2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide

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Ask iLounge 1-18-07

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By Jerrod H.

Contributing Editor, iLounge
Published: Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Category: Ask iLounge

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

The most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I copy music from my iPod onto my computer?

Click here for the answer.

The second most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I put DVDs on my iPod?


For converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and home movies to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV, we have a three-part series outlining the best formats, settings, and various tools to use for converting all types of video content for use on these devices.

The Complete Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac)

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Windows)

Top five questions most recently asked by iLounge readers:

Q: What are the best speakers to use with my iPod? (15, 76-79, and 90-92)

Q: What are the best headphones to use with my iPod? (10, 72-75, and 90-92)

Q: I really want to get a nice case for my iPod. Do you have any suggestions? (36-37, 54-67, and 90-92)

Q: How can I connect my iPod to my car stereo? (14, 32-35, 68-71, and 90-92)

Q: Are there any batteries that I can use to extend my iPod's battery life? (82-83 and 90-92)

A: Answers to these and many other questions can be found in two places. Our Free iPod Book 3.3 provides a complete report card to all of the iPod accessories we've reviewed as of summer 2007, as well as over 125 iTunes and iPod tips & tricks. Further, our new 2008 iPod & iPhone Buyers' Guide has accessory tutorials at the page numbers listed in parentheses above. These and other publications in our Library are free downloads, developed by the editors of iLounge!

And now, for this week's Ask iLounge column:

Q:

If you don’t want to use the iPhone as a phone, do you have to buy it from Cingular, or can you simply buy it from Apple and use only Wi-Fi for an internet connection?

Q:

Will Apple be introducing an iPhone-based,  widescreen, touchscreen version of iPod video?

Q:

Will the iPhone be compatible with current iPod accessories?

- Bob, Chris, Michael, and many other Ask iLounge readers

A:

These questions, and many, many more, are answered in our new article All Things iPhone. Check it out to learn everything there is to know about Apple’s new three-in-one device.

For our editorial staff’s opinions on the AppleTV, iPhone, Apple’s new direction, and the future of the iPod family of products, see our post-expo opinion piece here.

Q:

Why doesn’t the Apple TV device allow me to play music on my stereo instead of just through my TV, or does it?

- Bob

A:

As is evident in the name of the product, Apple’s clearly been focusing its marketing for the Apple TV toward its video capabilities, but there’s absolutely no technical reason why the Apple TV cannot be connected to a stereo system.

The Apple TV includes HDMI, component video, RCA audio, and digital optical audio (TOSLINK) output ports. Any of these can be connected to many modern television sets, sure, but the RCA audio connections can interface with even the most rudimentary stereo and home theater audio setups. If you have a more feature-rich audio receiver, you may be able to use the optical audio port. HDMI is also an option, if your A/V receiver supports it.

It remains to be seen whether the Apple TV will simultaneously utilize all of these output ports, or whether you’ll need to select a setup ahead of time, but even in the worst case scenario, you should be able to find a way to get an audio signal to your stereo.

Q:

I recently bought an in-dash CD deck for my car which has a USB port for plugging in my iPod to play tunes from its library. But whenever I do, it plays the same list of random songs every time. The songs aren’t members of any certain playlist. It’s a seemingly random selection from my library, but it’s always the same ones. I’m unable to override this no matter what I do. Any suggestions on how I can play the playlists I want through the stereo?

- Johnny

A:

Unless a car stereo’s USB port feature is accompanied with an explicit mention of iPod compatibility, you can - unfortunately - be sure it will be nearly useless to iPod users. Decks offering generic USB compatibility with music players work by searching the devices’ file structure for compatible tracks. Here’s the catch: even the best of these players, which organize the identified tracks according to the folders they’re stored in, will not be useful with iPods. This is because all iPods store tracks in random locations spread across 20 or so folders. A specially-crafted database created behind the scenes by iTunes instructs the iPod on how to access and organize these tracks.

In short, it’s bad news for you and your CD deck. If your deck supports an auxiliary input, you can simply use an audio cable from your iPod’s headphone jack or a line-out adapter to feed analog audio to your car’s system.

For other readers, know that in-dash decks certainly do exist which have the ability to read the iPod’s database, and therefore correctly navigate its listing of Artists, Albums, Playlists, and more. We’ve covered a high-end example here, but cheaper options exist with full iPod database-browsing capabilities, both as full stereo-replacement decks and as adapters that work with factory stereos in many new cars. Check the list of manufacturers at Apple’s iPod-Car Integration web page.

Q:

I recently purchased a cable to connect my iPod with a TV. During a slideshow you can hear the music and see the pictures, and videos display fine on the TV. I was wondering: is there is a way to get the iPod’s “Now Playing” display screen to show album artwork, song title, artist, album title, etc. on the TV?

- Phil

A:

Built-in iPod on-screen menu navigation and display of the “Now Playing” screen are things we’ve been longing for ever since Apple’s original iPod photo docks had the capability to output an AV signal - and more so with the Universal Dock’s built-in remote sensor.

Still, there is no official Apple solution, nor do we have any indication that we’ll be getting one. In lieu of this, there are three alternate solutions that exist for displaying iTunes content on a larger screen complete with menuing systems and “Now Playing” progress indicators. First - although least likely to satisfy your needs - is Apple’s computer-based solution for Macs, Front Row. There’s also the newly-announced AppleTV, which places an updated Front Row-style interface on a widescreen TV. It can operate both as a stationary, wirelessly-synchronized 40GB iPod, and as wireless streaming client, pulling content from up to 5 other iTunes libraries.

The solution most likely to please users wanting to use their existing iPods with their TVs is a full dock-and-remote system like DLO’s HomeDock Deluxe, which offers both on-screen menu navigation and a “Now Playing”-like progress display with album art.

Q:

Is there a way that I can find out what playlists contain a particular song in my library?

- Anonymous

A:

Absolutely, and it’s simple. Simply select the song from anywhere in iTunes, right click on it, and you’ll find both the “Show in Playlist” and “Add to Playlist” menu options. The song is currently present in all playlists displayed in the former; all remaining non-smart playlists are possible options for the latter.

Q:

When I have several podcasts in my podcast playlist, after listening to one podcast, my second generation iPod nano will not automatically advance to the next podcast; I have to manually click on the next podcast to play it. This happens regardless if I start with the latest podcast on top of my list or the oldest podcast on the bottom of my list. Is there a setting that I need to tweak to play one podcast after another automatically?

- Al

A:

Unfortunately, that’s the way that Apple has designed the iPod’s Podcast menu, and there’s no setting to change that behavior. However, it’s fairly easy to work around: simply place the podcast episodes you’d like to listen to sequentially into playlists.

To automatically group all playlists into one playlist (and always capture all episodes as they come and go), you can do this with a simple smart playlist:

Alternatively, you can accomplish the same task while out and about directly from your iPod using its On-The-Go playlist feature. Navigate to the iPod’s Podcast menu, select a grouping of podcasts, and hold down the iPod’s center button. This will add the entire group of episodes to an On-The-Go playlist, accessible at the very bottom of the iPod’s “Music → Playlists” menu. Play this instead, and the podcasts will advance automatically.

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Ask iLounge Archives:

10-30-09: Authorization problems with iPod touch, Changing Grid View background in iTunes, iTunes library and Music Folder are different sizes, Older iPods and firmware updates, Reconciling two different iTunes libraries, Syncing multiple devices to one iTunes library

10-23-09: Using a laptop with an iTunes library on an external hard drive, Transferring YouTube videos to iPod, iPod touch accessibility settings, Disabling Shake to Shuffle on iPod nano, Purchased songs fail to download from iTunes Store, Charging and powering off iPhone

10-16-09: Moving iTunes to a new computer, Transferring contacts from Blackberry to an iPhone, Disabling iPhone Backups, Using AV cables for audio only, Problems syncing photos to iPod touch, Memorex iFlip and iPhone compatibility

10-9-09: iPhone OS and external keyboards, Adjusting ratings in a remote iTunes library, Excluding tracks from Genius Mixes, Moving iTunes library out of My Documents, Playlist folders on iPod touch, Refreshing random Smart Playlists

9-25-09: iTunes 9 and Shopping Cart, Restoring iTunes to an external hard drive, Using an HTTP Proxy over 3G, Problems transferring movies from iTunes to IPhone, iPod touch shuffle mode, Using an iPhone without a SIM card

See the rest of the Archives...

Next: Colored iPod shuffles: iLounge Editors' reactions

Previous: iPhone and Apple TV: Our Opinions, Post-Expo

Comments

1

How to install TheRecipeManager to ipod?

Posted by RBGP on January 20, 2007 at 6:04 PM (PDT)

2

My iPod is frozen in the “Disk Mode” screen.  How do I reset my iPod?

Posted by Prosper on January 22, 2007 at 9:47 AM (PDT)

3

I already have an Ipod 20gb.  I have a great library full of songs.  The family just got another Ipod (nano) and I would like to know how to add it to itunes without automatically downloading all my songs onto it.

Thank you
kinsmetz

Posted by kinsmetz on January 24, 2007 at 9:09 PM (PDT)

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