iPod Question(s)

[Barnes]

Here are some useful apps.

http://www.floola.com/modules/wiwimod/

http://hymn-project.org/

[phaneuf_train]

Anyone have any ideas why my computer won't recognize my iPod usb cord anymore? It just randomly stopped working.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by fotze

Also, how are youse guys liking the iTouch? I am thinking of getting one.

My thoughts after a few weeks:

- If all you want is music on an iPod, don't bother with the Touch. Video and the wifi is what the Touch is about. You can get way more music on a Classic iPod.
- That said, the larger screen is great for videos. My Office episodes sized for the old screens show decently on the Touch one.

- Some of the intutiveness of the Apple click wheel on the iPods is lost in Multitouch. Not that it's terrible, but a few things have sent me to the manual - never did that with my old iPod.

- I suggest that Fanboi devotion to Apple as a different "company" that cares is misplaced. $20 for a firmware upgrade to 1.1.3? Also, be warned - your old video out cables that worked through the headphone port don't work anymore. An OEM cable with a chip inside is now required, so no more cheapie 3rd party cables - OEM cable is $60.

- HMV has a silicone case for $9.99 - don't pay Futureshops $30 / $40 prices.

- Web browsing is pretty good for a mobile device. Far better than Opera on my BB, but it's more a function of the screen size more than anything.

- the Touch keyboard, while functional, isn't somehthing I'd like to use for anything long. Typing 8 word replies is one thing, but long emails is something my BB beats it hands down. My biggest problem - errant fingers - imagine typing on your keyboard but you had to hover your fingers or else errant keystrokes happen at the slightest contact.

Should be a good travel device, unless someone decides to steal it. Overall I'm happy with it, but consider if you really need the video aspects of it before you get one.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

My thoughts after a few weeks:

- If all you want is music on an iPod, don't bother with the Touch. Video and the wifi is what the Touch is about. You can get way more music on a Classic iPod.
- That said, the larger screen is great for videos. My Office episodes sized for the old screens show decently on the Touch one.

- Some of the intutiveness of the Apple click wheel on the iPods is lost in Multitouch. Not that it's terrible, but a few things have sent me to the manual - never did that with my old iPod.

- I suggest that Fanboi devotion to Apple as a different "company" that cares is misplaced. $20 for a firmware upgrade to 1.1.3? Also, be warned - your old video out cables that worked through the headphone port don't work anymore. An OEM cable with a chip inside is now required, so no more cheapie 3rd party cables - OEM cable is $60.

- HMV has a silicone case for $9.99 - don't pay Futureshops $30 / $40 prices.

- Web browsing is pretty good for a mobile device. Far better than Opera on my BB, but it's more a function of the screen size more than anything.

- the Touch keyboard, while functional, isn't somehthing I'd like to use for anything long. Typing 8 word replies is one thing, but long emails is something my BB beats it hands down. My biggest problem - errant fingers - imagine typing on your keyboard but you had to hover your fingers or else errant keystrokes happen at the slightest contact.

Should be a good travel device, unless someone decides to steal it. Overall I'm happy with it, but consider if you really need the video aspects of it before you get one.

Good review. Just wanted to mention something re charging for the firmware. It could be because of the Sarbanes-Oxley act. Apple has had to charge for firmware updates that added functionality to products in the past. Bizzare I know but the act is total BS. It most definitely is a test drive to charge for and download applications created for the touch and the iPhone once developers get a hold of the SDK.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Good review. Just wanted to mention something re charging for the firmware. It could be because of the Sarbanes-Oxley act. Apple has had to charge for firmware updates that added functionality to products in the past. Bizzare I know but the act is total BS. It most definitely is a test drive to charge for and download applications created for the touch and the iPhone once developers get a hold of the SDK.

Apple went through this fiasco in 06/07 with the 802.11n enabling didn't they? They caved from the original fee and chopped it to $2 which still satisfied US GAAP.

Good info here, where a former Chief Accountant of the SEC sets the record straight: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01...ate_confusion/

Apple chose not to learn from that lesson and charge us a nominal $1 fee. - they decided to stiff it to us at $20. s. Maybe they can start shipping products at 100% and not crippled ones....

To clarify, as someone who has dealt with Sarbanes-Oxley for 3 years, the Act itself has nothing to do with this. The Act tries to enforces and ensure US GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) is followed, and other rules like Board Composition and rules of governance. Conrad Black was a very vocal opponent of Sarbanes and may be a poster child for the existence of this Act....

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

2 questions-
1) does it need to sync, or can she can she put music and our digital photos on it direct from the 'net and our digital camera
2) if so, where the best place to buy one?

If she wants to put pics on the Touch, she'll have to do it via iTunes via a computer and a wired USB cord. Unless she hacks it, which sounds unlikely. Keep in mind that you can't put that many on a 16GB iPod.

She can download new songs from iTunes's website via wireless though. The Touch has no memory slots to stick a card in.

I got mine at Futureshop for $357. The Apple website was listing it at $419 or something inexplicably high?

From what you're describing as your needs, you may want to consider a cheap $500 laptop, though the Touch sounds like it may meet your needs too.

[lambeburger]

I have a question for you guys:

I recently re-formatted my computer, but kept all my music, files, etc, on an external hard drive. I re-installed iTunes and added all my music to the iTunes library, plugged in my iPod. Now it says that I can't sync because my iPod is synced with another library. Naturally, I disabled syncing, so now I just click and drag the new music I add.

Basically what I'm asking is if I can get my iTunes library to recognize the play count/date added/last played/etc info from the songs on my iPod.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by lambeburger

I have a question for you guys:

I recently re-formatted my computer, but kept all my music, files, etc, on an external hard drive. I re-installed iTunes and added all my music to the iTunes library, plugged in my iPod. Now it says that I can't sync because my iPod is synced with another library. Naturally, I disabled syncing, so now I just click and drag the new music I add.

Basically what I'm asking is if I can get my iTunes library to recognize the play count/date added/last played/etc info from the songs on my iPod.

When you backed up your songs did you back up the library? That info is stored in xml files inside the library folder. If you have that you could restore the metadata.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Best Buy has the V1 Touch for $299 right now.... You'll still save $50 after you fork out $20 for the new apps.

[lambeburger]

Originally Posted by Barnes

When you backed up your songs did you back up the library? That info is stored in xml files inside the library folder. If you have that you could restore the metadata.

Yeah when I backed up my files, I think I copied the wrong xml file because it only showed a fraction of my songs. Am I hooped now?

[burn_this_city]

I just got the V2 32GB touch today.. It works great, the wifi is amazing.. I got the 1.1.4 software upgrade and I didnt have to pay for it.. One thing that really annoyed me, they don't honor purchased music for your old iPod unless you backed it up on a cd ect.. Why can't they just d/l it to me again..? Luckily its only a dozen or so songs but seriously what a rip off..

[icarus]

Does anyone else with a Touch have a problem whereby you are in the middle of something (browsing through albums, listening to music, surfing the net) and it just stops and goes back to the menu screen. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it is really annoying. Anyone have this problem?

[Flaming Choy]

Originally Posted by icarus

Does anyone else with a Touch have a problem whereby you are in the middle of something (browsing through albums, listening to music, surfing the net) and it just stops and goes back to the menu screen. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it is really annoying. Anyone have this problem?

might be a caching issue. I know when I'm surfing large blogs (like engadget) sometimes it'll close and kick me to the home screen.

[J pold]

Another question

I know with older Ipods...my old Nano for example you could also use it as a separate UBS hard drive that you could copy files onto

Can you no longer do this with the new 80g Ipod classic, I just purchased a new one I and I can't find it as a separate hard drive

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by J pold

Can you no longer do this with the new 80g Ipod classic, I just purchased a new one I and I can't find it as a separate hard drive

Not 100% sure, but I'd suggest going into iTunes and clicking the option to manage it yourself. Then it might show up.

[kermitology]

Holy crap.. just checked out the new sharepod and apparently it works with iTouch/iPhone (using iPhoneFS)

[Ironhorse]

Can I use an iPod on more than one computer? And can I use/manage more than one iPod from the same computer?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by icarus

Does anyone else with a Touch have a problem whereby you are in the middle of something (browsing through albums, listening to music, surfing the net) and it just stops and goes back to the menu screen. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it is really annoying. Anyone have this problem?

icarus, I have this exact problem. Everything about my iTouch is fine (I even like the $20 upgrade, go figure... I use the Notes application to make shopping lists lol), except this.

After much research, I've discovered that it's a Vista/iTunes/syncing problem. After purchasing a new laptop at Christmas that has the Vista OS, I was wondering why some of my songs were just randomly cutting out - and why some weren't - when I moved music to my iTouch using iTunes.

The easiest answer is to use a computer that has XP. Now, I do all my iTunes stuff from my office computer that uses XP; I don't touch my laptop iTunes with the Vista OS with a ten foot pole anymore. Too many breaking / stopping issues with music and video. It's not even an issue with bad files to begin with, either; somewhere along the syncing process in Vista, iTunes corrupts the songs when transferring to the iTouch.

I'm waiting for Apple to release a new version, or some kind of bug fix or something; apparently it's a very common problem amongst Vista users. Apple will be pressured into fixing this problem.

For now, use XP... or just an OS that isn't named Vista.