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The Free iPod + iPhone Book4

Ask iLounge 4-8-05

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By Kirk McElhearn

Contributing Editor
Published: Friday, April 8, 2005
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: I will be traveling overseas later this year with my 4G iPod. How can I charge the iPod? Do I need any special equipment?

- Jon

A: The iPod charger accepts AC current from 100 to 240 volts. The easiest solution is to buy the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit ($39.00) so you can plug the iPod charger into an AC outlet in the country you’re visiting. We also recommend Capdase’s less expensive Universal AC Adapter as a similar alterative that might work, depending on the country you’re visiting. You can also find a general power adapter in any good electronics store; make sure you get one that’s designed for the specific country(ies) where you’ll be traveling, since different countries have different AC plugs.


Q: I just bought a 40 GB iPod from eBay, but all I bought is the iPod. I have iTunes on my Windows computer already, but would like to know what accessories I need to get started.

- Fred

A: Other than the iPod and iTunes, you’ll need earphones or headphones, as well as a way to connect the iPod to your PC. For the former, you can check the iLounge]http://ilounge.com/sitenews_comments.php?id=6799_0_2_0_C]iLounge Buyers’ Guide[/url] for our choice of the best earbuds, earphones and headphones for any budget.

To connect your iPod to your PC, you’ll need a special cable. First, you need to know which model you have: if you have a 3G iPod (it has four buttons below the screen, plus a click wheel), it won’t charge via USB. You have two choices: you can get a FireWire card (unless you have built-in FireWire) and a FireWire-Dock Connector cable from Apple, or you can use USB to transfer your songs and buy a separate iPod USB Charger from Apple.

If you have a 4G iPod (it has a single, gray click wheel), then you can charge it via USB, as long your computer has a USB 2.0 port. This is a high-speed USB port that also allows for faster data transfer. If you do have USB 2.0, then you’ll need a USB-Dock Connector cable from Apple.

If your computer only has USB 1, you can still use the iPod, but it won’t charge, and data transfer will be slow. In that case, you’ll need to add a USB 2.0 or FireWire card to your PC, or buy an iPod charger from Apple, and use the USB port for data transfer.


Q: Is there any software that lets you type on your iPod, like on a PDA? I would like to have a virtual keyboard on the iPod screen, to be able to scroll through the alphabet with the wheel and pick letters with middle wheel button, and be able to type and save notes on the iPod.

- Beth

A: Not yet. Many people would like to see the iPod become more of a PDA, but Apple so far has not gone down that road. Allowing text input on the iPod would mean a redesign of the iPod, both in functionality and architecture. We may see something like this in the future, but it would most likely be a totally new iPod, not an add-on to existing models.


Q: I have a 2G iPod and recently bought a new desktop that does not have a FireWire connection. Can I purchase a USB cable/adapter to connect the iPod to the computer?

- Mark

A: The 2G iPod only works with a FireWire connection. You can buy a cable from Apple to connect it to your PC, but you’ll need to install a FireWire card in the PC first. You can get more information on some recommended FireWire cards here. Belkin also makes good FireWire cards for PCs, available in many stores.


Q: Is there any way to manually reset my iPod if it freezes? It has frozen on me a couple of times and the only thing I could think of doing was to let the battery drain out.

- Rondale

A: Resetting the iPod depends on which model you have. If you have a recent model (4G iPod or iPod photo, with a gray click wheel, or any iPod mini), toggle the Hold switch (at the top of the iPod) on and off, then press and hold the Menu and Select buttons for about 5 seconds, or until the Apple logo appears. If you have an older iPod, after toggling the Hold switch, press and hold the Menu and Play/Pause buttons.


picKirk McElhearn is the author of several books including iPod & iTunes Garage. His blog, Kirkville features articles about the iPod, iTunes, Mac OS X and much more.








Ask iLounge Archives:

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

See the rest of the Archives...

Shop in the loungeStore for iPod + iPhone Accessories.

Next: All Things iPod photo, including Camera Accessories

Previous: All Things iPod mini

Comments

1

Dear Ipodlounge,

I was running out of memory on my laptop, so I decided to remove a number of music files (copied by ITunes onto my laptop), thus leaving the music file only on the Ipod.

When I now open ITunes and access the music on the Ipod, a small warning sign appears next to the music track.
I am unable to play these tracks.  Also, if I try and play one of these particular tracks on the Ipod itself, it skips until it finds one that it can play.  Please help.

Posted by Stevie B on April 13, 2005 at 1:43 AM (PDT)

2

My 15GB Ipod is saying that it is full @ 13.87GB but also says there is 4.5MB free - which doesn’t add up for a start.  So i have started to delete some albums in favour of others.  But despite deleting several albums now, it is still saying there is insufficient room for new songs and the total song count & GB used is still staying at exactly the same number - weird.  how can fix this?

Posted by zoes on April 14, 2005 at 2:55 AM (PDT)

3

I have to restore my sysyem to before I have Itunes, I have moved my library to a third drive for storage using the consilidate library info that is on this site. I know I have to reinstall Itunes, how will I get it to find the the music that is on the 3rd drive once Itunes is reinstalled and how do make sure all of my settings and music info(names, genre etc) stay the same?

Thanks
Grog

Posted by Grog on April 27, 2005 at 7:01 AM (PDT)

4

Hi, its thanksgiving and everything and i was with my family when i wanted to listen to my ipod. So i pulled it out of my pocket and turned it on. it was working fine, until i chose the song i had just put on it today...i chose that song, and it froze up. my ipod has been on the same thing for about 6 hours now, it wont turn off, it wont do anything, and it wont even show that the ipod is connected when i plug it into my computer...if ANYONE can help me fix my ipod, i’d be glad to listen…

Posted by Kyle-Van-15 on November 22, 2007 at 6:29 PM (PDT)

5

my 4 gig mini ipod gives me a message that this device is not supported by this ipod when theirs is no item even attached to in ,i all ready try restoring that did not help thanks for any help

Posted by john conway on August 26, 2008 at 1:59 PM (PDT)

If you have a comment, news tip, advertising inquiry, or coverage request, a question about iPods or accessories, or if you sell or market iPod products or services, read iLounge's Comments + Questions policies before posting, and fully identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content, then ban and/or publicly identify violators.

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