Ask iLounge 3-27-09

Article

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:

I recently purchased a new HP Desktop with Vista. I moved my old iTunes library to an external hard drive and then moved the library from it to my new computer being careful to make sure it went in the same path. When I open iTunes it says it is using this folder, but my music is not showing up. Any suggestions?

- Kim

The likely situation here is that you transferred your actual media content in your “iTunes Music” folder, but did not transfer the files in your main “iTunes” folder, which would include the iTunes library database.

By default, iTunes stores everything in a folder named “iTunes” under your Windows “My Music” folder. Your iTunes library database is stored directly within this folder and your media content is stored in the “iTunes Music” sub-folder. Your media content can be moved to just about any other folder on your computer by changing the setting in your iTunes Advanced preferences, however your library database remains in this main iTunes folder.

If you haven’t moved your iTunes Music folder to another location, the simplest way to move your iTunes library to your new computer is to copy the entire “iTunes” folder, including all sub-folders, from your “My Music” folder on your old computer into your “My Music” folder on the new computer. Also be sure to overwrite any files that are already there in the process as iTunes may have created an empty database on the new computer the first time it was run.

See our iPod 201 article, Transferring your iTunes Library for more detailed information.

Is there an application for the newest iPhone (v2.21) that will turn the iPod into an alarm clock. I would like to awake a playlist. Also, is there an application that will turn the iPhone into a video camera?

- David

Unfortunately, both of these functions would live exclusively in the realm of unofficial applications at this time, which would require you to “jailbreak” your iPhone in order to use.

The issue with video recording applications is based simply on the fact that the iPhone itself does not provide an interface for video recording, and official third-party applications are not permitted to access the iPhone hardware directly in a manner that would allow them to provide this capability.

The problem with the alarm clock application is two-fold: Firstly, official iPhone applications cannot run in the background using the Software Development Kit that Apple provides. This means that you would need to leave the Alarm clock application running before you go to bed in order for it to sound in the morning. More importantly, however, third-party applications are not presently permitted to access the iPod media library, so you would be unable to awaken to a selected playlist using a third-party app. While there are a number of third-party alarm clock applications available on the iTunes App Store, none of them will presently allow you to wake to a playlist due to this restriction.

Note that according to Apple’s recent announcement, the iPhone 3.0 OS being released this summer will allow third-party applications to access your iPod content, and it is likely that once this is released some third-party alarm clock applications will be updated to take advantage of this new capability. Note that the restriction on background applications will apparently remain in place in the new iPhone OS, but this is easily worked around with an alarm clock application that wakes you up in the morning, as you can simply leave it running the night before.

Note that some third-party iPhone alarm clocks do provide wake-to-playlist support. Most notable among these is the iHome iP9 (iLounge rating: A-), which provides the ability to wake to either a standard beeping noise, normal iPod playback, or a custom playlist. To use the custom playlist feature, you simply create a playlist named “iHome” on your iPhone and the iP9 will start playing back whatever is in that playlist when the alarm goes off.

I currently have an 80GB iPod classic which is nearly full (18,702 songs). I am considering purchasing a 160 GB iPod classic to augment my 80 GB. I still have about 4,000 CDs to import to iTunes. Is there a way to operate two iPods with completely different iTunes libraries? Essentially I want to make one iPod totally independent from the other and its associated library, ie. one iPod for rock, country and blues and the other for jazz, classical and world music.

- Rod

Yes, there are a few different ways that you can do this. If you really want to maintain two completely separate iTunes libraries, you can do this by holding down the SHIFT key (Windows) or OPT key (Mac) when starting iTunes, and you will be prompted to either create a new library or choose an existing one.

You can switch between iTunes libraries as often as necessary by using this technique. Note, however, that your iTunes preferences are stored separately, and will apply to both of your iTunes libraries, so you may want to be careful about settings such as your “iTunes Music” folder path.

If you’re a Mac user, you may also want to check our iTunes Library Manager which is an AppleScript that automates this process for you, optionally providing the ability to use different preference settings for each library. An iTunes 8 compatible library manager for Windows is not available, unfortunately.

Note that you do not necessarily need to create two separate libraries simply to separate your iPod content. Alternatively, you could set each of your iPods to sync only selected playlists and store all of your music in a single iTunes library. If you’re basing the separation on genres as you describe this is even easier, as you can create Smart Playlists for your genre groupings and then choose those as the playlists to sync to each of your iPods.

Each iPod that you connect to iTunes is treated as its own distinct device, and you can therefore have different synchronization settings for each one, so you could set one iPod to sync your Smart Playlists for rock, country and blues and your other iPod to synchronize your Smart Playlists for jazz, classical and world music.

Note that you can either use one Smart Playlists for each genre, or you can combine genres into a single smart playlist simply by specifying additional criteria and using the match “ANY” option.

I had my iTunes library stored on my laptop which broke. I wanted to pull the music from my iPod to another computer, but the computer already has somebody else’s iTunes library on it. Can I recover my music without wiping out their library?

- Melissa

Yes, this is definitely possible. Most of the iPod recovery tools that we discuss in our iPod 201 article, Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer are primarily designed to recover your content back to your local hard drive and then allow you to import it into your iTunes library yourself. Those that do provide the ability to rebuild your iTunes library offer this as an additional option, so you can choose to recover either just the individual media files, or you can choose to recover your information back into your iTunes library.

If recovering information such as playlists, ratings and play counts is important to you, you will need to rebuild your iTunes library as part of this process. Fortunately, however, it is possible to do this without affecting the existing iTunes library on the computer. The safest way to do this is to simply create an additional user account on this computer for yourself. iTunes stores its library on a per-user account basis, so each user account gets its own library. If you create a new user account, you are basically using a brand new iTunes library.

Alternatively, if this is not feasible, you can create a new iTunes library under the same user account simply by holding down the SHIFT key (Windows) or OPT key (Mac) when starting iTunes. iTunes will provide you with an option to create a new library and you can then restore your content to that library rather than the original one on that computer. You can later switch back to the original iTunes library simply by holding down SHIFT or OPT again when starting iTunes and selecting the “Choose Library” option.

I purchased a season of Law & Order and synced it to my iPod classic, however three episodes just stop playing after about 10-12 minutes. I tried to re-sync, but it didn’t make any difference. When I click on the show name in iTunes on my computer it says that it can’t find it and asks me if I would like to locate it. The file seems to still be in the Downloads folder in my Music folder. Most of the episodes work just fine. Please help.

- Alexis

Chances are that you’re dealing with a corrupt or incomplete download. If the episode is still listed in the Downloads folder, this generally means that for whatever reason iTunes did not finish downloading it from the iTunes Store. Although these episodes should not normally appear in your iTunes library, if you had tried to import them manually (by double-clicking on them from within the Downloads folder), they will be imported into iTunes, but of course will be incomplete since they were not fully downloaded.

You can try to see if these are still pending for download by selecting Check for Available Downloads… from the iTunes Store menu. If they are no longer pending download, however, you will need to contact the iTunes Store Customer Service and explain the problem and ask them to allow you to re-download those specific episodes.

When I buy an audiobook on CD and want to import it into my iTunes library, adding the description of “Genre: Book” does not make it become an audiobook. It seems that only the audiobooks you buy on iTunes can benefit from the speech acceleration mode of the audiobooks. Is there anyway around this?

- Aurelien

Actually, in iTunes 8 it’s quite easy to classify any audio track as an audiobook. The trick is to select the audio track in question, choose File, Get Info from the iTunes menu, and then check the “Options” tab in the track information dialog box. Under the “Media Kind” option, simply click on the drop-down where is says “Music” and change it to “Audiobook” and click OK.

This will cause your audio track to appear in the Audiobooks section in iTunes as well as allowing it to take advantage of variable-speed playback on your iPod or iPhone. Note that if you want to also have it remember where you left of playing last, make sure you also check the option to “Remember Playback Position” in the “Options” dialog.

In versions of iTunes prior to iTunes 8, this was considerably more complicated, and generally involved either using third-party software applications or manually converting your track to the AAC format, renaming it, and reimporting it into your iTunes library. If you’re not already running iTunes 8, upgrading is likely much easier.

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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...

9-18-09: Recovering unlisted media content from iPod, Repeat and continuous video playback on iPod touch, iPhone 3G vs 3GS, Customizing iTunes sorting, Rebuilding an iTunes library, Removing artwork from iPod in iTunes 9

9-11-09: Genius Mixes and iPod classic, Drag-and-drop content to iPod, Sharing home libraries in iTunes 9, Using an iPod without iTunes, Waking to a playlist on iPod touch, Kensington LiquidAUX, Disabling Geotagging Warnings

8-28-09: Consolidating Multiple iTunes Libraries, iPod touch Bluetooth headset compatibility, iPod holds less than advertised number of songs, Transferring media between iTunes Store accounts

8-21-09: Recover Contact/Calendar info from iPod touch, Connect iPod without automatic sync, Managing On-The-Go playlists, iPhone and Stereo Bluetooth Support, Sharing an iTunes library between multiple users on the same computer, Disabling Shake-to-Shuffle on iPod nano

8-14-09: Syncing iPod touch apps and data with a new iTunes library, Automatically adding media files to multiple iTunes libraries from a network share, Downgrading to iTunes 7, iPod nano and disk mode, Displaying release dates on iPod, Playing iPod through TV USB port

8-7-09: Clean up album artwork in iTunes, Syncing media content and calendar/contact info from different computers, Reorganizing recovered tracks in iTunes, Using multiple iPods and iPhones on one computer

7-31-09: Using an iPod and a Zune, iPod and on-TV menus, Backing up Notes from IPod touch, Sharing an iTunes library between a Mac and a PC, Waterproof earphones, 3G iPod and iPhone Accessory compatibility, Shure earphones

7-24-09: Displaying recent plays on web site, iPhone and car integration, iPod classic TV output, Renaming iPhone, Sound quality on different iPod models, iPod shuffle accessory compatibility

7-17-09: Transferring saved application data to new iPhone, Recovering Content from Mac iPod on Windows, iPhone 3GS and charging accessories, Recreating Recently Added playlist, Restoring old iPod touch, Track sorting on iPod classic

7-10-09: Passwords on iPod touch, iPod headphone jack problems, Tagging tracks imported from CD, Adding chapter markers to audiobooks, first-generation iPhone and stereo Bluetooth, Nike+ shoes

7-3-09: iPhone Recent Calls list and location info, iPod touch Bluetooth audio support, Car interface fails after 3.0 upgrade, iPhone battery life, iPhone stereo audio recording,

6-26-09: Recovering a dead iPod touch after 3.0 update, Battery Percentage Display on iPhone 3.0, Options hidden after 3.0 update, iPhone locked after 3.0 update, Managing videos on iPhone, iPod classic accessory compatibility

6-12-09: Conserving power on iPhone, Syncing iPhone Notes, Syncing Apps on new iPod touch, Block pop-ups in Safari, Syncing new iPhone, Playing multiple albums

5-29-09: Sorting tracks in iTunes, iPhone Bluetooth Headset Dock, Recovering Mac-formatted iPod on Windows, Screen damage on 4G iPod nano, Syncing purchased tracks back to iTunes, Managing a class set of iPods

5-22-09: Syncing iTunes content between computers, Importing music into iTunes, Re-transferring apps from a new iTunes library, New iPods and charging accessories, Using multiple iTunes libraries

5-15-09: Starting out with an external hard drive, Syncing playlists manually, Recovering lost iPod serial number, Music count vs Playlist count, Multiple iTunes Store accounts on the same computer, Optimizing album artwork

5-8-09: Organizing audiobooks, Problems transferring purchased items back to iTunes, Keeping played podcast episodes on iPod, Transferring iTunes library to a new computer, iPod shows no content, Using a new iPod with an existing iTunes library

4-24-09: Playing iTunes purchases on a non-networked computer, Finding iPod manuals online, Sharing an iTunes library between separate user accounts, Equalizer on iPod shuffle, Recovering content from Apple TV, Screenshots on iPod touch

4-17-09: Converting tracks to higher bit-rates, Using iPod with non-iTunes content, Using iTunes with an external hard drive, Expired rentals don't delete on iPod, Using only part of a song, Restoring 4G iPod stuck on AC adapter icon

3-27-09: Transferring iTunes library from XP to Vista, Using iPhone as an alarm clock, Splitting iTunes library across two iPods, Recovering iPod onto a computer with an existing iTunes library, Purchased TV Shows stuck in downloads folder, Tagging tracks as Audiobooks in iTunes 8

3-20-09: Using two iPods on a single computer, iPod shuffle 2G/3G accessory compatibility, Displaying TV Show seasons separately in iTunes, Playing iPod through secondary computer, Stopping iPod playback on iPhone, iPod touch 2G and Dock audio

3-13-09: iPod touch vs iPhone, Storing music only on your iPod, Problems transferring rented content, Managing content manually on iPod shuffle, iPod lyrics display, Playing video out to TV from iPhone

3-6-09: iPhone playback on other computers, Games on iPod classic and 5G, Transferring iTunes tracks to SD cards, Group compilations on iPhone, Transferring your iTunes library, iPhone Car Integration

2-27-09: Problems transferring iTunes content to external hard drives, Using an iTunes library database from an external hard drive, Converting Palm address book for iPod touch, How iTunes organizes music videos, Preventing iPhoto from opening when connecting an iPod touch

2-20-09: Video docks for 5G iPod, Connecting an old iPod to a new iTunes library, Downloading iTunes 8 on another computer, Erasing a used iPod and starting fresh, Recovering photos from an iPod, Tracking purchases in iTunes

2-13-09: Waterproof cases and sound quality, Upgrading to iTunes Plus with a manually managed iPod, Reinstalling games on the iPhone, iPhone 3G Dock options, Fixing album artwork problems, Display iTunes Applications category

2-6-09: iPod nano voice memo format, Buying iPods abroad, Skipping a playlist when shuffling, Adjusting playback speed of music tracks, Not all TV Shows syncing to iPod, Checking and unchecking multiple items in iTunes

1-23-09: Synchronizing contacts to iPod touch, Pairing iPhone Remote app, iPhone call audio via Dock Connector, Recovering iPhone apps, New iPods and charging, Remote control of Windows via iPhone

1-16-09: Creating Smart Playlists based on other playlists, Transferring or syncing an iTunes library between two computers, Converting Mac-formatted iPod to Windows, Using Artist and Sort Artist fields, Using an iPod on more than one computer, Importing audiobook CDs as audiobooks

1-2-09: Parents controls on iPod touch, Running iTunes from an external hard drive, Search feature on 5G iPods, Syncing videos to iPod touch, Safari problems on iPod touch, Other content on iPod shuffle

12-19-08: Keeping podcast episodes, iPod and TV USB inputs, Converting PC-formatted iPod to Mac, iPod touch e-mail accounts, Backing up iTunes to a hard drive, Managing and syncing iPod touch On-The-Go playlists

12-12-08: Classifying videos in iTunes 8, Sharing music between iPods, Sharing apps between iTunes libraries on the same computer, iH9 and iPhone compatibility, Recreating Purchased folder, Locating Music Videos

12-5-08: Creating custom slideshows for Apple TV, Optimal album artwork size, Transferring iPod touch from PC to Mac, Upgrading to a new iPod touch, Authorizing iPod Games on new computer, Managing iPod content manually

11-21-08: iPod keeps resetting, Organizing iPhone apps, iPod touch video accessories, iPod-compatible online music sources, Reordering playlists manually

11-14-08: Cover Flow on 4G iPod nano, Setting up iPod touch without Internet access, Internet radio for iPod touch, Apps button missing on iPod touch, mm50 speakers and new iPod models, Including Year field on iPod

10-31-08: iPod charging accessory compatibility, Adding tracks to multiple albums, Removing pre-installed games, Transferring contacts from iPod touch to a second computer, iPod touch accessory compatibility, iPod synchronization to a new computer

10-24-08: Importing folders with M3U files, AV cables with 2008 iPods, Moving iTunes libraries between computers, Unknown albums after importing music, Newly added tracks don't show up on iPod

10-17-08: Backup up your iPod, iPods and viruses, Using an iPod on Mac and Windows, Managing photos on an iPod manually, Adding iTunes Shared Music to iPod, iPod video out

10-3-08: Displaying lyrics on iPod touch, Calculating playlist sizes, Transferring tracks to iPod in manual mode, Purchasing older iPod models, Using iPhone without phone service, Shuffle modes

9-26-08: iTunes HD TV episodes showing up twice, Shure MPA-3C and iPod touch, Synchronizing iPod to a new iTunes library, Problems updating iPhone applications, Managing iTunes media files on an external hard drive, Managing multiple iPods on one computer

9-19-08: Removing Genre column in iTunes 8, Syncing TV Shows by playlist, Recovering Mac-formatted iPod on Windows, Recovering photos from iPod, XtremeMac Luna X2, iPod flash memory capacity, Restoring older iPod models

9-12-08: Managing iPhone Backups, iPod disk mode and deleted items, iPod Plays only single tracks, iPhone and T9 predictive text, Copying ratings and play counts from iPod to computer, Automatically retrieving CD information and album artwork

9-5-08: AV output from iPhone 3G dock, New playlists not appearing on iPod, Transferring music on iPod touch from multiple computers, Resetting iTunes Store authorization counts, Editing tag information, iPhone task applications

8-29-08: Disabling data on iPhone 3G, iTunes Plus and Apple Backup, Deleting photos from iPod, iPhone v2.0 and TV Out accessories, Consolidating multiple iTunes libraries, Restoring iPod touch from backup

8-22-08: Cleaning up applications in iTunes, Playing back all songs on iPod, Excluding podcasts from Smart Playlists, Bookmarking tracks, Playing tracks back at a consistent volume level

8-15-08: Transferring play counts back to iTunes, Playing iPod while charging, Customizing iPhone alerts, Syncing movies to iPod nano, iTunes not recognizing new CDs, Sudoku reviews

8-8-08: iPhone and SIM card contacts, Syncing iPhone contacts, Hiding SMS previews on iPhone, Playing iPod touch on secondary computer, Syncing photos to iPod, Resuming interrupted iTunes WiFI Store downloads

8-8-08: iLounge Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Horwitz responds to reader questions on all things iLounge, including technical issues related to iPhone 3G, and behind-the-scenes editorial issues

8-1-08: iPhone Edition: Switching between apps, Car charging accessories, Activating older iPhone models, Sending MMS, App Store in wrong language, Excel and A2DP support

7-25-08: MobileMe on iPhone for Calendars only, Buying iPods for International use, Voice recorders for 4G iPods, Free Music for iPod, Problems transferring purchased content to iPod, Playing AAC files in Windows Media Player

7-18-08: Ask iLounge iPhone v2.0 Edition: Installing apps on multiple devices, Converting videos for iPhone 3G, Activating first-gen iPhones, Saved photos on iPod touch, Push e-mail support

7-4-08: Recovering a corrupt iPod, Hard cases for iPhone, Reimporting CDs into iTunes, iPod shows only Other content, Managing multiple audio formats in iTunes, Optimum iPod video output cables

6-27-08: Creating Smart Playlists for Purchased items, Keeping place in multi-track audiobooks, Backing up iTunes before a reformat, iPod Games on 5G and classic, Editing CD tracks before import, Getting Album Artwork automatically

6-20-08: Third-party iPod management tools, Transferring large files on iPod, Shuffling On-The-Go Playlists, Removing played podcasts from iPod, Continuously playing one track, Moving iTunes from PC to Mac

6-13-08: Artists not appearing on iPod, Unchecked items do not play in iTunes, iTunes shows incorrect CD track information, Podcast support on older iPod models, Upgrading to a new iPod, Photo albums on iPod touch

6-6-08: Downloading YouTube videos onto iPod, Selling old iPod models, Fit iTunes Window to Screen, Handing down an iPod, Dock Compatible iPod cases, Problems transferring music from iPod to Mac

5-30-08: Burning iTunes purchases to an MP3 CD, Playing iPhone via computer, Pre-loading a gift iPod on another computer, Music Video playlists on Apple TV, Music videos on 2G iPod nano, Importing existing MP3 and WMA files into iTunes.

5-23-08: Finding and backing up purchased music, Syncing duplicate tracks to iPod, Restoring 4G iPod and AC power, Syncing iPod to a laptop when travelling, Finding photos on iPod, Storing a large iTunes library in multiple folders

5-16-08: Using the iPhone with integrated in-car Bluetooth, Problems with iPods and depleted batteries, Transferring content to a new iPod, iPod displays audio but no video, Removing photos and album artwork from iTunes, Overdrive Media and iPods

5-9-08: About iPod battery life and charging, Using Apple FM Radio remote on older iPod models, Scan and Fix dialog using iPod on Windows Vista, Preserving iTunes metadata when reinstalling Windows, Importing multiple tracks into iTunes, About iTunes and ID3 tags

5-2-08: Transferring digital camera movies to iPod, Reordering and shuffling playlists, Transferring playlists between iTunes libraries, Importing audiobooks, Correcting tags on CD import, Burning CDs with longer gaps

4-25-08: Finding Duplicates in iTunes, Setting files to open in iTunes automatically, Resetting authorizations, 1G iPod nano and voice recording, Syncing a library larger than your iPod capacity, Grouping multi-disc albums

4-17-08: Ripping CDs to external hard drive, Zeppelin speakers and USB port, Bluetooth stereo on iPhone, Converting TV shows to iPod, Audio recording on iPod touch, Wireless security on iPod touch

4-10-08: Transferring LPs to iTunes, Movie Rentals and 5G iPod, New iPod models on older Macs, Maintaining Playback Position on iPod, Importing CDs on multiple computers

4-3-08: Using several iPods on one computer, Renaming imported CD tracks, iM7 and iPod nano, Burning different CD types, Purchasing from iTunes while travelling, Importing CDs on MacBook Air, Sending photos from iPhone

3-28-08: iPod capacity and bit-rates, International iTunes Gift Cards, iPhone charging accessories, Moving iTunes purchases to another computer, iPod touch and third-party tools, iPod videos play only audio

3-21-08: Basic DVD conversion, 5G iPod and subtitles, Slideshows on iPod touch, Using the Voice Memo function, iPod classic TV output quality, iPod Dock Connector extender cables

3-14-08: About Skip Count, iPhone alarm clocks, 5G firmware updates, Cleaning up after a library move, Syncing new playlists to iPod nano, Authorization of multiple iTunes Store accounts

3-7-08: Transferring MP3 files to new iTunes library, iPhone ringtones on Windows, Wired remotes for iPod classic, Sharing iTunes with multiple users on one PC, iTunes library and Time Capsule, Chargers for 3G iPods

2-29-08: Finding iPhone Backups, Contact Display on iPhone, Automatic vs manual iPod management, iTunes CD burning restrictions, iTunes movie rental expiry on iPods, Downloading podcasts to iPhone

2-22-08: Upgrading your iPhone, Recovering data from corrupted iPod, Recreating default playlists, Syncing iPod Games from more than one computer, Problems playing purchased TV shows on iPod, Output settings when playing movies from iPod to TV

2-15-08: Setting up an AirTunes network, Shuffling music, Playing podcasts sequentially, Firewire support on modern iPods, Recovering Mac-formatted iPods on Windows, Recovering iTunes library from a virus

2-7-08: Transferring music from iPod touch, Voice recorders for 2007 iPods, Cover Flow on 5G iPod, Renaming your iPod, iTunes and iLife, Organizing music transferred from the iPod

1-31-08: Apple TV AirTunes Support, iPod Games on 5G and classic, Keeping videos only on iPod, Syncing iPod using checked songs, Charging with Universal Dock, International iPod and iTunes Store use

1-18-08: Macworld Expo 2008 Special Edition: Questions about the new iTunes Movie Rentals and Apple TV features, including Time Capsule and the Apple TV, Renting HD Movies from iTunes, Transferring rented movies to and from the iPod, Fifth-generation iPods and movie rental support, AirTunes support on Apple TV Take Two.

1-10-08: TV output quality, iPod windows driver installation errors, Connecting iPod to portable DVD player, Syncing games, iPhone charger compatibility, Reformatting iPod for Mac

1-3-08: 2007 iPod models and speakers, Video resolution vs bit-rate, Preventing auto-deletion of podcasts, Videos with no sound, Using iTunes Store when travelling abroad, Transferring videos to iPod, Importing Audiobooks

12-27-07: Your First iPod, Differences between iPod models, Accessory compatibility, Converting DVDs for iPod, New iPods and older computers, Earphone Recommendations, Troubleshooting iPod Problems

12-21-07: Other space on iPod, Search feature on iPod touch, Adding third-party ringtones to iPhone, iPod suddenly shows no content, TV Dock compatibility, Artists appearing more than once on iPod

12-14-07: New iPods - Buy now or wait? Transfer music from an old iPod, Convert MP3 to Lossless, Listening to videos and battery life, Bluetooth headphones for iPod nano, Universal Dock and line-out volume

12-7-07: Using Compilations settings, Re-syncing iPod after hard drive replacement, Locating iTunes Plus tracks, New iPod firmware - video output and iPod Hi-Fi support, Mac-formatted iPods, Cover Flow on iPod, iPhone screen goes blank when on a call

11-29-07: Photo resolution on the iPhone, Obtaining video content for the iPod touch, Restoring older iPod models, Sharing iTunes library on a single computer, Transferring iTunes via external hard drive, Auto-deleting played podcasts

11-22-07: Syncing games to iPod, Removing album artwork, Replacing files in iTunes library, Limiting volume on iPod, Preventing iPod sync when connecting with iTunes, Skipping audiobooks when shuffling songs

11-16-07: iTunes and Vista, iPod classic video output (revisited), Transferring iTunes from PC to Mac, Organizing Music Videos in iTunes, Using newer iPods with older OS X versions, Sorting photos on iPod

11-9-07: Editing calendar on iPod touch, Multiple iTunes libraries on one computer, Creating an iTunes Store account without a credit card, Burning CDs with track names, iPod/iPhone remote control, iPhone TV output from Safari

11-2-07: TV Docks for new iPod models, Calculate song file sizes, iPhone backup and restore, Sync selected content with iPhone, Universal Dock compatibility, Managing podcast synchronization

10-26-07: iTunes Plus, Play Slideshow on iPod nano, Activate TV out on new iPods, Recover Mac iPod in Windows, Add descriptions to TV shows, iTunes not opening when iPhone is connected

10-18-07: iPod and Windows Autoplay, Reinstalling iTunes, Manually Managing Videos, iPod charging accessories, iPod touch power and sleep modes, Resyncing recovered iPod content

10-11-07: Managing a class set of iPods, New firmware and older iPods, Windows ME support, Sorting artists by last name, 3G iPod car audio compatibility, Resetting iPod language

10-5-07: iTunes WiFi Store, Videos with no sound, Managing video content manually, Tagging TV Shows, Renaming iPod, Flash support on iPhone, Removing multiple artwork images, iPhone and multi-recipient SMS, US/UK iPod compatibility, Photo storage on iPod touch

9-27-07: iPod classic audio quality, New iPod models: features and accessory compatibility, Transferring music from iPod 5G to classic, iPod nano voice recording, Storing multiple bitrates in iTunes

9-7-07: Special Edition on the new iPod lineup - users most common questions answered about the new iPod lineup and new iTunes release, including accessory compatibility and new software features.

8-30-07: Playing single tracks, iPhone sleep timer, Deleting iPod content, TV shows do not appear on iPod, Manually sorting playlists, Fitting content onto audio CDs, Car line-out solutions

8-23-07: Set Video Kind within files, Authorization and iPod transfer, Chat Clients for iPhone, Importing CDs for gapless playback, Tethering iPhone, Burning Purchased Tracks

8-16-07: Managing podcasts, Bookmarking audiobooks, No artwork in Cover Flow, Storing iTunes content on two hard drives, Sleeping with an iPod, ROKR sunglasses and iPhone, Selling an iPod

8-9-07: Playing Podcast episodes in sequence, Recording radio in iTunes, New iPod with songs already on it, Authorized Computers, Sync iPod with a new computer, Transferring a Windows iPod to a MacBook

8-2-07: Syncing the iPhone to more than one computer, Transferring iTunes music to the Blackberry, Continuous video playback on the iPod, Problems editing track info in iTunes, Transferring content from iPhone to computer, Video playback from the iPhone, Sending MMS messages from the iPhone

7-26-07: Transferring photos from iPhone, Using iPhone speaker and dock, Song volume adjustments in iTunes, Transfer from a Mac-formatted iPod in Windows Vista, iTunes Other category and TV show syncing, Printing track lists from iTunes

7-19-07: Importing MP3 CDs, Using two iPods on one computer, Showing current track in Windows Messenger, iPod nano accessory compatibility, Keeping content only on the iPod, Transferring between two iTunes libraries

7-12-07: Sorting in iTunes 7.3, Joining CD tracks, Selecting TV Shows for sync, Recovering photos from iPod, Tagging multiple video tracks, iPhone activation requirements

Next: iPhone Gems: Eliss, 3D Brick Breaker, Vans SK8, Wolfenstein 3D, TNA Wrestling, Mega Man II + More

Previous: Weird + Small Apps: Mini-Games, Including Hoopster, Field Goal Frenzy, Flight Control + Sky Babes

Comments

1

Re: missing alarm function on the iPhone, I think it’s worth noting that iPods have had this feature for a while. I’m holding out hope that Apple will just include the feature in their own clock application with an update, where it belongs.

Posted by mark on March 29, 2009 at 7:30 PM (PDT)

2

While it may be easy to classify an audio track as an audiobook in iTunes 8, doing so does not make the track play at variable speeds on older iPods. I tested this with a couple of AAC tracks. I changed the Media Kind to Audiobook. When I played the tracks on my iPhone, they were bookmarkable and played at variable rates. However, when I synced those tracks to my 2005-era 4GB Nano, they were bookmarkable, but they would not play at variable speeds. I had the same results with my 2004-era 4G 40GB iPod—bookmarkable, no variable speeds. One way to get variable speed playback of tracks on those older devices is to convert the tracks from files with .m4a extensions to .m4b. This can be done within iTunes with a script from Doug’s Applescripts called Quick Convert.

Posted by Plan K on April 9, 2009 at 1:58 PM (PDT)

3

What happened to “ask ilounge” the weekly info app”

Posted by james cannon on April 16, 2009 at 3:02 PM (PDT)

4

I am unable to download itunes. It starts the process and then tells me I have insufficient privileges to modify the file

I have windows Vista. I have been getting the modify file message. Now I cannot download anything

Posted by Angeline Santana on April 23, 2009 at 7:51 PM (PDT)

5

Ever since I downloaded iTune 8 my library removes itself every time I turn off my computer or shut down iTune. and I have to reinstall it. It stays on my computer but the library is empty every time I turn my iTunes back on. Is this a glitch in the update or did I do something wrong?

Posted by Jeannie on May 2, 2009 at 8:40 AM (PDT)

6

I seem to have 58 episodes purchased in HD that are queued download, but my connection keeps telling me my internet timed out, all the while I’m downloading successfully another episode of video. How is this possible? Suggestions would be appreciated. Previously I had no problem downloading pending Videos 3-6 at a time.
Cordially,
S. rubler

Posted by S Rubler on September 20, 2009 at 12:49 PM (PDT)

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