have to remember to put the ipod in the dock. Most people are looking for stand alone alarm clocks with built in time and alarm functionality.

Battery Backup for the clock: How many times have you woken up late in the morning cause the power went out in the middle of the night? Many iPod Alarm Clocks have a battery backup capabilities. The alarm clock has a place for 2AA or small batteries that will power the clock and alarm function when the power goes out. They will not play your iPod for hours while the power is out but they will ensure that the time is not lost when the power comes back on. Now you can still wake up on time but blame being late on a power outage. Best of both worlds.

Dual Alarms: This feature is particularly nice if you have two people that both need alarms. Now both people can use the same alarm clock removing the need for an extra alarm clock. You will need to look close at the description of dual alarms for each iPod Alarm Clock. Some manufacturers have dual alarms but the first alarm is wake to buzzer / ipod and the second alarm is wake to radio. Other manufacturers allow each alarm to wake to buzzer / ipod / radio. Depending on your needs one may work better for you than the other. Most people are not aware of this discrepancy.

Remote Control: May seem like overkill but if you are in a dorm room or at a desk across from your Alarm clock it can be a very useful feature. This feature is also useful if you are using the dual alarms for two people. one person gets the alarm clock on their side of the bed and the other gets the remote control.

AM/FM radio: Most iPod Alarm clocks some with AM / FM radios. This is a great feature when you iPod is on the blink or if there is a particular radio show you like to listen to.

Dimmer control: The amount of light needed during the day is not the same amount of light needed at night. Some iPod alarm clocks allow you to adjust the amount of light emitted from the display. Some clocks will adjust the amount of light automatically. If you like to have a very dark room to sleep in this is needed feature to have. Many of the models give off quite a bit of light and can make it more difficult to sleep if they are not dimmed at night.

Sleep Timer. Like to listen to your ipod as you go to sleep? A sleep timer will turn off the ipod at a set amount of time. The timer is usually done in increments such as 120min, 90min, 60min, 30min, 15min.

Gradual Wake: The buzzer / iPod /radio starts out soft and then gets louder. This is a nice feature if you like a nice easy wake-up in the morning.

Travel Models: Will I be traveling with it? Some of the iPod Alarm clock models are small an portable for travel. These smaller models can be used full time at home and then taken with you when you travel. The choice is based on how much you travel. If you are a road warrior then go with the travel model.

Sound Quality: Not all speakers are built equally and iPod alarm clocks are not exception. If you are in a dorm room or will be using the alarm clock to listen to during the day I would look for one that has better sound. Only using the alarm clock to wake up to then sound is not as important.

http://www.ipodspeakerreviews.com/guides/ipod-alarm-clock-features-explained.html

Vers Hand Crafted Wood Sound Systems for iPod and iPhone

2007-11-08T03:35:00.000-08:00

For iPod and iPhone users who want to listen to their play list without headphones, Vers sound systems stand out in an array of plastic choices that simply don’t do great music justice. The Vers line offers hand crafted, eco-friendly real wood sound systems with superior sound quality and a furniture grade finish, making them a great gift and natural fit into any home or office setting.

“Many musical instruments have been made of wood for centuries,” says Dave Laituri, partner and creative director. “Wood simply sounds better, more natural, than any other material out there.” Made with wood harvested from sustainable-managed plantation sources, Vers systems are hand built and finished, no two are alike. The heart of Vers is an energy efficient class D amplifier, coupled with 2-3” custom designed speakers that deliver 30 watts peak of full range sound, with particular attention paid to drawing out the bass and treble often lost in digital music formatting. The result: a fuller, more complete representation of your music. The elegant sound system stands 5.5” tall by 11” wide and 5.5 “deep. An advanced 14 function IR remote offers users more control, with an extended range of controls for menu and play-list navigation.

“True to our company’s commitment to making environmentally responsible products, the Vers line is more energy efficient and environmentally sound than any in its category, using power efficient components, plantation grown wood and 100 percent recycled packaging,” adds company partner Tim Trzepacz. The Vers system is also RoHs compliant, exceeding even the strictest standards for electronic products, standards developed to eliminate toxic materials and heavy metals from the waste stream.

Vers retails for $179 and will be available at various retail locations and online. Visit www.versaudio.com for a complete list of retailers including Target.com.

http://www.ipodspeakerreviews.com/press-releases/vers-hand-crafted-wood-sound-systems-for-ipod-and-iphone.html

Flying the Zepplin iPod Speakers

2007-11-08T03:34:00.000-08:00

Bowers & Wilkins brings iPod owners a unique iPod speaker system which promises to deliver a rich sound and looks to make it the envy of other iPod accessories.

What makes a great iPod speaker system? Crisp audio? Sharp looks? If you said both and you are truly looking for a unique statement among the world of iPod accessories British loudspeaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins has you pegged. Welcome the Zeppelin.

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin looks like an amazingly well designed mini-blimp which happens to dock with your iPod. Its tapered shape is around two feet wide and finished in stainless steel. The Zeppelin serves as both an iPod docking station and one-piece amplified speaker system designed by an industrial designer in London.

Bowers & Wilkins seems to have a good reputation for putting out quality sounding gear and one has to imagine the Zeppelin is no exception to that rule. The company placed the midrange and tweeter drivers in the tapered ends of the iPod speaker system, spacing them in the curved areas so the sound is hopefully evenly distributed. You also get a five-inch subwoofer set in the Zeppelin’s center, supported by twin rear-firing ports.

Digital signal processing incorporated into three amplification channels helps to offer 50 watts of power for the woofer and 25 watts each for the two-way mid/high frequency section. Bowers & Wilkins incorporated design elements it feels will bolster the overall audio experience: aluminum-dome tweeters and tapered-tube tweeter loading technologies for better sound clarity, passive crossover circuits which use quality components for low sound reproduction and glass fiber midrange cones with resonance absorbing materials in positioned slots.

Bowers & Wilkins created for its Zeppelin iPod speaker system a small remote control with lets one manipulate volume as well as iPod features like play and track selection. A five-position bass equalizer is also part of the Zeppelin, along with S-video and composite-video outputs so one can view iPod video on a larger screen. This is in addition to an analog/digital mini-jack input to let one use another device besides the iPod with the Zeppelin.

Other well thought out touches on the Zeppelin include a dedicated tilt-base so the speaker system can be placed at the right angle for listening, flexible AC power standards ranging from 100-240V and a 30-pin docking station with spring-loaded design to cradle an iPod. This last feature is supplemented by a “floating arm” to let one put their hand around a docked iPod so it can be operated as if being held.

http://ipod.suite101.com/article.cfm/flying_the_zepplin_ipod_speakers

iPod’s Impact on Modern Culture

2007-11-08T03:32:00.000-08:00

The iPod has taken over the digital world, and it is not about to go away any time soon.

The Apple iPod is no longer just a music playing device. It is know an icon of modern and popular culture. Instead of going out and buying a different brand of MP3 player, most people are purchasing one of the highly stylized iPods even though they have no apparent differences. This is due to the massive impact that they have had on every single person in the Western world. No other object has had just a large influence, and none other is even close to matching it.

Since their release in 2001, the iPod has quickly taken hold of the hearts and minds of all teenagers and even of the majority of the developed world. People realize that it is cool to own an iPod rather than another type of music device. The symbolic white head phones tell everyone around that you are trendy enough to own one. This is strange in itself because even though it lets people know how fashionable you are, it also blocks any social contact with nearby strangers.

Several cities around the world have banned their use when driving cars because of the danger of distraction, yet millions of people continue to ‘plug in.’ Although it is more common to see their use in teenagers ears, it is not rare for people of other ages to be seen listening alongside. Their mass appeal to so many different demographics is one of the reasons that people cannot live without their iPod.

Mainly because of Apple’s large reputation and their intensive advertising budget, the iPod became popular in a very short timeframe. The continual release of different types guaranteed that they would remain in front of peoples eyes, retaining their attention for as long as possible.

The evolution from the classic iPod has also taken place in a very short time frame. Everything from the shuffle, to the mini, and the latest video player varieties are now available, making sure that there is no other brand that can offer a feature that Apple has not already installed. Along with the free iTunes software that comes with every model, there is nothing that can be suggested displacing the iPod from its high selling place.

It is not very likely that another brand of media player will be able to take the iPod’s place any time in the near future. Their place as the number one MP3 and now video player is well cemented and well deserved.

http://ipod.suite101.com/article.cfm/ipods_impact_on_modern_culture

How To Download Movies To iPod - 3 Tips For Downloading Movies To Your iPod

2007-11-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

If you have an ipod and want to download movies into it, but don’t know how, then what you are about to read next is just what the doctor ordered for you.

Download Movies to iPod Tip #1:

It goes without saying that if you want to store and view a video on your iPod, then you have to own one that is able to play videos. The next step of course is to plug your iPod into the computer through the USB port. Once you’ve done that, you are now ready to take the move towards downloading movies into your iPod.

Download Movies to iPod Tip #2

Before you try and download movies to your iPod, you should know that the video iPod only plays video files and videos that are in the MP4 format. This means that most of the media file types such as AVI, MPEG, MPG, MOV, etc. on your PC are not compatible with your iPod and consequently cannot be played on it. So what you need here is a software program that can convert just about any video file format like MPG or AVI into an iPod compatible MP4 format.

Getting such software is relatively easy since there are many software programs available out there that are able to convert regular video files to the MP4 format without altering video quality too much. The best part about the MP4 format is that is compresses files even more compared to MP3. This means that you can actually download more movies into your iPod.

Download Movies to iPod Tip #3:

Once you’ve converted the movie files on your PC to the MP4 format, you can start downloading them into your iPod. This can be easily done using iPod software like the iTunes 7.0. Doing this is just a simple matter of reading and executing easy-to-follow steps to download movies from your computer into your iPod. Once you complete this process, you can play and enjoy all your favorite movie videos on the fly, with your iPod!

Thus to conclude, if you know how to download movies to your iPod, you can make full use of all the cool features the iPod has to offer and enjoy high quality entertainment when you want, where you where you want!

For a list of the top 5 iPod download sites, check out http://www.productreviewsite.info/ipod

John LeBlanc writes articles such as How To Download Movies To iPod - 3 Tips For Downloading Movies To Your iPod. You are allowed to publish this article in its entirety provided that author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and included with every reproduction.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Leblanc

Reviews of the Best iPod Download Websites

2007-11-07T04:33:00.000-08:00

iPod has soared in popularity and now the world’s best selling digital multimedia player since its introduction in late 2002. Millions of people are in possession of iPod now and this resulted to the birth of various iPod download websites all over the internet. It is important to distinguish the best iPod download websites for you to get the best contents for your iPod. These best iPod download websites benefit all iPod users with more options to get the best deals for their iPods in more reasonable price.

This review selected the four best iPod download websites in the internet today. These are the most popular and widely used iPod download websites now. Unlike other download websites these sites don’t have monthly or per download fee which works on anybody even on those who have a tight budget and still want to enjoy the latest craze and downloads for their iPods.

Services like MyiPodownloads, iPodBlender, FeedMyiPods and YouriPodMovies are the best download websites in the net today. You can never go wrong with these sites with unlimited download contents for your iPod and it will only cost you a few bucks with one time payment and you can pack your iPod with everything you love from music, movies, videos, games, TV shows and even sports events.

The biggest and most popular best iPod download website is MyiPodownloads. Most if not all iPod users fell in love with this iPod Download Website. One factor that brought popularity to this download website is the excellent easy to use software that even beginners will find themselves downloading contents in minutes. Registration is easy and it will only take you 2 minutes to register. This is the number 1 recommended best iPod download website for iPod users with access to over 95,000,000 media files with excellent download speeds and easy iPod transfer with outstanding quality. It also includes free iPod converter software.

iPodBlender is the best PSP download website and it converts non-iPod compatible music or movies into iPod-compatible format easily with excellent DVD quality downloads. It provides an easy to follow step by step guide on downloading, searching, playing and burning your favorite movies, music and other downloadable contents. iPodBlender users will find a lot of free software to download. This is definitely one of the best iPod download websites today.

FeedMyiPods is another best download website with it’s easy to navigate search interface and in minutes you can have access to unlimited music, movies, TV shows, sports and a lot more. They have easy to follow tutorials and great 24 hours technical support. Excellent DVD quality and fast downloads.

The last but not the least is YouriPodMovies which is one of the best iPod download websites today. You could download iPod compatible music, TV shows, sports, DVD quality movies and a lot more. You can choose gold/platinum packs which enables you for unlimited downloads of software, games, music and a lot more or choose movie packs which gives you unlimited access to all DVD quality movies you want and you can also find brand new titles not yet released on DVD. Indeed, these best iPod download websites review offers four beautiful options that you can enjoy anytime and anywhere. You can get the best deals for your iPod with huge savings. Why spend too much when you can have access to these sites in affordable one time payment and enjoy unlimited downloads.

Gerry Restrivera writes informative articles on various subjects including iPod Download Website Reviews. For more information visit Best iPod Download Websites

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerry_Restrivera

Free IPODs: The Truth About Free IPOD Giveaways

2007-11-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the offers for free IPODs? Run a search on Google, Yahoo, AOL, or any search engine for the key word IPOD, and you will be presented with a flurry of offers for free IPODs.

With the soaring popularity of free IPODs this offer definitely seems very alluring. After all, who wouldn’t want a free IPOD?

The truth about these offers for free IPODs is that there are very clever marketers behind them. These marketers are willing to give you an IPOD for free in exchange for your email address. Your email address holds allot of value for them. Through your email address they can make offers to you for various products and offers, which have lucrative pay outs for the marketers.

By having you agree to share your email address they will be able to send you offers withouth being accused of spam. If you decide that you no longer want to receive future offers you simply opt out and the offers will stop coming.

But with the price of an IPOD starting at $300, how can those marketers afford to give everyone a free IPOD simply in exchange for their email address? After all, someone could register and then opt out right after receiving their free IPOD.

In reality the marketers are counting on two important goals. They are hoping that a high enough percentage of respondents will participate in the offers they receive, making it worthwhile to run their marketing programs.

Second, before giving away the free IPOD the consumer is required to participate in a few trial offers. Every time the consumer participates in a trial offer the marketer is paid. But if a consumer does not fully participate he would not receive the free IPOD.

In other words, the free IPOD is only given out when the consumer has taken actions that will compensate the marketer for the free IPOD.

This can be a win-win situation for both the consumer and the marketer. The marketer gains by having a consumer participate in trial offers, for which the marketer is paid, and the consumer gains by having the opportunity to receive a free IPOD.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donny_Lowy

Daily Dealings With The iPod - How To Avoid Those Cosmetic Problems

2007-11-06T03:04:00.000-08:00

Everyone wants to keep their iPod looking as good as new, but this can be difficult sometimes, especially since the product seems to attract scratches.

Purchase a case to cover the iPod. Cases are available in a variety of colors and material. They usually have a vinyl material that covers the screen. Sometimes cases can be bulky and inconvenient. Not only that, they hide the sleek design of the iPod.

The Apple store offers trendy socks that are fitted to the iPod. The socks come in a set of six different colors. To use, simply slide the iPod into the sock to keep it from being exposed to elements that will scratch its surface. One of the drawbacks to using a sock is that you will have to slide it in and out of the sock whenever you need to use the click wheel. The iPod sock is compatible with all iPod models except iPod shuffle.

Also available from the iPod store are iPod nano Tubes. As the name suggests these are designed specifically for the iPod nano. The tubes come in a set of five colors. The tube is made from silicone and is resistant to dirt and stains. There is clear cover for the display screen and it allows the user to access the click wheel and hold button.

iSkin designed specifically for the iPod Nano designed to protect your iPod during athletic activities such as running or exercising. iSkin offers iSkin slims and iSkin DuoBand, both as exercise companions. Both have a polycarbonate layer that allows the user to view the device screen and access the click wheel to adjust volume or change songs.

Purchase a shield or film product. These kinds of products cover the scratchable surface of the iPod with a clear film that keeps the body from getting scratched. Since these products are clear, you can still keep the look of the iPod and keep it free from scratches.

There are several options available. The first is invisibleSHIELD. This is a clear cover that is made from a material that is also used to protect helicopter blades. The film is cut perfectly to cover everything except the corners of the iPod. The cover uses an adhesive to stick to the iPod and claims not to leave a residue. Screen protectors and click wheel covers are available if you do not wish to cover the entire iPod.

Power Support offers two film covers; one for the iPod Nano and one for the 5G iPod. Both films are made from a more rigid material. Some users claim this film is more durable than the soft flexible films. The Power Support film does not leave a sticky residue because it uses a static cling to adhere to the product. The sets include three pieces: a film for the front of the iPod (excluding the click wheel), a film for the back cover, and a cover for the click wheel. The film set does not cover the sides so that there are no hanging edges that could eventually peel. Both the invisibleSHIELD and the Power Support Film Sets are thin enough so that a case can still be used if desired.

To remove scratches that are already on your iPod you can use Brasso. The product is available in most grocery and hardware stores. Apply Brasso to a cotton ball or cotton round and scrub the parts of the iPod that have scratches. Be careful not to confuse the dirt and grime with thinking your iPod is melting. This is just the product doing its job. If you are cleaning an iPod nano, you might want to use a cloth that is less abrasive than cotton balls to avoid adding new scratches. You can use water to rinse the Brasso from the iPod after you have finished scrubbing the scratches.

Since there are various methods to protect your iPod, you can decide the one that is best for you by first deciding if you want to accessorize with color or preserve the sleek look of your iPod. If you want to add some color to your protection, an iPod case is the best selection for you. On the other hand, if you want to sport the sleek look of the iPod without adding extra color, the shield and film products are best for you. Of course, you can always double the protection and do both.

http://www.articleco.com/Article/Daily-Dealings-With-The-iPod---How-To-Avoid-Those-Cosmetic-Problems/44811

Reason for success of iPod

2007-11-06T03:03:00.000-08:00

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

An Overview Of Linux Relationship With The Ipod

2007-11-06T03:02:00.000-08:00

Apple makes iPod for Mac and Windows, but not for the open source operating system Linux. Because of this, Linux developers began working on an iPod solution for Linux. When developers began testing Linux with iPod it was partly just to see if it could work. It did. However, initially there was no real need for it and no benefits for users who installed Linux onto their iPods. They just simply had two operating systems on their iPod were the Apple firmware and iPodLinux. Once the concept was proven, more work was done to tweak the system and its capabilities. Now, installing Linux on the iPod is a way to add capabilities and enhancements beyond the basics.

Podzilla is the name for the standard iPodLinux interface. It is similar to the Apple interface but has a crisper font and switches between menus between one and two seconds faster because there is no animation for menu changes. Once of the cons is that the Linux operating system uses more battery.

The iPodLinux includes an Extras menu that expands to four other items. First, is the Recording Menu that allows you to do Mic or Line in Record. Line In recording is for recording the audio output from other sources. This enables you to make instrumentals of your favorite songs without having to buy a program to do it on your Mac or PC. With Mic recording you can use the left earbud of the iPod headphones and record mono audio at up to 96 kHz. Using the Apple firmware, you are able to create recordings as well, with an add on device that must be purchased and at only 8 kHz. Once you have recorded audio on your Podzilla, the recordings are saved as WAV format. They can then be downloaded to your Mac or PC later and converted into a different format if desired. The next two menu items are the Calendar and Calculator. These are not significantly different from the Calendar and Calculator that come installed with the Apple firmware. Last is the Games Menu. The Podzilla comes with 5 games are Asteroids called Steroids, Othello, Tetris , Pong, and Minesweeper. Now, you have options if you get tired of listening to music on long trips.

Another feature of Podzilla is the File Browser. This function allows you to see all of the files on the iPod, even the hidden ones. It can also display GIF, JPEG, and BMG files in black and white. This is a feature that earlier generations of iPod did not have. Surely, it does not turn it into an iPod photo, but it can be useful for looking at diagrams and other simple drawings. Since images are displayed with 2 bit grayscale, those with a lot of contrast will look better on the Podzilla than those with subtle color distinctions. Podzilla can display text files as well.

Installing the iPodLinux operating system on your iPod does not delete the Apple firmware that comes installed on the iPod. Both operating systems can co exist on the iPod without any trouble. It is possible to re boot the iPod in either system if you wish.

this project is an open source project, which means that the source code is published and made available to the public. Anyone can copy, modify, and redistribute the source code without paying fees or royalties. One of the things that makes open source successful is that it is a community effort. One of the cons is that enhancements may not happen as frequently and the software may be buggy.

it has some great nice to have features, but is still working on perfecting the ability of Podzilla to play music as well as Apple of firmware. Songs do not play at the same quality and can sometimes skip. If you attempt to play a game while listening to a song, the song will stop. It is not a big problem as you can easily switch between the operating systems to play games and listen to music.

Linux developers are constantly working to improve the iPodLinux software. Developments are underway to provide the capability to watch video on 1, 4 Generation iPods and to allow Game Boy games to be played on the iPod as well. Since Apple is not a part of the effort, the developers are figuring out how to make these enhancements through a little reverse engineering and a lot of trial and error.

http://www.articleco.com/Article/An-Overview-Of-Linux-Relationship-With-The-Ipod/46402

Watch Movies On The Go With Your Video Ipod Movie Player

2007-11-05T03:53:00.000-08:00

With Apple Computers most recent evolution of their venerable iPod, music, movies, as well as TV programs are now all portable enough to take with you whenever you want and can be listened to through your iPod portable speaker or through headphones.

However, the enthusiasm may be lessened somewhat due to issues such as ergonomics, compatibility, and movie selection. Despite the fact that you have the ability to watch downloadable movies with your iPod, it may become somewhat uncomfortable for long periods of time.

Considering that one criticism (however minor) typical to most reviews is it can sometimes be very uncomfortable to have to hold the video iPod in an upright position while viewing a TV program. Most television dramas are roughly 1 hour long, however how many people really wish to spend two hours or more viewing movies on your iPod? Likely not many.

However, it is most certainly ideal in short periods of time, and you have the option to break up these sessions into a 30 minute segments to solve any discomfort issues while viewing movies on your iPod. It's that or you will need to switch hands of whole lot.

Portability Versus Compatibility

An additional consideration that needs to be taken into account is the fact that depending on the format of the file, your movies in your iPod may not be compatible. The safest road to take to solve any compatibility issues is to downloading movies through iTunes.

Additionally, there may be several other issues to take into consideration when you start to download movies to use on your iPod. Including iTunes, there are at least a couple of movie download sites. However, the service that has been initially offered at these sites have been rather average at best.

Individuals have had complaints when it comes to long download times, even though they may have high-speed internet connections. Another similar issue with movies that are downloaded is the image quality can be poor at times.

Numerous customers who frequent these sites have also had complaints about less than acceptable pictures that are below DVD quality, and various movies also display artifacts on the screen (or monitor).

The majority of downloadable movies are just as expensive as their DVD counterparts yet do not have many of the extras that the majority of individuals have come to expect. The odds are that if you have a movie that is downloaded, you will not receive any bonuses such as photo galleries, commentaries etc..

As challenging as these different issues may be, the technology is emerging. If you can get by the fact that there is still some issues with movies that are downloaded, your iPod can be your most useful mobile device on a plane or a crowded bus.

Even the possibility of having your hands cramp and having a less-than-perfect picture, at the moment there is no greater convenience of having the ability to carry all your movies along with you regardless of where your destination may be.

Korbin Newlyn is an expert author and an avid writer in the field of electronics. If you would like to learn more go to iPod Accessories and at iPod Nanos

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Korbin_Newlyn

Free Ipod Video Converter - The Real Truth

2007-11-03T01:14:00.001-07:00

Interested in converting the videos from your DVD collection to your iPod so that you can view it anywhere? If you have been searching online for information on how to convert your DVD videos to your iPod, you probably know by now that it's not possible. Not possible with the package bundled with your iPod when you purchased them but with a third party software, it's possible. Video to iPod converter tool is never part of your iPod package. I can imagine the disappointment as I too had the mindset that I can have my movies with me wherever I go. You still can as long the videos and movies are downloaded from iTunes . But what about the collection of movies and DVDs collected through out the years you ask? Well, let's just say they won't be able to keep you entertained while you are on the go.

As the saying goes, for every problem, there's a solution; especially when consumer-savvy software companies realize this. You can rest assure that there will be a solution real soon. Before you know it, there are iPod video converting tools popping up all over the internet. In fact, as of now, there are quite a few on the market and then come the next problem, which one is the best? Now, to make things worse, there are even free iPod video converters . Of course, natural instinct would point you towards the free ones but are they good and worth your time?

For every software, there's a learning curve. While it may be easy to use with this type of softwares but free iPod video converters tend to lack behind when compared with commercial converters. With this in mind, it would be time consuming to test a software and then to look for another one to try when one is not up to expectation.

Most free iPod video converters are not exactly free. The word FREE is a strong attention grabber and is a marketing ploy used by companies to attract consumers. Most free iPod video converters are free but for a limited period of time only. Once the trial period is over, you will have to pay. Some have no trial period but with limited video converting features . And you guessed it; the advanced features will be made available once payment is made. To truly enjoy and to have a decent video converter, you do need to invest in a converter that gives you the convenience and the quality and support that comes with it.

A commercial iPod video converter does not really cost much and in fact it is really quite affordable . Most video converters are available for a price below $30. These video converters are able to convert most PC video format to your iPod. Again, what about the DVD collection you ask? Well, now most video converters have the feature to rip or convert videos or movies straight from your DVDs to your iPod.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Sinclair

Free iPod Nano Downloads

2007-11-03T01:12:00.000-07:00

We all want to the latest hot songs, watch the latest movies and play the latest games, however it is all so expensive that most of us can't afford it. But what if you could get free iPod Nano downloads and never worry about paying any pay per download fees? You can save lots of money, probably hundreds of dollars every month, well, you do the math if a song cost $1, with 100 downloads it's $100.

But it is possible to get free iPod Nano downloads, the only problem most Internet users have is finding the right website, that would provide with free download for your iPod. And yes, it is pretty hard, most today download services charge pay per download fees. I have spent so much time searching for a legitimate iPod site and finally found one that is worth joining.

I have tried over six different iPod services, but most of them were a complete disaster, poor quality of music files and small databases. That's not the right way to get free iPod Nano downloads, but one of them was the best one that I have ever seen.

The best part of course is that you can download everything for free, legally and without any limitations or restrictions. This services showed that free iPod Nano downloads is a reality and all you have to do is look carefully. If you want to join an iPod download service be very careful, as there are so many scam and trash on the Internet that I don't trust 80% of the sites I visit anymore.

I am very happy that I was able to find the one that gives me the opportunity to get free iPod Nano downloads and I have been using this service for a while now and I can't complain. I have video iPod and I love to fill it with the latest high quality movies.

I always find what I need with this service and there weren't any movies or songs that it couldn't find. I highly recommend you try this service, it's a real money saver! If you would like you find out more information about the site that gives me free iPod Nano downloads feel free to visit my page.

Earl Bennett is an iPod addict find out how he gets free iPod Nano downloads! Read about the "king of iPod downloads" at his blog if you want to find out more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Earl_Bennett

Apple iPod - An Ultimate Music Player

2007-11-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

iPods, the new brand portable media player was launched by Apple Inc. in October 2001. iPod was a part of the company strategy to mark its existence in the digital electronic market. There were various complaints against existing audio players and Apple found existing digital music players merely “big and clunky or small and useless". Decided to create one Apple set into its production and developed it in less than a year. It was unveiled on October 23, 2001.

It was Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who proposed the name iPod. The first iPod demonstration to the public was held in New Jersey in March 1998, and its commercial use began in January 2000. Generally, iPod is associated with a host computer. Each time when an iPod gets connected to its host computer, iTunes gets synchronized to the entire music libraries or music playlists either automatically or manually. The songs are later transferred to the iTunes library.

But always there have been criticisms against iPods. Even lawsuits were filed against it for failing to meet the expectations assured through the advertisements. In 2003, Apple was sued for the shorter life of batteries, which was later settled by either a free battery replacement or a US$50 store credit. There was another criticism regarding the third generation iPod as they had a failed response in audio tests.

There have been allegations of short life span of iPods According to a survey held in 2005; it was found that the iPod had an average 13% failure rate. In late 2005, there were complaints from users that the surface of the first generation iPod is easily scratchable leading to a law suit.

But whatever may be the case, no doubt iPods have a large fanfare in the entertainment market. The claim by "Apple 1000 songs in your pocket", has never failed to evoke a response among the users.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raina_Kelsey

How To Prolong Your Apple iPod Battery’s Life?

2007-11-03T01:07:00.000-07:00

The Apple iPod is the most popular portable mp3 player today. Like many users, I have been thinking of ways to prolong the lifespan of my Apple iPod battery. Here are 5 tips that will help to improve your Apple iPod battery lifespan.

Before I start, it is important to update your iPod firmware to the latest version. For example the iPod firmware version 1.2 provides better power management features for your iPod battery.

1. Backlight Settings

You can set the iPod backlight timer setting to minimum. I have set mine to 3 seconds. That means when there is no activity for 3 second, the iPod will turn off the backlight automatically. You can even switch it to off if you are using the iPod in bright areas.

2. Brightness Settings

For Apple ipod firmware version 1.2 and above, you should be able to access the brightness control. You can go then iPod Menu, then select Settings and lastly Brightness. By reducing the brightness, it can help to reduce the power drain from the iPod battery.

Unless you are watching videos on your iPod, I usually reduce the brightness to about 40 percent when listening to mp3.

3. Charging Your Apple iPod Battery

Try to avoid frequent full discharges because this can cause strain on your iPod battery. There is no harm in charging a battery even if is is not totally drained.

4. Keep Your iPod Battery Cool

Heat is the most common reason for the short life span of iPod battery. Try to avoid putting your iPod in the sun for long periods of time.

Always remember to put your iPod in sleep mode when you are not using it. This helps to save battery life.

5. Avoid Frequent Changing of Tracks

Since the iPod uses the same type of technology to store data as your computer, frequent changing of tracks means the iPod has to continuously access the internal iPod hard disk. In this case, the hard disk has to be continuously spinning and can reduce battery life.

By implementing these 5 tips, you can help to prolong the lifespan of your Apple iPod battery.

Ricky is an avid iPod fan who runs an iPod newsletter. Visit his site for more ipod information such as the apple ipod shuffle review.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Lim

Ipod Movies - Download And Save Your Selections

2007-11-02T00:41:00.000-07:00

IPOD movies is a great choice for getting the latest and best movies quickly and without the hassles of traveling to the video rental location. There are a lot of locations right on the web that can provide you with the best of the best for much less. There are several locations that do offer a wide range of choice when it comes to IPOD movies. Some offer more than others or they offer a better quality product. It will take a little looking to find the most affordable choice that is also the one that has what you would like to download.

Once you find the right location for your IPOD movies, you can easily and quickly (it seems almost instantly) download them to your PC, your notebook, or you can check out iPod movie downloads as well. There are specific services that are available to provide you with the ability to get great quality movies on your iPod. If you choose iPod movies, you can find the right location to download from on the web to your iPod, take the movies with you wherever you decide to go and, if you like them; you can even burn them to CD.

No matter if you choose iPod movies or find a few great movies to download to your PC, there are many services that are providing this ability to you. If you are skilled, you can even find a few iPod movie downloads or free movie downloads to tap into as well. Of course, to get the best products available, you may want to go with a paid service. It also pays for you to take your time in checking out a few of the services for their fees and their membership details. With so much competition out there, you are sure to find a great deal being offered to new members. Movie downloads are quickly becoming the best way to get the movies you want to see quickly. I have put a link at the top of my web site for a super place to get unlimited Ipod Movies.

Come back and visit my site or book mark it. I will be adding post and reviews on the latest and best Ipod movie downloads.

http://www.articlepeak.com/Article/Ipod-Movies---Download-And-Save-Your-Selections/12556

Ipod Movies – Unlimited Ipod Movies Site Review

2007-11-02T00:40:00.000-07:00

Ipod Movies

Unlimited Ipod Movies is one of the best ways I have found for ipod movies. Not only do you get unlimited ipod movies you also get music. Ipod movies and music are from the largest lists of selections I have seen.

Unlimited Ipod Movies is the fastest download site I have used to date. The site makes it very easy to find any movie or song fast. It is quick and easy to find all of the your favorite ipod movies and songs. Once you've download you choice or choices you can quickly begin to play you movie or song.

There are no hidden cost or any extra fees once you join. I have yet to find a site that offers this kind of quality service. There is no per song download fee, so you can download as many as you wish in the best MP3 format.

Most of the other sites that offer similar memberships don't have this size database for selection. I absolutely love this site over all the other ones that I have tried, for ipod movies and music. I give this site a perfect 10 score. You'll find that I never give any site that kind of rating.

The unlimited ipod movies site gives you all the information you need to know before singing up along with a full demo to see how the site can work for you. They only charge a one-time membership fee, which is very cheep for what you are getting. You can make that money back after creating two or three cds or DVD movies.

I have seen many sites that are competitive among each other but this one clearly stands out from the rest. In just one week I have doubled the size of ipod movies database and the same with my music database. There is so much to choose from.

If you are looking for quality ipod movies and music downloads, you may want to check this site out I have placed a link at the top of my website were you can click and go to the site and see for yourself.

http://www.articlepeak.com/Article/Ipod-Movies----Unlimited-Ipod-Movies-Site-Review/12549

The important of ipod

2007-11-02T00:38:00.001-07:00

IPod is an autonomous electronic device which is proficient of storing and playing the digital media, With the exemption of the iPod stroke, all iPods has the ability to function as mass storage devices to store up data files; the functions of storage device is controlled by the "Enable Disk Use".

Disparate to the other MP3 players, basically replicating audio or video documentation to the drive through a representative file managing application will not permit iPod to appropriately entrée them. To transfer files the user are to use software that has particularly designed for media files. Media files are stored on the iPod in a hidden folder, jointly with a proprietary record file. The secreted satisfied can be accessed on the congregation operating system by enabling secreted archive to be exposed. The auditory can then be improved physically by comatose the files or folders onto the iTunes Library.

Numerous accessories have been completed for the iPod. IPod are prepared by Apple. These publicize of ipod is occasionally described as the iPod ecosystem. Some ipod accompaniments add superfluous features such as sound recorders, radio tuners, wired remote controls, and other music players, moreover other accessories offer more unique features like camera connector. Include externals speakers, wireless remote controls

The color displays IPods use anti-aliased graphics and manuscript, along with descending simulation. Normal ipod has five buttons to functions such as play, stop, and next track. Further the function of scroll through menu items and controlling the volume are performed by using the click wheel in a rotational manner. IPod has a five buttons located differently from the larger model.

Danie is a professional copywriter of ink cartridges site. He written many articles in various topics such us Cell Phone Accessory, Ipod Accessories and toner cartridges. Please contact him at submissions.article@gmail.com

http://www.articlepeak.com/Article/The-important-of-ipod/76654

iPod Music Downloads - Discover How to Download Music To iPod Now

2007-11-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

After you've done a cursory look for iPod music downloads on the Internet, you might be a bit overwhelmed; there are a lot of offers and a lot of different ways to download music to ipod.

In owning an iPod, you'll have realized the wonderful potential that this device has in terms of entertainment. With its small size and large memory, your iPod is one of the best things to bring along whether you're taking a walk or facing a long trip.

With as much as you use it however, you might find out that the ten or twelve CDs you originally uploaded to it are getting a bit repetitive. The answer of course, lies with iPod music downloads.

The first thing to keep in mind when looking to download music to ipod is that you get what you pay for. There are plenty of sites dedicated to free iPod music downloads, and most of them are making their money off of the pay-per-click advertising.

While you might get lucky and find the one song to download to your iPod that you were looking for on these sites, it is more likely that you'll become frustrated with the poor selection and the constant advertising. You'll also find that you can pick up a variety of adware and spyware getting iPod music downloads from sites like these, so if you choose to use them, make sure you have good removal tools and protection

More reputable are the sites that offer pay-per-download and monthly subscriptions to download music to ipod. If you are only after a few songs, pay-per-download might be best, but if you go through new music quickly, you might be better off with a monthly subscription in terms of iPod music downloads. The monthly subscriptions usually ask for less per download and might give you access to more music than is readily available otherwise.

The newest and currently most intriguing option are the sites that offer a lifetime subscription to unlimited iPod music downloads. Sites like these are showing up everywhere, and the response has been quite favorable for people looking for a fast and easy way to download music to ipod. For a small cost you'll gain lifetime access to a library of unlimited free iPod music downloads, videos, movies and more.

Whenever you go to search for ways to download music to iPod, remember to keep a few things in mind. Check the iPod music downloads selection of the site if it is for subscription, as you don't want access to an archive of Barry Manilow songs if you only listen to rap music.

Check the speeds that the downloads typically occur at and see if the sites reviews are favorable. Above all, remember to have good anti-virus protection in place and make sure that when you get iPod music downloads, that you don't download more than you bargained for!

Discover top-rated iPod music downloads solutions. Get tips on how to download music to iPod

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Rowe

Download Free Song For Ipod The Fast Way

2007-11-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

An Ipod can be a pretty big part of your life-ten years ago the idea of carrying an almost unlimited supply of music around with us would seem a little far fetched, but here we are and all we need to do when we get bored with our current music selection is download free song for Ipod. But this can be right where the problems start…

Problem 1- Computer virus-You were searching all over the net, wanting to download free song for Ipod and without realizing it you downloaded a few nasty things from a shady p2p site. Now your laptop doesn’t work and your Ipod doesn’t seem so cool now that it’s only good for being used as a bookmark. P2P sites can seem very cool, download all you want, all different version of songs etc, but think about how many times you download something and it’s not what they claimed? Ever wonder why they do that? Spyware baby, plain and simple. Get your computer checked. If it’s been infected it can not only kill your computer but also your Ipod. Free Ipod music download doesn’t seem so free now huh?

Problem 2- The law. Downloading from P2P sites is illegal. People get arrested for it. With modern internet connections it’s only too easy to find someone’s IP address and find out where they are. The governments all over the world are cracking down on this all the time- if you use P2P sites it’s only a matter of time before you get caught. Is it really worth going to jail or paying a big fine just so you could download free song for Ipod? I know it’s not worth it for me.

Problem 3-Lack of quality legal download sites. If you search the net for “download free song for Ipod,” you will likely find lots of bad sites full of pop ups etc. These guys make money from advertising, so in all honesty they don’t care if you find what you are looking for at all-they just want you to click on their popups so they can get paid. Sad but true!

The solution- sites that really do let you download free song for Ipod-safely and legally. There are a few pretty cool sites springing up now that are a lot more organized and let’s just say they are on the right side of the law. If you can find a good one you can literally be set-all the Ipod songs you could possibly want, and even movies for all you Ipod video owners. The catch? Well I don’t know if it’s a catch, but you do have to pay for these guys-it’s usually somewhere between $20 and $50, and that covers you for LIFE. It means unlimited music and movie downloads for life, as soon as you pay that fee. I don’t know about you but I don’t think it would be too difficult to download more than $50 worth of music-I’ve done more than that in a day!

So as you can see, it can be pretty dangerous to download free song for ipod, dangerous to your computer, your Ipod and your freedom! Hopefully this mini guide will help you understand the risks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Hamilton

iPod Songs Downloads - How to Download Songs to Your iPod

2007-11-01T00:38:00.000-07:00

There are several popular ways to download a song onto an iPod. The process of downloading songs to an iPod such as iPod Nano, Shuffle, etc is very easy and simple. All you need is some basic tools and some information on how to do it. This article shows you a simple way you can use to put songs on your iPod device in minutes.

What you need:

- You need the songs to download:

If you already have a CD collection you can just use free software to convert them to mp3 and save the files on your pc. If you already have a collection of music in mp3 format then you don't need to do this. Another way is to download the songs from an mp3 download site. There are hundreds that you can use.

- An iPod

Of course if you want to put music on an iPod, we're assuming that you already have one. If you don't have an iPod, you can buy one from websites like eBay or Amazon. Or you can just visit your local shopping center for shops that sell them.

- Your PC or laptop

Most people have at least a computer in their home so this won't be a problem. These days you can get a second hand personal computer for about $100. If you want more speed and a bigger hard disk, you should be prepared to spend more. Generally laptops tend to be more expensive that PC's.

- A Connector cable

You need a Connector cable to connect your iPod to your computer. You probably already have this cable since they usually come with your iPod when you purchase it.

Follow these easy steps:

1. If you don't already have it, download the iTunes software and install it on your pc. This software is available free from www.apple.com/itunes/download. You can also use the installation CD that came with your iPod.

2. Connect your iPod to your pc using the connector cable which came with your iPod. One end of the cable goes to the USB port on your computer and the other end to your iPod. If you've never connected your iPod to your PC before, follow the instructions for installing on your PC.

3. Download music and songs from your favorite download site and save the music on your pc.

4. Now, Use the drag-and-drop feature on your pc to move the songs to your iPod. To use drag-and-drop left-click on the song you want to move and hold the click while you move the song to the iPod. You can also just copy and paste.

After you're done moving the songs, disconnect the iPod properly by using the eject button. This will avoid problems and errors on your pc.

You can also use other types of software besides iTunes although its is one of the most popular. As you can see from this article, it's very simple and easy to download music onto your iPod.

Click here for a comprehensive list of websites where you can sign up for unlimited iPod Songs and Movie Downloads: http://www.good4movies.com/ipod/ online. Visit the Movies, Music and Games Guide website for more tips and advice on how to downloadable movies, tv shows, games and music online. Copyright © Tina Richardson.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tina_Richardson

ipod Downloads - A Review Of Top ipod Download Sites

2007-11-01T00:37:00.000-07:00

This article projects a review of most popular 5 Best ipod media download sites, which are the best places for unlimited ipod music, songs, video, TV shows, sports and software downloads. Also, you will be able to download games, wallpapers, themes, ebooks, and skins. All of these service providers quote pretty reasonable and close membership prices.

To get the best ipod downloads you need to know what services are available and what they have to offer. We've reviewed five most popular websites for ipod Media Downloads and rated them on these criteria – Popularity, Media Availability, Money Back Guarantee, Customer Service, Ease Of Use, Speed Of Download and last but not the least Price.

1. Feed My Ipods:

If we say in one word, this site is The Superior! Sign up is very easy, downloads are fast, and there are no hassles. We found every Movie we searched for, and downloaded a 2 hour movie in less than 20 minutes (on a cable/DSL connection). FeedMyiPods offers a collection of excellent software for your iPod. They offer easy to follow tutorials and great technical support. High Speed Downloading is their best quality. On the network you can find more than 95 MILLION files of your favorite downloads! Start Downloading without limits or Per Download Fees. Download as many songs, movies and other media as you wish. You get 100% Full service for your iPod. This site guides you with step by step simple video tutorials so you can begin downloading your favorite song or movie in minutes!

Price Options:

Lifetime Full & Unlimited Access: $39.95 (best offer), 2 Years Full & Unlimited Access: $1.45 Per Month, 1 Year Full & Unlimited Access: $2.49 Per Month.

2. My Ipod Downloads:

We are impressed with this iPod Site. They have the largest selection of movies and TV shows. We found Every movie or TV show we looked for quickly and easily. They also have a huge selection of music, games, & software. The software is excellent and very easy to use and the tutorials and technical support are excellent. Even a beginner can be downloading real shows within minutes. The download speeds are excellent! - Easy iPod Transfers. High Speed Downloading is their best quality. Definitely a great website and market leader. We found every movie we searched for at this site. Download and watch sports events, get instant access to unlimited DVD quality movies, music, mp3s and more. Listen to them while you are traveling, taking a jog or at the gym.

Price:

Lifetime Membership - $37.00

3. Ipod Blender:

iPodBlender offers a large selection of iPod movies online. Great selection of new TV shows and every movie category you can think of. Very fast downloads. Easy to navigate member site. Tech Support is above average. Very Cool Website.

4. Your Ipod Movies:

They provide huge selection of iPod movies, tv shows, music, games, & iPod software. YouriPodMovies offers a selection of iPod files before signing up. They also give a free - DVD to iPod - Movie Converting Software (this is a definite plus). High Speed Downloading is their best quality. On the network you can find more than 95 Million files of your favorite downloads. Start Downloading without limits or Per Download Fees. Download as many songs, movies and other media as you wish. You get 100% Full service for your iPod.

5. My Ipod Music:

Their Top 5 features are - Largest iPod download site on the Net. Over 95 million files – Music, Movies, Games & much more. Free step by step tutorials for you to fully master your iPod Data transfer software. Take your files anywhere you go. Browse the Web – Visit your favorite sites, read news & more.

Here is the source of this article: Ipod Downloads – A Review Of Best Ipod Download Sites

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nitin_Verma

IPOD Profits: How To Make Money From The IPOD Craze

2007-11-01T00:35:00.000-07:00

The IPOD craze is sweeping across the world. With millions of units sold, and millions more on order, it has become clear that there is allot of opportunity for an enterprising entrepreneur.

An IPOD is a portable music player than allows you to download music from a computer and play it where ever you are. You can now download and store hundreds of songs on an IPOD. Compare that storage power to your standard disc player that is limited to the number of songs on a compact disc.

You can capitalize on the growing popularity of the IPOD with these innovative strategies.

Strategy #1

Sell IPODs. You have two approaches you can take. Buy brand new IPODs from wholesale and overstock sources, then resell them at a decent profit. Or you can advertise that you are looking to buy used IPODs. People who are upgrading to a newer model, or have simply grown bored of it will be happy to sell you their IPOD for a fraction of what they paid for it. You can then sell the IPOD on eBay, at a flea market, or through a store front.

Strategy #2

You don’t have to sell IPODs to profit from their popularity. You can also make money by selling accessories to IPOD users. Contact manufacturers and wholesalers that provide IPOD accessories and set up an account with them. You should consider importing IPOD accessories since you can sometimes obtain them for pennies.

Then use your regular sales channels such as eBay, flea markets, and stores, to reach IPOD users.

Strategy #3

Launch a website geared towards the IPOD market. You can write articles on the latest developments, including song availability, new models, and new accessory sources. Once your site is set up take advantage of the affiliate opportunities available online. Many IPOD related sites will give you a commission for referring IPOD customers to them.

Donny Lowy runs http://www.closeoutexplosion.com an online wholesale and closeout business that supplies eBay sellers, retailers, and flea market vendors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donny_Lowy

How to Transfer Movies to Your iPod in 3 Simple Steps

2007-10-31T01:04:00.000-07:00

Theres a very easy and quick way any iPod Video owner can use to get their favorite movies into their iPod Video. But first, we have to know what video formats the iPod works with. There are various types of video formats:

- DVD - AVI - DivX - XviD - WMV - ASF - RM - RMVB - Mpg/Mpeg

They appear as an extension after the file name of your video... such as The Longest Yard.avi...So to feed your iPod with videos, all we have to do is convert these formats into the MP4 video format, which the iPod only allows. The MP4 format is very compressed and saves a lot of space on your iPod hard drive.

Here is what you need as basics:

- A Video-to-iPod Converter. There is software that converts any video format to the iPod MP4 format.

- A DVD Player installed on your computer. You can use iTunes to preview videos before they get put into your iPod.

- A DVD Ripper installed in your computer if you want to transfer DVD into your iPod. Also, there is a software which converts any video format plus the DVD format to the iPod MP4 video format.

- iTunes, which is free for download at the Apple website.

- And your Video iPod with its USB Cable.

Here is the Basic 3 Step Method:

1. Use your Video-to-iPod converter to locate the video you want to convert into the iPod MP4 format in your hard drive... and click select/convert. Remember in the 'Output Settings', select 'DivX 6.0 codec' for the optimum output. 2. If you want to copy DVD movies into your iPod, you need to use a DVD ripper to rip the DVD file out of the DVD...use the DVD ripper to select the movie you want to transfer to your iPod and click extract/rip. 3. Find the files that have been converted, DVD or Non-DVD using the iTunes Library. Make sure they appear in iTunes and test if they work. Load the MP4 files to your iPod by clicking 'Update iPod' under 'File' in iTunes.

There you go, a simple method to enjoy your movies - whatever you want, wherever you want and whenever you want!

http://www.iturboonline.com/Ipod-article-11.html

Ipod Repairs

2007-10-31T00:54:00.000-07:00

Knowing that you need to better understand this topic I recommend that you take 5 minutes to read what we have to say.

Who ever heard of such a tiny thing as the iPod being repaired? The fact that it might at some point in time need repairs is another matter altogether, but who would have thought that your iPod could even be repaired. More to the point, where can you go to get your iPod repairs done?

Well, the simplest answer to that one would have to be the Apple store. They are after all the makers of the iPod therefore it stand to reason that they will also have the ability to conduct the necessary iPod repairs.

This is all well and good if you’re within the warranty period, but what happens if your warranty has run out? You can still go to the Apple store to have your iPod repairs carried out, but you might find yourself facing a hefty fee for having this done.

The other thing that you could do is to find someone who will be able to do these repairs for you, and who won’t charge you an arm and a leg in the process.

After all if you have an older version iPod and the costs for the iPod repairs are so prohibitive that you might have to take out a second mortgage just to pay for the iPod repairs, you might as well sink that money into purchasing yourself a new iPod. After all, why throw good money after bad?

You won’t necessarily have to go around looking for a person to carry out the iPod repairs, because thanks to the innovations of technology these people will be able to be found on the internet most of the time...please continue on a site...

I hope this article provided you with the information you were looking for. I have many other articles online that may be of interest to you.

http://www.articlecube.com/Article/Ipod-Repairs/106140

An intoduction into MP3s

2007-10-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of the MP3 format - where have you been? This compression algorithm, which can pack CD-quality audio into files of reasonable size while maintaining a high level of quality, has been the darling of Internet audio enthusiasts worldwide.

The MP3 format has generated much controversy in the recording industry because of its near-perfect digital music reproductions. With the right tools, users can create MP3 files from audio CDs on their own computers.

Music pirates have been placing these "ripped" MP3 files on the Internet for download, much to the dismay of artistes and recording companies.

However, the fledgling legal MP3 industry has been making great strides of its own. Numerous independent artistes have mushroomed on the Internet, fully utilizing this medium to distribute their songs. Web sites such as GoodNoise and MP3.com also provide countless numbers of free MP3s for download.

The MP3 format is not limited to just music - virtually any form of audio can be encoded into MP3, such as audio books, news broadcasts, speeches, and recordings.

For the listener, the format means new artists who can never seem to get accepted by record labels but turn out to be big hits with the public, can gain exposure for their music on their own Web sites.

The file can be played by an MP3 player (WinAmp is a popular one on the Internet, available from www.winamp.com) on a computer. http://www.ipodreviewforum.com

It can be transferred to a CD, but CD players can't recognize the MP3 format. (However, there are some CD players now being produced that can decompress MP3 files on the fly and play them. The advantage: A CD, instead of holding 60 minutes of music, can now hold about 150 to 200 songs.)

Small wonder, then, that MP3 is the second-most-frequently used search word on most search engines.

What is MP3?

Developed for movie audio in the early '90s by German researchers, it's a compression technique that shrinks digital audio files to less than a tenth of their original size with no sound degradation.

What does MP3 stand for?

It's short for MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) Audio Level 3, which probably explains why it's shortened to three letters.

How do I use it?

A. Find a Web site with MP3 files, then click on the song you want. It'll take about five minutes to download using a 56K modem, provided you have the required new version of Microsoft Internet Explorer and MP3-playing software. (The latest Windows Media Player will do, and is offered for free at some legal MP3 sites.) Each song requires about 3.5 megabytes of hard-disk space.

MP3.com (http://www.mp3.com/): Features downloadable songs and MP3 players, along with answers to frequently asked MP3 questions. Since it's legal, artists either post here because they're unsigned or because their record labels have agreed to let them. Such corporate tolerance usually means the artist needs exposure, so you probably won't find the most popular songs.
http://www.ipodreviewforum.com

http://www.articlebliss.com/Article/An-intoduction-into-MP3s/3283

Ipod and MP3: Major Players

2007-10-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

Apple Computer was one of the pioneers of the PC industry and remains so today. It is one of the largest computer companies in the world, with sales of $6.2 billion in fiscal 2003. Apple designs, manufactures, and distributes a host of computer and related products, including desktop computers, notebooks, servers, and storage arrays, along with its own proprietary operating system and applications. In the past few years, Apple entered the music marketplace with its popular iPod music player and iTunes Music Store, which sells legally downloadable songs. Apple currently dominates the markets for both of these products. iPod Forum

Furthermore, Apple is scheduled to come to market over the next few months with several new products that should garner significant attention and drive incremental business. Apple also chose to control a greater percentage of its product distribution due to the differentiated nature of its products, a strategy that has been successful to date and may have played a key role in the company’s ability to hold PC market share in two of the past three quarters after consistently losing share in the marketplace for each of the past four years.

Our analysis indicates iTunes has the potential to be somewhat accretive to the overall business model if downloads continue to increase at their current pace and Apple can increase the number of songs downloaded per session, which would leverage the fixed credit check costs the company incurs per order. However, industry experts believe it will add only a few pennies to the bottom line as Apple continues to reinvest in the business. The main value iTunes brings to Apple’s business is increased awareness of Apple’s products and Web site traffic, which Apple can use to cross-sell its other products, especially iPod.

Understandably, Apple wants to avoid selling PCs at a loss, but unfortunately the growth prospects for $1,000-plus PCs are limited. This presents a conundrum for Apple longer term, but for now it maintains its current strategy. Incidentally, Apple’s revenue share has held much better, and while this is not an often-discussed topic, revenue share is probably more important than unit share. With regard to the compatibility of Windows and Mac OS X, even though Apple made a concerted effort to educate consumers about the ease with which these two products work together, it has fallen on deaf ears for the most part. Apple made some progress through its retail stores, where it estimates half of Mac purchases are from first-time buyers, but for Apple’s stock to work over the long term, the company needs to maintain share against Windows, at a minimum.

On a brighter note and possibly a sign of things to come, Apple reported strong Mac growth in its June quarter and held share. The June quarter is seasonally slow for most computer companies, but it is the education buying season, a market where Apple is regaining lost share. One quarter does not make a trend, but this may be a direct result of the increased awareness iTunes and iPod have brought to the Apple brand. http://www.ipodreviewforum.com

http://www.articlebliss.com/Article/Ipod-and-MP3--Major-Players/3365

iPod Music, Movies and Downloads

2007-10-29T01:14:00.000-07:00

The iPod has got to be one of the most trendy technological item on the market for a wide variety of age groups. Also known as an MP3 player, the iPod has taken the market with Apple’s newest iPods that allow you to watch movies right from your player. It is actually quite amazing technology. Originally, the iPod was a bit bigger than some of the other MP3 players on the market. But the benefit to the iPod was the fact it was hard drive based allowing the player to hold thousands of songs. One of Apple’s latest, the iPod Nano uses Flash based memory so it is quite smaller than the original iPod. In fact, it is so thin, like the new RAZR phones.

One of iPods high popularity is Apples music player, called iTunes. iTunes is the internets largest music store allowing iPod owners to download tracks directly to their computer or to their iPod.

iTunes, although very convenient, can be very costly to the teenager or smaller child as the music and movies are paid for on a per item basis. Most songs run around a dollar a piece with the movies being much higher.

During my research of this article I found several websites that allow you to pay a one time membership fee with unlimited iPod downloads. To me, if you download a lot of iPod music and especially iPod movies, would be a good investment. If you stop and total up the per cost, over time you may spend thousands of dollars.

Most of these websites I came across ran between forty to fifty dollars for a lifetime, unlimited membership.

The iPod is amazing, but it also is an expensive MP3 player. There are many different types of MP3 players on the market today that cost a lot less, but many of them do not have quite the technological features nor do they have iTunes capabilities. Before you decide to purchase, investigate thoroughly, the pros and cons, but in my opinion, the iPods are worth the money.

http://www.articlebliss.com/Article/iPod-Music--Movies-and-Downloads/23323

About your Apple Ipods battery life

2007-10-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

The Apple Ipod battery is made out of Lithium Ion. Lithium Ion batteries give out a lot more power than the basic nickel based batteries. They have a longer life span and they are used to give power to lots of different items, such as laptops and cellphones.

If you plan on going on vacation without your Apple Ipod or if you plan to be without your Apple Ipod for any kind of extended period, you should only store it at half charge. If you store your Ipod at full charge, it will lose about 20% of power per year. You will also need to store your Apple Ipod in a cool place during your vacation.

Lithium Ion batteries charge in two stages. During the first stage, the battery will be charged very quickly to about 80% capacity, then stage two will start, finishing off the last 20%. Stage two takes a lot longer to finish, because stage two will decrease the current while holding the voltage at a platue.

If you need to replace your Lithium Ion battery, the best place to do so is from the Apple company. This will run you to about $130.00. Apple will usually only have batteries for newer models of Apple Ipods. If you need to find a battery for an older model, you might need to look elsewhere.

If you are experiencing your Ipods battery charge indicator not working properly, like if its showing that you need to recharge your battery right after you have charged it, or if it shows that there are some time left on the battery, but stops working, then you should update your Apple Ipod by downloading all the latest software. This will ensure that your Ipod is up to date and is working properly.

With proper care, your Apple Ipod will last for many wonderful years.

http://www.articlebliss.com/Article/About-your-Apple-Ipods-battery-life/31931

iPods – The King Of MP3’s

2007-10-29T01:11:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the days when if you wanted to listen to music, you had to plug in your stereo and hope that the power didn’t go out? Those days are long gone and there are now tons of devices that make it easy to take your music with you. I’m sure that some people still prefer their portable CD players, but almost everyone nowadays either already owns or has their eye on those spanking new mp3 players that are all the rage.

Mp3 players are much more lightweight than CD players, because they don’t require CDs. In fact, most of the top mp3 players allow you to download music directly to your mp3 players’ hard drive. This has drastically reduced the space requirements and today’s mp3 players can easily fit into a shirt or pants pocket. While many brands have their own versions of mp3 players, by far the most popular is undoubtedly the Apple iPod. Here’s why the iPod is so much ahead.

Mp3 players can be put into two categories; those which use flash memory and those which have a hard drive. The iPod Nano boasts an amazing 2GB of storage space, which translates to over 500 songs. The accompanying software is upgradeable so you don’t need to change mp3 players to keep up. You can fine tune the sound quality by using a number of equalizer presets and the device is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

You really see the iPod’s popularity though when you consider hard drive mp3 players. These typically have a much higher storage capacity than flash memory mp3 players and the iPod is no exception. Although much of the features are the same as its flash memory counterparts, iPod hard drive mp3 players top the scale with a whopping 30 GB of storage and the ability to recognize and play video files as well.

The amount of space offered, and the accompanying features, have put Apple’s mp3 players at the top of many consumers’ wish lists and the iPod continues to hold off challengers. High sales of Ipods have led to a jump in the associated market of iPod accessories. Think of a possible accessory, and it’s probable been made. Today’s iPod accessories comprise the typical headphones and rechargeable adapters, but there is some more creative fare. These iPod accessories include docking stations, speakers and LCD displays. Even the garment industry has jumped on the bandwagon and created iPod accessories in the form of special pockets for your iPod.

http://www.articlebliss.com/Article/iPods---The-King-Of-MP3-s/30195

The New Wide-Screen iPod Touch

2007-10-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

Each year there is a gadget that everyone simply must have in order to survive. This year look for Apple to attempt to fill that coveted spot with the new iPod Touch media player. Like its scroll wheel namesake, the iPod Touch will hold all of your music and movie files, but the most incredible improvement is not what is included on the player. Instead the most impressive addition is something that is missing entirely. Gone is the classic iPod scroll wheel and in is the cool glass touch screen of its iPhone cousin.
Touch Screen iPod Provides Wide Screen Wow!

With the loss of the click wheel Apple has opened the door to wide screen media content on the new iPod Touch. Able to play your favorite YouTube videos via its built in Wi-Fi capabilities, users can switch from vertical to widescreen mode simply by rotating the Touch to its side. The iPod senses the change in orientation and flips the image to make best use of the 3.5 inch display. Users will be able to flip through their music collection visually by looking at images of their CD collection in a jukebox style layout. Add to this that the new iPod Touch is supposed to have a battery life as high as 22 hours with normal use and one wonders when the lines will begin to form outside the local Apple store. Many existing iPod accessories should also work with the new iPod Touch, but specifics are not yet available.
Wireless Internet and Free iTunes While Dining at Starbuck's:

As mentioned, the new iPod Touch includes built in Wi-Fi capabilities to allow you to wirelessly surf the Internet while within range of a Wi-Fi signal. In an attempt to bolster their appeal even more, Apple has partnered with Starbucks to provide free access to their Wi-Fi music store while wait to order your morning latte. When not in line at Starbucks you can still view web sites wirelessly using Apple's own Safari browser. No word yet as to whether or not the problems that Apple had with their iPhone and certain aspects of Internet use have been fixed or not, but regardless of any minor quirks the device might have, the new capabilities of this next generation iPod make it one of the most attractive media players on the market today.
Release Date and Pricing For The New iPod Touch:

Set to be released in late September 2007 (exact date not available as yet), the 8gb iPod Touch model is slated for sale at $299. Users can double that capacity to 16gb for an extra hundred dollars. Within hours of the official Apple press release major retailers such as Best Buy were already posting photos and information but no order links as yet. One can almost anticipate a shortage of this new must-have media player as soon as it hits the store shelves. Will it live up to the hype? We'll have to wait and see.

http://ipod.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_new_widescreen_ipod_touch

Apple Shakes iPod Tree

2007-10-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

Apple today made several announcements which will impact the iPod family. Effective immediately the new basic iPod line, which combines the best of the iPod and the image friendly iPod photo, will feature two white models, each with color LCDs. Also on Apple’s radar are shuffle price drops, new iTunes software and greater support of podcasts.

New iPods

The new 20GB ($299) and 60GB ($399) models, which look like the iPod photo, replace all existing iPod and iPod photo units. The former will hold approximately 5,000 songs and the latter 15,000. As for photos, the 20GB can support 20,000, with the 60GB up around 25,000. Like the iPod photo, the simplified line supports the ability to directly import photos from a digital camera with the optional iPod Camera Connector. Users, as before, will be able to combine music and photos into multimedia slideshows which can be viewed on the iPod or displayed on a larger screen through a connector cable.

All other features of the new iPod, such as the click wheel and playlists support, remain the same as the previous models.

Podcasting

The software used to support the iPod also got a facelift.
iTunes, now at version 4.9, exposes podcasting to more of the mainstream iPod audience. Podcasting, for those who don’t know, is a form of Internet radio in which listeners can subscribe and automatically download special audio files (usually free) from a single source (i.e. ABC News, Adam Curry, BBC, Clear Channel, The Dawn and Drew Show, Disney, Engadget, ESPN, Newsweek and NPR member stations, just to name a few). Think of it as downloading daily segments of your favorite radio talk show. Instead of listening to them on the radio or streaming them, iTunes (and software like it) pulls the segment off of the Internet and makes it available for you to listen to on your computer or iPod. In the case of iTunes, the software features a special directory built into it which allows you to subscribe to one of 3,000 free podcasts, which are downloaded automatically and auto-synchronized with your player., just like your music.

To better manage podcasts on your iPod, Apple has also released iPod Updater 2005-06-26. This new update for the player (which is already available on the new iPods listed above – existing iPod owners (all click wheel and mini models) will need to download it here) adds a Podcast menu to the existing directory structure. From this new menu, users will be able to bookmark within a single podcast and also display color podcast work.

"Apple is taking Podcasting mainstream by building it right into iTunes," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Podcasting is the next generation of radio, and users can now subscribe to over 3,000 free Podcasts and have each new episode automatically delivered over the Internet to their computer and iPod."

Price Drops

Apple also announced they were dropping prices on other models in the iPod line up. A new version of the iPod U2 Special Edition features a color screen and is priced at $329. The 1GB shuffle meanwhile drops to $129, while the 512MB unit stays at $99. Prices on the mini remain unchanged.

http://portables.about.com/od/mp3players/a/newipod.htm

How To Turn Your iPod Into TV

2007-10-26T05:13:00.000-07:00

The Apple iPod is synonymous with mobile audio and music, and with the launching of the video-capable iPod, music lovers not only will enjoy the audio but also video.

Herein lies the problem - the apple iPod screen is only 2.5 inches, and there is no doubt that viewing pleasure can be increased when we can have a bigger video screen.

How then can the iPod have a bigger viewing screen - so as to be considered a mobile TV as well?

To convert your iPod into a Mobile TV, all you need to do is to get a MicroOptical Goggles.

You can wear this goggle over your regular spectacles or eyeglasses, and where you do not feel comfortable, you can do so over your contact lenses.

The goggles is fairly light at 70 g, with a belt clip that holds the iPod and the battery pack of 3 AAA-batteries. A cable connects to the iPod headphone port.

These goggles will deliver the image from two tiny LCDs through a series of lenses directly to the eyes so that you can watch video on what looks like a 27 inch screen TV!

Now, if you are always on the go and travelling, and you need to research or study or to get information from video clips, you can now enjoy 27" equivalency viewing with the apple iPod.

The only drawback is the cost of the MicroOptical Corp Goggles, which, however is expected to drop with demand. Without the goggles, you have to tolerate the viewing from the 2.5 inch screen from the iPod, or dish out around $269 for the Goggles and start to enjoy Mobile TV using the iPod.

With the development of technology, soon the battery pack consisting of the 3-AAA size batteries will disappear, making it more light weight!

Indeed, there is nothing to hold back the iPod from developing into the music player and mobile TV player if you can afford the cost of the goggles.

Peter Lim is a Certified Financial Planner who is amazed with the development of technology with the iPod and follow iPod trends. He shares his research findings and make available FREE resources to help others who are looking to buy their first iPod or those who need to get the latest information on iPods at his website http://apple-ipods-sale.revenuemonitor.biz

http://suappleipod.com/iPodArticles/tabid/683/Default.aspx

How To Turn Your iPod Into TV

2007-10-25T05:35:00.000-07:00

How To Turn Your iPod Into TV

2007-10-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

How to Get iPod Free Music Downloads

2007-10-24T04:21:00.000-07:00

To music lovers iPod has become their companion wherever they go. They can carry their music library and listen to their favorite music anywhere they go with the large storage capacity of iPod. Learning how to get iPod free music downloads is very helpful to music lovers and iPod users.

Of course music lovers want to get iPod free music downloads and usually they take advantage of the free download websites in the net. The risk with these free download sites is the damage it could bring to your PC. With a lot of ads popping out of these free sites your PC is prone to get viruses, spyware and adware which can affect your PC system performance. You are lucky if your PC just get slower or the only thing affected is the speed but what if your hard drive crashed down? That would be a very messy job to fix and very frustrating experience to lose all your important files in a snap.

Sometimes iPod users cannot be blamed to get iPod free music downloads and risk their PC performance downloading from free iPod download sites because if they think of the money they have to spend on websites with pay per download, they cannot enjoy as many music as they want. Imagine paying $0.99 per download? That’s too expensive if you want tons of music for your iPod. Having a gadget like iPod with a large storage capacity, it’s frustrating to know that you cannot afford to download as much music files as you want.

With the popularity of iPod and the increasing demand of music lovers for iPod free music downloads, many websites were launched offering free download for iPod. One of these websites is MyiPodownloads. There is a big difference with MyiPodownloads, unlike other free download websites around the net, this site needs a one time payment fee for membership. But if you become a member after the one time payment you will have access to unlimited music downloads for free. No monthly fees or recurring charges and no pay per download fees. Another very important thing is no spyware, viruses and adware to damage your PC. MyiPodownloads is safe for your PC and 100% legal for iPod free music downloads.

As an iPod owner it’s your choice how to get iPod free music downloads. Did you know that thousands of iPod users are now enjoying their membership on MyiPodownloads? To know more about unlimited iPod free music downloads visit Best iPod Download Sites
Gerry Restrivera writes informative articles on various subjects including How to Get iPod Free Music Downloads.

http://suappleipod.com/iPodArticles/tabid/683/Default.aspx

Just What is the iPod ?

2007-10-19T05:49:00.000-07:00

If you ask 10 people to explain what an iPod is, youll likely receive 10 different answers; and all of them will likely contain some element of fact and logic. Introduced by Apple Computers in 2001, the iPod is technically defined as a portable music player; and even this doesnt do it justice.

As youll see (or perhaps know already from your own experience), the iPod is so much more than a mere convenient way for you to listen to music while on the go.

These things SELL!

The iPod is the #1 seller of legal digital music and digital music devices.

And just what does it take to be #1 in the highly competitive personal entertaining business? Well, since its launch in 2001, over 3 million iPods have been sold; and counting.

In fact, in a 3 month period from April to June 2004, almost over 850,000 iPod and iPod minis were sold. To put that into some kind of perspective, thats almost 10,000 iPods/iPod minis per day. And if that doesnt make you go WOW, thats 398 per hour, or just under 7 per minute of every hour, of every day, for 3 months!

Its no wonder, given these awesome sales total, that the question most people ask these days isnt: are you getting an iPod, but rather: where is your iPod?

http://www.ipodresourcecenter.com/Just_What_is_the_iPod_.html

iPod – The Best Way to Listen to Music on the Go

2007-10-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

Chances are you know at least one person with an iPod. With Apple selling them millions at a time, you would have had to have been living in a hole or on a desert island for the past five years to have not heard about the infamous iPod. Between the infamous silhouette campaign, the huge amount of advertising with famous bands like U2 and the posters placed high above almost every metropolitan area, you almost have to avoid looking around altogether to shield yourself from Apple’s publicity tour de force. As a portable digital music (and now media) player, Apple’s award winning product is available in a huge variety of sizes and memory capacities, offering consumers with enough variation to fit their lifestyles and the size of their wallets.

So you have seen lots and lots of people with iPods walking around on the street. But why the iPod, why did it gain such notoriety in the world when there are other perfectly good portable digital media players? The simple fact is that Apple made a product better than everyone else. As with any product, there are some problems here and there, but Apple has continually been extremely prompt in dealing with any possible problems that have arisen. In comparison to the rest of the portable digital media products on the market today, the iPod has them all beat in nearly any category.

The iPod line offers some of the smallest digital audio players in the business which can not only play audio but show pictures and videos as well. Apple creates a product with a very user friendly atmosphere which can be used not just by Mac users, but by Windows users as well. When it comes to accessories, there are add-ons a plenty, including speakers, docks, car interfaces and nearly anything someone could think of to add to a digital media player. The iPod is currently in its fifth generation with offerings of thirty and sixty gigabyte models, each of which feature color screens and the ability to play videos.

http://www.ipod-cases.info/Articles/iPod__The_Best_Way_to_Listen_to_Music_on_the_Go.php

How to Podcast? An Introduction to Podcasting

2007-10-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

Former MTV host Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer are credited with developing podcasting. Curry wrote a program called iPodder which allowed him to automatically download internet radio broadcasts to his iPod and Winer was instrumental in promoting RSS. (Really Simple Syndication).

What is RSS? RSS allows people the ability to subscribe to their favorite blog or podcast and the information can be automatically downloaded to their computer. Subsequently, Curry and Winer devised a way to send audio files through RSS feeds.

The term Podcasting comes from "iPod" and "Broadcasting." However, you don’t need an iPod in order to record or listen to a podcast. Anyone with a computer or mp3 player can listen to a podcast.

From radio talk show hosts Al Franken to Rush Limbaugh, traditional radio is embracing podcasting. In addition, talk show host Sean Hannity and NPR (National Public Radio) are offering their shows in the form of a podcast.

Television is also welcoming podcasting. ABC News, CBS "60 Minutes," TV Guide and Ebert/Roper Movie Reviews are all available through podcasts.

What is Podcasting? Podcasting is an audio file that you create on your computer and then upload it to the Internet so other people can hear it. All you need is a computer, microphone and voice-editing program.

Anyone can podcast. It is perfect for women, men, students, work-at-home-moms and seniors. If you have something to say, podcasting is a great way to accomplish this goal.

Do you have a favorite hobby you would like to share with others? Are you a business owner who would like to increase customers? Have you ever dreamed of being your own talk show host or disc jockey? With podcasting, all of the above things are possible.

You could have your very own podcast up and running today.

What do you need?

1. A Microphone

You will need a microphone for your computer so that you can record your show. You can purchase a decent microphone at any computer store or Radio Shack. (http://www.radioshack.com).

2. A Voice-Editing Program

Voice-editing programs allow you to record and edit your show. There are two free programs on the internet that you can use.
(a) Wavepad: (http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad)
(b) Audacity: (http://audacity.sourceforge.net)

3. Upload Show to Website or Hosting Company

After your show is recorded, you will need to upload it to the internet. You can either put it on your website or you can use one of the many hosting companies. Podblaze.com (http://www.podblaze.com) is one company where you can host your podcast.

As you can see, podcasting is very easy to start. We are at the beginning of this roller coaster ride that will hit astronomical proportions as time goes on.

The only way to decide if podcasting is for you is to start. Take the first step and see how you like it.

http://www.ipodknowledge.com/createpodcast2.php

The iPod: A Love Story Between Man, Machine

2007-10-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

If a song represents a memory in your head, then you listen to your life's memories -- faster than a mixed CD, definitely faster than a mixed tape -- as you listen to your iPod," says the affable, fast-talking Berkowitz, a project manager for a software company, as he sits in his downtown Washington office.

"It becomes an extension of you," he says. "It's like a window to your soul."

Everywhere, at all times, it's with you, this personal narrative of who you are and what you've been. While shopping for Cocoa Puffs at Harris Teeter. While dozing off on the MARC train. While doing leg extensions at Gold's Gym. It takes you back to that first dance ("When Will I Be Loved" by Linda Ronstadt) and last dance ("I'm in You" by Peter Frampton) at your senior prom; that birthday party where you sang like Rick James so loudly ("Superfreak! Superfreak!") that the neighbors almost called the cops; that Whitney Houston breakup anthem that reminds you of you-know-who over and over again. It's an obsession, an addiction, a love affair, really, between a man and a machine.

To the iPodders around the world, the irresistible, indispensable, irreplaceable iPod is a personal memory bank.

"The iPod is a very powerful identity technology," says Sherry Turkle, director of the Initiative on Technology and the Self at MIT, where she teaches the psychology of the relationship between people and machines. The iPod, to be sure, isn't the only digital music player around, but it's without a doubt the most popular. With nearly 22 million sold, three-quarters of the U.S. market, "the iPod is just one more technology that uses the computer as the second self -- a reflection of who we are as people, a way of seeing ourselves in the mirror of the machine," she says.

Fatima Ayub, wearing a white chiffon hijab that matches her iPod's white earphones, is walking briskly on R Street in Northwest Washington on her way to work. You'd hardly ever see her, she says, without her 15-gigabyte iPod, which has more than 1,300 songs on it.

"Your taste in music is something very personal, very emotional. So when you have an iPod and you've got all your music on it, you're trying to say something about yourself," says Ayub, 22, an associate for the Asia division of Human Rights Watch and a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. She's listening to "A Perfect Sonnet" by the indie rock group Bright Eyes as she sits on a curb near 18th and R streets. Her boyfriend, Imran, learned to play that song on his guitar for her, she says, cracking a shy smile. "You're making a little collection of emotions and memories for yourself and you stick them all in this little machine and you carry it around with you wherever."

In the upcoming book "iPod, Therefore I Am," part memoir, part valentine, the English journalist Dylan Jones writes: "The big thing about the iPod, I thought, was the way in which it forces you to listen to your life in a different way."

"When I started just monotonously, relentlessly downloading and uploading my record collection onto this machine, it was only after awhile that I began to realize why it was taking me so long. It wasn't supposed to take you that long. But I started going off on these weird tangents, going backwards, to my youth, when I was 15 or 20 or 30," Jones, a 45-year-old father of two girls, says in a phone interview from his London home.

His iPod has more than 6,000 songs. "That's when I began thinking there was something bigger to this whole iPod thing. Every time I download a song to it, and every time I listened to that song, it forced me to go back somewhere where I haven't been to for a while."

Everyone who loves music -- and who doesn't? -- has hundreds, if not thousands, of records, Jones says. When was the last time you played everything in your music collection? he asks. Then Jones, in a pitch-perfect tenor, sings a few lines from "Wichita Lineman" ( "I know I need a small vacation, but it don't look like rain. . . . I am a lineman for the county, and I drive the main road, searching . . . ). It's a song he first heard when he was 12, "one of those songs that remains a secret," he says, "because it was never trendy enough."

In the middle of her typical 7:30 p.m. workout at Washington Sports Club in Clarendon, with her iPod clipped to her hot pink shorts, Kate Danser is listening to "Times Like These" by Jack Johnson, a surfer-cum-songwriter with a distinctive folksy, reggae-rock sound. Not exactly the upbeat, fast-paced, high adrenaline rush that is "Bootylicious," by the R&B group Destiny's Child. That song, in very high volume, can be heard from the iPod of a woman dressed in a matching gray halter-top and very short shorts who's doing sit-ups a few feet away. But "Times Like These," the 24-year-old Danser says, reminds her of her friend Casey, her student-teacher partner whom she met at the College of New Jersey. Casey introduced her to Jack Johnson a few years back.

"It kinda soothes me, relaxes me, calms me down," says Danser, putting her iPod back on, sitting on the leg extension station, about to do her third rep, with the Jack Johnson song and the memory of her friend Casey in the background.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/16/AR2005081601887.html

Apple iPod just stopped working

2007-10-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

Pod just stopped working

Last year we bought my stepson an Apple iPod nano 4 gig for his 15th. birthday. Beautifully designed and super slim in black. Of course he didn't need an iPod, he already had a perfectly fine, unbranded 1 Gig MP3 player, but this thing was what he wanted.....

So last September in good time for his birthday we duly ordered one from Amazon.co.uk for around about £134, plus a couple of accessories to go with it. I'm a huge fan of Amazon and the kit arrived within the promised couple of days.

Move on to this August, off he goes on holiday, but he has to borrow an MP3 player from a friend. Not having my brain in gear at the time it didn't register that he wasn't taking his own lovely iPod. But on his return and with his impending birthday coming around again and the threat of having to provide the latest iPod, I asked what was wrong with his iPod.

"Oh, my iPod just stopped working." "How do you mean just stopped, did you drop it, did you leave it out in the rain did you go swimming with it on?" "No, I just charged it up one day and it was working and the next time I came to use it - a few weeks later - it wasn't working. Wouldn't even work when connected to the PC. Nothing"

Now, I'm as much of a technophobe as the next 50+ year old, but I was an early Apple Macintosh user, back in 1985/86 and am a huge fan of Apple and all things Apple. Surely they don't make stuff that just stops working - I mean I know times have moved on and everything, but the ethos of the company hasn't changed that much has it?

To my mind with my limited technical knowledge and my even more limited knowledge of batteries and rechargeable batteries at that, I was convinced this was a battery issue. He hadn't misused the thing at all. I assumed he'd also tried everything in his iPod manual to sort the thing out, although I do have a bit of a belief that if you need a manual to use a thing it needs to be better designed - but that's another whole subject!

Thank goodness the iPod came from Amazon. I located my order online (phew, within a year ago) and phoned them. No good. I emailed and got an immediate response - "to better serve Apple customers, Apple wants iPod customers to phone them direct."

Uh-oh I thought, here we go. But no, Apple customer service was brilliant, I needed the iPod with me when I phoned so they could get me to try a couple of things before they sent a replacement.

I duly took the iPod with me to the office the next day and called Apple. I had a reference number so got straight through to someone who had all the details in front of them in an instant.

So, within seconds, and I mean seconds, the chap at the other end of the phone, a Frenchman I think, had the iPod working again.

So, why am I writing this piece?

Well it occurred to me that there are a whole lot of people out there like me who have bought iPods, for their loved ones, not really understanding what they are all about, other than maybe realising, or being told that they are sooooo COOL. But worse than that the MSN chat loving, glued to the PC screen, use the computer everyday, supposed technical whizz kids for whom the thing was bought, have never even opened the manual. (And with this well designed piece of kit - why would they?)

In case it goes wrong of course. The troubleshooting guide. So, don't assume your teenager has read his or her Apple iPod manual. He or she probably hasn't even downloaded, or installed it or whatever. Wouldn't recognise a troubleshooting guide if it slapped him or her in the face.

And why do I think I am entitled to pass on what could prove to be a pure gold nugget? Something that could save the hassle of a return, or the expense of a replacement iPod? Well just today, completely unprompted, my own daughter handed me her very fancy 30 gig iPod with the words - could you have a look at this dad, it just stopped working - even when I recharge it, or connect it to the PC - nothing.

I did exactly what the man at Apple customer service had told me to do and even though my daughter is something of a gadget whizz kid, I became her instant hero - fixed, one 30 gig iPod in white. What a COOL feeling that was!

OK, so what was it that I was able to do that saved me having to buy my stepson a new (and obviously the latest, more expensive) iPod? Or at least having the hassle of arranging a swap? What was it that turned me from a doddery old man to a technical hero in my daughter's eyes?

It was this - and it's not original, it's not my own idea, it's not that clever even, it was the first thing the Apple man said to try, it probably appears in the iPod user manual, but I am prepared to bet more than 50% of teenage iPod owners have never heard of it - it's how to reset the iPod.

Press and hold the menu button and at the same time press and hold the circular central control button. Hold both for about 6 seconds. It seems like an age, but in that short time you could 1. Save yourself upwards of £200 - the cost of a replacement, 2. Surprise a know it all teenager into thinking you are hip and cool and switched on after all, or 3. Be your 20+ year old daughter's hero all over again, 20 years on!

Author:

http://www.ipodtopic.com/articles/apple-ipod-just-stopped-working.php

iPod Mods

2007-10-13T03:08:00.000-07:00

Ever since the iPod first came out, enterprising souls have been looking for and experimenting with ways to modify both its hardware and its software. This is done for a variety of reasons - to introduce new functionality, to test the iPod under various conditions, and simply for the novelty and uniqueness that such an “iPod mod” would bring.

Coming up with new mods, either software or hardware types, is not easy for the typical user. But software mods, once discovered and tried out, often become available for download. And it’s much easier to customize the iPod’s software rather than its hardware, especially for users who are not handy with tools and tinkering.

In this light, one of the essential iPod mods is called iPod Linux. As its name would imply, this hack allows the running of the Linux operating system on any iPod - but of course it would be pointless on the Shuffle variants, as they have no screens. Linux on the iPod would allow the playback of OGG sound and music files, which are unsupported by the unmodified iPod.

But more importantly, once iPod Linux is up and running on your iPod, it becomes easy to find and download modules and applications that would work with iPod Linux to transform your iPod into something else. Linux is a full-featured operating system that has been around for some time now. It has already gained a dedicated user base. This means that the development of software for use with Linux is an active field which a modded iPod could very well take advantage of.

A wide variety of applications have been developed for use with iPod Linux. The most popular of these include, of course, games! Doom, a popular first person shooter, has already been ported for running on the iPod Linux system. Other popular games available for the iPod include arcade games such as Space Invaders and even Pac-man. Installing these games makes the iPod suddenly a versatile entertainment device and not just a digital music player any more.

More utilitarian software is also available. Support for digital encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, the user-created encyclopedia, is available for the iPod already. It is also now possible to convert DVD movies and footage into the format that an iPod would recognize and be able to play. This entails downloading software called a converter, and processing your DVDs using this software to produce files that can then be transferred to the iPod and played. And a myriad of other applications can be found - timers, a utility for turning the iPod into a universal remote control, and even simple text file editors!

Modding your iPod can be as simple as installing easily downloadable software on it, and virtually unlocking new features and capabilities. Be aware, however, that third party modifications such as this may void the warranty contract with Apple. A lot of people consider this a fair enough bargain for being able to customize their beloved iPods even further.

http://www.frozenipod.com/2007/ipod-mods/#more-8

iPod Prices

2007-10-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

Having a portable music player is now becoming a commodity rather than being a luxury item. Many people are now buying their own Ipod players without considering much of the price values. This somehow reflects the drastic changes in prices of the brand. The differences in market costs are inflicting a new trend in commercial spending.

The early prices of the Ipod music players are high because of the of market introduction. Seemingly, the newer the item is in the market the higher price values it gets. However, because of longer time frames affect price values, the regular units of Ipods are now more consumer-friendly. Prices are dropping because of some causes coming from different aspects of marketing.

Initially, the price of the Ipod player does not have any comparable reference. This is understandable because there were no other music player brands available in the market. The high cost employed in the sale of the first ipod generations base purely on the economic factors of manufacturing them. However, because of the release of other models that comprise the whole Ipod family, the high cost values of Ipods are reduced at certain points in time. This explains the trends in business that gives good competition among brand items.

The introduction of Ipod Nano, Ipod shuffle and Ipod video has changed the price ranges of Ipods. Each of these models is using specific price ranges based on the technical features of the product. Apparently, the more features it has, the higher the street price. For example, the current market price of Ipod is at $249. The price may be steep but it compensates the 20,000 songs it is capable to store. On the other hand the Ipod Nano and Shuffle reached its price $149 and $79 respectively. There is no exact pricing pattern between the Ipod families because of the difference in specifications. The price of one model cannot justify the cost of another because of technical differences. Some distributors and resellers may apply varying price ranges depending on the availability of the item in their stores. For example, an Ipod may range from $199-$255 depending on the capacity of the unit and location of the shop.

On the other hand, the lowering prices that envelop the retail sale of Ipods applies to market shares. Since the introduction of the Ipod player, many big electronic manufacturers have followed suit to rival the success of the Ipod. This may bring great market competition that will eventually lead to lower player prices and wider brand choices. The public will always have a definite edge in choosing the best according to their preferences.

The rising and lowering prices of the ipod player have many factors. In the aspect of good marketing strategies, the manufacturer will always take the step in remodeling their products. This will help the public to take their pick among the various offerings Ipod has given to the commercial market.

http://www.frozenipod.com/2007/ipod-prices/#more-9

Used iPods

2007-10-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

Is there any advantage to buying and owning used iPod’s? The answer to this question is a matter of opinion and can be a cause for a debate. Practicality is one simple trait modern consumers are currently aiming to have amid all these financial and economic troubles worldwide. And buying and using used iPods can very well help in saving some amounts of money.

If you are planning to invest in an iPod, you can choose to buy of course, a brand new unit. Now, you can also opt to acquire a used iPod, and you would definitely be surprised that there are many such goods offered and sold in the market today. All you need to do is to get in touch with shops selling both new and used iPods, and for sure, you could make a wise and practical purchase transaction.

Of course, buying a new iPod would reflect many advantages. For one, the quality is assured to be superb. Expect that the unit would be free from any minor or major damages. You can make sure that your iPod would be of the highest possible standard and state, like it is free form scratches, the music is good and the overall performance is A-ok.

However, one distinct disadvantage would be the significant cost of buying a new iPod. And this is how buying used iPods can be of great advantage. For sure, these used gadgets are sold at heavy discounted prices in the market today. The savings you could generate in buying old iPods instead of the brand new ones would very much offset any other issues in the purchase of the old gadgets.

As a disadvantage, of course, expect that old iPods would never be free of scratches. There are also minor defects that are limited to problems regarding the case or housing of the gadget. Another problem would be that the used iPods would possibly not be covered by warranty anymore. In that case, you would have to shed out money in case you would have the gadget repaired.

Used iPods can also be swapped for other units. If you are aiming to buy new iPod models and units, you could opt to trade in your used iPod so you could secure significant discounts on your purchase. This practice is very popular nowadays.

You can buy used iPods at cheap prices. That is one unique and apparent advantage to buying such second hand gadgets. Who says you have to spend so much to own the iPod you’ve been eyeing for?

http://www.frozenipod.com/2007/used-ipods/

Whats Inside Your iPod?

2007-10-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

The iPod has become a part of the global culture, since its first introduction in October 2001. The portable music player and others of its kind have left their mark on society and social behavior. Many have gotten curious and wondered, what exactly is inside an iPod?

For an iPod video, here are the main hardware components contained inside the case.

There is a hard drive, of course, for storage. This hard drive is a 1.8 inch Toshiba one with 30, 60, or 80 GB capacity. It features a USB interface, and runs at 4200 rpm. It weighs only 1.7 ounces or 48 grams and manages to fit 30 GB (or more) onto a single platter. This comes to about 93.5 gigabits per square inch. This high density is made possible by the use of smaller, lighter sliders, as well as improved thin-film technology with higher sensitivity for the read/write heads and the platter.

Then there is a rechargeable lithium-ion 700 mAh, 3.7 V batteries, a typical battery using the latest technology to make it fit the iPod’s form factor with maximum performance.

Then of course a 2.5 inch TFT LCD. This display is 16-bit and has a resolution of 320×240 pixels. It is also extremely thin, measuring only 0.125 inches or 3.175 mm in depth.

The chips and other processors such as the Broadcom BCM2722 video chip and the Wolfson Microelectronics WM8758 codec are found on a single motherboard. Because of the iPod’s smaller size, these chips use thin-film technology to connect to one another instead of the plastic connectors that larger devices usually use.

Perhaps the most interesting hardware in the iPod is the click wheel mechanism. Incorporated into this mechanism are five mechanical buttons corresponding to play/pause, forward, backward, menu, and the middle select button. These work much the same as other electronic buttons: by pressing them, metal contacts are made which complete the appropriate circuits on the motherboard.

The touch-sensitive wheel itself works much like a laptop’s touchpad does. In fact, Synaptics, a company widely known for its production of laptop touchpads, provided the touch wheels for the 4G iPod. (But Apple came up with its own proprietary design for the 5G iPod’s clickwheel.) The main concept behind this touch-sensitive hardware is that the touch of a human finger (or anything else that might conduct electricity) induces a change in the capacitance of the mechanism, which can be tracked via a built-in grid.

What software is then used with this hardware, to complete the iPod unit? The iPod 5G reportedly runs on the Pixo OS 2.1 operating system. Along with this comes PortalPlayer’s Digital Media Platform, which includes support for audio decoders, firmware customizations, as well as other software development tools. And of course software for the corresponding video and audio chips come installed on every iPod.

http://www.frozenipod.com/2007/whats-inside-your-ipod/#more-11

iPod Games

2007-10-13T03:03:00.000-07:00

The trend of iPods being music only is long gone. With the release of the 5th generation iPod last year, it has changed the way we think about iPods. Not only do they play music, but they also allow us to watch movies. The iPod community was shocked when Apple announced the release of several games for the iPod.

In the second half of last year, apple released a number of games to be purchased from iTunes music store. The games include Sudoku, Ms Pac Man, iQuiz, Vortex, Tetris, Texas Holdem, Cubis 2, Zuma, Pac Man, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Bejeweled and Royal Solitaire. The games can be purchased at iTunes music store for $4.99 each.

The games currently only work on 5th generation iPods (iPod Video). There is a huge range of different games to choose from. Just about everyone will find something that they like and is enjoyable for them to play.

The release of these few games was a highly successful release for Apple. Within a few weeks there was a huge amount of users across the globe that purchased one or more of the games. There is a rumor that there will be another set of new iPod games released very soon for the 6 month anniversary since the first games were released.

This article is intended to be placed on this website only. If this article is published anywhere other than this website it is against our copyright terms. If you want to use this article you may only link to this page.

http://www.frozenipod.com/2007/ipod-games/#more-13

iPhone VS iPod

2007-10-13T02:59:00.000-07:00

The iPhone has been popping up in technology websites and magazines ever since it was only a concept with no real basis in reality. Years of speculation about the product have proved it to be the most intently followed unconfirmed product in the history of Apple. Finally, on January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, announced the iPhone, an Internet- and multimedia enabled mobile phone, in his keynote address at the Macworld Conference and Expo.

The iPhone’s functions combine those of three devices: a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and an Internet communications device. The iPhone also sports a slim and sleek form factor worthy of the Apple brand name. But by far the most striking thing about the iPhone is its huge touchscreen which almost completely takes up the front of the device.

The iPhone will not have a traditional keypad or even the iPod clickwheel, but will instead rely completely on a revolutionary new touch screen (dubbed a multi-touch display) for its user interface. The touch screen measures 3.5 inches or 8.9 cm, and is a 320×480 liquid crystal display. Unlike most current mobile phone touchscreens, the iPhone’s screen will not require a stylus, being designed for bare fingers.

This promises a new and novel way of manipulating the interface. Sliding motions can be used, as well as “pinching” or “unpinching”, which refers to placing two fingers (usually thumb and forefinger) on the screen and sliding them closer or farther apart. The interface will be designed to have a natural feel, and it is to be hoped that the whole touchscreen idea is implemented well.

The Internet browser of the iPhone is shaping up to be something special, as well. The bundled browser is the Safari browser that comes with Mac OS X, and this will display full web pages instead of the simplified versions usually seen on other Internet phones. The iPhone will have support for WiFi, EDGE, and Bluetooth.

An exciting feature is Apple’s agreement with Google – a specially optimized version of Google Maps will be available on the iPhone!

Generally, though, the iPhone will not be bringing any new mobile phone features into play, but will have support for most common phone features found on high-end units such as the various connectivity protocols (Bluetooth, EDGE, etc.) as well as the inclusion of a 2.0 megapixel camera with support for video capture.

The iPhone is indeed shaping up to be a formidable entrant into the mobile smartphone arena, with its typical Apple stylishness and (expected) well thought-out interface. However, as long as actual products are not yet out on the market, all this hype should be taken with a grain of salt. (Judge the iPhone for real when you have one in your hand, and not a moment before!)

http://www.frozenipod.com/2007/iphone-vs-ipod/#more-24

Innovation and the iPod

2007-10-13T02:46:00.000-07:00

The Corporation has constantly developed the easy of use products. The iPod is a good example of growing the brand innovation strategy achieved via effective and pragmatic innovation. It gives good experience to customers through direct download option with easy-to-use listening option, so that people are ready to pay the price for it. Additionally, the iPod is a connection with other Apple’s products as it must be used with a hand-held product. This way the Apple Corporation extends its brand visually and technically. Besides, the Apple Corporation produces the iMac. This product introduction at the market widened the Apple brand popularity via easy-to-use interface, good price and aesthetic product evolution.

When innovation occurs, it is spread from the innovator to a company. The innovation circle of a company must include service design, product design, and brand design methods. The innovation circle can be described using the diffusion or in other words, the ‘s-curve’. Companies usually work on new innovations that will finally replace the previous ones. Effective diffusion curves replace the previous ones and continue the growth. The dilemma of innovation management is the challenge for the company to understand how to become innovative. The innovation circle can be very effective for a company.

Benchmarking is a process of improvement when a company compares its work with the best organizations, defines how the companies achieve the work level. After the investigation a company uses the data for improving its own work. Competitive benchmarking is used for analyzing competitors. When you research your direct competitors, you research the best company in the industry. Then this benchmark company is used as a standard for improving your own business.

Summarizing, the company innovation is the brand, product and service innovation which should go together for achieving the best possible result in a competitive world. Consequently, Porter’s recommendations concerning the strategy formation are based on the concept that a company has some competitive advantages. However, it is not clear how these advantages have been achieved. The model is used only in case of growth retardation and sectors’ stagnation. Porter's model has constantly been challenged by other academics and strategists such as Coyne, Neill, Subramaniam and others, who have extended it. Porter’s theory has been elaborated for a product of his time, when there was a relatively stable environment. Five forces theory does not point out what competitors are described - actual or potential and what substituted are meant - internal or external. Porter’s five forces theory does not have a very clear taxonomy. Moreover, his theory does not make much emphasis on technology and innovationFree Articles, which are very important nowadays.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/technology/innovation-and-the-ipod.html

The Apple iPod is also a great learn and resource tool!

2007-10-13T02:44:00.000-07:00

Do you know that the Apple iPod is more than just a music player? It can also work as a digital organizer but most importantly, it opens up another great opportunity for knowledge and resource learning.

Using the iPod to gain knowledge quickly and effectively!

There is no doubt that the Apple iPod has become a common item amongst today's youth as a great music player. But is the iPod more than just a music player?In fact, the iPod is more than a music player. It is also a great teaching and learning tool as well. And it is guaranteed to help you learn fast.

Audio Books

Besides music, the iPod also plays audio books. These are essentially books that has been converted into a audio format and saved as a MP3 file. From a technical angle, there is no difference in the file format between a music or a book and you can download and play the same audio book off your computer or your iPod.

This opens you to a whole library of 'books' for your iPod. These can include many great books found in public domains and downloaded for free. There are also many good commercial 'books' that you can purchase for a small price. These audio books are great as you can play them over and over again in the car, on the train or even on the plane. It's a good way to kill time and gain knowledge at the same time.

The best thing about audio books is that you do not need to read. Let the book read to you and this can be a great enhancement for learning while driving or while sitting in a shaky bus or train.

Podcasting

Have you also heard of podcasting? If you have not, these are simply audio files published by individuals or companies covering interest topics ranging from music, technology, current affairs, news, politics, cars, sales and marketing, electronics, fashion to many other interesting niche areas.

They then put up these audio files in certain podcast stations on the internet.

Most podcast are free and you can download and treat them just like audio books. Similarly, you can subscribe and organize these podcast on your computer iTunes and then synchronize them to your iPod. It's also a great way to gain knowledge while driving or taking transport to school or work.

What is gaining fast popularity today is video podcast. Video podcast are essentially video files that can be downloaded and again, it covers a great genre of subject. (As a matter of fact, I am learning about designing my own podcast by watching a video podcast of this subject.)

However, you can only watch a video podcast on your computer or on the latest iPod video model. All earlier models of iPod will not be capable of playing video. With the iPod video, you can also output the video signal to a normal TV and watch the entire podcast on TV as well.

What's more, you can watch them, stop themFeature Articles, rewind them or repeat these audio or video podcasts as often as you like. What better way to learn?So who says that iPods are meant for music only?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katherine Xie has 4 iPods starting from the 2G model. She runs a popular website, http://www.smart-ipod-ideas.com, that gives tips on iPods as well as showcase quality iPod accessories from Japan. Please feel free to distribute this article as long as credit and reference is made to her website.

Instant iPod Shuffle Downloads

2007-10-13T02:42:00.000-07:00

Since the iPod Shuffle was introduced to the public on Jan/11/2005. Tons of college students, business executives and energetic fitness fanatics have been exploding their Pods with thousands of media movie down loads and music downloads.

With over 100 million active user's and the millions if not into the billions spent on this ultimate MP3 machine. It's no wonder thousands of people have been searching for alternative ways to get their media content to thier shuffle. Currently the average price for a Shuffle is (3G) is $249. So why should anyone have to spend 99¢ download for a songs or $9.99 for movies.

Outside The Box

Did you know the average iTunes member down loads a minimum of 300 songs and 20 movies a year. That's $500 a year on just down loads. WOW! Did you also know that iTunes is losing customer's and members by the hundreds each and every year. It won't take you long to figure that one out. These people are exploring their options.

Over 300 Million & Growing Strong

iPod Shuffle and all other Mp3 owner's you are not limited. There is a gigantic network with millions of media content filed with movies galore, there has even been claims that it might be as big as 100 million files or even 300 million, but the point is you do not have to be locked into one system. You have options.

Get Connected

Where do you find access to this network, you might ask? There are a ton of hub stations online, you may have even heard of some the more popular ones such as: iPod Download Pro or iPod Net Downloads . These are just some of the more popular Shuffle download sites online. You can use them to get access.

There are hundreds more. Some charge $20 to $40 to access the network. Over all they are all some what a like however there are those that are not safe to get your content form or use what so ever.

Unwanted Extra Benefits

When you choose to move away from the iTunes system and begin to explore your options, you will see lots to choose from. There are several iPodshuffle download sites out there just be cautious which ones or one you decide to use. Some come with unwanted viruses and spyware when you down load content and others don't.

It's hard to determine which ones are dangerous by yourself, so the best way to avoid this hassle is to find a review site that you feel comfortable with (Most Have Excellent Reviews) and choose by using their list. It's been said that these review sites go through a lot of trouble gathering & testing information spending their hard earned money to see what you get if it were money.

You can have unlimited access to over 300 million movies, music & games for your iPod Shuffle."Imagine having each and every songArticle Search, movie or game you ever wanted right at your finger tips" You Can!

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/entertainment/instant-ipod-shuffle-downloads.html

What Makes an IPOD successful?

2007-10-13T02:39:00.000-07:00

The author analyzes why the IPOD has been so successful.

What Makes an IPOD successful? I got an Apple ipod mini music player last Christmas. It was by far the most popular electronic gift worldwide. What made it become popular in a field where much cheaper mp3 players were a dime a dozen in the market? Even with the vaunted Apple name, the ipod took some time to take off. When it was introduced in November of 2001, it took 18 months before it sold 1 million units. Since then it has skyrocketed. It reportedly hit 10 million units sold by end of 2004, with over 2 million sold in the third quarter 2004, and 4.5 million sold in the fourth quarter 2004, which was more than a fivefold increase from less than a million sold in the fourth quarter of 2003. There are many reasons put forward why it is so successful. It is simple to use, it is stylish, it is solid, it works, it is backed by huge marketing, and it is backed by Apple which has a very strong brand. Obviously, all these factors are important, but I would like to advance 2 main reasons.

1.) Style and the cool factor is very important, and Apple has always had lots of it. After all, that is also the reason why people would fork out more money to buy a Levi?s jean or a Nike sneaker. Branding has become so strong that people were not looking to buy an mp3 player, but an ipod. It had become almost like a cultural icon, much akin to saying that you don't want just a watch, but a Rolex, or not just a car, but a BMW. Nokia became the world's largest cell phone manufacturer in the 90s because they realize that what people want was not just a functional cell phone, but a fashion accessory. They came out with cell phone that allows you to change casing to match your clothes, and came out with phones that you could show off. Much the same as the Ipod -- you wouldn?t want to be seen with anything else! Understanding this phenomena is becoming important to success. A successful business should understand why somebody would willingly pay 15,000 dollars for a Cartier watch ( when there are many nice watches for less than 100 dollars) yet choose to drive 2 extra kilometers to buy shampoo at the local price discount club rather than in the supermarket so that she can save 40 cents.

2.) But I always believe that a product succeeds not just on hype but on clear business fundamentals. And one of the things I know that did make Apple successful was their understanding that people would also willingly pay more than what they actually need. After all, what is the point of selling an Ipod that could store 10,000 songs? That could take months or even years to listen to it even just one time! So many manufacturers were selling mp3 players that could just store 1 or 2 hours of songs, instead of 600 hours worth. But then, the technology landscape is really full of examples that shows people behave illogically, and really want to get what they think they MIGHT need, rather than what they actually need. We take pride in getting a camera that can do 8 megapixels resolution even if all we can distinguish or need is just 2 megapixels. We eagerly dump our email system because we find their allowance of 2 megabyte is too tight ( but really adequate), and go for providers that offer 1 gigabyte. Every year, we see millions of people put in money to buy Microsoft Office, when all the features they know how to use can be satisfied with the less expensive Microsoft Works. Virtually every customer we have that uses our accounting or payroll system use only less than half of the features. Every street corner we see cars that can deliver twice or thrice the speed than the owner is really legally allowed to go, or will ever go.

How many of us get Ipods that can store 600 hours of music, when all we have in our collection is just less than 100 hours? Do we really need that much? No, but we would like to believe we do or fear we potentially will. We all like to think big, dream big, and believe that our needs are far more than ordinary. And I guess to providers who know how to utilize this penchant, and who does not provide only what we need, but delight us by providing morePsychology Articles, will always have a niche in our pockets.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wilson Ng has founded and still manages 6 companies, including 4 in the technology arena the last 12 years. He was awarded the technology entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young for 2004 in the Philippines for small business.He loves to write, and have written a technology column for a paper for the last 9 years. He currently maintains a blog at www.bizdrivenlife.net

MP3 - The Future of Music? And What About iPod?

2007-10-12T03:19:00.001-07:00

Mp3 music is an audio file that has been digitally encoded and compressed to make the amount of data smaller without compromising the overall sound quality. It's a revolutionary technique with incredibly good results; it is frequently indistinguishable from music found on a CD (though some audiophiles with very sensitive ears dispute that statement).

The popularity of this type of music made available on the Internet is a trend reaching gigantic proportions; these encoded songs are everywhere. Websites called talking blogs offer rare or hard-to-find podcast music and avid fans sometimes spend hours at a time sifting through the piles of downloadable material. Newer recording artists that would often fall under the radar without the help of a well-known label are now able to convert their songs into mp3 music and make them available on the Internet, allowing huge numbers of people the chance to hear songs that they otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to. It's an extremely popular thing, mp3 music, one of those rare pop-culture phenomena embraced by nearly everyone.

And now with the advent of the IPOD and other similar devices for MP3's, both music and instructional audio files are both widespread and growing in popularity. Some of the newer models of autos feature capability for this type of music file, broading the appeal even further. And IPOD movies are the latest rage.

But regardless of its massive popularity, digital music is surrounded with controversy. Many programs that allow users to transfer their music directly from computer to computer offer the services for free, eliminating the possibility of royalties for the artist and label. Fearful of losing tons of money to fans downloading records instead of buying them, large factions of the music industry fought to make free mp3 music illegal -- and succeeded to a degree. The laws, however, have loopholes, and many websites or P2P programs have exploited them for all they're worth.

Additionally, laws regulating this type of music in the United States aren't necessarily applicable to other countries, so new websites and programs (particularly, for some reason, in Russia) have popped up offering the free services railed against in America. Because of the hotly argued ethical issues surrounding digital music, many shy away from the topic (and practice) completely. Others embrace it, citing huge record costs as justification enough for free mp3 music. It's an argument not likely to end anytime soon; the ethical issues will be debated as long as free mp3 music is available somewhere.

In any case, MP3's are here to stay, and wise is the musician who learns about them and takes advantage of them.

http://www.ipodtopic.com/articles/mp3-future-music-what-about-ipod.php

MP3 - The Future of Music? And What About iPod?

2007-10-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

Apple iPod Shuffle

2007-10-12T03:17:00.000-07:00

Loaded with sheer ergonomics to thrill your music world, the Apple iPod shuffle is yet another mark of excellence from the house of Apple. The device is available in two different capability: 512MB and 1GB, and yes priced quite competitively as well. Though there is no screen or display of any kind, operating the device is not lack lustre, for anyways music players that have displays, also have confusing terminology like “root”. Probably Apple though it was best to keep both life and music as simple as possible.

So you might as well wonder how to navigate. Choices are limited though, for either you opt to listen to the tracks in the order of recording, or you use the much hyped ‘shuffle’ feature. At time you might wonder what you are listening to, but if that bothers you much, then surely the device is not for you. For Apple iPod shuffle is designed to grab some tunes and go, without being too bothered about what’s on there.

The feature of Autofill comes a little handy here. This automatically fills up the Apple iPod shuffle with songs from your iTunes library and you can choose/ give preference to songs with a higher rating.

The manufacturer boasts that the Apple iPod shuffle is smaller than the gum. And in fact, it is quite close to its claims. The device is 8.4cm long, a mere 0.84cm thin and incredibly light at only 22g. Having said so, the device can be easily carried around the neck, slip into the pockets/ purses, or wore over the sleeves or belts – all without really being noticed!

In sync with the overall design, the keys of the Apple iPod shuffle are well laid out in a circle, looking like the click wheel of the Nano. Having the control system at the front also brings an added advantage, for, if you are hiding the device under your shirt, it will make the buttons still reachable.

The voice quality is superb, with due attention given to crispness, clarity, bass etc. And the Apple iPod shuffle can run almost for 12 hours, to ensure music becomes your companion so long you are awake.

http://www.ipodtopic.com/articles/apple-ipod-shuffle.php

The Best Way to Take Care of Your iPod is With a Leather iPod Case

2007-10-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

For the serious iPod fanatic there’s no better way to take care of your iPod than with a leather iPod case. They not only look fashionable but they are also functional. With a leather iPod case to cover and protect your iPod, you will find that it’s easier to take it places without having to worry constantly about scratching the display screen.

This is one of the chief worries of many people for whom the hundred dollar-upwards prices of the many different iPods (barring the iPod Shuffle) are a bit steep. Their iPod is their best friend and will get them through the tedious days of life when they’re stuck in traffic, stuck in a queue, or stuck on a long flight with no where to go and no one to talk to.

It is because of this precious quality of their iPods, that many people will look to protect their iPod from the rigors of their daily life’s grind. And this is where a leather iPod case comes in handy. You can cover and protect your iPod in a fashionable manner, and keep it from being exposed to the elements.

You leather iPod case won’t necessarily be water proof, but it will be able to withstand the impact of a few raindrops and can protect it from such elements as the harsh sun. And if you get a leather iPod case with a protective see-through cover for your screen, you will find that it’s also functional, and you won’t have to take your iPod of its casing to play your music.

You could get yourself an imitation leather iPod case but that wouldn’t be the same as owning the real thing, and in comparison with the money you spent on your iPod getting a genuine leather iPod case is far more worth the time you’re looking around for it, as well as the money.

Another benefit that you get with the leather iPod case is that it also makes it easier to remove and put in, the iPod into the case itself. Some cases which are available to protect your iPod are great in the protection department, but are simple useless in the ease-of-use department.

All of these arguments for the leather iPod case aside, with the entire craze of the iPod going its social rounds and gaining a greater fan base with each new iPod revision, hundreds and thousands of people have jumped on the iPod bandwagon.

The demand for iPod accessories is greater than ever, and having a leather iPod case for your iPod Nano, or iPod Mini can only enhance your iPod appeal. Besides, the leather iPod case makes a bold statement that says you have taste as well as class!

Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on iPod for Years. For More Information on Leather iPod Case, Visit His Site at Leather iPod Case

http://www.ipodtopic.com/articles/best-way-take-care-of-ipod-leather-ipod-case.php

Apple Corporation: the iPod advertisement

2007-10-12T03:09:00.000-07:00

The ad can be viewed on Apple's web site. In April 2003, Apple stated its new advertisement campaign to promote the new product – a line of the iTunes Music Store. The advertisement campaign was rather successful and gave some profit. The commercials featured a wide range of music, including The Who's My Generation, Sir Mix-a-lot's Baby Got Back, The Caesars' Jerk It Out, Pink's There You Go, and Eminem's Lose Yourself.

In October 2003, Apple company showed its first TV advertisement of this silhouette campaign, which had already been presented in periodicals. It showed silhouettes dancing to music and listening to iPods. These advertisements promoted pop songs such as The Vines' Ride, The Caesars' Jerk It Out, Gorillaz' Feel Good Inc., Steriogram's Walkie-Talkie Man, Jet's Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Propellerheads' Take California, Ozomatli's Saturday Night, Jason Nevin's Mix, Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out, Daft Punk's Technologic, and many more. To commemorate the launch of the U2 iPod, Apple released an ad featuring a music video of Vertigo, featuring the band as characteristic iPod silhouettes. One can see these Ads in quite a few places now.

The iPod shuffle was released alongside TV advertisements featuring silhouettes dancing on a green background with Apple's shuffle symbol moving under them, displaying their intention on using their silhouette campaign with each of their products. At the release of the iPod nano, a commercial was aired depicting pairs of hands turning over and examining the device, emphasizing its small size, and fighting over it.

With the release of video iPod, a new commercial was aired showing the new iPod's video playing capabilities. The ad featured U2's Original of the Species from the Vertigo: Live From Chicago DVD. Two more ads were released featuring Eminem and Wynton Marsalis. Although the ad still featured the silhouettes, the backgrounds were more textured and had patterns or identifiable backgrounds as opposed to the flat colours used previously. An orange 'urban' theme was used in the Eminem version, and a 'cool' blue jazz look to the Wynton Marsalis variant.

On March 17, 2006, Apple released another new iPod ad. This ad departed from the traditional silhouette style, and featured thousands of CD covers pouring into an iPod nano. The ad again uses the tagline "1,000 Songs in Your Pocket", in reference to the original iPod launch ads. This commercial features the song Cubicle by the French electro rock band Rinocerose.

The Company's future work and success depends on the work of distributors and other resellers of the Apple's products. The Company has invested and will continue to invest in various programs to enhance reseller sales, including staffing selected resellers' stores with Company employees and contractors. These programs could require a substantial investment from the Company, while providing no assurance of return or incremental revenue to offset this investment.

Over the past several years, an increasing proportion of the Company's net sales have been made by the Company directly to end-users through its online stores around the world and through its retail stores in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and the U.K. Several resellers perceived the expansion of the Company's direct sales as conflicting with their own businesses and economic interests as distributors and resellers of the Company's products. Perception of such a conflict could discourage the Company's resellers from investing additional resources in the distribution and sale of the Company's products or lead them to limit or cease distribution of the Company's products. The Company's business and financial results could be adversely affected if expansion of its direct sales to end-users causes some or all of its resellers to cease or limit distribution of the Company's products.

The Company relies on third-party digital content, which may not be available to the Company on commercially reasonable terms or at all. The Company contracts with third parties to offer their digital content to customers through the Company's iTunes Music Store. The Company pays substantial fees to obtain the rights to offer to its customers this third-party digital content. The Company's licensing arrangements with these third-party content providers are short-term in nature and do not guarantee the future renewal of these arrangements at commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

Third-party content providers and artists require that the Company provide certain digital rights management solutions and other security mechanisms. If the requirements from content providers or artists change, then the Company may be required to further develop or license technology to address such new rights and requirements. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to develop or license such solutions at a reasonable cost and in a timely manner, if at allFree Web Content, which could have a materially adverse effect on the Company's operating results and financial position.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/marketing/apple-corporation-the-ipod-advertisement.html

Ipod Shuffle As The Proud Possession Of Music Enthusiasts

2007-10-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

It is said that creation follows recreation and vice versa. Entertainment is really an indispensable means of relaxing and refreshing yourself especially after a hectic schedule. There are numerous ways of unwinding yourself. However, music has always been and will always remain the prime source of entertainment for most of the people in the world.

With the advancement in technologies around the world, new kind of gadgets are being manufactured to cater to the needs of the millions of music-lovers thereby, tapping the potentiality of this growing music industry. This process has brought a revolution in the electronic-gadget industry as we have been witnessing a phenomenal rise in the sales of different music-related gadgets across the globe.

Among all types of music-related electronic gizmos, iPod Shuffles have become a roaring success ever since they were invented. iPod Shuffles are regarded as the most easy, convenient and comfortable means of listening to your favorite music on the move all the time. iPod Shuffles are actually an advanced and improved versions of MP3 players and they offer a number of additional features that enhance the quality of sound providing a whole new meaning to the concept of music-listening. It is no wonder then why iPod stands as the best selling MP3/MP4 players in the world market today. Its success can be largely attributed to its sleek design, unique user-interface, elegant look, and superlative sound quality.

The concept of iPod came into being in October 23, 2001 when Apple Corporation first released its iPod Shuffle. At present, we are on the 5th generation of iPod. This high-end MP4 player boasts of 60 to 80 GB memory storage, video capability and a host of other attractive features that can potentially entice millions of music enthusiasts, gizmo geeks and techno junkies around the world. So, if you are one of those die-hard music lovers and have been pondering over buying yourself an iPod Shuffle, be aware of its pro and cons. The following are a few very useful facts that you should know about iPods before you settle for one. Take a peek:

Internal Memory:

Internal Memory of an iPod can vary from 512MB to 80 GB depending upon the size as well as price factor. The latest edition of iPod Shuffle from Apple comes in two different versions, one with 512MB that offers storage of about 120 songs and, the other with 1GB allowing the users to store up to 240 songs. iPods having higher storage facility will cost you more. So, choose the one according to your need.

Battery Life:

It is extremely important to check the battery life of the iPods while buying one. Usually, most iPods come with a built-in rechargeable battery. However, you should ensure that the iPod Shuffle you are buying has an AC/DV adaptor for quick battery charge. The current edition from Apple includes a 12-hour rechargeable battery.

Size:

iPods can be found in a wide-range of sizes. When it comes to the size of an iPod, more often than not, it depends on the features of a particular player. For instance, iPods featuring large screen, video capability, and hard drive facility can be big in size. As a result, they cost more. Be specific about your need; know what you want from an MP3 player, and then pick the one that suits you the best.

USB:

Universal Serial Bus or USB is a standard feature of all iPods. This helps you plug and connect the player to your PC enabling you to drag and drop music files from your PC into your iPod. The latest model of iPod supports USB 2.0 transfer.

Audio Format:

Make it a point to check whether the iPod you are buying supports some specific audio formats. Typically, all iPods, MP3 and MP4 players invariably support MP3 format. However, some players do not support all audio formats. For Instance, you may not be able to listen to a downloaded track just because your player does not support that particular music file which is in WMA format. Check the player`s specifications before buying it and make sure that your iPod supports most standard audio formats.

Additional Features:

Most MP3 players, MP4 players and iPod Shuffles are now available with a host of additional features like FM tuner and audio recording facility. Some players might cost you more just because they include these additional features. There is no point in paying more if these features are not of much interest to you. SoFree Web Content, just look before you leap!!!

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.articlesfactory.com/articles/technology/ipod-shuffle-as-the-proud-possession-of-music-enthusiasts.html

Liberate your iPod

2007-10-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

People these days are now demanding more and more entertainment in their lives. Because of this, several multimedia companies have invented several devices just to provide entertainment to people. From video games to mobile multimedia players, you will see that there are quite a lot of state-of-the-art entertainment devices out there today that can provide you with high quality entertainment wherever you go.

Today, the latest craze is the iPod. So far, iPod have provided people with multimedia entertainment never before seen on other portable multimedia players. With iPod, you will be able to store and listen to far more music than other kinds of portable multimedia players. Also, it is not only the capability to store and play hundreds or even thousands of songs and videos, but because iPod is so small that it can fit in your pocket. In fact, iPod is so small and compact that you wouldn’t even feel that it's there.

The fact that iPod is so portable and provides high quality entertainment is enough reason to get out and buy one.

However, there are people who don't know how to work an iPod or at least download movies to iPod from their computer. If you don’t know how, then you won't be able to fully enjoy the power of your iPod as you won't be able to use all the features it can provide you, such as the ability to watch your favorite videos and movies while you are on the go.

Just imagine, camping in the middle of nowhere where electricity is non existent. What could be better than watching your favorite videos and movies while waiting for your friends who are hunting to come back? Surely waiting for an hour with no one to talk to is enough to get you bored. With the iPod, getting bored is a thing of the past.

The first step in downloading movies in your iPod is by making sure that your iPod is one of the latest models that are able to play videos. If your iPod is capable of playing videos, the next step is to plug it in your computer via the USB port.

You need to understand that iPod with video capabilities only plays videos or video files that are in MP4 format. You might be aware that most media files in your computer are in AVI, MPG, MPEG, MOV or any other file format. These kinds of files are not actually compatible with your iPod. So, what you do is get a software program that is designed to convert any video format, such as AVI or MPG to MP4 file format.

Today, there are quite a lot of software programs like this that is able to convert video files to MP4 format without affecting the overall quality of the video. And, the great thing about MP4 is that it compresses the file even more. This means that it will allow more movies for you to download in your iPod as the files are smaller.

Now, after converting video files in your computer to MP4 format, you are now ready to download your favorite videos and movie files to your iPod. You can easily do this through an iPod software, such as iTunes. After this, you are now ready to play and enjoy your favorite movies on your iPod.

As you can see, by knowing how to download videos to your iPod, you will be able to fully make use of the features that iPod can provide. By following these few simple tipsFind Article, you will be able to enjoy high quality entertainment while you are on the go with your video capable iPod.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/entertainment/liberate-your-ipod.html

Download Movies in Your iPod: Steps on How You Can Put Your Favorite Movies On Your iPod

2007-10-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

iPod is a type of portable media player that is designed, marketed and sold by Apple

People these days are now demanding more and more entertainment in their lives. Because of this, several multimedia companies have invented several devices just to provide entertainment to people. From video games to mobile multimedia players, you will see that there are quite a lot of state-of-the-art entertainment devices out there today that can provide you with high quality entertainment wherever you go.

Today, the latest craze is the iPod. So far, iPod have provided people with multimedia entertainment never before seen on other portable multimedia players. With iPod, you will be able to store and listen to far more music than other kinds of portable multimedia players. Also, it is not only the capability to store and play hundreds or even thousands of songs and videos, but because iPod is so small that it can fit in your pocket. In fact, iPod is so small and compact that you wouldn’t even feel that it's there.

The fact that iPod is so portable and provides high quality entertainment is enough reason to get out and buy one.

However, there are people who don't know how to work an iPod or at least download movies to iPod from their computer. If you don’t know how, then you won't be able to fully enjoy the power of your iPod as you won't be able to use all the features it can provide you, such as the ability to watch your favorite videos and movies while you are on the go.

Just imagine, camping in the middle of nowhere where electricity is non existent. What could be better than watching your favorite videos and movies while waiting for your friends who are hunting to come back? Surely waiting for an hour with no one to talk to is enough to get you bored. With the iPod, getting bored is a thing of the past.

The first step in downloading movies in your iPod is by making sure that your iPod is one of the latest models that are able to play videos. If your iPod is capable of playing videos, the next step is to plug it in your computer via the USB port.

You need to understand that iPod with video capabilities only plays videos or video files that are in MP4 format. You might be aware that most media files in your computer are in AVI, MPG, MPEG, MOV or any other file format. These kinds of files are not actually compatible with your iPod. So, what you do is get a software program that is designed to convert any video format, such as AVI or MPG to MP4 file format.

Today, there are quite a lot of software programs like this that is able to convert video files to MP4 format without affecting the overall quality of the video. And, the great thing about MP4 is that it compresses the file even more. This means that it will allow more movies for you to download in your iPod as the files are smaller.

Now, after converting video files in your computer to MP4 format, you are now ready to download your favorite videos and movie files to your iPod. You can easily do this through an iPod software, such as iTunes. After this, you are now ready to play and enjoy your favorite movies on your iPod.

As you can see, by knowing how to download videos to your iPod, you will be able to fully make use of the features that iPod can provide. By following these few simple tipsFind Article, you will be able to enjoy high quality entertainment while you are on the go with your video capable iPod.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/other/download-movies-in-your-ipod-steps-on-how-you-can-put-your-favorite-movies-on-your-ipod.html

Repair your iPod Mini using Linux

2007-10-12T03:01:00.000-07:00

This guide is a great walkthrough to fix a bricked iPod. By bricked, I mean beyond repairing with the windows iPod restore tool. Very easy to follow and a lifesaver. It says its for the mini, but it can be used to fix any type of iPod.

This process involves using a Linux Boot CD, an iPod Mini (4GB), and a local Harddisk! It was tested with a friends nuked iPod Mini. You need to follow these instructions EXACTLY. If you are worried about erasing your own local PC Harddisk in the process, take it out and use another disk or use a test-PC you may have etc.. this process should only touch your local HD for READING, but if you make a typo you could accidently write the ipod firmware to your own local HD and that would render your PC USELESS! OK!? I also hope I wrote this up proper.. I've re-read it a few times! Also, I guess this process goes against your warranty or somein.

This process has been tested with: iPod Mini 4GB WINDOWS version using USB connection, Knoppix Live CD v3.4, Windows 2000 SP4, Pentium 3-500 PC.

NOTE! - This process has been tested using a USB connection, I have not seen the firewire connection and therefore most of this document would be irrelevant for that connection type!

NOTE! - The MAC iPod Mini is slightly different (disk structure is 3 partitions instead of 2), and since I haven't even seen a Mac iPod none of the below applies to a Mac iPod!

NOTE! - This process has been tested with a 4GB iPod Mini. Larger size Mini's should also work since we are not specifying a size for the 2nd partition, but that is untested OK!.

Have Fun!

Problem

iPod appears nuked, only shows folder icon and ! on its LCD and is unmountable under windows? (running iPod Updater just does nothing - does not even detect the device as an ipod!)

This is likely due to complete loss of Harddisk boot sector, structure and areas.

Basics

iPod structure: (WINDOWS iPod Mini version)

Hard Disk (4GB) -> Partition 1 = 32MB for Operating System -> Partition 2 = ~4GB (4161536MB?) for User Data (FAT32 file system)

Boot sequence: (?)

Arm ARM7TDMI CPU init -> Execute ROM init and code -> Boots HD Boot Sector -> Boots HD Partition 1 (Operating System, Arm code) -> System Up!

Requirements

- iPod Mini (tested : 4GB UK model) - iPod Updater software (tested : 2005-03-23) - Resource Hacker program (v3.4.0) - Knoppix Live CD Linux v3.4 or later (other Linux versions would abviously work, I guess you need kernel 2.4.x, dd, mkfs.x, fdisk etc) - .. adventurer's spirit hey!

The Process

Firstly, you need to extract the firmware binary file out of the iPod Updater program. Use Resource Hacker under Windows, open the iPod Updater exe file, open the FIRM folder. Now you need to open the IDR_FIRMWARE-3.2.5 folder, and then select the 1033 file. Now extract this resource as a binary file to somewhere on your local HD (eg: c:\mini325.bin).

Shutdown windows.

Turn off PC.

Plug in your iPod Mini. (tested : USB connection)

Boot your PC from your Knoppix Linux Live CD.

Once Linux is up and booted, it should have mounted your local HD, probably as hda1. I would mount it manually anyway!

Open a Terminal session, get into root user with "su -", you should have: ~Knoppix[root]$: (or something like that).

Mount your local HD

Make a local mount point directory (where you will access your local HD) mkdir /mnt/localhd

Mount your local HD: (NTFS drives, windows xp, 2000 etc) mount -t ntfs /dev/hda1 /mnt/localhd

Mount your local HD: (FAT32 drives, windows 98, me) mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/localhd

Do a directory listing to check contents of your local HD: cd /mnt/localhd ls -la

You should see "mini325.bin", your ipod mini firmware! (or the file you called it!)

Of course, if you stored the firmware on a slave HD, you need to mount that instead. In the end of the day you need access to the firmware binary file.

Prepare Your iPod Mini

Your iPod Mini should have attached as a fake scsi device /dev/sda.

To check this, "more /dev/sda" should show it is there. (Ctrl+C to quit moreing)

Now we need to prepare the disk stucture on the iPod:

fdisk /dev/sda

Use "p" to print out the current disk structure, it should be blank! no partitions! (if there are partitions then you are in unchartered terriroty and perhaps should delete them all - untested!)

Now we need to make two new partitions, one for the boot area, one for the user data.

Follow exactly: { explanations are in curly brackets, do not type these }

{ setup first partition, 32 MB in size } n p 1 +32M

{ setup second partition, the rest of the hard disk } n p 2

{ change type of partition 1 to 0, no format } t 1 0

{ change type of partition 2 to b, ie: FAT32 } t 2 b

{ show partition layout, should be two partitions now } p

{ write partition layout to the iPod } w

{ quit fdisk back to command prompt once complete } q

You should now be back to the good ol' ~Knoppix[root]$: prompt. (or similar!)

Format Partition 2

From the command prompt:

mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n "name" /dev/sda2

This will format the 2nd partition of the iPod, and give it a volume name "name".

After this you are returned to the command prompt ~Knoppix[root]$: etc.

Write Firmware to Partition 1

From the command prompt:

dd if=/mnt/localhd/mini325.bin of=/dev/sda1

This will write the input file mini325.bin from your localhd mount to the 1st partition of the ipod mini (the partition for the operating system).

This may take a few moments, you will be returned to the command prompt when complete!

Mount your iPod under Linux

Out of curiosity, mount the 2nd partition of your iPod to check it is ok!

mkdir /mnt/myipod mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /mnt/myipod cd /mnt/myipod ls -la

There should be no files, but it should mount ok like any other fat32 disk!

Shutdown Linux and turn off your PC!

Unplug your iPod Mini from your PC.

Switch the iPod on, it should require you to plug into your mains power supply!

Plug in power, switch power on, iPod will boot up like any other booting computer, complete with loading progress bar and screen refresh . After this, you should be able to select language and use your iPod again!

Next up - ditch i-tunes because it is a bit of a demon and use Anapod or Gnupod or something and enjoy your iPod as you should! Freee...

Thank heavens for Linux eh!! and thank heavens for people trying to stick linux their pods, reading up on that is where I figured all this stuff out.

Forgotten Credits - these guys did all the hard work - Alan DonovanScience Articles, Pedro Diaz. Without them this would not have been so easy!

Thats all folks..! iPodFixed

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/computers/repair-your-ipod-mini-using-linux.html

Music Products: the iPod

2007-10-12T02:57:00.000-07:00

The iPod is one of Apple's most successful products. The latest iPod is available in 30 or 60 GB models and is capable of playing video. The iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Computer.

Devices in the iPod family are made around a central scroll wheel (except for the iPod shuffle) and provide a simple user interface. The full and half-sized models store media on a built-in hard drive, while the smaller iPod shuffle uses flash memory. Like many digital audio players, iPods can serve as external data storage devices when connected to a computer.

Nowadays in USA, Europe and in the Middle East Apple computer Inc. offers its iPod line of digital music players and all the necessary accessories for Macintosh and Windows users. Since its first appearance in the Middle East this digital music player is becoming more and more popular and its sales are growing up. The iPod is a portable digital music player made by Apple computer Inc., the characteristic feature of which is its Click Wheel that combines a touch-sensitive wheel with several push buttons for one-handed navigation.

In October 2005, in the Middle East the Apple Company produced an iPod containing a 2.5-inch color screen that could show album artwork and photos and play video, containing music videos, video pod casts, amateur films, short films and TV shows. Also the iPod line consists of a 30-gigabyte model containing up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos or 75 hours of video, and a 60-gigabyte model containing up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 150 hours of video.

The iPod presents Apple's Auto-Sync technology that can automatically download digital music, podcasts, photos, audio books, home films, music videos, short films and television shows onto the iPod. Besides, it keeps it in a modern working state no matter whenever it is connected to a Macintosh or Windows computer using universal serial bus (USB).

The iPod also features Shuffle Songs, which randomly plays songs in a selected playlist or across the entire library. All iPods work with the Company's iTunes digital music management software on either a Macintosh or Windows computer. The iPod's other capabilities include data storage, calendar and contact information possibility, as well as a number of games. The Apple Company Inc. has also entered into unions with most automobile manufacturers to offer an integration of the iPod in some automobiles.

In September 2005, the Company introduced iPod nano in the Middle East, a flash-memory based digital music player. The iPod nano is available in either a 2GB model holding up to 500 songs or 25,000 photos, or a 4GB model holding up to 1,000 songs or 25,000 photos. The iPod nano, which weighs as little as 1.5 ounces and is 27 inches thin, features a color screen and the Company's patent pending Click Wheel.

In January 2005, the Company introduced iPod shuffle in the Middle East, a flash-memory based digital music player, which is based on iPod's characteristic feature that selects songs from the user's music library or playlists in a random way. iPod shuffle works with iTunes and its patent-pending AutoFill feature that automatically selects songs to fill iPod shuffle from a user's music library on their computer. iPod shuffle can also be used as a portable USB flash drive with up to 1GB of storage space. It is available in a 512MB model holding up to 120 songs and a 1GB model holding up to 240 songs.

As of July 2006, the lineup consists of the 5th generation iPod with a video player; the iPod nano with a color screen; and the iPod shuffle. All three models were released in 2005. Discontinued versions include two generations of the iPod mini and four generations of the full-sized iPod. The software that is used for transferring music, photos and videos is called iTunes. As a music jukebox application, iTunes stores a comprehensive library of the user's music on their computer and can play, burn and rip music from a CD. The most recent version of iTunes has video organization features. The iPod is currently the world's best-selling digital audio player, and its worldwide mainstream adoption makes it one of the most popular consumer brands. Some of Apple's design choices and proprietary actions have however led to criticism and legal battles. It is important to note that since the first introduction of the iPod in the Middle East the number of its consumers is growing owing to its innovations and the appearance of the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle. The Apple Company Inc. is spreading much faster in the Middle East than somewhere else. If we compare sale figures in the Middle East to the world we will find out that iPod line of digital music players dominates and its number of sales makes the third part of all sales.

Besides, Arab Business Machine that markets Apple's products in the Middle East will have a major presence at GITEX 2005. Located at Hall 4, visitors to the Apple booth will have the opportunity to learn more about computing and entertainment technology from Apple. The company will be showcasing everything from the iPod range to iLife and XServe. The exhibit will also have the latest iMacs and iBooks on display, providing GITEX visitors with an opportunity to get a feel for Apple's products. "We will also be releasing the market's most powerful iPod Speaker/Dock, Altec Lansing's New inMotion iM7 Portable Speaker System at GITEX 2005. The success of the growing iPod range in the Middle East will be continued by the new Altec Lansing speaker dock will definitely catch the attention of iPod users and music fans across the regionFree Reprint Articles," said Elias Abou-Rustom of ABM.

http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/education/music-products-the-ipod.html

Is The iPod Nano The Right MP3 Player For Your Personal Music Needs

2007-10-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

When it comes to electronic gadgets and multimedia, Apple has long been the leader. They have a real talent for producing products that are user-friendly, price-effective and space-efficient. This is particularly the case in the MP3 players market, where Apple's iPods reign supreme. For those with big budgets, there's the iPod Photo and Video versions, and at the cheap end of the market there's the iPod Shuffle. If you fall somewhere in-between, then the iPod Nano is probably the right choice for you.

The iPod Photo and Video versions certainly have the biggest disk size of all the iPod models, but the iPod Nano still contains the outstanding features that make iPod the undisputed leader in the industry. You can choose what hard drive size you want in your iPod Nano, starting with 1GB (240 songs), moving through 2GB (500 songs) and right up to 4GB (1,000 songs). The cheapest model starts at around $149.

Although the iPod shuffle comes with a much cheaper price tag, it's also lacking in some of the main features that make the iPod Nano so outstanding. You can still listen to your favorite music on the iPod shuffle, but it's completely random - you have no control over which song plays next. The iPod Nano you can control the songs in any way you choose, even though it doesn't have the disk space of the bigger iPod systems.

The iPod Nano is also remarkably sleek and stylish, only being roughly as thick as a pen or pencil. So it's still small and manageable like the iPod Shuffle, which makes it great for portability when you want to visit the gym or go for a run.

If there's one thing that works against the iPod Nano, it's that it suffers from a lack of durability. The bigger versions of iPod are much the same. The iPod Nano can probably be taken on a run or to the gym more times than an iPod Video or Photo, but chances are it will still start to fade out quicker than an iPod Shuffle. This problem happens with all electronic devices at some point, but if you're paying a higher price you naturally want to experience less glitches.

This problem isn't unique to iPods - it happens to all MP3 players at some point. They also all tend to suffer from similar issues such as too bulky, not enough disk space, and lacking in durability. Still, when everything else is the same, it's usually a good idea to stick with the industry leader.

http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/Is-The-iPod-Nano-The-Right-MP3-Player-For-Your-Personal-Music-Needs/4200320092003284050

iPod: Adventures in Entertainment

2007-10-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

There are still millions of people who don't yet own an iPod and there are many who have never experienced the phenomena known as iPod who will debate the purchase of one for somebody they love. For the uninitiated, it often seems that there is a lot of excitement over something that at first glance appears to merely be a digitized and glorified old style tape recorder. It is for those individuals that we review the true meaning and ability of this device for it is truly an entertainment icon.

An iPod plays music, thousands of hours of personalized music, music selected by the user, and played to sound the way the individual prefers it. Yes, this tiny device has its own equalizer and sound controls. Many users have described the exceptional digital sound quality with earbuds to have opened a whole new world of listening. Users can also develop their own play lists so that they listen to a certain genre of music at different times; for instance, rock music when they run and classical when they drive into work.

It is clear that an iPod offers a lightweight, portable way of listening as it weighs only ounces and is a half inch thick. In the home, iPod can even eliminate all of the old stereo components when used with the iPod Hi-Fi. Again, despite the small size of the iPod Hi-Fi, which is 17"x6.6"x6.9", sound quality is exceptional and users are in control with the remote.

Beyond iPod's exceptional musical talents, it also offers the ability to listen to podcasts and audiobooks which can be downloaded off of the internet. Listening is easy and users can book mark the chapters so that they can pick up where they left off without searching.

Current generation iPods offer great video as well through a 2.5" color display screen. iPod can now store up to 25,000 photos and 150 hours of video. Now users can play music video or ad free TV shows wherever they are. For those who prefer a little more active stimulation, iPod also offers games such as Solitaire, Music Quiz, and others.

With all of its impressive entertainment features, it is also important to realize that the tiny iPod is a great little assistant. From offering a Sleep Timer (alarm clock) function to providing access to calendars and contact lists, iPod offers a portable way of staying on top of things. It even has a Notes function to allow users to keep their "To Do List", a stop watch, and a World Clock to check the time anywhere in the world. For active users, iPod even has a link with Nike. Through the iPod sport kit a runner can monitor their speed, distance, and calories burned, sync up with the Nike site, and track their performance over time.

iPod may have started as a simple device for listening to music but it has evolved and its future appears to promise even more entertainment functions. Several major car manufacturers will be offering an iPod integration in some models. Will iPod eventually offer Nintendo Games, videoconferencing, the ability to download entire movies, or access to satellite radio? It's hard to determine, but if the past is a good predictor, it seems likely that more developments are in store for the tiny entertainment device.

http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/iPod---Adventures-in-Entertainment/4200320092003254405

iPod Video: The Evolution Continues

2007-10-11T00:56:00.000-07:00

It’s finally here! What you’ve been waiting for. First, the iPod played songs, then it displayed photos and then podcasts. And now it will even play videos! Wondering what I’m talking about?? The iPod Video, of course!

The iPod has forever changed the way people listen to music and the iPod Video is the evolution of the revolution. The iPod video has raised the bar higher, further enhancing the way you experience music. Packed with a host of amazing never-before-seen-or-heard features that will blow you away, the new iPod Video is slimmer, lighter and cooler!

It is available in 30 GB and 60 GB models starting at $299. The iPod Video can hold up to 15000 songs, full-color album art and up to 25000 pictures. So you have heard that song before; well now, you can see it as well. With the new iPod you can have your cake and eat it too! It supports up to 150 hours of video and has a 2.5-inch color display that lets you take your music videos wherever you go. So, trust me when I say this one is music not only to the ears, but to your eyes as well!

This iPod is under half an inch thick and the new 30 GB model is 45% more compact than the original iPod. Even the 60 GB iPod video is over 10% slimmer than the last 30 GB iPod. What’s even more amazing is that you now get up to 20 hours of battery life, (for the record, that is 5 hours more than before), a bigger display and another iPod color option, and that is sleek black! So many features in such a compact package! Well, as usual, with the iPod, less is more…

But, that isn’t all. You can also read audiobooks and keep memories fresh with photo slideshows, complete with music. You can watch video podcasts, music videos and your favorite TV shows. You can even consult your calendar or look up an e-mail address. You can even find the time in another city, state or country. Heck, I wonder if it does the dishes, too??

The Apple click wheel lets you access everything with the touch of a finger. You can also control the volume and browse options using the touch sensitive screen. The ease of operating it just gives you one more reason to buy the iPod Video.

There’s also a neat list of accessories that you can use with your iPod Video. For instance you can get a wired remote to listen to FM radio, In-ear headphones, USB power adapter, leather case, AV connection kit, Universal dock, Apple remote, Camera connector etc.

So, if you are a music freak, don’t wait any longer, go buy an iPod Video. You won’t regret it. Happy humming!It’s finally here! What you’ve been waiting for. First, the iPod played songs, then it displayed photos and then podcasts. And now it will even play videos! Wondering what I’m talking about?? The iPod Video, of course!

The iPod has forever changed the way people listen to music and the iPod Video is the evolution of the revolution. The iPod video has raised the bar higher, further enhancing the way you experience music. Packed with a host of amazing never-before-seen-or-heard features that will blow you away, the new iPod Video is slimmer, lighter and cooler!

It is available in 30 GB and 60 GB models starting at $299. The iPod Video can hold up to 15000 songs, full-color album art and up to 25000 pictures. So you have heard that song before; well now, you can see it as well. With the new iPod you can have your cake and eat it too! It supports up to 150 hours of video and has a 2.5-inch color display that lets you take your music videos wherever you go. So, trust me when I say this one is music not only to the ears, but to your eyes as well!

This iPod is under half an inch thick and the new 30 GB model is 45% more compact than the original iPod. Even the 60 GB iPod video is over 10% slimmer than the last 30 GB iPod. What’s even more amazing is that you now get up to 20 hours of battery life, (for the record, that is 5 hours more than before), a bigger display and another iPod color option, and that is sleek black! So many features in such a compact package! Well, as usual, with the iPod, less is more…

But, that isn’t all. You can also read audiobooks and keep memories fresh with photo slideshows, complete with music. You can watch video podcasts, music videos and your favorite TV shows. You can even consult your calendar or look up an e-mail address. You can even find the time in another city, state or country. Heck, I wonder if it does the dishes, too??

The Apple click wheel lets you access everything with the touch of a finger. You can also control the volume and browse options using the touch sensitive screen. The ease of operating it just gives you one more reason to buy the iPod Video.

There’s also a neat list of accessories that you can use with your iPod Video. For instance you can get a wired remote to listen to FM radio, In-ear headphones, USB power adapter, leather case, AV connection kit, Universal dock, Apple remote, Camera connector etc.

So, if you are a music freak, don’t wait any longer, go buy an iPod Video. You won’t regret it. Happy humming!

http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/iPod-Video--The-Evolution-Continues/43267

Ipod Video Sales

2007-10-11T00:54:00.000-07:00

The sales of the new iPod video are surprisingly good, taking into account the fact that no research has been made for the customer market and their needs or requirements.

A possible disadvantage for the sales may be the fact that the negative advertising has been made. This negative advertising concerns the vulnerability of the screens, the easy scratching surfaces and other several features. However, the sales are up due to the great success among the teenagers, among very busy people who travel a lot.

Some researches show that for the Amazon online store the most popular iPod is the Nano model. However, the sales are ahead expectations and in the case of other stores are outselling the popular iPod Nano. These high sales may be due to the high storage capacity, video features and reasonable prices. From this point of view, a selection of users may be made, as the Nano edition iPod attracts more MP3 users. Therefore, a new trend and a new profile of user appeared taking into account the high sales for the new video iPod. This will surely point towards Apple designing particular models for different users.

Another aspect of the great sales concerns the fact the new iPod video is not a competitor for the TV industry, but more a complementary device. Although the rating of some TV shows or films may lower, the iPod video may also contribute to the fame extend of some TV shows or films. The sales may be also triggered by the trendy urban lifestyle and capacity of influencing the preferences and needs of the others. The fact that the episodes of the TV series such is the case of "Lost" or "Desperate Housewives" may have contributed to the great success and great sales of the new edition of the iPod.

Other sales were going up as they developed from the new edition of the iPod and this is the case of the iTunes Music Store. In this type of store you may buy episodes of the famous TV series, music videos and pictures. The parallel development of two complementary services - the handheld video device and the special store for it - is a great achievement. Besides, the iPod is the best selling music online store and it will probably be the best music video online store. The sales may also rise due to the new available TV series or TV shows of the famous TV Channels.

Taking into account the fact that the iPod is the best seller in the United States, being the most successful music player, it was easy to predict high sales for the new edition, even it is a video iPod. The prices were lower as the lower-cost players were introduced on the market in the last years, but the Nano edition has increased the prices. With the new iPod video the price has been pushed beyond the average selling price.

That is why the sales of 100 iPods every minute may seem not surprising at all and sales of 14 millions in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2006 are considered not bad at all for such a company. The sales for the iPod video may also rise together with the spreading worldwide of the popularity of this edition of iPod.

However, the iPod video doubles the Apple's sales. The sales were made skyrocket due to the great success of the new iPod video outselling in some cases other types or editions of iPods. Nevertheless, the maximized sales are due to the new video features, longer battery life, more options and more memory space enough for a lot of music, music videos, TV shows and episodes, and even lots of photos for the photo album. These features and improvements make the new iPod video so popular and fashionable. These aspects and others (games, possibility of checking the e-mail, possibility of finding out the time in other cities and other useful features) suit very well the contemporary lifestyle.

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iPod Stuff: How To Set Your iPod's Alarm Clock

2007-10-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

The good thing about the iPod alarm clock feature is that you can wake up with the tune of your favorite song. Whether it is a Celine Dion melody or a King Diamond scream the iPod alarm clock can help you wake up every morning with style. This is a tutorial about how to set and adjust your iPod's alarm clock.

You will need:
a. An iPod, of course (alarm clock is not a feature in iPod shuffle with firmware 2.1 or later)
b. A pair of speakers (i recommend a pair of power speakers!)

( Download the latest firmware for your iPod for free at the apple website ).

Ok let's move on. The iPod alarm clock feature is located in the Extras menu. There, you can find other features like Contacts, Games, Calendar etc. A lot of people do not use this powerful iPod feature and while they are familiar with other Extras like Games they usually underestimate the alarm clock feature.

Here are the steps to set the iPod alarm clock:
1. Locate the alarm clock feature (Main menu > Extras > Clock > Alarm Clock)
2. Set the Time setting to the time you wish to wake up
3. Now the coolest part. Set the the Sound setting to one of your iPod playlists
4. Enable the alarm. Turn it on. If the alarm is on, an alarm icon (a bell with sound waves) will appear on the right side of your iPod's screen.
5. Connect the speakers to the iPod's headphone jack.
6. A good idea would be to test the volume of the sound by playing a song. You don't want to wake up screaming if the volume is too high, or not wake up at all if the volume is too low.
7. Now go to bed and get some sleep.

Important:

Don't forget to correctly set the date and time of your iPod in order to wake up at the right time and day! You can set the current date and time from the Extras > Clock menu. If you connect your iPod to a computer then you don't need to set the time and date because these settings will synchronize every time you connect with the computer.

Make sure that your Ipod's battery has enough power. You can plug in an iPod AC adapter to make sure your battery is always charged.

That's it. You are ready.

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iPod Shuffle Gets New Jacket Made For Those With Active Lifestyles

2007-10-11T00:52:00.000-07:00

You certainly adore your older iPod Shuffle than the iPod Nano new model that your best friend has gifted you for your birthday this year. After all, the iPod Shuffle has been your constant companion for years already and you have found it quite easy to use. You feel like you would have to start over again with the iPod Nano.

The only thing that is bothering you about the iPod Shuffle though is that you would have sometimes leave it behind in the safety of your car or in your home or locked up in your office drawer. You do this because you would have to do something pretty active and you think that the iPod Shuffle accessories and features would not quite take in the excess activity and would only lead to damages and eventually breaking of the gadget.

But it looks like there is already an answer to your dilemma and it comes in the form of the new Action Jacket that has been created by Digital Lifestyle Outfitters, or the DLO. This group is much known as one of the leaders when it comes to creating accessories for mobile digital devices which are considered to be the current hype.

The Action Jacket for your iPod Shuffle belongs to the family of such jackets and cases that DLO has already designed and created. And so that the beauty and pristine condition of your iPod Shuffle would not be marred, DLO created the jacket to come in a brilliant pure white color so much so that there is not much difference if the jacket was used or not.

This jacket comes with an armband. The armband would provide more security compared to the clip that the iPod Shuffle comes with. So when you are engaged in really active things, the Action Jacket of your iPod Shuffle would keep your gadget safe and quite secure. Even drops of rain and patches of ice falling from the sky would not harm your favorite iPod Shuffle as long as you have the Action Jacket. You see, the jacket is designed to be a cover and it has been made to be soft and uses neoprene. Even your own sweat would not harm your iPod Shuffle when you are sweating it out at the gym.

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For $19.99, which is quite a fair price tag, you get to use your favorite iPod Shuffle without having to worry about damaging it while you get involved in your activities. The Action Jacket also has this clear vinyl window so you would not have a harm time finding your way through the music files you have stored in your gadget.

Now if the jacket gets dirty, is there a need to buy a new one? Well, that would be not recommended. You see, the Action Jacket for the iPod Shuffle can be actually cleaned easily. All you need is a damp cloth and the jacket would look and feel like it was still new. The armband can be washed with soap and water.

Giovanni Woods is a geeky entrepreneur who cannot work without his music buddy – the iPod Mini. He collects the latest iPod accessories in the market through TopZone UK. He also loves to travel around Asia.

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IPod Shuffle Cheap

2007-10-11T00:51:00.000-07:00

iPod shuffle is an iPod digital audio player designed and marketed by Apple Computer. It was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005, using the tagline "life is random." Instead of storing data on a hard disk, it was the first iPod to use flash memory (the more recent iPod nano also uses this form of memory). It weighs 22 grams (0.78 ounces).

Overview

The reverse side of an iPod shuffle.The iPod shuffle is designed to be easily loaded with a selection of songs and to play them in random order. It was found that owners of existing iPods had often left the music selection to "shuffle", and the new iPod shuffle was a way of implementing that in a much more cost-effective fashion. It relies on the use of an "autofill" feature in iTunes, which can select songs at random from a user's music library (or from a specific playlist) and copy as many as will fit into iPod shuffle's memory. It can hold up to 240 songs (1 GB model, based on Apple's estimate, of four minutes per song and 128 kbit/s AAC encoding).

It lacks the trademark display, scroll wheel, playlist management features, games, address book, calendar, and notes capability of earlier iPods, and cannot be used with iSync. In addition, it is incapable of playing Apple Lossless and AIFF audio files, unlike other iPod models due to its lower processing power. Oddly, the iPod shuffle has a better bass sound quality than its larger iPod kin, according to one review. Also, unlike every other iPod, it cannot be used with on two separate iTunes libraries.

iTunes offers some new features for iPod shuffle. One is the ability to reduce the bit rate of songs to 128 kbit/s AAC. The conversion is done automatically, with the original file left untouched on the computer and the smaller (lower bit rate) file sent to the iPod shuffle. iTunes also allows an iPod shuffle playlist to be viewed and changed while the unit is not connected; the next time the unit is connected, it can then be updated with the changed playlist.

iPod shuffle with the cap removed to show the USB connector. The cap snaps onto the unit. iPod shuffle comes with a second cap on a lanyard which a user can wear around their neck.The front of the iPod shuffle has buttons for Play/Pause, Next Song/Fast Forward, Previous Song/Fast Reverse, and up and down volume adjustment. On the reverse, it has a battery level indicator light (activated by a button) and a three-position switch to turn the unit off or set it to play music in order or shuffled. It plugs directly into a computer's USB port (either 1.1 or 2.0), through which it also recharges its battery, which has an expected life of around 12 hours between charges. The USB plug is hidden beneath a cap. The unit also comes with a lanyard that attaches to the iPod shuffle via an attached cap and this allows the user to wear the iPod shuffle around his or her neck.

iPod shuffle can also be used as a USB flash drive. iTunes allows a user to set how much of the drive will be allowed for storing files, and how much will be used for storing music.

iPod shuffle size Accessories

iPod shuffle skin (green) by Speck ProductsBoth Apple and third-party manufacturers offer a variety of accessories for the iPod shuffle. Apple offers such things as armband attachments (so it can be worn on one's arm), a sport case that protects the iPod shuffle from the elements, and an iPod shuffle dock that allows easier connection to a computer, similar to the dock units available for the regular iPod and iPod mini. Third-party manufacturers offer such things as iPod shuffle decorative and protective sleeves, belt clips, AC and DC power plugs, earphones, and FM transmitters.

Software The main program that supports the iPod shuffle is iTunes, which is bundled with the product and can be updated from the Apple web site.

Users can download music from an online music store and use the iTunes software to upload it to the device.

Impact The iPod shuffle was announced at the same time as the Mac mini. Like iPod shuffle, Mac mini is a scaled-down product which has been introduced at a lower price point. These two products together can be seen as a conscious effort on the part of Apple management to target a lower-end market and increase visibility in the mass-market. Previously, the success of Apple's iPod and especially the iPod mini had been chipping away at the inexpensive flash player market, causing flash players at the beginning of 2005 to account for less than half the market share they did in 2004. However, the original and mini iPods were costly and the shuffle was intended to make the iPod accessible to the mainstream audience.

By April 2005, the end of Apple's second fiscal quarter, the iPod shuffle had already proven itself to be a successful product for its manufacturer. Although Apple has chosen not to specify how many iPod shuffles were sold in the product's first three months of existence, analysts at Piper Jaffray estimated that 1.8 million of the 5.3 million iPods sold in the second quarter were shuffles. NPD estimates that the iPod shuffle captured 43% of the flash-based music player market in February of 2005, after only its second month of existence.By March of 2005 the iPod shuffle's market share had risen to 58%.

Chewing and eating Due to its small size (8.38 × 2.49 × 0.84 cm or 3.3 × 0.98 × 0.33 inches), Apple's web site declared iPod shuffle "smaller than a pack of gum and much more fun," with the footnote on its American web site: "Do not eat iPod shuffle." As of the September 29, 2005, the footnote has disappeared from the American website; it remains on several international sites, however.

The UK and Ireland site had a slightly reworded version: "Do not chew iPod shuffle," while some other versions of the site, such as the Canadian, French and German versions, made no mention of this. These warnings have since been removed.

Criticisms PC World was the first to report an issue with iPod shuffles inexplicably ceasing normal function, only to flash orange and green lights and become unmountable. However, there's not yet been official acknowledgement of the problem from Apple.

"Super Shuffle"

Luxpro's "Super Shuffle".In March of 2005 at the CeBIT trade show, a Taiwanese company named Luxpro released Super Shuffle , which is cosmetically strikingly similar to iPod shuffle. Luxpro also released promo shots and commercials identical to Apple's advertising campaign to promote their player, which includes a voice recorder and FM tuner and is slightly thicker. According to a few individual reports, Apple tried to prevent the Super Shuffle from being shown at the exhibit by forcing legal pressure on Luxpro. Since the CeBIT event several media sources have claimed that the demonstration of the Super Shuffle was a publicity stunt designed by Luxpro to "leverage the media attention created by Apple to their advantage." Engadget claims that Luxpro never intended to manufacture the iPod shuffle knock-off at all, but rather hoped that the attention from the Super Shuffle and the inevitable legal challenge to it from Apple would help sell the company's electronic circuitry for digital music players. Luxpro has since replaced its webpage on the Super Shuffle with a description of a new model, called the Super Tangent which is identical to the Super Shuffle except for a few cosmetic changes. Still, the Super Tangent created enough of a controversy that CNET Asia published a shootout between the iPod shuffle and its infamous copycat cousin.

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iPod Shuffle - A Peek Into The Future?

2007-10-11T00:49:00.000-07:00

Small is in when it is only 1.62 inches long and weighs only half an ounce - and lets face it - "small is in". With the whole purpose being to easily load it with an assortment of songs, it then plays them in a random order. The first iPod to use flash memory, the iPod shuffle weighs only 22 grams, or .78 ounces, while holding 240 songs in the 1GB version, or four minutes per song, with listening power of 12 continuous hours. Apple claims its iPod shuffle is "the biggest thing in small", available in 512 MB or 1 GB. The iPod shuffle is made to clip onto just about anything: coin pockets, purses, bags, or hats. In the world of digital electronics, it is the small size that matters the most anymore. And the iPod has the small market cornered in the mainstream market - more than any previous iPods.

The opposite side of the iPod shuffle is that it has several less features than the iPod - the trademark, scroll wheel, playlist management features, games, address book, calendar, notes capability of earlier iPods, the iPod shuffle cannot be used with iSync, its incapable of playing Apple Lossless and AIFF audio files. But it has a better bass sound quality than the larger pods. The iTune allows an iPod shuffle playlist to be viewed and changed while the unit is not connected, and when the unit is connected the next time, it can be updated with the changed playlist.

The question then becomes, why buy the shuffle with its limited disk space? The complaint against other iPod systems is the lack of durability, so you couldn't take it to the gym regularly and keep it for long, yet the consumers interested in the shuffle are those same type of people. Its advantage is its low price. The target for the iPod shuffle and the iPod mini was the lower-end market. Eventually, any heavy physical activity would decrease its usage, yet the price was low enough that a person could actually purchase another one if needed.

As the name suggests, the benefit of the shuffle is that every time you listen to it the songs you downloaded are played in a different order. There are ways to get around this if it is not a benefit you are excited about. For instance, you can set the play list on your computer before sending it to the iPod, but you cannot control the songs being played from the shuffle itself. Arguments against the shuffle stem from the "shuffle" feature itself, the fact that you cannot control the play list from the device itself like other iPod systems. However, the price and durability appear to be above average for "flash drive" players.

Shuffle seems to be a good fit for fast paced individuals who are on the move, and are physically active while listening to music on the go. With this sort of clientele, accessories that are available to keep the iPod shuffle on the go with its user is a case that protects it from the weather and elements, a shuffle dock that allows it to connect easier to the computer, decorative and protective sleeves, belt clips, AC and DC power plugs, earphones, and FM transmitters. The battery takes about 1 1/2 hours to charge 80%, while a full charge will take about 3 hours.

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iPod Pinpointed As Criminal Tool

2007-10-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like it has already happened when one high school student which has yet to be named was charged with felony. The investigators of the mentioned case said that this former student of Clay High School had hacked into the files of the school’s personnel as well as hacked the student files. All of the information that he was able to get his hands on was then downloaded into his iPod.

Of course, that is not quite right. The student, who was a junior, voluntarily withdrew himself from the school and he was also charged with unauthorized use of a computer. The iPod then became a criminal tool because the gadget was used as part of the crime. This is according to a statement given by Detective Janet Zale of the Oregon Police.

One good thing that happened also is that the vital pieces of information that the student had been able to download into his iPod was not shared with anybody else nor was it downloaded to any other electric gadget. This is as per the statement given by John Hall, the superintendent of Oregon City. He adds, "We contained [the information leak] to the school. That’s the good part of this story."

All the mess started for the student when he had gotten into an argument with another teenager in his school. This other student had accused the suspect of cheating. And because of this, the suspect threatened her that he would open up a credit card in her name and would ruin her credit rating. The student told about the incident and an officer of the school started an investigation.

It looked like that very day, another teacher had found the suspect and another student in front of a computer and were looking at the school’s personnel files. When asked, the student said that it was already there when they used the computer. The staff of the school then confiscated the iPod and found the information that was downloaded there.

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iPod Nano - Shall We Take A Deeper Look?

2007-10-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

As always, in the age of "consumer first" economics, Apple leads the way. The iPod nano is following along behind the footsteps of the original iPod, as Apple's fourth digital player. The iPod nano came out the same day the iPod mini was discontinued - September 7, 2005 - but is known for having combined features of the iPod shuffle and the original iPod in its new development. It only took nine months for the design development of the iPod nano to become effective, even though most media were aware it was coming. What they did not know was the iPod mini was being discontinued on that same day.

Where the iPod Photo and Video versions capture the deeper pockets, and iPod Shuffle takes in the shallow pockets, iPod Nano catches those who find themselves in the middle. Although its disk size isn't comparable to that of the iPod Photo or iPod Video, the iPod Nano does bring the tremendous features that makes the Apple iPod the industry leader. Picking up where the iPod Shuffle leaves off, the iPod Nano has a hard drive of 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB flash drives which holds up to 500 to 2,000 songs in a 128-Kbps AAC format, up to 25,000 iPod nano-viewable photographs, and stores data via the USB flash drive.

The iPod shuffle brought a lower price with the ability to listen to favorite music, but was lacking in the user-friendly features. For instance, with the iPod shuffle there was no control over the song that is being played - it was completely random. With the iPod nano, there is all the control needed like the bigger iPod systems, but without the disk space. It is smaller in disk size than the larger versions, but the iPod nano brings a sleek look and fee, roughly as thick as an ink pen or pencil. It is still slim and manageable like the iPod shuffle, so you can take it running or to the gym. The important thing to remember is that a person DOES have control over what they are listening to. The disadvantage of the iPod nano is much the same as that of the larger versions of the iPods - its durability. It can be taken to the gym or to run more than say the iPod Video or Photo, but does seem to fade out a little quicker than the iPod Shuffle. This is a problem that all electronic devices seem to have, but the more expensive the device the less the consumers are willing to put up with faults and glitches.

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iPod Music Downloads Tips

2007-10-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

iPod music downloads are easily accessible nowadays with so many sites offering online music downloads for our iPods. There are a handful of download sites in the market. So what’s the difference between all of them? Let’s go on a short tour to educate ourselves before we click for our next iPod music download.

There are mainly 3 types of iPod music download sites. All of them use a different business model. One group of them charges you for either per music download, or monthly subscription for a limited number of song or music downloads. Another group of them charges you a flat fee for lifetime access to unlimited iPod music download. The third group offers you music MP3 files for free. One quick glance and we may jump to the conclusion that free must be the best choice. The truth cannot be further from that as we unravel the neater details of each group, and compare them in terms of pricing, download speeds, security and protection in downloading and the selection of music files.

Monthly Subscription/Pay Per iPod Music Download Sites

Let’s identify some of these sites. The downloading speeds are at 128 to 192 kilobytes per second (kbps). iTunes, the main iPod music download site falls into this category of course. It costs $0.99 per track, $9.90-$13.99 per album. Other sites include eMusic, MusicMatch, Walmart etc which charge about slightly lesser than $1 per song download, $7-$15 per album and $15 monthly subscription. These music download sites offer catalogues of between 500,000 to 1.5 million iPod downloads. Downloading online music at these sites is secured, and you can be rest assured that it does not expose you to unnecessary viruses or adware attacks.

Free iPod Music Download Sites

You may already be familiar with some of the names of these iPod music download sites like Limewire, Kazaa and IMesh. There are no costs associated with downloading music MP3s from these file sharing networks for your iPod. There are millions of music files available for downloading. File sharing is not necessarily illegal if the piece of music you have downloaded is not copyrighted. Unfortunately, there is a shroud around the issue of legality at these file sharing networks. Downloading copyrighted iPod music is obviously against copyright laws. Anything else seems to be absolutely fine and safe. Put aside this legality issue, you have to worry about adware, spyware and harmful virus attacks when downloading from this site. If you do not have important documents in your computer, then it shouldn’t bother you too much. However, I would still advise you to get the best anti-virus and adware, spyware protection software to guard your PC. It’s simply not worth it to lose your whole computer’s data for the cheap thrill of free music.

Sites that offer Flat Fee for Lifetime Access to Unlimited iPod Music Downloads

These are the new kids on the block. For a one-time fee as low as $40 dollars or less, you get a lifetime membership to these iPod music download sites. There are no limitations on the number of music files or albums you want to download. Downloading music MP3s is straightforward as the user interface is dummy-proof and professional instruction tutorials are handed to you to guide you along. These sites understand the importance of IT security. You would receive a suite of anti-virus, spyware and adware protection software to ensure that your PC is like a fortress against these harmful elements. The fear of being exposed to viruses, adware and spyware is totally unfounded when accessing to iPod music downloads at these sites. However, you have to be careful as some sites are now masquerading as these flat-fee membership sites, promising to offer the sky but are of course unable to deliver the quality we would expect.

I hope that these tips are handy to you. To find out more about one-time membership sites, visit my blog which is packed with tips on what to look out for in a good download site and read a review of the top-performing sites for iPod music downloads today.

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.

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iPod Movie Conversion in Three Easy Minutes -- Watch Any Video on Your iPod!

2007-10-11T00:44:00.000-07:00

If you’re like many new Video iPod owners, you are excited about the idea of carrying your movie collection along with you wherever you go. The notion of being able to watch a movie while you’re sitting in the airport, riding on the subway or just hanging out is pretty darn cool. That’s why so many people rushed out to buy the Video iPod when Apple first launched it in October of 2005.

The problem is that it’s not so easy to transfer your existing movie collection over to your iPod when you first get it. Apple didn’t include any software with the iPod to rip your movies onto your Video iPod. If you want to watch something on your Video iPod when you first get it, you better either have a mpeg-4 file on your computer (some video cameras and camera phones will save videos in this format) or you will need to download a video from iTunes or some other iPod Video website. Not exactly what you had in mind when you bought your new Video iPod, huh?

Don’t worry; there are many solutions out there to assist you with transferring your existing movie collection to your iPod Video player.

In this article, we’re going to discuss different software products out there available to help you convert your existing movies to play on your Video iPod. A few of the more popular iPod Video converter software titles are produced by companies such as Lenogo, Cucusoft, Xilisoft and others.

To accomplish your task of converting your movies to play on your iPod, you’ll need to first download software from one of the companies we mentioned in the previous paragraph. For our example here, we’re going to go with Lenogo’s iPod Video Converter Suite. Here are the steps we took to convert a movie to iPod format in about three minutes:

1. We opened up Lenogo iPod Video Converter Suite on our computer and chose the video file we wanted to convert from our computer.

2. We clicked the “convert” button.

3. We saved the new file, which is in the iPod Video format called mpeg-4.

4. We used iTunes to upload our new video file to our iPod Video.

That’s it! It was really that simple. Of course, this process is different depending on which software title you choose to download. Some take a bit longer than others. Most, however, only take a few minutes to choose the video file you intend to convert and then run the program. Once you’re finished, you’ll be able to achieve your goal of carrying your movie collection along with you wherever you go!

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iPod Models

2007-10-11T00:42:00.000-07:00

1st Generation iPod

The 1st generation iPod is the first iPod model by Apple announced on October 23, 2001, the cost of the original iPod was $399 with a 5 GB hard drive. Critics panned the unit's price, but it proved an instant hit in the marketplace, quickly

overtaking earlier hard drive MP3 players such as the NOMAD Jukebox. In March 2002 Apple announced a 10 GB version priced at $499.

Apple designed a mechanical scroll wheel and outsourced the implementation and development to Synaptics, a firm which also developed the trackpad for Apple's PowerBooks.

The 1st generation iPod featured four buttons (Menu, Play/Pause, Back, and Forward) arranged

around the circumference of the scroll wheel, and one Select button in the center.

2nd Generation iPod

The 2nd generation iPod came in 10 GB and 20 GB capacities and was introduced on July 17, 2002, at Macworld, and the mechanical scroll wheel of the original was replaced with a touch-sensitive, non-mechanical one (manufactured by Synaptics), termed a "touch wheel".

Due to new Toshiba hard drives, the 20 GB iPod slightly exceeded its 1st generation counterpart in thickness and weight, while the 10 GB model was slimmer. It came with a carrying case and wired remote and it was the first one that was compatible with Windows.

In December 2002 Apple released 4 limited-edition, laser-engraved, autographed iPods from Beck, Tony Hawk, Madonna, and No Doubt. They sold for $50 over the normal retail price in each capacity until it was discontinued.

3rd Generation iPod

The 3rd generation iPod featured the four buttons above the touch wheel with "select" in the center and slightly smaller than its predecessors and was introduced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on April 28, 2003. They had more distinctively beveled edges and Apple produced 10 GB, 15 GB, 20 GB, 30 GB, and 40 GB versions.

These iPods use a 30-pin connector called the Dock Connector (longer and flatter than a FireWire connector). The iPod Dock came bundled with all but the least expensive iPod and also retailed separately. It featured touch-sensitive buttons located between the display and touch wheel. The new buttons featured red backlighting, allowing easier use in darkness.

The touch-sensitive buttons, which was built upon the touch-sensitive scroll wheel introduced in the 2nd generation iPod, makes it unique in that it has no external moving parts (other than the hold slider on the top of the unit) and is the only iPod that doesn't have its buttons surrounding the wheel.

Apple stopped shipping separate Mac and Windows versions of the unit and instead, all iPods were shipped with their hard drives formatted for Macintosh use; they included CD-ROM featuring a Windows utility which could be reformatted for use with a Windows PC.

4th Generation iPod

The 4th generation iPod integrated the four buttons into the scrollwheel and it's considered the model in

which sales greatly increased, thus starting the "iPod Craze". In the most obvious difference from its predecessors, the 4th generation iPod carries over the click-wheel design introduced on the iPod Mini and was introduced in July 2004.

Some users criticized the click wheel because it does not have the backlight that the 3rd generation iPod buttons had, but others noted that having the buttons on the compass points largely removed any need for backlighting.

Apple also claimed that updated software in the new iPod allows it to use the battery more efficiently and increase battery life to 12 hours.

Other minor changes included the addition of a "Shuffle Songs" option on the top-level menu to make it more convenient for users.

After many requests from users asking for these improvements to operate on earlier iPods as well, Apple on February 23, 2005, released a firmware update which brings the new menu items to 1st-3rd generation iPods.

Originally, the 4th generation iPod had a monochrome screen and no photo capabilities, like its predecessors. It came in 20 GB and 40 GB sizes.

In February 2005 Apple discontinued the 40 GB model and began solely selling a monochrome 20 GB version. The monochrome 4th generation iPod, slightly thinner (about one millimeter less) than the 3rd generation iPod, introduced the ability to charge the battery over a USB connection.

5th Generation iPod

The 5th generation iPod is often called the iPod video or the video iPod was released on October 12, 2005 and it's available in 30 GB and 60 GB capacity models. It has the ability to play MPEG-4 and H.264 video with resolutions of up to 480 x 480 (maximum macroblock (16x16 pixel) count of 900) and 320 x 240 (maximum macroblock (16x16 pixel) count of 300), respectively (videos purchased from the iTunes Music Store are limited to 320 x 240).

You can play widescreen resolutions up to 640x360 using MPEG-4 and 400 x 192 using H.264 (total macroblock count falls within the stated maximums).

5th generation models have a 65,536 colour (16-bit) screen, with a 320 x 240 QVGA transflective TFT display, and are able to display video on an external TV via the AV cable accessory, which plugs into the headphone minijack and splits into composite video and audio output connectors with RCA jacks.

It can also display video on an external TV using the iPod AV or S-video cables with the iPod Universal Dock. The dimensions are 103.5 x 61.8 x 11.0 mm for the 30 GB version, and 103.5 x 61.8 x 14.0 mm for the 60 GB version.

The screen size is now 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) diagonally, 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) larger than the previous iPod. It is 30% thinner than the previous full-size iPod. The battery life for the 30 GB is 14 hours and for the 60GB is around 20 hours. Watching movies reduces that amount to 2 and 3 hours respectively.

The click wheel design is the same as the previous generation, but is marginally smaller (1.5" diameter) than before. The new click wheel is completely flat, unlike older models where the center button is slightly rounded and raised.

Apple stopped producing iPods with the click wheels used in the 4th generation iPod and iPod Mini from their previous supplier, Synaptics, and now use an in-house solution.

Like the iPod Nano, the 5th generation iPod comes in two colors, white and black, and it features the World Clock, Stopwatch, and Screen Lock applications.

In addition, the earphone plug is smaller and comes with a thin slip case, most likely in response to many complaints concerning the iPod Nano's easily-scratched surface.

Apple also discontinued the inclusion of an AC adapter and FireWire cable and you must purchase these item separately in order to charge the iPod from a household outlet, or use an external, powered USB hub.

The 5th generation iPod no longer supports file transfers via FireWire, but still supports charging using FireWire. This is most likely due to the increased popularity of Hi-Speed USB 2.0 in the consumer market as well as decreasing manufacturing component costs by lowering the complexity of the circuit boards and removing unnecessary accessories.

http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/iPod-Models/51425

iPod Capabilities

2007-10-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

Software

iPod Capabilities include playing:

1. MP3 audio file formats.

2. WAV audio file formats.

3.M4A / AAC LC audio file formats.

4. Protected AAC audio file formats.

5. AIFF audio file formats.

6. Audible audiobook audio file formats and

7. Apple Lossless audio file formats.

iPod capabilities of the 5th generation version plays .m4v and .mp4 MPEG-4 video file formats.

Microsoft Windows version of iTunes can transcode regular non copy-protected WMA files to an iPod supported format. WMA files with copy protection cannot be played in iTunes or be copied to an iPod.

What I do not like about the iPod is the inability to play some other formats, in particular the Ogg Vorbis and FLAC formats. MIDI files cannot be played on iPods as well, but can be converted into a compatible audio file format by choosing the "advanced" menu on iTunes.

Apple has designed the iPod to work with the iTunes media library software, which lets you manage your music libraries on your computer and on your iPod. iTunes can automatically synchronize your iPod with specific playlists or with the entire contents of a music library each time you connect your iPod to a host computer.

You can also set a rating (out of 5 stars) on any song, and can synchronize that information to an iTunes music library. iTunes lacks the ability to transfer songs from iPod to computer because of legality issues.

However, several third-party programs exist that provide music synchronization facilities similar to iTunes, but also offer the ability to copy music from iPod back to your host computer. Notable examples include vPod and the Ml iPod plugin for Winamp.

iTunes Music Store

The iTunes Music Store (iTMS) is an online music store run by Apple and accessed via iTunes. It was introduced on 28 April, 2003 and sells individual songs relatively easily and cheaply (e.g. 0.99 USD, 0.99 Euro, 0.79 GBP).

iPod's are the only portable music player that can play the purchased music, and this exclusiveness has

helped the store become the dominant online music service.

The purchased audio files use the AAC format with added encryption. The encryption is based on FairPlay Digital Rights Management (DRM) system. Up to five authorized computers and an unlimited amount of iPods can play the files.

Burning the files onto an audio CD removes the Digital Rights Management (DRM), at a cost of reduced quality when re-compressed from one lossy format to another.

iPods cannot play music files encrypted with other rival Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies,

such as Microsoft's protected WMA or RealNetworks' Helix-DRM.

Hardware

iPod capabilities was to connect it to a user's computer to update songs and recharge its battery solely through FireWire originally. It could also be charged by connecting it to a small power adapter which are shipped for free with several of the first generation iPod’s.

The now standard dock connector was not added until the 3rd generation in April 2003, allowing users

the option of using FireWire or USB to make data transfers, although the device could still not be charged by USB and the USB cable was not included.

Most PC's don't have FireWire ports so this move effectively opened the Windows market to iPod, although USB only Windows users had to keep their FireWire cables to plug into the wall adapter.

The dock connector also made it possible to transfer data, sound, and power back and forth to iPod accesories, which created an explosive market of devices that has been extremely profitable for third parties such as Belkin and Griffin. The resulting myriad of connecting devices is still one of iPod's greatest strengths over its competititors.

iPod capabilities of the 4th generation version could be charged with USB, and eventually Apple started shipping iPods with USB cables instead of one's with FireWire. Many Macs shipped before 2004 had only USB 1.1, which has a transfer speed of 11 Mbit/s, as opposed to FireWire's 400 and USB 2.0's 480.

Although none of these actually transfers at these exact rates, USB 1.1 is much slower than the other two, and for some USB 1.1 may simply be unusable for transferring music collections to fill a 40 GB iPod. Later introductions has continued to lessen iPod's reliance on FireWire.

iPod Shuffle, released in January 2005, plugs directly into a USB port, without a dock connector and has no Firewire support. The iPod Nano, released in September 2005, uses a dock connector that allows a FireWire cable to be plugged in to charge the device, but not to transfer data. With the 5th generation iPod, Apple dropped all support for data transfer over Firewire to any model iPod.

Like the Nano, the 5th generation iPod's dock connector will accept a FireWire cable and can draw power from it, but only the USB connection, not the one with FireWire, will support data transfer - a message stating this appears on the iPod screen.

This has drawn some criticism from the Mac community, since FireWire has been a standard feature on Apple Macs for many years, while USB 2.0 support was only added in October 2003.

The first three generations of iPod used two ARM 7TDMI-derived CPUs running at 90 MHz, while later models have variable speed chips which run at a peak of 80 MHz to save battery life.

The iPod use 1.8 inch (46 mm) ATA hard drives (with a proprietary connector) made by Toshiba and the iPod Mini uses one-inch Compact Flash microdrive hard drives made by Hitachi. It has a 32 MiB flash ROM chip which contains a bootloader, a program that tells the device to load the operating system from another medium (in this case, the hard drive).

All iPods, except for the 60 GB 5th generation version, has 32 MiB of RAM, a portion of which holds the OS loaded from the firmware and the vast majority of which serves to cache songs loaded from the hard drive.

For example, an iPod could spin the hard disk up once and copy about 30 MiB of upcoming songs on a playlist into RAM, thus saving power by not having the drive spin up for each song. (The 60 GB fifth-generation iPod holds 64 MiB of RAM, to further extend battery life.)

iPod was originally introduced with a black and white display but no current model uses one. iPod Photo (an addition to the functionality of the 4th generation iPod released in late 2004) introduced a color screen, while iPod shuffle (released January 2005) has no screen at all.

When iPod Mini was replaced with iPod Nano it received a colour screen (and photo capabilty) and starting with the 5th generation all full size iPods have color screens and photo capability.

http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/iPod-Capabilities/4200320092003250259

iPod and iTunes - Friends or Foes?

2007-10-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

Despite how user friendly iTunes is, it can nonetheless prove a real threat to the music collection stored on your iPod. Before saying anything else, rest assured that there are steps you can take to essentially eliminate this risk, but if you keep the default iTunes settings, the risk will remain.

The first impression iTunes gives is that of a very simple and easy to use software to buy music online. It also servers as a library with a huge amount of music data as well as the primary application through which you manage you iPod. Before that slick interface, however, lies cutting-edge encryption, authentication and digital rights management technology (DRM) that tries to make sure that what you download and play on your iPod is actually paid for!

Apart from Apple's own DRM restrictions, iTunes seems to do everything in it's power to make sure you loose your music collection. Here is a list of dangerous iTunes behaviors and settings.

Automation

Even if you are a complete beginner using PCs or an iPod, you should never, ever allow for automatic synchronization between your iTunes' music library and the library stored on your iPod. You see, an iPod can only be tied to a single iTunes library, at least in terms of synchronization. Hence, if you connect your iPod to a friend's computer (or vice versa) and iTunes starts synchronizing the two libraries, all content on the iPod will be lost! To avoid that, go to Edit - Preferences - iPod and select Manual Synchronization.

iPod is not a Backup

Many people think that their iPod also acts as a back-up of their music collection. Guess again. Data transfer always happens from your computer to your iPod and not the other way around. So, in the unfortunate event that you computer's hard disk fails and you loose your iTunes library, you can't restore your tracks from an iPod.

3rd Party Solutions

Lucky for us, the huge user base of iPod and iTunes as well as the flexible design of the iPod's operating system have allowed for the creation of 3rd party programs that can help you better manage your iPod music library. SharePod, for example, is a very simple end easy to use application that allows you to transfer songs from your iPod to your PC (and vice versa), manage your iPod playlists, share your iPod tracks across a network and much more. Anapod explorer is a similar application that also allows you to manage photos, notes and contacts, as well as convert music tracks to different file formats.

http://www.content.onlypunjab.com/Article/iPod-and-iTunes---Friends-or-Foes-/4200320092003334634

Reviewing The Latest iPod Video

2007-10-10T02:27:00.001-07:00

The new iPod video has stirred a lot of reactions, a lot of reviews, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of its utility, quality and features. These reviews are important especially because of the fact that the new iPod video was launched without a serious study of the market, of the customer’s tastes and wishes. From this point of view this is a daring initiative and a great step in the video development.

The reviews usually point out the amazement and the great success concerning the new iPod video, but also highlight some aspects that may contribute to its improvement. For example, the great advantage of connecting the iPod video to the TV set and playing the videos on it is well-received. But on the other hand, the fact that the iPod video cannot be connected to the computer is seen as a disadvantage. The transfer from iPod to computer is not possible and this fact may be a suggestion for the designers and creators of the iPod video.

Some customers are in love with this device because of the possibility of watching the favorite TV shows and ABC hits like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” even in the road. The stress of loosing the relaxing TV show or film may be very unpleasant especially in the case of difficult days at work. Therefore, the possibility of watching them on an iPod video is an excellent idea. Besides, the iPod video matches the crazy contemporary lifestyle, giving the opportunity of checking the e-mail, of finding out the time in other cities very useful especially in the case of people that travel a lot.

Satisfaction and pleasant remarks are the main notes for the new iPod video, as it is really a great product. The fact that it has more features, more quality, longer battery life and smaller dimensions, thinner display is enjoyed a lot. A small disadvantage, compared to the great new benefits, is the fact that the images, photos from the iPod video transferred to the TV set are too bright, although very clear and nice.

Another great advantage is the fact that the customers may listen to the music over 14 hours (it depends on the model). But the reviews point out a disadvantage – the fact that the video playback time is only 2 hours. Another disadvantage is the fact that the iTunes from the iTunes Music Store are too expensive, but taking into account the great quality of the sound this may not be such a great disadvantage. Besides, the equalizer may be set for a better quality sound.

Some other reviews highlight the fact that the screen quality is clear and maybe clearer than of the most TV sets. This aspect may be put together with the fact that the screen is better and bigger although the display is smaller and thinner.

A special attention may be paid to the fact that, as in other cases, some defect items may be in sale, but it may be exchanged within 14 days. Another disadvantage that completes the fact that the iPod video cannot be connected to the computer is that it doesn’t work well with wireless FM transmitters. This problem may be also managed with a cassette adapter for the iPod so that it would work great.

Unresponsiveness and freezing video images are other problems mentioned in the user reviews. Hardware problems and the low quality of some songs may be other possible problems according to the reviews of the customers. These aspects seem to point out the fact that this technology is not mature enough and the new iPod video is from some point of view an experiment and a way of testing the market.

Anyway, the fact that the new iPod video has reduced dimensions and may fit any pocket. Besides, the high resolution and the great quality of the songs are exclusive advantages and are mentioned by the customers with joy and satisfaction.

http://www.videoipods.ws/Reviewing-The-Latest-iPod-Video.html

You Gotta Love iPod's Covers!

2007-10-10T02:25:00.000-07:00

With the release of iPod in 2001, third party manufacturers of iPod covers and cases had sprouted, offering iPod covers in various colors for first to fifth generations of iPods, the iPod mini and the iPod nano, and the iPod shuffle.

iPod covers are created to protect or shelter the ultra sleek iPods from dust, dirt and scratches. Most iPod users buy iPod covers to protect the iPod skin that they have dressed on for their iPods.

-FABRIC iPOD COVERS

iPod covers are usually made from cotton fabric. It may be stitched like a pouch bag or a slip on. Some third party manufactureres create plastic iPod covers, but this kind of iPod cover is not very popular.

Although iPod covers are not necessarily needed, most iPod users buy iPod covers to look fashionable with the colorful designs of their iPods.

iPod covers made from fabric are washable and reusable.

1. Pouch iPod covers

Pouch iPod covers are usually made from cotton fabric. The added tie (to create a pouch) serves like a lanyard so you can slip it on your wrists whenever you are in the move.

2. Slip on iPod covers

Slip on iPod covers may come with embroidery or printed image of your favorite character in a movie or a book or even of your own face.

Lucas online arts store has some sets of Star Wars slip on iPod covers with an imprint of faces of Princess Leia, Luke Sky Walker, Darth Vader, Hans Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi and the robots. iPod covers containing scenes or faces in movies like Pirates of the Carribean or the iconic head of Hello Kitty, are offered also in the net either as hard plastic iPod cover or fabric slip on iPod cover.

3. Innovative iPod covers

Some designers offer innovative iPod covers. Like the handmade iPod cover muffs from Australia which is made from printe polyester canvas with a matching foam and polar fleece inside to keep the iPod in place.

But the most innovated iPod covers are baby's socks. These iPod covers are very cute to look at. They are offered in bold colors that is so striking to look at. These iPod covers are made from yarn knits and are also washable.

METALLIC IPOD COVERS

For those who wants to look techie and very modern, the metal iPod covers fit you perfectly.

Metallic iPod covers are made of aluminum, with grade of that anodized aircraft, and have designs and sizes to fit first to fifth generations of iPod and also the mini, nano and shuffle lines.

These metallic iPod covers are lighweight, and scratch-resistant, which means your iPod unit is not only protected inside, but the protective metallic iPod cover is also protected from scratches and could last for a longer time than washable iPod covers.

A lining called Neoprene holds the iPod securely in place and likewis cushions it from sudden impact.

Metallic iPod covers have cut outs to give way for dock connector pork, headphone jacks, click wheel and the hold switch, so the iPod is fully functional even though it is encased in the metallic iPod cover.

Metallic iPod covers are priced slightly higher than the fabric iPod covers. Some says that the high price is worthy considering that metallic iPod covers could last at least 100 times compared to fabric iPod covers.

LEATHER iPOD COVERS

For those who wish to have an elegant cover for their iPod, they should look out for fine-grain leather iPod covers.

Leather iPod covers are offered in cool tones. They have heavy-duty stitching around the edges to ensure protection for your iPod. It comes with a detachable, rotating belt clip or lanyard.

Apple, in 2006, came up with their own line of iPod covers. Apple's iPod covers are made from italian, fine-grain leather, and are clearly aimed for the high-end market. Apple's leather iPod covers has cutout to give access to to important features of the iPod such as the ports for the dock connector and the headphones, and also the click wheel.

Leather iPod covers are costly. They are priced more than half of the price of polyester or fabric made pouch, slip on or baby socks iPod covers.

http://www.videoipods.ws/You-Gotta-Love-iPods-Covers.html

How to turn an iPod into a Remote Control

2007-10-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

The Apple Ipod

Users of the Apple iPod could not get enough of the music experience. These are some of the features of the Apple iPod that makes it so attractive to music lovers and techies:

1. The Apple iPod have so much space available of up to forty gigabytes that it can store up to about five thousand songs.
2. The Apple iPod also comes with the ergonomically designed Click Wheel wherein you can do fast forward, play, reverse, pause and access the menu with ease.
4. The Apple iPod can be used up to 12 hours non-stop due to its long life battery.
5. The Apple iPod was also designed in such a way that you would have the ability to set up your own play list and it also has a shuffle function to introduce randomness during playing.

iPod Hacks

Through the years, however, the Apple iPod has been modified by techies by using iPod hacks, bent on providing more power to the user in terms of customization and personalization of their Apple iPod.

Strictly speaking, iPod hacks are anything that gives changes to your iPod in terms of appearance, either in terms of software or hardware. Various firmwares that provides iPod hacks, are available on the Internet websites like the iPodWizard that is capable of changing the graphic and text of the Apple iPod.

Some users of the Apple iPod are already content with their iPod simplying playing music, however, some people use iPod hacks because they seem to want more.

Turning an iPod into a Universal Remote

Latest technology capabilities have provided a user power to modify his Apple iPod. These iPod hacks can even transform a normal Apple iPod into a universal remote.

The Apple ipod can be used to control any home electronic equipment in your house. It can control your television, DVD player, Media Center, even a robot. This is the power of iPod hacks.

Simply put, you can use a Pocket PC to possibly record the waves an infrared remote produces. Transfer these waves to your iPod and start changing your TV channels. You now have a new universal remote control.

The following are required before starting this example project of iPod hacks:

1. An Apple iPod
2. A Mac or Personal Computer with a sound recording software installed.
3. A Pocket PC, could be a Pocket PC 2002 or 2003.
4. A total remote software and IR device

The following procedure guides you through changing your iPod into a remote control using iPod hacks:

1. The most important element in this iPod hacks project is the sound or wave to infrared converter.

First, install the total remote software on the MAC or PC. This software is meant to extend the range of the Pocket PC to include consumer IR capabilities.

2. Record the infrared signal by using a sound-editing program that can modify sounds and remove channels. An example of such sound-editing program is the SoundForge.

Input the infrared signals from your remotes to the PC by using the software. Input all infrared signals of the home electronic equipment that you want to control.

You can observe if you have recorded the sound effectively if you'll hear weird beeps or pulses. This is basically what an infrared signal would sound like. Using the SoundForge, you can actually view the pulses and signals on a graphic representation of the wave.

Do not forget to increase the right channel. Then mute it. The process through the IR device would not function properly if you missed this important step.

3. Convert the signals into sound files (actually saved as WAV files).

4. On the Apple iPod, make a new playlist and add the WAV files to the playlist.

5. Now, you can test the new universal remote. Use the Apple iPod to play the sounds through the converter for remote controlling any home electronic equipment.

This basic example of iPod hacks is obviously very easy to understand. Softwares are already available that users can use to modify their Apple iPods.

iPod hacks are still, however, very risky with regards to its effects on your iPod device. Unless handled by a professional technician, the Apple iPod could malfunction if the modification is not right.

http://www.videoipods.ws/How-to-turn-an-iPod-into-a-Remote-Control.html