2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide

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Ask iLounge 7-2-05

Author's pic

By Kirk McElhearn

Contributing Editor
Published: Saturday, July 2, 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:

Is it possible to charge the iPod shuffle without using a computer or the Apple iPod shuffle (USB) Power Adaptor? I’d like to be able to charge my shuffle with a powered USB 2 hub; will this work? I don’t currently have a USB 2 hub to try this with so I’d rather not spend money on a hub to find out it won’t do what I want.

- Daniel

A:While some users report success using a powered USB hub on its own, we tried and were unable to get the iPod shuffle to charge with one generic hub we tested. But with Belkin’s recently-released USB 2 hub (iLounge rating: B+) designed for the iPod shuffle, it charged fine. Your best bet is to either look for the Belkin hub, or try on a hub belonging to a friend. If it works when it is not connected to a computer, or when the computer is off, get the same hub.
Q:

I have a 3rd Generation 20GB iPod that is almost full. I have recently started having some screen issues: when I first turn the iPod on, the screen is jumbled. Usually the problem goes away after a minute or two. Is this caused by the processor having problems reading the song catalog? Or does it sound like the iPod is defective?

- James

A: The easiest way to test for catalog corruption would be to wipe your iPod’s hard disk (using Apple’s Software Updater) and then use iTunes to replace all of the songs. This has worked for some people, including us, when an iPod starts to act up. If this doesn’t make things better, your iPod probably needs to be serviced.
Q:

How do I delete an entire library in iTunes?  All my songs have skips in them. 
 
How do I delete all of the songs from my iPod?

-Anonymous

A:

To delete your entire library, first make sure you have backups of your songs - just in case you decide later that you need some of them. Then, in iTunes, click the Library icon in the source list. If you are in browse mode (with two or three columns at the top of the window) click the Browse button to go into list mode. Select Edit > Select All to select all your songs. Press the Delete key, and confirm your deletion.

Delete the songs on your iPod will depend on whether you sync it manually or automatically. If you sync it automatically and delete your songs from the iTunes library, the next time you connect the iPod, iTunes will remove all its songs; since the iTunes library is empty, syncing simply mirrors this empty library on the iPod. If you sync manually, just do the same thing as you did for the iTunes library: connect the iPod, select all the songs on the iPod, then press Delete.

Q:

Whenever I leave my iPod inactive for a few days, the next time I turn it on always results in a really slow turn-on time, with the Apple logo on the screen for around 6 seconds… I think it’s resetting, because when it does finally turn on, all the settings go back to default. Is there any reason why this happens (maybe I’m inadvertently resetting it?), and is there a way to prevent this?

- Davidson

A:

What you describe is partially normal, partially abnormal. As for the iPod shutting down after you haven’t used it for a few days, that’s normal. The iPod goes into low-power mode after 36 hours, and when you next press a button, it turns itself back on, “booting” into its operating system.

As for the settings changing, this is abnormal. You should try restoring your iPod to factory settings using the iPod Software Updater (making sure to back up your music files first, if you only have them on the iPod), to see if this resolves the problem. If not, you probably should contact Apple for iPod service to find out what’s wrong.

Q:

I have come across the Sound Check feature on the iPod and iTunes. Should I enable this feature on iTunes and the iPod, or only one?

- Jared

A: To use Sound Check with iTunes, you need to turn it on in iTunes. To use it on the iPod, you will need to enable it on both the iPod and iTunes. See our recent article Equalizers and Advanced iTunes Features for more information on using Sound Check.
Q:

I have an external hard disk drive which is network enabled, meaning it runs standalone on the network. I would like to place my entire music collection on the network hard disk drive but I am not too sure if iTunes would support running the music from a network.

- Gavin

A: In iTunes’ Advanced preferences, you can choose the location for your iTunes Music folder. If you’re running Windows, as long as the network volume has same letter each time you start up your computer, there should be no problem. The only way it would not work would be under Windows, if the drive letter changes each time you reboot or if you mount another volume before the network drive mounts, causing its letter to be different. With the Mac, drives have names, not letters, so there should be no problem.
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:

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: iLounge Loves Japan: New Imported Accessory Gallery

Previous: Editorial: Apple's Porno Podcasts, Explicit and Unlabeled

Comments

1

My c drive where my music was stored on itunes has deleted all my music,Is there a way to transfer my ipod libray back on to my harddrive

Posted by chuck mihalik on July 2, 2005 at 11:57 AM (PDT)

2

Help!! I’m a first time buyer, and after reading all your comments I called Apple. Operator Clint #2519 stated that without question there was no difference externally, internally, or weightwise between the new 20GB and the 30GB photo ipod. So I bought a 30GB at the sale price and am praying that on July 7th I don’t regret it! Can Clint be trusted, or is Apple trying to get rid of old technology like Best Buy is rushing to do??

Posted by flightschooler on July 2, 2005 at 3:25 PM (PDT)

3

RE: Davidson’s question about resetting

Both of my 20 gb 4G iPods did the same thing (first one went defective 6 months after purchase, replaced no charge). I don’t think all three iPods and all the different firmware versions on them are defective.  Rather my guess is that the iPod clears its memory when it goes into low power operation and the settings are stored in the memory.  But thats jsut my idea.

Posted by Sts10188 on July 2, 2005 at 8:10 PM (PDT)

4

Are there any demographics for mp3 users.  IE age and income and socioeconomics?

Chucky

Posted by chucky on July 3, 2005 at 11:49 AM (PDT)

5

i am about to get a mini ipod and i don’t know how to put songs in it.I would also would like to know if there is somesort of charge to put the songs in the ipod.I would like this answered asap

sincierly :caca

Posted by caca on July 4, 2005 at 2:30 PM (PDT)

6

What is the bst fm transmitter available?

Posted by tmoloney on July 5, 2005 at 3:13 AM (PDT)

7

RE: Davidson-  My 40gb 4th gen b/w screen had a problem when it rebooted that the “Clicker” setting resetting.  All of the other settings would stay the same.  With last week’s Ipod update, however, my problem was fixed.

Posted by silentdante on July 5, 2005 at 12:08 PM (PDT)

8

I bought my IPOD from the Apple Store in NYC in March, and now use my IPOD when I run.  Lately, the volume control has not been working during my run (and it may or may not work before my run starts).....and on occasion, the click wheel will not work to allow me to scroll through the Menus.  Do I need to clean my IPOD?  Is there something else I should be doing?

Posted by Kireve on July 5, 2005 at 5:15 PM (PDT)

9

i bought my ipod 20gb in may 2004, so obviously my warranty has expired, however my ipod was replaced in september 2004 because of a hd fault. now my replacement ipod’s battery lasts for 45 mins after being fully charged, but my warranty has expired. am i entitled to a new warranty with my replacement? surely the new product they sent me must be under warranty for 12 months too? please help if you can, the apple website is very vague and i cant seem to find an email address to post this query to them!

Posted by lolly_milla on July 6, 2005 at 12:16 PM (PDT)

10

When I plug my I-Pod mini into my computer, my computer does not recognize it. Also when I plug it in my mouse no longer works. Thusly I can not take off or put on new songs… or do anything else! Please help!

Posted by yam_soup on July 6, 2005 at 10:14 PM (PDT)

11

HELP ME!!!! I recently changed my ipods screenlock code and I don’t know what to do !! I cant listen to it or anything !!!


HHHHEEEELLLLLLPPPPPPP MMMMMMEEEEEE!!!

Posted by Whitley Bales on December 13, 2005 at 2:05 PM (PDT)

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