Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by Dan Knight
- 2005.05.20
This Week's iPod News
PowerBook,
iBook, iPod, and other portable computing is covered in The 'Book Review, and general Apple
and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review.
News and Comment
Tips
Products and Services
News and Comment
Bad Idea: iPod in Washing Machine
iPod
Hacks reports:
"Go figure, eh? An Australian teen left his iPod in the clothing
hamper and it ended up in the wash. Not surprisingly, it did not
function when it came out. In an apparent attempt to fix the unit,
the boy tried to pry it open with a screwdriver, at which point the
iPod exploded ('or more of a pop'), leaving a burn mark on the
cover and emitting fumes. The boy was treated by paramedics for
minor breathing difficulties after ingestng the fumes."
UK Threatened with iPod Tax
Macworld
UK reports:
"Members of the UK music business are said to have given support
to an iPod tax - a copyright levy that would be added to the price
of every MP3 player sold, based on the assumption that some music
on the device has not been paid for....
"The revenue gained from the levy would be passed on to music
authors and rights holders.
"Some criticise the move, suggesting that this means music
purchased legally is being bought twice. There is also a suggestion
that by adding the tax to MP3 players, the music industry would be
monetizing P2P trading and legitimizing the piracy."
iPod to Connect with Xbox 360?
BetaNews's
Nate Mook reports:
"Microsoft may be battling the iPod on the digital music front,
but on the gaming side Redmond has embraced its Apple rival. The
Xbox 360 will enable users to connect a portable music player,
including an iPod, to the system and browse or play back music
through the console's interface while watching 50
visualizations."
Xbox 360 Could Be Compatible with
Apple's iPod
Forbes reports:
Goldman Sachs said Microsoft hinted that its upcoming Xbox 360
gaming console may be able to connect with competitor products such
as the PSP from Sony and the iPod from Apple Computer. Goldman
said, 'Microsoft also emphasized that networking and multiplayer
interactive capability of Xbox 360, offering a free base layer
version of [online gaming] Xbox Live (Silver version) free of
charge to all Xbox 360 users.'"
Second iPod Manufacturer Up and Running
Apple blog's
Ina Fried reports:
"While Taiwanese contract manufacturers Inventec continues to
crank out the bulk of all of Apple's hard drive-based iPods, a
second company has joined the fray.
"Confirmation came this week via chipmaker PortalPlayer's
quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In
the document, the company notes that it is now shipping chips to a
second, unnamed manufacturer that is building products for
Apple."
Small California Company Aims Big with iPod
Add-on
The Daily Yomiuri reports:
"Macintosh product maker Sonnet Technologies Inc. has kept the
faith with Apple Computer Inc. through good times and bad.
"With the iPod now taking Apple's profits into the stratosphere,
the 50-employee firm is hoping to hitch a ride to the big time.
"After serving the Macintosh community by offering processor
upgrade products for nearly two decades, the Irvine, Calif.-based
company aims to carve out a niche in the consumer electronics
market.
"Sonnet's new pursuit started last year when it added a new
product, PodFreq, to its lineup. PodFreq, which transmits FM
frequencies, is an add-on device for the hugely popular iPod
digital music player."
Tips
50 Fun Things to Do with Your iPod
kottke.org
says:
"In the four years since its introduction, the iPod has proven
to be a versatile little device. Despite a relatively closed
architecture, hackers have found their way in. Content creators and
software makers put information at your fingertips when you're on
the go. Would-be designers have added to the fashionable stylings
of the now-ubiquitous white ear buds. Hardware makers and
enthusiasts have augmented the iPod with new add-on gadgets. Here
are a few dozen things you can do with your iPod besides listen to
music."
How to Determine if You Have an Apple or
HP iPod
A new Apple
Knowledge Base Article says:
'Learn how to determine if you have an Apple iPod + HP sold by
Hewlett-Packard (HP). HP began selling a version of iPod in
September, 2004.
Note: HP, not Apple, provides support and service for
Hewlett-Packard iPods.
You have an Apple iPod + HP if it has an HP logo on the
back...."
-36 error when Syncing iPod in iTunes
An updated Apple
Knowledge Base article says:
"When you sync your iPod with iTunes, iTunes may display an
error message that reads, 'An unknown error has occurred (-36).'
This can happen with any iPod.
"-36 errors can occur anytime iTunes can't write information to
the iPod. Here are some things that can cause this."
Reviews
Products and Services
PodUtil 2.6 Music Copier and Playlist
Rebuilder
PR: PodUtil
is an easy-to-use utility for viewing the songs on your iPod and
copying them in a customisable organised manner to your computer,
and will automatically add them to iTunes and rebuild your
playlists if you wish.
PodUtil is compatible with Mac OS 9.x, Mac OS X, Windows 2000
and Windows XP.
Scanning
Once your iPod has been scanned by PodUtil (takes ~5-10 seconds)
all your music will be presented to you in an easy-to-navigate
list. Want to preview a song? Just double-click it and it'll play
immediately, allowing you to scrub through the song to find out if
it's really the song you want.
On the left of the main window, you'll see a list of all the
playlists on your iPod. You can use this to just copy a specific
playlist, or just view your music exactly as you like it. Want more
information on a song? Just select it and choose "Get Info..." from
the file menu, and it's all there.
Copying
Once you have browsed your music collection, PodUtil will copy
it to your hard drive, organising it as it goes. In basic mode, you
can organise by Artist, Album, both, or not at all. In advanced
mode, you can organise your music by anything at all, and you can
rename your music files in the process, based on song ID tags. Say
goodbye to cryptic file names.
New in version 2.5, PodUtil can add your files back to iTunes
and even rebuild all your playlists. This is all automatic, and
works on Windows and Mac versions of iTunes as long as you have
iTunes 4.5 or higher installed!
Graphical Feedback
Copying several gigabytes of music takes quite a while on any
computer, and PodUtil gives you visual feedback on how it's doing.
When a copy operation begins the main music list shows you all the
music that will be copied, as well a small icon telling you the
status of each song. Below this list, a progress area details how
many songs will be copied and how many have already been done.
On Mac OS X, a progress bar appears in PodUtil's dock icon, so
you can tell how it's doing whithout even interrupting your work
flow.
Windows
PodUtil works just as well on Windows as it does on the Mac.
However, for song previews to work you'll have to download the free
Quicktime. Don't be fooled by all the Mac screenshots here - we
just made this page on a Mac. PodUtil for Windows works just the
same as the Mac version, and the interface is almost identical.
Just greyer.
Due to the similarities of the Mac and PC versions, all
documentation on PodUtil covers both Mac and PC versions. If you
see a Mac screenshot, you can be sure that the PC counterpart will
be the same.
New in this version:
New Features
- Should PodUtil ever crash, a bug reporter kicks in and allows
you to report what was happening and can *sometimes* recover from
the problem.
- There is now a "Mark All" button in the errors window that
allows you to easily mark any songs that failed to copy.
- You can now pause/resume copies. This allows you to disconnect
an iPod halfway through copying for charging, etc.
- If your iPod is disconnected, runs out of battery power or
otherwise disappears, PodUtil will now display a window and wait
until you reconnect it rather than quitting straight away. While it
is waiting, you have the option to quit. Doesn't work while copying
is in progress, but does when it is paused.
- PodUtil now saves text typed into the Copy Settings
window.
- [Mac] You can now copy individual songs to your computer by
dragging from PodUtil's music list to a Finder window/desktop.
- When encountering duplicate songs when copying, the box asking
what PodUtil should do now has a "Remember Choice" checkbox, which
will prevent the box from appearing again.
- Added iPod Shuffle to iPod Type menu in prefs.
Bug Fixes/Improvements
- The duplicate songs dialog is no longer extremely long and thin
on Windows.
- When an error is encountered, PodUtil no longer marks all
subsequent songs as errors as well.
- Fixed copy errors caused by songs with whitespace at the end of
their Title/Artist/Album tags.
- Fixed copy errors due to certain characters in file names.
- Improvements to the registration process.
- Improved "Check for Updates" window.
- Interface improvements.
- [Mac] Confirmed compatibility with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger).
- [Windows] iPod auto-detect now works properly, and the "iPod
location" preference has been removed.
System requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.1 or higher
- iPod
PodUtil is £10 shareware.
iPod.iTunes Now Compatible with
Tiger
PR: Unlike other iPod copy tools, iPod.iTunes
checks which iPod tracks or playlists are not in the iTunes music
library and only adds those seamlessly into the iTunes library.
iPod.iTunes can also transfer song rating, date played and play
count.
iPod.iTunes can be used to
- Keep music and playlists on different Macs up to date
- Do a full restore of tracks and playlists - i.e. after a hard
disk failure
- Revert accident deletion of tracks and/or playlists, if these
are still on your iPod
- Clone an iPod
- Transfer an entire music library from one Mac to another via
the iPod
Tracks and playlist entries can be synchronized together or
separately. If the tracks on the iPod are already in the iTunes
library and you only want the iPod playlists, you can use the
playlist synchronization alone.
For every track synchronization iPod.iTunes creates a
date&time stamped iTunes playlist containing the tracks which
were transferred. This gives the option to easily add those tracks
to existing playlists or to create new playlists from the
transferred tracks.
New in this version: Compatibility for Mac OS 10.4.1
"Tiger".
Requirements
iPod.iTunes 2.8.3 supports:
- Mac OS 10.2 up to 10.4.1
- iTunes 3.0.1 up to 4.8
- Mac/PC-formatted iPod with firmware 1.0 up to 4.1. Does
currently not work with the iPod shuffle.
iPod2iTunes 1.8.1 supports:
- Mac OS 10.1.2 up to 10.1.5
- iTunes 2.0.4 up to 3.0.1
- Mac-formatted iPod with firmware 1.0 up to 1.2.2. Does not work
with the iPod shuffle.
iPod.iTunes is shareware.
iDiddy: Wearable, Tangle Free iPod Now
Realized
PR: Pacific Rim Marketing has announced a new line of
iDiddys, the marriage
of fashion and technology combined into the first integrated
earbud, lanyard (iLanyard), and leather case combination for the
complete Apple iPod product line.
In development and user testing for over five months, the
iDiddy is a "Wearable and Tangle Free" integrated iLanyard and
leather case combination for the complete range of Appleís
currently shipping iPod product line. They are in production and
scheduled to ship to customers the end of May. The iDiddys are
available in three colors, Onyx, Mocha and Snow.
These new and unique products are the first of their kind to be
offered for Apple's complete and currently shipping iPod product
line, including the Shuffle, iPod mini, iPod 20 gigabyte, the new
iPod photo 30 gigabyte and the Apple iPod from H.P.. These products
represent the state of the art in lanyard technology, completely
integrating the earbuds into a synthetic leather iLanyard. When not
in use, each individual earbud slides into a clip on the iLanyard
to prevent tangles. In addition the iLanyard is adjustable to
accommodate the differences in height of each individual
wearer.
The earbuds that are integrated into the adjustable neck lanyard
are quality products that are sold on an OEM basis to a number of
"brand name" companies that offer earbuds with their well know MP3
and CD player, and cell phone products as well as in "branded"
standalone aftermarket packaging.
The cases that attach to the iLanyard are dyed leather calfskin,
sewn, hand finished and produced to exacting standards that you
would expect from a quality leather accessory company. The hardware
accessories that attach the case to the iLanyard are made of
rhodium or gold plated jewelry grade brass that have each been
designed and molded to perfectly match the attachment roll on the
leather cases. The lightweight one touch clip that is used to
lengthen or shorten the lanyard length is constructed of molded
APS, and is plated with either Rhodium or 16K gold coordinated to
the iLanyard.
Equally fashionable on Bourbon Street or Wall Street, the iDiddy
has is designed to be worn with t-shirts or business suits. For
those times when you would like to "hide" your iPod, the iLanyard
is long enough to allow you to place your iPod in your shirt or
jacket pocket, without having to remove the earbuds from your
ears.
iDiddys are priced as follows:
- Shuffle: U.S.$ 49.95
- iPod mini: U.S.$ 59.95
- iPod 20 Gig and iPod photo: U.S.$ 69.95
- 3G iPod 20 Gig U.S.$ 69.95
PodFreq Black Desgined for iPod U2 Special
Edition
PR: Cut the wires - Sonnet's PodFreq
wirelessly broadcasts your iPod's tunes to any nearby FM radio.
Find a frequency on the FM dial with no stations, select the same
frequency on PodFreq, and play your music - it's that simple. How
does it sound? Superb. PodFreq's advanced audio design ensures
superior music quality.
Operating the PodFreq
could not be easier. There's no need to plug in cables, no software
to install - just turn on your iPod and PodFreq, extend the
antenna, and you're ready to Freq! Once you've tuned your radio and
PodFreq to the same frequency, press play on your iPod and crank up
the volume on your radio - share your music library without passing
around the earbuds!
PodFreq's sound quality is a cut above the rest. Its smooth,
extended frequency response and high signal to noise are achieved
through the use of premium quality components designed specifically
for FM music transmission. While other manufacturers' products are
designed around parts made for wireless microphones, PodFreq is
designed to be the best sounding FM transmitter available.
PodFreq requires no batteries and uses a very small amount of
power from your iPod. Its durable latching case (with built-in
swiveling stand) protects your iPod while leaving its controls
accessible.
- Antenna - Telescoping, 8.6" (21.8 cm) when fully extended
- Power Requirements - No batteries or power cables; powered by
the iPod
- Frequency Modulation - 88.3 to 107.7 MHz
- Tuning Type - Digital tuning, tunes in 0.1 MHz steps, last
station recall
- Stereo Separation - Greater than 40dB
- Auto Level Control - Built-in to prevent sound distortion
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio - Greater than 45dB (Stereo) 15 kHz
LPF
- Modulation Distortion - Less than 0.5%
- Transmitter Range - 10-35 feet (30-10.7 m), depending on FM
receiver/antenna
- Frequency Response - 50 Hz to 15 kHz
- Ports - 6-Pin FireWire and mini-USB 2.0
- Dimension - 2.87"x5.46"x1.35" (7.3 x 13.9 x 3.4 cm)
- Warranty - 1-year limited warranty -
What's Included
- PodFreq Premium FM transmitter
- Built-in dock substitute (FireWire/mini-USB 2.0 ports)
- Soft Carrying Pouch
- Car Charger - Works with any standard +12V cigarette
lighter/auxillary power socket; plugs into PodFreq's FireWire®
port to charge the iPod.
- User's Guide
Digital Display
PodFreq's digital display is visible at a glance, so you don't
have to fumble around in menus trying to find which frequency
you've selected. With a few simple click of the frequency buttons
you can select an optimal frequency in increments from 88.3 to
107.7 MHz.
PortsDock Substitute
Since PodFreq connects to your iPod through the dock connector,
we decided to add FireWire and mini-USB 2.0 ports to PodFreq's case
- you can charge and sync your iPod right inside it. No messing
around with additional cables or docks. Everything is
self-contained. Sync and transfer music and files and/or charge
your iPod without removing it from PodFreq (FireWire or mini-USB
2.0 cable required, sold separately).
Accessible Jacks
PodFreq doesn't connect to the headphone jack, so we made the
headphone jack accessible - you can plug in for private listening
at any time. PodFreq will also continue broadcasting to a selected
FM frequency for those looking to hear your tunes.
MSRP: $99.95
Wireless Remote and Cradle Bundle
PR: The wireless remote and cradle bundle is a great
addition to your home stereo.
iCradle for iPod is an innovative cradle that allows
Mini iPod, 3G ipod (10, 15 and 20 gig) and 4G (20gig) to dock and
to transfer data seamlessly. The cradle has a USB 2.0 connection,
E1394 Firewire connection and an audio jack on the back of the
cradle.
The docking station is an convenient way to make syncing and
charging your iPod or iPod mini easier than ever.
Simply set your iPod or iPod mini on the docking station and
connect it to your home theater or system or for privacy use your
headphones. You can now showcase your iPod at your party without
ever worrying about connecting to your speakers.
Supports all iPods and iPod minis with docking connection
(except 30GB & 40GB versions).
Free USB 2.0 cable included AND Firewire
- Unit charges and Syncs all iPod minis through USB and
Firewire
- Cradle charges and syncs all compatible iPods through Firewire.
Cradle Syncs all compatible iPods through USB
Main Features of the Wireless Remote
- 150+ ft RF Control Range
- Signal travels around corners and through walls
- Water Resistant Remote
- User Friendly Design
- Lifetime Warranty on Remote!
- 5 Button / 9 Function Remote
- Receiver
- Universal Audio Cable for Home Stereo Hook Up
- Belt Clip for Remote
Remote Functions
- Volume up / Volume down
- Fast Forward / Fast reverse
- Advance / Previous track
- Play / Pause / Sleep
Additional Remote features
- Lithium Batteries (seven year life span)
- Recessed Remote Buttons to avoid accidental triggering when in
pocket
- FCC Approved
- iPod photo
- 4th Generation iPod with Click Wheel
- 3rd Generation iPod with touch wheel and buttons
Add a Cube Travel Speaker to your bundle for $34.99 (regular
$39.99).
Take Your iPod Underwater
BetaNews'
Ed Oswald reports:
"On Tuesday H2O
Audio announced the first commercially available waterproof
case for full-size iPods. The company says the product is
completely submersible - meaning surfers, water skiers and swimmers
can listen to their iPod, even underwater. The case comes with
specially designed earphones that are waterproof as well."
XtremeMac Airplay for iPod Shuffle Now
Shipping
PR: XtremeMac has announced that its new Airplay
FM transmitter for iPod shuffle is now shipping to
retailers, distributors and customers who placed advance
orders.
"Airplay has been very
well received since its launch in January, so we are excited to
extend the success and popularity of Airplay to iPod shuffle
users," said Gary Bart, President and CEO of XtremeMac. "We believe
Airplay will play a big role in the success of this new line of
accessories for iPod shuffle users and will enhance the user
experience for them."
Airplay is the headliner of XtremeMac's new line of accessories
for iPod shuffle. During the past 30 days, XtremeMac has released a
total of 12 new products designed specifically for iPod
shuffle.
XtremeMac iPod shuffle accessories include:
- AirPlay FM Transmitter: Play iPod shuffle through any car's FM
stereo while charging it through the car's auxiliary power adapter.
The AirPlay FM Transmitter for iPod shuffle retails for $49.95
U.S.
- Car Charger: Connect iPod shuffle to the auxiliary power
adapter in any car to charge it while on the go. The Car Charger
for iPod shuffle retails for $24.95 U.S.
- Bumperz: Protect iPod shuffle with a silicone band available in
15 vibrant colors. Packs of five Bumperz for iPod shuffle retail
for $19.95 U.S.
- SportWrap: Prevent moisture damage and secure iPod shuffle when
getting active with this neoprene armband available in four sporty
colors. SportWrap for iPod shuffle retails for $29.95 U.S.
- Shieldz: Protect the face of iPod shuffle with a splash of
color in nine vivid shades of translucent plastic. Packs of three
Shieldz for iPod shuffle retail for $19.95 U.S.
- TuffWrapz: Provide iPod shuffle with durable protection against
scratches and nicks with a thickened silicone sleeve in nine
blazing colors. Packs of three TuffWrapz for iPod shuffle retail
for $24.95 U.S. each.
- SuperHook: Hook iPod shuffle to almost anything including
backpack straps, belt loops, key chains, and purse straps with a
durable aluminum carabineer. SuperHook for iPod shuffle retails for
$19.95 U.S.
- SuperClip: Clip iPod shuffle to almost any strap or belt with a
sleek white plastic clip. SuperClip for iPod shuffle retails for
$14.95 U.S.
- Audio Splitter: Convert iPod shuffle's single earbud connection
to a double connection, allowing two people to listen to the same
iPod shuffle. Audio Splitter for iPod shuffle retails for $12.95
U.S.
- Audio Kit: Connect iPod shuffle to a car stereo, home stereo,
cassette deck, computer speakers or auxiliary input jack, and
charge the iPod shuffle with the components included in this kit.
Audio Kit for iPod shuffle retails for $49.95 U.S.
- Home Stereo Cable: Connect any iPod to standard home stereo RCA
connectors for the highest fidelity sound reproduction with this
ultra-compact cable. Home Stereo Cable retails for $12.95 U.S.
- Auxiliary Audio Cable: Connect any iPod directly to computer or
portable speakers, or a car stereo's auxiliary input jack for the
highest fidelity sound reproduction with this ultra-compact cable.
Auxiliary Audio Cable retails for $12.95 U.S.
PodMail 2.0.5 Sends Email to Your
iPod
PR: Have all your recent emails in your pocket, wherever
you go. PodMail
supports .mac, IMAP, and local POP boxes. These emails are
accessible from an index created in the 'Notes' section of the iPod
with date and size information.
New in this version:
- Tiger compatible.
- Increased stability.
- This version does not work in Panther.
System requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.4
- iPod Software 2.0 or higher
PodMail is freeware.
iPod Deals
For current iPod prices from a variety of sources, see our
Best iPod Deals.
