Recently in iPod Category

"Now that Apple owns lala.com can I transfer songs on lala.com to iTunes and then to my iPod?"

In order to put songs from your Lala.com account into iTunes and on your iPod, you need a Lala.com account. You also need to have purchased the download version of the song. Any song you can download as an MP3 from Lala can be added to your iPod. Songs that are web songs, cannot be added to iTunes or copied to your iPod. You do need some additional software to make it easy.

"Do you know if I can reset the defaults on my iPod without using iTunes? my iPod is locked and I don't know the code to unlock my iPod. When I connect it to iTunes the iPod won't unlock."

If you set a screen lock code on your iPod, connecting the iPod to the original computer you first synced the iPod to should unlock the screen allowing you to reset the iPod screen lock code to something else. When that does not work, restoring your iPod to factory settings will reset the iPod screen lock code, which also results in deleting everything on your iPod, so be sure you have a back up before you start. If connecting to your computer doesn't solve your screen lock problem, look at these other options to get your iPod back in action.

"How do I get TextAloud to work on my iPod Touch?"

TextAloud is a great text-to-speech software solution for Windows, but it does not currently offer a version that runs directly on an iPod Touch. Any files created with TextAlound on your PC should play on your iPod Touch, but the software isn't designed to work on cell phones or MP3 player hardware. Think of TextAloud as more like a companion to your iPod instead. Convert text from your PC to audio files, then copy those audio files to your iPod Touch for playback.

"I have an ipod U2 20gb, which has gone corrupted. I don't have backup of the music in it - can i do anything? The iPod just does not turn on. iTunes says, it has detected an iPod that appears to be corrupt. My Computer option does not recognize the iPod. If it shows as an E drive, under the properties, I see zero bytes of data - I have about 1500 songs."

This is a common problem that seems to have more to do with a communication error between iTunes and iPod rather than there being something actually wrong with the iPod. A series of troubleshooting steps may be required to identify a solution, although in some cases the solution is to have Apple Care.

"I downloaded a bunch of AVI movies from the Internet. How can I convert these AVI files to something I can watch on my iPod?"

I frequently mention WinFF as my favorite solution for converting files between various formats. Converting AVI files to the iPod compatible MP4 format is no exception. WinFF is the app that will do the trick with the least amount of effort. One of the reason's I'm picking WinFF to convert from AVI to MP4 is because it supports batch conversion, so you can line up 20 or 2000 videos to convert and walk away. When you're finished converting simply add the MP4 files to your iTunes library and sync your iPod to watch the movies on your iPod. Here's how it works:

"How can I put my home movies on my iPod? I edit my movies in Windows Movie Maker, but I can't add the files to iTunes to put them on my iPod. How can I get movies I made in Movie Maker to play back on my iPod?"

Windows Movie Maker saves files in two formats - either DV-AVI, which is the format compatible with your camcorder tapes; Movie Maker also outputs WMV files, which are compatible with things like Zune and Creative players, but not compatible with iPod players. In order to get your movies from Movie Maker to your iPod, you need to first convert the files to an iPod compatible file format.

To get from Windows Movie Maker to an iPod playable file, first save the movie to your computer asa you normally would, then convert the file using a freeware app called WinFF.
Save your movie from Windows Movie Maker using one of the higher quality WMV options, preferably at either 640x480 or 720x480 resolution. It then takes four simple steps to get from WMV to iTunes in a format playable by your iPod.

1) After the movie is saved, open WinFF and add it to the list of movies you want to convert for your iPod (you can do one or several in a batch).

2) Choose Convert to XviD for iPod (4:3) from the Convert to menu. If your movie is widescreen choose XviD for iPod (16:9).

3) Browse to the iTunes Movies folder on your hard drive on the Output Folder menu. This is typically {username} > (My) Music > iTunes > iTunes Music > Movies.

4) Click the Convert button to start converting.

By saving your video in the iTunes Music > Movies folder you automate the process of getting files from WinFF to your iPod by always saving them in a folder that gets watched by iTunes. Occasionally this does not automatically update, and you will have to use the File > Add Folder To Library function in order to add your movie.

After all these steps are completed, open iTunes, verify that the converted movie is now in your iTunes library and sync your iPod with iTunes to transfer the video.

"How do I backup the songs on my iPhone?"

My favorite iPod backup utility recently added support for the iPhone. Now, in addition to backing up your music and videos from your iPod, iPod Access also backs up all the stuff you care about on your iPhone as well. You can add songs, videos and podcasts directly to the iTunes library for syncing with your iPhone. You can automatically rename media files. All AAC files, including those purchased from iTunes Music Store are supported by iPod Access. With a single click you can back up all the music and videos from your iPhone, sequentially, so you don't lose any important files and you don't get any duplicates. Songs are automatically organized by Artist and Album (or Composer/Album depending on what you listen to on your iPhone. When something goes wrong with your computer or you want to sync your iPhone with a new computer, you won't need to wipe the music and start over (which is what iTunes attempts to force you to do), you can simply recover everything automatically using iPod Access. Download iPod Access and start backing up your iPhone library now. (Also works with iPods, of course).

Have 1000 CDs at home but only 10 on your iPod? Riptopia turns your used CD collection into high quality digital music for easy loading onto iPods, mp3 players, media centers, and computers. Rediscover your own music. Riptopia’s services start at $.99 per CD, or the same cost as a single digital song! Riptopia digital music is higher quality than sold or subscribed to online, plays on all digital music players including iPods, and is permanently backed up in case of a computer crash or a lost player. Digital music purchased or subscribed to online has playback restrictions, limited sound quality, and only works on select digital player brands. Don't work for minimum wage ripping CDs. Get it done fast for $.99 per CD...same cost as a digital song.

You won't get great sounding recordings by recording telephone calls with an iPod, but it is possible. In an ideal telephone recording scenario, you want independent control over each person on the call, so that if the person you call is too quiet, you can turn their volume up or your volume down. You won't get independent volume control for both sides of the call when recording a telephone conversation on your iPod, but you will get a recording that you can later use as part of a podcast or transcribed interview.

To record phone calls on your iPod, you need two things in addition to the iPod. You need a microphone add-on for the iPod and you need an adapter to pass the phone audio to the microphone.

Download YamiPod

If you connect your iPod to more than one computer on a regular basis or if you move tracks between computers, you've seen the iTunes message offering to delete files from your iPod. This is theoretically Apple's way of protecting themselves from being associated with piracy, but it's a lousy user experience in almost every case. YamiPod provides a great alternative to the iTunes interface, running as a standalone app for managing songs on an iPod. You can even copy YamiPod to your iPod and run it from any computer. Copy songs to and from any Windows, Mac or Linux computer with YamiPod. Update and manage playlists. Play songs from your iPod through your computer speakers. Add lyrics to songs. Manage existing notes or add additional notes all from one central interface. YamiPod is a solid alternative to iTunes as an iPod interface, but you can use it in combination with iTunes so that you get the benefit of multiple computer connections as well as iTunes interfacing for paid downloads. [Windows/Mac OS X/Linux $0.00]