iPod Skins - Bringing Back The Cool

Whenever a new product is introduced to the consuming public with the almost overnight success that accompanied the introduction of the Apple iPod, it is, for awhile enough just to have that product. But when the initial novelty of iPod ownership wore off, because everybody seemed to own one, the cool cachet which accompanied IPod ownership lost a little of its dazzle as well.

And while no iPod’s owner would dream of doing with without his or her wonder toy for a single day, finding a way to replace the cool diminished by its popularity became almost as essential as getting their iPods in the first place. And Apple, seeing the problem, introduced various accessories which would allow their customers the opportunity to reintroduce the cool factor to their iPods.

iPod Skins As iPod Transformers
iPod skins have become one of the most popular devices in the iPod cool accessories universe. iPod skins, as their name suggests, are form-fitting iPod covers which transform the appearance of the standard IPod casing into the color and pattern of your choice, making your iPod different from any other in the iPod universe.
There are so many choices for custom iPod skins that no iPod owner needs to settle fro a duplicate. Custom iPod skins are available in everything from adhesive-backed stick-ons to complete faceplates.

Types Of iPod Skins
One of the most popular iPod skins is the silicon wrap, which envelops the entire iPod except for its control wheel and screen. The silicon iPod skin is a great alternative to the IPod sock and leather cases which Apple offers, because neither of them allows access to the control wheel or screen.

Another of the early iPod skins was the carbon fiber iPod [http://www.knowipods.com/Articles/Ipod_Skins.php] package, which contained two pre-cut pieces of black carbon fiber to be attached to the front and back of the iPod with the four screws included in the kit. The carbon fiber iPod skin also contains a belt clip.

Those who would like to adorn their iPods with a pop culture look can get on of the iPod skins from Iconz, which offer images of Batman, Superman, the Simpsons, and Tweety Bird, among others. And on the other end of the iPod skins spectrum, for those who want to keep their iPods undercover in the boardroom, is the Marware CEO Classic iPod skin.

The CEO Classic iPod skin is a dual covered leather case; the top cover will cover the interior one, which allows screen and control access. The CEO Classic iPod skin will provide cover for those who do not want their fellow workers to know they are carrying an iPod, and its outer cover even has a pocket in which to store business cards.

Reference:David Faulkner

You Never Knew it - Four Varieties of Ipod Charger

We bet that you won't even want to surmise the instance when your iPod is out of battery and to the worse you don't have an iPod charger handy. If you are with your friends then obviously you can mange it but if you're walking lonely on boulevard of dreams, you definitely can't take the frustration. To resolve this frustration, every iPod comes with its own iPod charger. Now there is variety of chargers available in the market, differentiated on the basis of several ports comes in your car, laptops or any compatible gadget for that matter. There are 'N' number of charger, you have to decide which will be best for you depending on occasion of usage and frequency. We have broadly covered all possible categories of chargers listed below.

Solar Powered Charger

This solar-powered iPod charger is portable and perfect when you need to charge your iPod but are not near a power source. It works with the iPod mini, 4th Gen iPod, iPod Photo, U2 iPod, 5th Gen iPod Video, iPod nano (all generations), iPod touch, iPod classic, the 1st Gen iPhone and the iPhone 3G. This solar power charger is not appropriate for the 1st/2nd Generation and the 3rd Generation iPod models.



Wall Outlet Charger or mains charger

It is regular charger that plugs into a wall outlet and quickly charges your iPod in just a few hours. Simply plug into a wall socket, plug the other end into your iPod or docking station and charge. ipod mains charger works in conjunction with your iPod to automatically stop charging when the battery is full.





In-car Charger
If you're a busy person and don't have time (or forget!) to charge iPod at home then this is the deal for you, i.e. The in-car charger. It Provides power to your iPod while in your vehicle. Also operates as a charger for your iPod's battery.

USB Retractable Charging Cable for Apple's iPod
 This compact, retractable cable fits in your pocket and works with the iPod mini, 4th Gen iPod, iPod Photo, U2 iPod, 5th Gen iPod Video, iPod nano (all generations), 3rd Gen iPod (data transfer only), iPod touch, iPod classic, 1st Gen iPhone, and iPhone 3G. It works like regular USB charger with a benefit of retraction with which it can be extended making it Perfect for work, home, or on the road.

So make sure that you keep yourself away from all the hassles and inconveniences by equipping yourself with all important ipod charger with you indeed!

Reference:Rakesh Lashkari

Sad iPod Icon in iPod

iPod is a product of Apple Inc, which is used as a portable media player. It is used for storing and playing audio files encoded by MP3 or AAC compression. iPod is available in different generations, such as iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, etc. In some situations, your iPod may come across certain errors due to which it gets corrupted. Corruption in the iPod generates the chances of data loss. In such scenarios, a valid data backup can provide great support by restoring your lost data. However, if the backup is not available or is incomplete, then an effective iPod Recovery Software will recover and restore your data completely.

For instance -- Sometimes, when you start your iPod, you receive a sad iPod icon, and encounter the following situations:

iPod does not get recognized in iTunes.

iPod does not get recognized in Finder (Mac OS X) or iPod does not get recognized in My Computer (Windows).

Cause:

You encounter a sad iPod icon in the iPod due to corruption in the data structure of your iPod disk. In such situations, the iPod fails to find the stored data on the disk due to which you cannot access the data from your iPod disk.

Resolution:

To resolve the above issue, consider the below measures:

Charge the iPod battery.

Update your iPod with the latest iPod software.

Make sure that the 'Hold' button is off.

But, if the persists, even after taking the following the above measures, then you need to restore your iPod to its factory settings. When you restore your iPod to factory settings, all the previously stored data in the iPod disk gets deleted. So, for complete recovery and restoration of your lost iPod data, it is recommended to use a powerful iPod Recovery Software.

The iPod Data Recovery application use highly sophisticated and advanced scanning mechanisms to recover your data systematically. The iPod Recovery utility provides intuitive graphical user interface that makes it easy to use and understand, so that anyone can use it without facing any difficulty.

Stellar Phoenix iPod Recovery is an exceptional software that recovers your lost data from affected iPod disk in case of formating, accidental deletion, file system corruption, virus infection, etc. This iPod Recovery application supports most of the generations of iPod like, iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPod Classic and iPod Mini. The read-only tool si available both for Windows ad Macintosh operating systems
.

Reference:Simpson Raid 

What Can Go WRONG With Your Ipod and How to Get it Fixed!

 The popularity of iPod sometimes even makes us wonder how we managed life without iPods, especially the teenagers. It is fascinating to see how well iPods fit into our modern life scenario and we will certainly miss something if it is taken out of the picture. For those have got used to iPods, life can become absolutely unmanageable if we are unable to use our iPod because something has gone wrong with the iPod.

Unfortunately, there are many things that can go wrong with this wonderful device. You should attend to all the problems immediately by using a reliable iPod repair center so that you can continue to enjoy using your iPod.One of the common problems with the iPods is the battery. Extensive use of iPod will result in many recharge cycles of the iPod battery. This can lead to shortening of the battery's life time. The battery life will start reducing day by day and it can reach a very annoying state whereby you will not feel like using your iPod because it drains out so quickly. You would require a battery replacement to solve the problem.

When you drop your iPod often it can lead to breaking of the external case or it can also affect the hard drive. When the hard drive is damaged then you have no other choice than sending it to a technician who can rectify the problem.Another common problem with the iPods is the broken displays. It is so easy to break the displays even when we are handling the iPod carefully. Many people try to replace their iPod screens by themselves with Do-It-Yourself kits. If you are not careful, this can damage the entire functionality of your iPod then you will have no other choice than buy a new iPod. So to save yourselves from all these trouble you can find a reliable iPod repair service center. As a reputed iPod repair company we too will be able to help you in fixing your iPod screen at a very reasonable cost.

If you feel that you can really fix the problem by your self you can also get from us DIY kits with which you can have the problem fixed. We do not charge any shipping charges for orders within the US.Sometimes our iPods too can behave strangely like people and we may not be really sure about what is wrong with our iPods.

To handle such problems we have our experienced technicians who will diagnose your iPod. All our technicians are specially trained and certified for iPod repair services.Your iPod headphones and headphone jack too may require attention from time to time. Sometime you will hear music just from one of the earpieces or ear buds, or both of them may not work completely. We will be able to supply you with high quality iPod headphone replacements.You will be able to save a considerable amount of money if you bundle more than one type of repair service. You may choose to replace your batteries too when you come to us to have your iPod screen fixed.

This way you can have all the problems rectified in your iPod at the same time and start using your iPod like before and this will also get you a considerable amount of discount. Save time and money and bundling all your iPod repair needs.We deal with all types of iPods and all types of repairs including broken display repairs, battery replacement and general diagnostics. We also deal with iPod hard drive problems
.

You can contact iPodrefresh easily through email with your problem and we will get back to you in 24 hours time. You can state your iPod related problems in your email and request for shipping supplies. We will send you the necessary shipping supplies so that you can ship your iPod to us safely. Our qualified technicians will attend to your iPod as soon as we receive your iPod. You can either choose to have the damaged part replaced by one of our technicians at a nominal fee or you can order for the broken part that you can install by yourself. iPodrefresh uses only genuine and original spare parts.


Reference:Jen Micheals

The iPod Touch 2G - Multimedia at the Tip of Your Fingers

The iPod Touch 2G is a wonderful gadget which allows you to experience your music, movies, and more from a stunning new perspective. Just as the Apple iPhone, the iPod Touch is controlled exclusively with your fingers.

There are nearly no physical buttons and everything is done by a touch or a swipe of your finger. Search through your music library, view photos of your friends and family and browse the web over Wifi networks wirelessly. Pinch to zoom in and out of websites and photos, slide your finger on the display to increase or decrease the volume of your music and tap on thousands of apps to play games and much more!

All these things are made possible by a revolutionary mobile operating system introduced with the iPhone and now available on the iPod Touch. As every Apple gadget, the iPod Touch is a high-quality product and features hours of battery life and of course a very high-quality music player. You will experience your music like you never did before, and you'll be stunned at how gorgeous album covers look on the iPod 2G LCD display, just as do videos and movies you downloaded and synched to it via iTunes, the free Apple music library software for Mac and Windows.

Whatever you listen to, it'll be a lot better on the iPod 2G Touch, because you've never seen such a beautiful device connected to your beautiful music, and you'll see just how much fun it is to use it on the train, in the car, while walking or while working at home or cleaning.

The iPod 2G Touch comes in a 8GB or a 16GB version, which lets you put about 3200 songs on there, and that's more than you'll ever be needing, believe me here. I own my iPod 2G Touch now a few months and I have a huge music library and there's still space left for my family photo albums.

Reference: John Fragrant Stewart

How to Reset an iPod

The iPod is a really popular device because it lets you do so many things with its multitude of features and functionalities. You can use it to listen to MP3 songs, call friends and share photos with others. If you install something like iTalk or Belkin Voice recorder, the device can be used to record interviews, notes and conversation, which can be later shared with others. You can add various software applications that help you do many fun things with the device.

However, as you add more programs to the iPod device, you might come to a point, where you want to change the entire organization of applications, programs, songs or photos that you have stored in it so far. When you change your iPod's settings, you might want the original settings that were present, when you first purchased the set. You might also want to consider resetting the device to eliminate any issues that you have with using the device.

How do you reset the iPod to its original factory settings? The iPod can be reset using a reset program that can be downloaded from apple online store. Here are the links that you can access for downloading available programs.

These program can be the following version of the iPod Shuffle - first generation and iPod Shuffle - second generation. The reset program can be downloaded to your system. The program can be downloaded to systems with Win2k with sp4, Mac OS X, and Win XP. It cannot be used with a system that runs Vista. When you proceed to reset back the device to its original factory settings, all information on the iPod will be removed. It will gain back its entire factory settings.

The reset program must be installed in your system. Plug your device to the system, through the USB port and run the reset program. You will be prompted to confirm the reset process. Proceed with confirmation to complete the resetting process.

It should be noted that resetting the iPod will remove everything that is present in the device's hard drive. You can now add programs, songs and anything else that you ant to include in the device all over again. Through the reset program, you can once again star all over again with organizing content in your iPod. You can add applications and arrange content in a way that's different from the way it was done previously.
Author recommends Tech-FAQ for more information on topics such as How to Reset an iPod and How to Unfreeze an iPod. You may visit for more details.


Reference:Dennis Moore Hopkins

What is Inside My iPod Battery?

The iPod is the fastest selling music player, selling over 100,000,000 iPods in the last 5 years! In fact just in the last 3 months of 2006 Apple sold 21 million iPod players. So it is no real surprise that 48% Apple's $7.1 billion in revenue is comprised of iPod sales. Wow quite an accomplishment! There is downside to this and that is the 100 million people who bought an iPod will at one point or another need to have their iPod battery replaced.

 The good news about replacing your iPod battery is that iPod battery replacements can be done relatively easily and costs right around $10. iPod battery replacements kits come with tools and you can find your iPod's battery online or at retailer's like Batteryship.

However since so many people have purchased an iPod and since the demand for iPod batteries is quite high it is my curiosity to take a quick peek inside the iPod battery to find out what inside makes it work!

All iPod Batteries will ultimately fail, stop working, and cease to operate, and or otherwise end their useful life. It is the nature of the ipod battery's design. iPod battery's are designed to power iPods for a specific amount of time and are also designed with a certain number of battery charge cycles before the battery will not hold enough charge to power your iPod.

But let's take a step back for just a moment and look at how iPod batteries work and why? First of all iPod batteries are in effect a device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. iPod batteries have two electrodes, an anode and a cathode and running in between the two nodes runs an electrical current caused primarily from a voltage differential between the anode and cathode. The voltage runs through a chemical called an electrolyte (which can be either liquid or solid).

The most common cause of battery failure is not really a battery failure but normal internal battery wear or use. This is technically classified as declining capacity, increasing internal resistance, elevated self-discharge, and or premature voltage cut-off on discharge. Of these normal battery wear and tear factors the most common is declining capacity caused by the creation, transfer, and eventual reduction of chemical energy into electrical energy.

The chemical used to create electrical energy is lithium polymer. Lithium polymer is used as a battery anode material in dry cells and storage batteries. In fact the energy of some lithium-based cells can be five times greater than an equivalent-sized lead-acid cell and three times greater than alkaline batteries. Lithium cells often have a starting voltage of 3.0 V. This means that batteries can be lighter in weight, have lower per-use costs, and have higher and more stable voltage profiles. Some specific benefits of the lithium polymer chemical includes:

Lithium polymer chemistry uses a plastic-like electrolyte film that does not conduct electricity but allows ion exchange - electrically charged atoms or groups of atoms.
The dry polymer design offers simplifications with respect to fabrication, ruggedness, safety and thin-profile geometry.
Cell thickness measures as little as one millimeter (0.039 inches).
Can be formed and shaped in any way imagined.
Lithium polymer offers a safer design - it is more resistant to overcharge; and is less prone to electrolyte leakage.


In addition to the iPod battery's cell chemistry there are other specific hardware components that makeup the iPod battery and that together, working in concert with the battery cell that allow the iPod battery to push electrical current to your iPod. These specialized hardware components include:

the iPod battery connector
the iPod battery fuse
the iPod battery charge and discharge FETs
the iPod battery cell pack
the iPod battery sense resistor
the iPod battery primary and secondary protection ICs
the iPod battery fuel-gauge IC
the iPod battery thermistor
the iPod battery pc board
he iPod is the fastest selling music player, selling over 100,000,000 iPods in the last 5 years! In fact just in the last 3 months of 2006 Apple sold 21 million iPod players. So it is no real surprise that 48% Apple's $7.1 billion in revenue is comprised of iPod sales. Wow quite an accomplishment! There is downside to this and that is the 100 million people who bought an iPod will at one point or another need to have their iPod battery replaced.

The good news about replacing your iPod battery is that iPod battery replacements can be done relatively easily and costs right around $10. iPod battery replacements kits come with tools and you can find your iPod's battery online or at retailer's like Batteryship.

However since so many people have purchased an iPod and since the demand for iPod batteries is quite high it is my curiosity to take a quick peek inside the iPod battery to find out what inside makes it work!

All iPod Batteries will ultimately fail, stop working, and cease to operate, and or otherwise end their useful life. It is the nature of the ipod battery's design. iPod battery's are designed to power iPods for a specific amount of time and are also designed with a certain number of battery charge cycles before the battery will not hold enough charge to power your iPod.

But let's take a step back for just a moment and look at how iPod batteries work and why? First of all iPod batteries are in effect a device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. iPod batteries have two electrodes, an anode and a cathode and running in between the two nodes runs an electrical current caused primarily from a voltage differential between the anode and cathode. The voltage runs through a chemical called an electrolyte (which can be either liquid or solid).

The most common cause of battery failure is not really a battery failure but normal internal battery wear or use. This is technically classified as declining capacity, increasing internal resistance, elevated self-discharge, and or premature voltage cut-off on discharge. Of these normal battery wear and tear factors the most common is declining capacity caused by the creation, transfer, and eventual reduction of chemical energy into electrical energy.

The chemical used to create electrical energy is lithium polymer. Lithium polymer is used as a battery anode material in dry cells and storage batteries. In fact the energy of some lithium-based cells can be five times greater than an equivalent-sized lead-acid cell and three times greater than alkaline batteries. Lithium cells often have a starting voltage of 3.0 V. This means that batteries can be lighter in weight, have lower per-use costs, and have higher and more stable voltage profiles. Some specific benefits of the lithium polymer chemical includes:

Lithium polymer chemistry uses a plastic-like electrolyte film that does not conduct electricity but allows ion exchange - electrically charged atoms or groups of atoms.
The dry polymer design offers simplifications with respect to fabrication, ruggedness, safety and thin-profile geometry.
Cell thickness measures as little as one millimeter (0.039 inches).
Can be formed and shaped in any way imagined.
Lithium polymer offers a safer design - it is more resistant to overcharge; and is less prone to electrolyte leakage.


In addition to the iPod battery's cell chemistry there are other specific hardware components that makeup the iPod battery and that together, working in concert with the battery cell that allow the iPod battery to push electrical current to your iPod. These specialized hardware components include:

the iPod battery connector
the iPod battery fuse
the iPod battery charge and discharge FETs
the iPod battery cell pack
the iPod battery sense resistor
the iPod battery primary and secondary protection ICs
the iPod battery fuel-gauge IC
the iPod battery thermistor
the iPod battery pc board


Reference:Dan Hagopian

How to Hack Your iPod: Six Great iPod hacks

The iPod is a deeply personal device. The music, contacts, calendars and notes you store on it reveal a lot about your personality. From playcounts to playlists, our iPods can tell others what we enjoy, how we think and even who we are. But if you truly want to transform your iPod into an engine of extreme personal expression, why not customise it?

Hacking your iPod - whether it's modding the case, installing custom software, or tearing it up and doubling the memory - can transform the ubiquitous music and media player into something unique.

Note: You should be aware that trying any of these tricks carries the risk of ruining your device.

1. Penguin power

iPod Linux is the essential hack, table stakes for many of the other hacks you might want to try. It fully supports iPods in generations 1-3, and has been successfully installed on all others with a display. You should grab 'Podzilla', which will add a graphical interface to iPod Linux. There are multiple versions of Podzilla available from which to choose. Once installed, iPod Linux and Podzilla will let you boot your iPod to a barebones Linux mode. Furthermore, it will serve as the foundation for many other hacks.

2. Wikipedia on the go

Everyone loves Wikipedia. It's free, user-built encyclopaedia with entries on more topics than Britannica. It's a great information resource, but what if you're away from your desk? Now, you can get it on your iPod and carry Wikipedia with you everywhere you go. Unfortunately, it's not yet available for all models of iPods; nano and video users are left out for now, and since there's no display on the iPod shuffle, there's no point in installing Wikipedia. First, you will need to install iPod Linux.

3. Double your memory

Not content with the 4GB of memory on your iPod nano? Why not double it. First, you'll need to buy a broken nano from eBay. Crack it open and remove the memory. Then open up your working nano, solder the memory chip from the broken nano to the empty pad in the working one, seal it back up, and perform a factory reset. You'll now have a working nano with 7.2GB of space.

4. Mobile movies on the go

Transfer movies on DVDs to your iPod easily and free using a free software (HandBrake) available for both Mac and Windows. Be warned though: unless you use an analogue capture method, it's illegal to rip DVDs you own onto your iPod.

For Mac (and Linux) users, get a free copy of HandBrake. Handbrake is already available as a Universal binary - good news for those who have a new MacBook, Mac mini, or imac - and can rip video from DVD directly to MPEG-4 video, the format you'll need to watch it on your iPod. Windows users need to make a few extra steps. Get a DVD ripping program such as DVDFab Decrypter or DVD Decrypter. Convert your video to AVI using a decoding tool. Finally, convert the AVI file into MPEG-4 video that can play on your iPod using Videora iPod Converter.

5. iPod to TV

Want to watch content from your iPod on your TV? You can easily do so by purchasing a £15 iPod AV cable from Apple or use a standard mini-jack to three-plug RCA cable. These cables cost between £7-10 from outlets such as Maplins (www.maplins.co.uk). Set your iPod to output to TV, plug in the cable via the mini-jack, and plug the RCA connections into a TV using a non-standard setup. Apple outputs the iPod's video to the red cable - rather than the traditional yellow. So you'll want to plug the red cable into the video (yellow) plug on your TV, the yellow cable into the white plug, and the white cable into the red plug. This is an easy hack that anyone with an iPod can try.

6. Pac attack

Thanks to iPodMAME, you can play Pac-Man on your iPod. This hack will install a version of MAME, the arcade game emulator program, on your iPod. As with the Wikipedia hack, iPodMAME requires that you first install iPod Linux. The program comes with romsets (the set of files including all the game data) including one for Pac-Man. PodMAME should work with any iPod with a colour screen.



Reference: Daniel Dwase

Free iPod Music Download and Converting DVD's - Cd's and Photos

Legally, you should first install iTunes on your PC or Apple for any free iPod music download to your Nano.

Here are simple steps to consider for getting free iPod music downloads.

Plug the Nano into the computer using the included USB cable.

iTunes will automatically show up with the Nano, in which you just drag and drop your music files obtained through iTunes Music Store, or through ripped CD's onto the iPod icon.

Apple's iPod does a lot more for you than just getting a free iPod music download and play music and display photos.

The new Video iPod plays videos and not only that, this iPod also allows you to output video into your TV or your computer easily.

Along with updating iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, Apple has made video content available for purchase and download for your iPod. Now, downloading the latest and greatest hits on your iPod has never been easier and there are plenty of free iPod music download sites available.

But what about the videos you already own?

Files such as iMovies, DVDs that you own, TV shows that you've recorded with a Mac-based digital video recorder (DVR), what do you do with them?

Can you play them back on the new iPod?

The answer is, Yes! And converting them is very simple. That's one of the many great features of today's iPod technology beyond a free iPod music download.

There is software that allows you to take any movie from you DVD collection and play it back in your iPod Video on the go.

Here are several more tips for other things you can do with your Nano iPod in regards to photos besides only a free ipod music download.

 1. The first thing you should consider is a version of iTunes that supports photos and the Nano. It's best to get the latest version at Apple's website if you can.

2. After you have taken time to install iTunes you can connect your iPod nano to your computer. If iTunes is not open, you need to open it. Your iPod should appear in the source list on the left of the window. If it does not, eject your iPod for Mac's or stop your iPod for Windows and disconnect it from your computer. Wait a few seconds and reconnect the iPod with iTunes open.

3. When iTunes recognizes your iPod, you can edit iTunes preferences. Select the iPod tab. There should be a tab within the iPod tab that is labeled Photos. Select that tab now.

4. In the Photos tab, you can select folders where iTunes should search for photos. You can also let iTunes automatically synchronize all of your photos or manually select which photos should get synchronized, just like how you can setup your music. Once you update your iPod, you should have photos on it.

5. If you do not have a photo tab in the iPod options dialog box, you either have an older version of iTunes that does not support photo synchronization, an older iPod that does not support photos, or you may not have your iPod connected to your computer.

6. So, make sure you are using a verison of iTunes that supports photos, with an iPod that supports photos and your iPod is connected to your computer.

These tips will make life much easier for you when using iPods for free iPod music downloads and the many new features that are available today for tech lovers.

Reference: Pauline Masale

iPod - A True Pocket Entertainer With Unlimited Movies, Music, Videos, Pictures And Many More

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

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

Apple has continuously made innovations in its product. The current generation of iPod players includes:
iPod shuffle which has 1-GB capacity. The only problem is that it can play songs but display is not available.
iPod nano which can play digital audio and display digital photos. Its available in 2, 4 and 8GB storage


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Reference: Cher K Markov

The Magic Within Apple's iPod player

There are so many digital music players available.So why is Apple's iPod so special?We used one and discovered that it has a lot more to offer than just music.

Every now and then a technology comes along that promises to change our lifestyle.The Sony Walkman (launched in 1979), the video cassette recorder (in the 1980s) and the internet (mid-1990s) are vivid examples.The latest technology fascination is a small digital music player called iPod.No bigger than a pack of cards and a slim as a cigarette lighter,the little wonder can holder as many as 10,000 songs!that lets you carry your entire CD collection in your back pocket!.

But the iPod is much more than a digital music player.In fact it has so much to offer that it's fast acquiring the same status of the Walkman.Here are some features that we discovered.you will find them under the 'Extras' menu on the iPod.

Feature 1 : An address book

One of the iPod's most unknown features is its ability to store and display addresses,phone numbers and other text-based data.If you have a collection of phone numbers that you want to access easily,you can store textual information from website articles and e-books.The amount of data you store is limited only by the available space on the iPod's hard drive.

If you are a Mac OS X user,you'll use two application to transfer this data to the iPod:
Address Book and iSync.Address Book installs with OS X and iSync is a free download from the Apple website and will sync Mac,iPod,PDAs and Bluetooth devices.

In other operating systems such as windows,you use any application that will export your data into the vCard format (for e-mail addresses).Then connect the iPod to the PC,and in the software drag the vCard file into the 'Contacts' folder of the iPod.

Now,let's say you want to use the iPod to store a large document.Though the iPod technically does not allow it,you can work around the problem by simply typing the name of the file first where you would normally type the name of the person.Having done that paste the text file into the 'Notes' or 'Comments' field of your address entry.Then,when it gets transferred to the iPod,your entry will show up as just another address entry and the text file will deployed under the 'Notes' section of the entry.

This is a handy way to take important information and text files on the road with you.You can add driving directions,WAP stumbling logs,notes,just about anything that you can imagine.

Feature 2 : Calendar

The iPod can also function like a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and you can store your daily schedule in it.It has a calendar that can store your forthcoming events.

To access the calendar simply follow the patch 'Extras | Calendar' and you will find your daily to do schedule.Navigate through days by using the scroll wheel or through months by pressing the 'Forward' and 'Back' buttons.Selecting a day will bring a list of all events scheduled for that day.Selecting a specific event will bring up exact time information and a description of the appointment.

How does one go about putting their calendar onto iPod?Luckily Apple has used the standard vCalendar format.This means that one can export calendar information from application such as Microsoft Entourage or Palm Desktop and put it straight into the iPod during a Sync operation.

Apple has developed its own solution for adding vCalendar files via iCal.If you don't want to use iCal,then use the Palm Desktop or Entourage to export your calendar information.Once you have exported it,simply drag it to the 'Calendar' folder on iPod.It will automatically be updated and recognized.

Feature 3 : Games

The iPod also including some simple games like Music Quiz,Solitaire,Brick and Parachute.There are web sites from where you can download more games and put these in your iPod.The games and put these in your iPod.The games are the simple kind,so don't expect as you will get on PCs or the latest phones.

Feature 4 : A secret storage device

Here's one thing an iPod can do that a PDA or paper notebook can't.It can be used as a hard disk drive.That might have certain advantages if you're concerned about certain files or information being discovered on your computer.

With storage capacities ranging from 5 GB to 30 GB,there are lots of possibilities for use as an external storage device for your laptop when you are on the field.

If there are some applications that you want to use,but for some reason you don't want to install them on your laptop,you can run them off the iPod.You can also use the iPod as a boot drive if you have an OS installed on it and if your computer supports booting from an external Firewire device.Most modern day computers allow that.

An iPod can be connected to any Firewire-equipped computer and be used to share and swap files as needed.On an iMac computer,the iPod will automatically show up on the desktop as an external drive.With any other system you'd need the Firewire drivers to be installed.

iPods connect to iMacs using Firewire cables.This,flexible Firewire cables are now available that are much better for field use,that the standard thick cables that most Firewire devices ship with.To connect an iPod to the PC you would need an iPod Dock Connector to USB 2.0 + Firewire cable (see http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html )

Feature 5 : Storing your photos while traveling

The new iPod photo allows you store all of your pictures on the contraption.Truth is it costs a bomb.Perhaps it will come down in few months.

Until then though,if you are saddled with an earlier version of the iPod,fret not.Though you can't view pictures on it yet,there's nothing to stop you from storing them in the device.

A 40 GB iPod can hold up to 24,000 photos (captured on a 3 megapixel camera ).Want to transfer pictures from your digital camera? Well,then here's what you could do.Get yourself a card reader that connects to your iPod.

The card reader will simply act as a bridge between your digital camera and the iPod.It reads the pictures on your camera and transfers them to your iPod.At a later date,when you get back home,you can pull out the pictures from your iPod and transfers them to your computer.However you may have to spend some money to get this kind of capability.A card reader usually costs less than $100.

Belkin (www.belkin.com ) has a pretty decent card reader that does a good job.
The advantage of going in for a card reader if you have an older version of the iPod is that you get full functionality for cheaper than what it would cost you to buy a new photo iPod.

Feature 6 : Storing audio files

Storing music is the primary function of the iPod.The fourth-generation models have a 40 GB hard disk which can store up to 10,000 songs!The 20 GB iPod can hold about 5,000 songs.

Apple offers an online music store (called iTunes) from where you can buy and download songs for the iPod.
And don't worry about the batteries getting over.The ipod has a long battery life - up to 12 hours.And with the 25 minutes of skip protection that iPod provides,you can listen while playing basketball,and the music will keep playing A word on the batteries though.It is perhaps the iPod's Achilles Heel.After 12-18 months of sustained use.It starts running out of juice.Once that happens,you'll have to spend a packet on getting a new pair of batteries for the iPod.Unless you decide to go for a third-party battery pack that isn't quite as sleek as the original,but does the job nevertheless.

Feature 7 : Lots of accessories
There are plenty of accessories that expand the functionality of the iPod and make it more useful.Check out the 'Accessories' section on Apple iPod store (www.apple.com/ipod ).

There are external speakers,a remote control,a stereo connection kit,an add-on voice recorder,a radio and kits for using the iPod while driving.

You can also pick up an inexpensive cassette tape adapter and listen to the iPod in your car through your car stereo.It seems everyone wants to make accessories for the iPod these days.

Reference: Mike Richards 

Cheap Apple iPod Nano

The iPod nano is Apple's fourth digital audio player combining features of both the iPod shuffle and iPod. It was introduced on September 7, 2005, replacing the iPod mini, which was discontinued on the same day. The replacement of the mini took Macintosh websites and the press completely by surprise since, although there were rumors about a new flash memory-based iPod, there was no prior notice of the mini being discontinued.

Work on development of the new design of the iPod nano started only nine months before the launch date. The iPod nano has more flash memory storage than is used in the iPod shuffle and has a miniaturized version of the color screen and click wheel found on the full-sized iPods. The screen also has a higher resolution than the old grayscale iPod, allowing one more line of text than the mini's screen. The battery and other internal parts were also reduced in size. The surface of the click wheel is slightly rough, allowing greater tactile feedback for out-of-sight operation.

Overview

Size comparison of iPod nano and standard-sized mouse.Advertising emphasizes the iPod nano's small size: it is 1.6 inches (40 mm) wide, 3.5 inches (90 mm) long, 0.27 inches (6.9 mm) thick and weighs 1.5 ounces (42 grams). Its stated battery life is 14 hours. The screen is 176 x 132 pixels, 1.5 inches (38 mm) diagonal, and can display 65,536 colors (16-bit color).

The iPod nano works with iTunes on Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows (third-party software is available for platforms that Apple does not support). It connects through the same proprietary dock connector as the third-generation iPod, the fourth-generation iPod, and the iPod mini, using a USB 2.0 port on the user's computer. Although it uses the same connection of Apple's FireWire iPod Cable and can charge its battery over FireWire, the iPod nano does not support synchronizing over a FireWire connection. The iPod nano includes a stop watch and a multiple time zone clock function. There is also a combination lock feature that makes use of the click wheel to lock the iPod, and serves to secure the user's calendar and contact information. It was also the first iPod to include a new lyrics screen, modifiable using iTunes.

The nano was launched in two colors (black or white) with two available sizes: 2 GB (roughly 500 songs) for $199 USD and 4 GB (1000 songs) for $249 USD. On February 7, 2006, Apple updated the lineup with the 1 GB model (240 songs) sold at $149. Apple also released some accessories, including armbands and silicone "tubes" designed to bring color to the nano and protect it from scratches, as well as a combination lanyard-earphone accessory that hangs around the neck, and avoids the problem of tangling earphone cords.

The iPod nano uses flash memory instead of a hard disk. As a result, it has no moving parts, making it immune to skipping and far more durable than disk-based players. The tradeoff is, like with all flash memory, it has a finite number of read/write cycles. Testing by technology-enthusiast website Ars Technica has shown that even after being driven over twice by a car, the unit's screen was damaged but that it could still play music. The unit finally stopped playing music after being thrown 40 feet into the air.

Although the iPod nano costs more than the iPod mini range it replaced, it should be noted that the iPod nanos are priced exactly the same as the iPod minis (2 + 4GB) were when they were first launched back in 2004. Unlike previous iPods, Apple is not offering an optional FireWire cable for the iPod nano (nor the fifth-generation iPod). The lack of the remote connector found on the top of the iPod mini and Generations 3 and 4 of the iPod meant that a number of third-party accessories will not work with the iPod nano. However, since the removal of the remote connector from the main iPod line to the switch of the Universal Dock connector, manufacturers have been forced to develop alternatives to accessories that used it. The nano also lacks the TV-out and voice recording options of the larger iPods. Apple has also said that, unlike other iPods capable of storing photos, the iPod nano will not work with either Apple's iPod Camera Connector or any camera connectors from third-party manufacturers.

Nike+iPod, released May 23, 2006, is one of the many accessories designed specifically for the iPod nano. The advantages of the Nike+iPod is to sync information including the distance traveled, running pace, or burned calories to the Nike+ website.

Electronics
The iPod nano uses general-purpose integrated circuits (IC) instead of smaller, low cost custom developed chips, possibly to reduce time-to-market. This design, however, increases the number of electronic components and increases the cost. Japanese engineers estimated the component cost of the 2 GB nano as between JPY22000 and JPY27000, which is high compared to the retail price of JPY21800. The cost of 2 GB NAND flash memory is about JPY14000. Apple opted for the higher cost 0603 (0.6 x 0.3mm) components, the latest surface mount technology, as opposed to cheaper but larger 1005 (1.0 x 0.5mm) components. In fact, there remains available real estate on the motherboard.

Consumer reactions

iPod nanoThe initial consumer response to the iPod nano was overwhelmingly positive and sales were heavy.The nano sold its first 1 million units in only 17 days, helping Apple to a record billion-dollar profit in 2005.

Apple's release of the iPod nano as a replacement for the iPod mini is viewed by many as a risky move. The mini was not only Apple's most popular MP3 player, it was still the world's best-selling player up to the end of its lifespan; and sales of the mini did not appear to be slowing down. Steve Jobs has argued that the iPod nano is a necessary risk since competitors are beginning to catch up to the iPod mini in terms of design and features, and believes the iPod nano will prove to be even more popular and successful than the iPod mini. Analysts see this as part of the corporate culture of Apple, which relies heavily upon innovating to continue appealing to consumers.

Within days of the nano's release, some users reported damage to the nano, suggesting that the LCD screen had become so scratched that it was unreadable, even when the backlight was on. Many have reported fine scratches on their nano caused by microfiber cloths. Other owners reported that their nano's screen cracked with no provocation.On September 27, Apple confirmed a small percentage ("less than 1/10 of 1 percent") of iPod nanos shipped with a faulty screen and agreed to replace any nanos with cracked screens, but denied the iPod nano was more susceptible to scratching than prior iPods.Apple started shipping iPod nanos with a protective sleeve to protect them from scratches. In October 2005, a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple, with the plaintiffs seeking reimbursement for the device, legal fees, and "unlawful or illegal profits" from sales of the iPod nano. Lawyers for the plaintiffs claim that the devices "scratch excessively during normal usage, rendering the screen on the nanos unreadable, and violating state consumer protection statutes".Similar lawsuits were later filed in Mexico and the United Kingdom.Some commentators such as BusinessWeek's Arik Hesseldahl have criticized the lawsuits. Hesseldahl dismissed them as "stupid" and suggested that they benefitted "no one but the trial lawyers," but also suggested that Apple could have avoided litigation by offering "full refunds on unwanted nanos" instead of charging a re-stocking fee and lengthening the return period from 14 (if bought online) or 10 (if bought at retail) to 30 or 60 days.

Pope Benedict XVI owns a white 2GB iPod nano, becoming the first Pope to own an iPod.

Reference: Clarence Harrell

Smart Apple iPod Tips and Techniques

Are you thinking of buying an Apple iPod? Or have you bought one?

Almost everyone and anyone that I know seems to have bought an iPod or at least is thinking of getting an ipod for themselves or their loved ones. The iPod is just so alluring! However, do you know what you should do after buying the iPod?

Most people don't. Yet, market analysts estimate that the average iPod owner spend as much as 30% of the original iPod price on additional accessories! That's a whopping US$60-US$90 on iPod accessories that each iPod owner will spend!

Many people are simply spending their money on the wrong accessories! In fact, many are going for fancy accessories such as car transceiver kit, wireless remote kit, speaker kit even without realizing what are the first accessories they should get
.
Get the Basic iPod Accessory before getting the Fancy Stuff!

Do you, as a iPod user, faces these problems on a daily basis too?

* iPod Screen scratches

* Click wheel scratches

* Mirrored back scratches

* Messy iPod earphone cables

* iPod overheating when being charged while in a silicone or leather case

Despite the technical and cosmetic superiority of the Apple iPod, there remain some teething issues. Weak batteries is one. Being easily scratched is another. These problems immediately lower the resale or trade-in value of the iPod, if any? This may not seem important but if you are trading in your older iPod for a new one, this does matter. It also sucks to see scratches and marks on the beautiful iPod. In fact, microscopic scratches takes place everytime you take the iPod in and out of pocket!

Get a good-quality iPod case before ANYTHING ELSE!

There are numerous iPod accessories out there. Many accessories are fanciful, some are good but most do not fulfil the basic need of the iPod. You need to protect the iPod from getting scratches and accidental marks before anything else.

Before the iPod can serve you well, it must be able to take care of itself. So, before you even look further into getting your first iPod accessory or even if you have gotten numerous other accessories, make sure you first equip your iPod with either a good quality case or sleeve.
The most common iPod cases in use are:

Handphone sleeves converted to iPod sleeves

This is the most common as handphone sleeves are cheap and easily available. However, the mirrored back of the 3G and 4G ipod are easily scratched by theses sleeves as they run against the iPod. It is not recommended unless you have a budget problem.

iPod screen and wheel sticky protectors

There are transparent iPod screen and wheel sticky protector that are cut of the right size and stucked directly onto the iPod screen and wheel. However, there are various models in the market and some of the cheaper ones tend to curl and peel off after some use. If you are on a budget, a good quality screen and wheel protector is the minimum you should have.

iPod silicone skin

This is the most common iPod case around. It looks like a good casing choice but it is in fact one of the worst, especially if you have bought a cheap one.

These cheap silicone cases are being mass-produced in China with doubtful materials and design elements.

 Many of the cheap silicone skins in the market tear easily and pick up lint and dirt easily. They are also difficult to wash and maintain. I will not advise a silicone case unless they are made by some of the better and branded products from USA or Japan.

iPod Leather case

The iPod leather case is one of the most popular case. However, do not get the Apple branded one if possible as it tears to scratched the mirror back and it does not have a covering flap. Get one of the leather cases from the many in the market. Check the stitching on the leather case before buying one as some of the mass-manufactured ones may have poor workmanship
.
Water and shock resistant cases

There is an increasing demand for such cases as more and more people bring their iPod for hiking, cycling, trekking, fishing and beach trips. There are various good brands in the market. However, note that whatever the advertisement may say, at best, the case can only be water resistant and not water proof which is two different things all together. A water resistant case can only take splashes and short immersion in water and certainly not something you can bring for swimming or diving trips!

Reference:Katherine Xie

IPod Movie Downloads

For people who own the newer iPods that have lots of storage space in them, usually running between 30g to 80g, iPod movie downloads are changing into more and additional popular. You see, today's iPods currently do an entire ton additional than just store and play music, but they'll hold plenty of films and they play them back for you as well. Therefore, one amongst the large trends nowadays is movie downloads for iPods. Not sure that you wish to start downloading movies to your iPod? Well, here are a number of the nice reasons that downloading iPod movies is such a great idea.

 
Get A lot of from Your iPod

Initial of all, going with iPod movie downloads allows you to get a whole lot additional from your iPod. If you are going to spend all the money on your iPod, why not get as a lot of as potential out of it? Deciding to urge movie downloads on the iPod is simply yet one more great method that you'll use it, thus why not opt for it and get pleasure from all that your iPod has to supply you.

Get All the Movies You Love on Your iPod

One in every of the main reasons to go with iPod movie downloads is because it permits you to get all the flicks you like right on your iPod. You won't have to go trying for your favorites at the shop or in an exceedingly video rental store, since you will be able to find them simply online to download to your iPod. This approach you will be in a position to own all your favorites right at your fingertips whenever you want to look at them.

Save Cash When You Download

Believe it or not, going with iPod movie downloads is an excellent way that you'll save money. How? Well, just suppose concerning all the cash you have been spending renting movies or the cash you have spent recently buying DVD's. When you download the flicks to your iPod, you won't have to spend all of this money.

Therefore, over time, you can literally save hundreds of dollars. Whereas you will must pay little fees for the movies that you simply download to the iPod, you'll definitely still save cash on your downloads, which is one of the most reasons downloading movies to an iPod has become so well-liked today.

Take Your Movies Anywhere

When you download movies to your iPod, you'll have the advantage of having the ability to take your movies with you anywhere you go. If you are going on a trip or flying in an airplane, you may be able to watch your favorites to pass the time. Also, if you have got to attend in an exceedingly doctors' office, you can watch movies on your iPod to pass the time. Several people realize that it is a heap of fun to take their iPod to the gym with them as well, since they'll be in a position to simply watch their movies whereas they're operating out, making it a additional pleasant experience. You never understand where you will finish up going, but when you have all your favorite movies downloaded to your iPod, it does not matter. Whether or not you are on vacation for a few days, trying to pass your time, or perhaps looking ahead to a gathering, your iPod will help you pass that time with all your great movies on it.

Many Great Movie Download Sites Offered

You will conjointly realize that there are various nice movie download sites accessible where you'll be able to get your iPod movie downloads. Whereas several folks decide to travel with iTunes for his or her downloads, there are many other nice sites out there where you can download movies as well. In fact many individuals realize that membership sites provide the best deals, permitting them to pay monthly fees to download all the movies that they want to for his or her iPods. So, it's definitely value your whereas to find out what sorts of download sites are out there where you can realize nice movies to download to your own iPod.

Get Instant Delivery that is Convenient

Several individuals love to download movies to their iPods as a result of you get instant deliver and it is thus convenient. You can download the flicks that you want at any time of the day or night - you will simply need a smart internet connection. If you're a small amount bored and wish a replacement movie, you can simply go download it instead of having to run to the shop or a video rental store. So, if you're wanting for a convenient and quick method to get the films that you wish to observe, this is definitely a great one.

Save on Storage Area

You may save on storage space when you select to travel with iPod movie downloads as well. Instead of having to store all those VCR's and DVD's somewhere in your home, you just should store them on the iPod. This is nice, since you won't have all of those DVD's taking up area and collecting dust throughout your home.

Downloading is Safe and Fast

With the nice technology offered these days, downloading iPod movie downloads is terribly safe and it's quick as well. You'll quickly get the films that you would like and downloading is safe for you as well. Simply take a look at the positioning before downloading to make sure that you're protected against malware and viruses that could infect your computer or your iPod.

As you'll see, there are various nice blessings to downloading movies on your iPod. With all of these nice edges out there, it's thus easy to see why many individuals are starting to go with iPod movie downloads. Thus, take the time to be told how to urge the downloads you would like thus you will be ready to observe your movies whenever you wish to.
Reference:Bob 

HTo Download Music Video To iPod With 3 Easy To Use Software Programs

After so many years of consumer speculation and anticipation iPods are now a reality for music, movie and games lovers alike. This is why so many people are asking how to download music video to iPod. Apple's iPod does much more than just play music and display photos.

The new Video iPod plays videos and not only that, it also allows you to output video into your TV or your computer very easily using custom software.

Along with updating iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, Apple has made video content available for purchase and download. Now, how to download music video to iPods with the latest hits has never been easier.
But what about the video you already have? Files such as iMovies, DVDs that you own, TV shows that you've recorded with a Mac-based digital video recorder (DVR), what do you do with them? Can you play them back on the new iPod? The simple answer is yes. And converting them is so easy to do these days.

Below are some of the top three iPod video software that allows you to rip DVD's into your iPod and how to download music video to iPods.

#1 Cucusoft PSP/iPod Video Converter + DVD to PSP/iPod Converter Suite

Its name is a mouthful, that's for sure, but all of it is true. Widely considered as perhaps the best iPod converter around, Cucusoft's iPod Converter Suite is actually four programs bundled together to form an all-in-one video conversion package when looking how to download music video to iPod.

With this Suite, you can convert all your favorite DVDs from your collection and almost all other types of video files you have stored, then play them on your new Video iPod or even a PSP (Playstation Portable). Now, you can bring your favorite movies along with you and watch them through iPod whenever, wherever.

It's an excellent program for beginners. You don't need to have any media know-how to get this thing started.

If you're trying to rip movies from a DVD, just pop in the disc into your computer and launch the Cucusoft iPod Converter Suite. The program will automatically load the disc, allowing you to select the file format to play on your iPod.

And the software can support almost all types of media files out there, such as, AVI, DivX, Xvid, MP43, MPEG1, MPEG2, .asf, .wmv, .mov, .rm, .rmvb, Video DVD disc, .VOB, .IFO, VCD, and SVCD. In addition, for people who are looking to do more with their movies, the Converter Suite supports various iPod video sizes including H.264 video (up to 768 kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats), MPEG-4 video (up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec, Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats)
.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

o Windows 9x/2000/NT/XP/2003 server

o DirectX 8.0 or later (this is most likely already on your system, but can be downloaded for free from Microsoft if not)

o Minimum MMX-enhanced CPU

o Minimum 32 MB RAM or more

o Any VGA card

#2 Lenogo DVD Movie to iPod Video Converter

If you want a fast, solid, and stable converter that delivers time after time without crashing, then look for the Lenogo DVD Movie to iPod Video Converter. With a user-friendly design and an interface that's straightforward, even beginners will find it easy to operate. Just one note though: If you're a first-time user, now is probably a good time to start learning the basics about media files if you are asking how to download music video to iPod. Lenogo DVD Movie to iPod Video Converter is a professional DVD to iPod converter software, the one of the fastest iPod converters known.

Convert all kinds of DVD to iPod video (mp4) format with a conversion speed that is far faster than real-time.

Now, you can convert an entire DVD movie in half an hour on a high-end computer. Of course, there are many factors that could affect the actual conversion speed, factors like the following:

o DVD to iPod conversion process is closely related to hardware. Conversion speed is subject to the quality of DVD discs and speed of hard drivers.

o The speed figures depicted in Lenogo website's diagram are test data which may differ from computers.

o Unregistered version is slower than the registered one because each frame in the former version is noted with "Unregistered version" which wastes time.

#3 PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter

With the PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter, converting videos with "just one click" is more than just a figure of speech. It's as real as it's going to get. And what's more, it can do it fast, too!

The PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter converts DVD to iPod Video in one click, as well as Tivo2Go, DivX and other popular video files (such as MPEG, WMV, AVI, and RealMedia) to iPod. Super fast conversion speed with high quality plus advanced video editing features give you everything you need to turn iPod into a portable media center. Watch TVs, movies, home videos on the go and experience a new lifestyle with the PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter
.
The software is great for beginners on how to download music videos to iPod. There's very little you have to figure out by yourself since you'll be prompted all the way. It so simple anyone can do it.
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:

o PC (Microsoft Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP

With these top three iPod video converters your question should now be answered on how to download music to iPods.

Reference:Pauline Masale:

How You Can Find the Perfect iPod Speakers

So, you have an iPod, but not the speakers. Well, you need to pick up a pair today. The speaker make sharing the music so much easier with your friends. Have that great song you want to have all you friends listen to, but it's a pain to pass it around with just the headphones? Well, that's why iPod has made the speakers, for easy music listening with your friends.

Nowadays, you can throw a party anywhere as long as you have an iPod and a set of iPod speakers. They are so tiny, yet they can boom the bass and shake up the place.

iPod speakers are either portable, which you can carry around, or home models, which you cannot carry around because of some restrictions like, it is bigger and heavier and is therefore not handy, and it is not battery operated and work only when plugged into an electrical outlet.

But, that's why there's so many options for speakers on the iPod. You can get anything from small, easily portable speakers to something big enough to hook up to a home stereo system. It just increases the versatility of the iPod as whole.

The portable models are battery operated and has a size just slightly larger than iPod Nano and some weighs only half an ounce! Although portable iPod speakers offer sound better than most computer speaker, it can't compete with the home only or standalone iPod speakers that can produce louder, crisper, and more booming sound, for these iPod speakers get their power directly from an electical outlet that gives much energy compared to a low voltage battery.

Below are the best in iPod speakers that could rock us out of our seat with their booming sound.

-iBlasting the Room with iBoom iPod speakers

iBoom is the newest iPod speaker from DLO. The iBoom iPod speakers sport an amorphous shape and has a slot in the front which serve as a hub for iPod or iPod mini. The four iPod speakers only need 20 watts per channel to start producing sound. iBoom iPod speakers also has a built-in handle, an AUX in port, and can run either on AC power or a with six "D" batteries. When plugged in to an AC power, the iBoom iPod speakers will charge the cradled iPod. Design wise, iBoom iPod speakers look pretty good with a white iPod cradled on it.

The plus points for iBoom iPod speakers are (1) low wattage consumption but could still produce decent sound, (2) portable and (3) charge an iPod when it is running on A/C power.

- 'What's the new Black?'

For Altec Lansing, the answer is still black.

Altec Lansing's inMotion iM3 iPod speakers come in the usual Apple white and, now, in black. It weighs around 15 to 16 ounces only and is sized just a bit larger than the iPod.

Altec Lansing is known for creating sound system that could produce sounds in different ranges from the highest pitch to the lowest bass. And now that Altec Lansing has speakers for the iPod, expect that these iPod speakers would be of high quality. In fact, these iPod speakers has a class D amplifier to create rich, audible sounds.

It's quite unbelievable that these speakers could last 24 hours from four AA batteries. You can carry these iPod speakers anywhere, and play it on for an all night party even on a place where there's no power outlet, like the soccer field, basketball court, or the lakeside.

The black Altec Lansing iPod speakers has the same price as that of the Apple white version.
- Apple's Hi-Fi Shouts "Party!"

When iPod was released in 2001, the only way you could hear the playing songs is through headphones. There were no Apple-branded iPod speakers then, yet. Third party manufacturers and developers created their own iPod speakers to answer the growing demand for off-headphones music playing
.
In 2006, Apple realized that it was time to create one of its own. In February, Apple released the iPod Hi-Fi. Priced at $349, Apple's eye is set on the high-end market.

Hi-Fi iPod speakers, according to Apple, creates a large soundstage and has a wide frequency range. So, Hi-fi iPod speakers are not only portable speakers, they can be the only speaker for a small house or an
apartment, replacing the bulky speakers with separate woofer and sub-woofers. With the sound of these Hi-Fi iPod speakers, you can shout "Party!" anytime you want.

Design wise, it looks cool. It bears the traditional Apple white color. It's size is bigger than most portable iPod speakers and is the heaviest, weighs 15 ounces, in the entire line of third party developed iPod speakers
Hi-Fi iPod speakers are powered in two ways, AC or DC (six D-cell batteries), comes with a small, white remote control, and built-in handles to bring it anywhere you go.

So, if you haven't picked yourself up a pair of iPod speakers yet, what are you waiting for? There's so many options that I'm sure there's a pair out there for exactly what your needs are.

There are alot more accessories and gear for your Ipod, to find out more about what different types of accessories are available for your Ipod drop by Ipod Goodness [http://www.ipodgoodness.com] and learn about the latest Ipod Accessories.  Reference : Paula Korei Article Source:

The Ultimate Guide to Video iPod

Alright. So after all that hype about having a practical way of watching TV and movies while on the go, you have finally gone and bought yourself the new iPod. Now what?

Well, let's see. There are so many options squeezed into one slim, 2.5" LCD screen media center that it's going to take a lot of time going over each one of them. So let's do take it one at a time, shall we? This guide is going to take over all the options you've got and how to convert absolutely anything and everything - DVDs, TiVo video, messy AVIs, muxed MPEGs and more to iPod compatible video - all within OS X. And along the way, we'll teach you a couple of iPod tips and tricks, too!

Handling Those Nasty Scratches

When you take your iPod out of the box, your first order of business should be to protect your investment. You don't want any of those nasty scratches from appearing on your precious media box, do you? It's a complete eye soar and one you can completely avoid.

The good thing about this new iPod is that its design is slightly different from that of the nano, which according to most users scratch easily. The new iPod has better chassis and doubled-layered, probably to protect the LCD monitor. But if you want to make sure that your iPod doesn't show any scratches, most users recommend plastic cases, such as The Invisible Shield. If not, you can always get the white model, instead of the black one.

What Videos Can You Play?

Let us briefly go over the kinds of videos that your new iPod can support. According to Apple's website, the video specifications of the new iPod are the following:

o H.264 video: up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.

o MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec, Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

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For the newbies, this might all sound a little too confusing. What's with all the numbers? Don't worry because chances are you only need to remember a few of those for you to get the most out of your new iPod.

First, let's start with H.264 video. The highest video bitrate with the H.264 codec is 768 kilobits per second
. The biggest picture size for your H.264 movie is 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high, which is incidentally the exact dimension of your iPod's screen. Your iPod can play H.364 video at framerates up to 30 frames per second. Every one of the applications that we'll be using encodes with the Baseline Profile. Your audio needs to be encoded as AAC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, and it can be in either stereo or mono. As long as you follow all the guidelines, your movie can even be a QuickTime movie or an MPEG-4 movie file.

The other option you have is the MPEG-4 video, which supports a much higher bitrate than H.264 video - 2500 kilobits per second. Using higher bitrates will also create larger files, which means that you'll have less space for additional songs and movies, but more segments of your favorite movie. The biggest picture size for your MPEG-4 video is 480 pixels wide by 480 pixels high - three times as many pixels than your iPod's screen in capable of displaying. Your iPod will shrink the picture proportionally so that everything fits on the screen. Again, the iPod can play videos up to 30 frames per second and your audio and file format options are the same as H.264 video.

So Which One is Better - H.264 or MPEG-4?

Well, that's a tough question really as each format has their ups and downs. Arguably, H.264 is preferable considering how it offers high quality and a file size that is much smaller compared to MPEG-4. When it comes to picture quality, however, both formats are comparable, especially when encoded at the higher supported video settings.

As for speed of encoding, most people agree that H.264 video takes longer than standard MPEG-4. Take for example a two-hour movie. When you convert that to iPod using H.264 codec, the process could take considerably longer (especially with QuickTime Pro's pokey Export: Movie to iPod video option).
Where to Download Videos for Your iPod

If you're tired ripping movies from your DVD collection or you've used up all your movie files in your computer, then it's probably time for you to look for other sources of iPod compatible videos. Below are some good sites that offer iPod video files that are both free and legal!

o ChannelFrederator.com - If you like to watch short animations while taking a breather, this is the place to look in.

o PodGuide.tv - It's not called "PodGuide" for nothing.

o Channel 101 and Channel 102 - Brilliant downloadable shows are up on offer.

o The iTunes Music Store's podcast section - One of the best things about the new iPod is that Apple has bundled it with their updates on iTunes. Now, you can download loads of free videos from the store for your daily dose of iPod-casting.

o Apple iTunes - Sometimes you just have to go to the source of the source to find what you're looking for.


o Archive.org - This site is great for old videos and movies.

Watch iPod Videos on Your TV

Say what?! Yep, it's true. And for some users who prefer widescreen as opposed to pocket-TV, this is the best thing about the new iPod. Now, outputting your iPod videos to any TV is easy. Just use a special video cable (and it doesn't even be the one sold by Apple), output it through your iPod's headphone jack, and voila! You're a couch potato, baby!

If you're more interested in watching videos on your TV, you may want to go with the MPEG-4 format since it can support the bigger 480 x 480 picture size. When you encode widescreen movies and output them to a TV, the pixel limit is usually 230,400 pixels. So when these larger images are displayed on your TV, you'll get to see all those extra pixels.

Okay So You Can Watch Videos on TV, Big Deal...What About My Other Videos?
When you download video files from the web or file sharing networks, some of these files may not be marked as iPod compatible. Does that mean you can't play them on your iPod? Well, the good news is that it's easy enough to find out
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Tip #1 - Open iTunes

The easiest and less time-consuming way to determine whether a video is iPod-supported or not is to simply open iTunes with your iPod connected. Afterwards, drop the video file directly into your iPod's library. If the video is copied into your iPod, it means it's compatible. If it's not, then your iPod won't be able to play it.
To copy the video to your iPod, just select Manually manage songs and playlists in the iPod tab of your iTunes preferences.

Tip #2 - Add Video to the iTunes Library

The other way of finding out if your video files are iPod compatible is to add your video to your iTunes library. Just right lick the video and select Convert Selection to iPod. You will receive an alert from iTunes on your screen, telling you if your video is already compatible. If it's not, your movie will be converted to a compatible H.264 video for you.

We should probably mention that you don't really need to add videos to your iTunes Library in order to add them to your iPod. Just drag and drop videos from the Finder straight onto your iPod in iTunes. Again, make sure you've enabled the manually manage option.

You can also add songs and videos to your iPod's library from any computer that has iTunes. Just make sure that you've enabled the manually manage option in iTunes. If your iPod was originally formatted on a PC, you can add files from both PCs and Macs. However, if you have a Mac-formatted iPod, you'll only be able to add files from other Macs.

Tip #3 - Open the file in QuickTime

Alternatively, you can also find out if your video is iPod compatible if you open the file in QuickTime. Next, Select Window: Show Movie Info. In most cases, your video should be iPod-ready if the format is H.264 or MPEG-4, the audio is ACC, and the size of your video is 320 x 240 (or smaller) for H.264 or 480 x 480 (or smaller) for MPEG-4. Also, look at the data rate and make sure it's not over 900 kbits/sec for H.264 or 2600 kbits/sec for MPEG-4.

In most cases, the bitrate reported by QuickTime would include the video stream and the audio stream (normally 128 kbits/sec) so don't wonder if the video is shown to have a higher bitrate.

Reference:Ian Richardson

The New 5th Generation Apple IPodsD69495

To date, there has been a number of Apple iPod models. Well, with the release of the new iPod Video, there are now officially three iPod models for the 5th generation of iPods. The earlier 4th generation models, including the popular iPod Mini, iPod Photo, U2 and 20GB iPod are now officially history.
The three official 5G iPod models include the iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano and iPod Video. What's the difference between this new range of iPods and the previous 4G models? Broadly speaking, the differences are:
Hard Disk

Two of the new iPod models, iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano, are based on flash hard disk technology. This new hard disk is ultra slim and is able to withstand shock and vigorous movement. Unlike 4G models, this make the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano ultra slim and allow them to be used for vigorous activities, including sporting activity, dance, accidental drops, etc. Previous 4G models were less robust and vigorous activity tend to cause possible malfunction

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Battery life

Battery life on the 5G iPod has improved tremendously. One of the major complaints about 4G iPod was the short battery life(8hrs) and battery life draining away quickly after heavy use. The new iPod lasts up to 14 hrs and has a better battery lifespan.

Color is standard

Unlike 4G model, where the iPod Photo model was the only model with color, the new iPod Nano and iPod Video comes standard with color screen and playback.

Choice of video
With the new iPod Video, there is now a range of activities, including data, music, photo and video that can be supported on one iPod. Previously, video was not available as an option.

Standardized casing
The 4G iPod included the multi-color iPod mini, with a choice of pink, blue, green and silver. The only option for black was the U2 model.

Today, the colors has been standardized to black or white (except iPod Shuffle - White only). In addition, all iPod casing has been standardized to hard acrylic instead of the anionized aluminium for iPod Mini and hard acrylic for the other models.

However, the hard acrylic casing used for the 5G iPod models seems to have a tendency to scratch as reported by many iPod user websites. It is advised that a iPod casing or protector film be purchased for the new 5G iPod immediately. A good selection can be found here
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Compact Clickwheel
The iPod Clickwheel was previously a scroll wheel that was designed and supplied by a 3rd party. The new iPod clickwheels are now designed and produced by Apple itself. The functionalities are similar but users reported better response feedback.

Headphone jack
Headphone jacks for all iPod models, including the very first 1G iPod up till the 4G models, has always been on top of the iPod. The iPod Nano breaks ground by having the headphone jack at the bottom.

Which iPod model to choose?
As of this writing, the iPod Video has only been out for less than 2 weeks. The current 5G range of iPod seems to be the most complete and versatile thus far, and we can see that the 3 different models are essentially targeted at different segments of the iPod user market. A basic guide to choosing the right iPod model can be broadly classified as:

iPod Shuffle
The iPod Shuffle is obviously targeted at users who have a lower budget or those who only have an occasional need for a music player. The Shuffle comes without a screen and user can only choose to listen to music in a sequence or have it shuffled randomly. Because of it's lower price, this model has become a choice for those who desire for an iPod but may not have the neccessary budget.

iPod Nano
The iPod Nano is now the mainstream iPod model with the exit of 4G iPod models. With a size and thickness slightly larger than a credit card, this is now a runaway favorite iPod model. Users have a choice of data, music and photo with this colored screen iPod.

iPod Video
The newest kid on the block, the iPod Video, is desired by those with a higher budget or who wish to watch video on their iPod. It has a slightly larger screen than the iPod Nano and play a crisp 30 fps video display. With not many iPod videos available for download as yet, we'll need to see if this model can overtake the iPod Nano as the mainstream iPod model.

Reference:Katherine Xie