| Text2iPod X 1.1 |
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| What is it? |
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Text2iPod X is a very easy Drag&Drop application that can make any text file viewable on an iPod without text size limitation! In version 1.1, the 32kb implementation limit has been resolved. |
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| Why using Text2iPod X? |
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Other programs that apparently have the same purpose than Text2iPod X already exist. I say “apparently” because there is precisely a major difference between those programs and Text2iPod! |
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| The difference is that Text2iPod X have the ability |
| to put a whole text file in a single iPod contact. |
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You have surely be quite disappointed to see that, when trying to convert a text file greater than 2000 characters in size, those programs generate segmented files which have to be read one after the other on the iPod to recompose the original text. With Text2iPod X a single file is generated and an entry in the Contacts list of the iPod corresponds to a whole single file! |
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| What is new since version 1.0? |
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First of all the speed! In fact, the conversion algorithm has been enhanced and now files are converted quicker!
Several other enhancements have been made to Text2iPod X. The first of them is the hability to handle files greater in size than 32Kb (see the "32kb limit" section below for details)
Another cool feature (that had been asked by asian users) is the unicode text format support. Text2iPod X is now able to put utf16 files on your iPod! The only thing you have to do, is to be sure that the file is encoded in utf16. A very cool utility to do that is SubEthaEdit (the best text editor ever made... and, best of all, it's free!) which lets you change text-encodings on the flow.
Other enhancements has been made to program's interactivity. Now, if you don't use Text2iPod X correctly, it will gently tell you what is going wrong and what you could do to change this state of fact!
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| How does it work? |
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Simply Drag&Drop files and/or folders to the Text2iPod X icon and it will do the job for you. You will just be prompted to choose the destination of the generated files: your iPod (which will be automatically detected if present) or another folder on your disk...
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If you later want to remove a text file from your iPod, just go into the "Contacts" folder and remove it manually. |
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| Limitations |
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32Kb limit |
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The first version of Text2iPod X was limited by the implementation I had decided to use. When trying to convert files containing more than 32768 characters, the program was reporting a "Stack overflow error". This new version resolved that bug. You will now be able to use Text2iPod X to convert files of whatever size you want.
Now that the 32Kb limit has been wiped out for Text2iPod, it has been reported that the iPod (at least the first generation) doesn't support at all contacts that are greater in size than 32kb! If you try to see such a contact, the iPod only shows you the title of the contact, and that's all! |
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Scrolling problem |
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The only problem that is still present, is that the iPod doesn't support well big text files. When trying to display such files on your iPod you will notice that the scrolling becomes extremely slow! This problem is related to the firmware provided by Apple (or the processor of the iPod... I unfortunately can't figure that out...). So if you really want to have a stunning scroll of your text files, just contact Apple to ask them to program more powerful algorithms for the next revision of the firmware! |
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Text files format |
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Another limitation of this software is the support of multi-formats. In fact, this version (like the previous one) doesn't support files that have not been saved as "plain text" files. If you try to convert, for example, a .rtf, .doc or .cwk file, what you will get on your iPod is a piece of unreadable, strangely formatted file! This is dued to the fact that those kind of files contain formatted text. And what is meant by formatted, is the fact that the programs generating them (Word, AppleWorks, ...) are adding a lots of invisible (for them only!) datas they use to know when which part of a sentence, for example, has to be drawn with font Helvetica, at a size of 14 and a blue color! So when the iPod read those datas, it simply doesn't know what to do with them and display them as if they were useful informations for you (which is not really the fact ;-) ).
The best way to resolve this problem, is to copy the text you want to put on your iPod from the program that is able to read it, and then paste this text in a plain text file in TextEdit. TextEdit is able to generate rtf or txt files (plain text), so if you want to make a plain text file with it, you firstly have to specify it through "Format" menu and "Make plain text" menu-item. |
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| Known problems |
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When first using the iPod on your computer, you don't have to miss to specify it, through iTunes, as an external firewire drive, that will so be able to mount itself on your desktop. In fact, if Text2iPod X doesn't see your iPod on the desktop of your computer, it will consider that no iPod is connected to it (even if it's not the case). After having specified, in iPod's preferences of iTunes, that it will mount itself each time it is plugged in your comptuer, Text2iPod X will work properly. |
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| So, what’s next? |
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Just enjoy and please tell me what you think about it! |
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| Download |
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