2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide

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Ask iLounge 5-27-05

Author's pic

By Kirk McElhearn

Contributing Editor
Published: Friday, May 27, 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 am planning on going on a trip for several months and unfortunately cannot bring my iPod. How can I safely store my iPod for this length of time to prevent the battery from becoming completely depleted?

- Tom

A:

Depletion is normal because of the way the iPod works, so there’s nothing special you need to do. Leave it in a safe place at a “normal” temperature - not in the garage, for example, if you’ll be gone through winter. No matter what you do, the iPod’s battery will run out, then it will just sit there, waiting for you to come home and charge it again.

Apple does say, however, that it is best if the battery goes through at least one charge cycle per month. If you could have someone charge it for you once a month, that might be better for the battery. But we wouldn’t be terribly worried about it.

Q:

The hard drive on my laptop is full, and I need to move some of my music off the computer and onto a DVD. Is it possible to keep the files in the iTunes Library even though they are elsewhere? I do not want to remove the songs from the iPod. I understand I can change to manually synchronizing my iPod in order to keep the songs in the iPod even if they are out of the Library. Should I forget it and just remove the songs from the Library and rebuild it later if necessary?

- Nancy

A: If you want to keep the songs on the iPod, your best solution is to synchronize manually. Yes, you can leave the “songs” in the iTunes library even after you’ve removed them from your hard disk: iTunes will display these songs with an ! before their names. However, each time you sync, iTunes will tell you that it can’t find the songs. When you put the songs back, you have to make sure that they are in the exact same location on your hard disk as they were before, otherwise iTunes will not find them.
Q:

I just got a 20GB iPod and am finding that the type in the menus is too small
to decipher without reading glasses (which I obviously don’t wear when I’m just bopping around town or commuting to work on the subway). I’ve tried
adjusting the contrast but that doesn’t do the trick. I can’t find anything in settings to adjust the type size. Can you help?

- Mori

A:

Unfortunately, the iPod does not allow users to change the font size. The iPod photo’s menus are easier for many people to read, because it has a color screen and better fonts, but unless the following suggestion works for you, you may just have to bring your reading glasses with you from now on. grin 

One thing you might want to do for playlists and songs is name them with capital letters; the letters will be a bit larger and might be easier to read. For the other menu items, try and remember which ones are in which position so you can select them without having to read them.

Q:

Is there any way of changing the quality of songs that are already imported into my iTunes library and iPod? I realized that I imported a lot of my songs at 128 kbps and I’d like to change that to 192 kbps to get better sound quality. Do I have to reimport all the songs again or is there a quicker way of doing it?

- Jason

A: No, there is no way to improve the quality of songs you’ve already imported. It is best to make this decision when you start importing your music, so you don’t have to go through the process again. If you plan to do so, start with the CDs you listen to most often, then work your way through the rest. Also, decide if it’s really worth it for all your music. We’ll have an expanded iPod 101 feature on this topic in the near future, too.
Q:

I have a few CDs which I cannot import into iTunes.  These CDs, such as Zero 7’s second album, will only play on my PC through their own players. Is there anyway I can load the songs from those CDs onto iTunes and then onto my iPod?

- Karen

A: It sounds like you have some of the dreaded “copy-protected” CDs, designed to prevent you from doing anything other than listen to them in a home stereo. (You may find that some of these CDs won’t work in a car stereo either.) There’s no way to get around this, other than paying attention when you buy CDs to make sure that they are not copy-protected… or hunting on Google for the tricks that people have used to extract the tracks, such as using magic markers on the discs. Unfortunately, disc copy protection is generally only indicated in very small print, so it’s an unpleasant surprise for many people, and incompatible with the way iPod owners are legally enjoying the music they’ve purchased.
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.






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Ask iLounge Archives:

11-13-09: Syncing different contact info with two iPhones on the same computer, iPod shows no content, Syncing music and videos in playlists, Exclamation marks next to tracks in iTunes, Playing podcasts on 3G iPod shuffle.

11-6-09: Storing iPod software updates, Playing an iPod continuously, Transferring play counts to a new iTunes library, iPhone backups, Klipsch S4i earphones

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

See the rest of the Archives...

Next: Beginner's Guide to Compressing Your CDs

Previous: Hands-On: Klipsch iFi (Pre-Production)

Comments

1

I’ve found that to rip copy-protected CD’s using iTunes, you just do the following (on a PC):
1) Start-up iTunes
2) Make sure that it’s started and has the focus (click on the header bar to make sure)
3) Put the CD in.
Every copy protected CD I own has been read by iTunes by following these steps…

Posted by padsbrother on May 27, 2005 at 2:45 AM (PDT)

2

Re copy-protected CDs…

I’ve had varying experiences. On Mac, I’ve been able to rip some copy-protected CDs, which mount as two sessions. Others, however, have totally frozen one of my Macs, and the only way to get out was to force a restart and use a paper clip to eject the CD before the startup.

I think it depends on the type of copy-protected CD; there are several systems in use. However, it seems that the record companies are slowly realizing that it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

Posted by Kirk McElhearn on May 27, 2005 at 5:45 AM (PDT)

3

Is it normal for the mini ipod to have a loose wheel? Mine moves quite a bit…Should I have it checked out? Thanks a lot, I’m a little freaked out….

Posted by Ilovethere4iam on May 27, 2005 at 3:15 PM (PDT)

4

Why does my ipod lock when i insert my earphones?

Posted by jolie on May 28, 2005 at 11:00 PM (PDT)

5

Hey.

I got a 3rg Generation ipod off a friend of mine. When i went to configure it it told me to restore the ipod. When i did it said the restoration had not worked. Now i cant do anything with my ipod. Everytime i try to charge it, turn it on, or plug it in to my computer the apple logo comes up followed but a picture of a file (think the icon for file on your PC) and then nothing happens. I dont have the manual as my friend lost it. Does anyone know what to do? Im in desparate need of help!

Thanks

Posted by babe_with_brains_121 on May 29, 2005 at 1:23 PM (PDT)

6

i got an ipod mini but i haven’t done my first charge yet so can anyone tell me if ican charge it with my computer off. I have a compaq and my optival mouse always seems to on even with my computer off. So since its powered does it mean i can leave my computer off for the BIG CHARGE. PLEASE HELP MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by miguel350z on May 29, 2005 at 5:54 PM (PDT)

7

Why does itunes put the artists as two diffenrnt ones.

Posted by poolboy305 in huuricane,wv on May 30, 2005 at 11:55 AM (PDT)

8

In response to Mori’s question, go to

http://www.ipod-wizard.net

it is a program that allows you to alter the firmware updater for the iPod, so when you update using it, the pictures, fonts and strings the iPod can be changed.

There is a community forum on the site with hundereds of people who will be able to give you a helping hand if you need it, good luck

Posted by Baby-G in England on May 31, 2005 at 8:37 AM (PDT)

9

HELP!!!
I upgraded the iPod to 4.8, now it synch or even show my 20GB iPod when I plug it into the computer.
What do I do?  I am using a Windows based PC (Windows XP).
Yikes!
Thanks for all help.
e

Posted by shoozdiva on May 31, 2005 at 7:50 PM (PDT)

10

HELP!!!
Sorry this should read:

I upgraded the iPod to 4.8, now it WON’T synch or even show my 20GB iPod (ON SCREEN) when I plug it into the computer.
What do I do?  I am using a Windows based PC (Windows XP).
Yikes!
Thanks for all help.
e

Posted by shoozdiva on June 1, 2005 at 5:02 AM (PDT)

11

Hi,

I bought a 20GB iPod 5 days ago. After running OK for only a couple of days it suddenly seems to have battery problems, namely: I charge it overnight, listen on my way to work in the morning, and when time comes at the end of the day to listen on the way home it seems there’s no power. Any ideas?

Posted by ToneD on June 3, 2005 at 12:26 AM (PDT)

12

Hi, got a new 20gb ipod. But my notebook (dell -also new)does not recognize my ipod. So i cant get my music from itunes to my ipod. What to do, any suggestions?

Posted by duder on June 3, 2005 at 3:34 AM (PDT)

13

In response to Nancy’s question (full HD). What I’m doing is burning MP3 CDs with iTunes, then delete the files from the HD and then add the CD as a folder into iTunes.

Next time iTunes tries to read the track and doesn’t find it, it will put the ! mark next to it but when you want to reload the track into your iPod, just load the CD with the it, drag and drop. Easy.

Posted by ceppm on June 26, 2005 at 2:04 PM (PDT)

14

HELP!!!
I have the latest version of iTunes (v6) and it won’t open…I’ve tried uninstalling it and QuickTime, but alas it makes no difference…it says that “iPodService.exe” is running in my task manager, but it won’t pull up iTunes…it’s never done this before and it’s really beginning to get on my nerves…if anyone could please help me with my situation I would grately appreciate it.

GamecockJC3

Posted by GameocckJC3 on December 27, 2005 at 1:10 AM (PDT)

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