Mac OS X ezine - iPods

Volume 1, Issue 4

September 2006
Copyright 2006 Claire J Rottenberg

(Revised May 2008)

Welcome to the September issue of our monthly ezine for Mac OS X users. This month's ezine is focused on iPods and iTunes. Most of you, like me, either own an iPod or have thought of buying one (or a second or third one), so in this issue, you'll get advice on how to select the right iPod and tips for adding audio and video content to iTunes and your new iPod.

Table of Contents

  1. Article: Selecting the Right iPod
  2. Quick Start Lesson: Adding Music & Videos to iTunes
  3. Featured Free Software: iSquint
  4. Tips of the Month: iPod Shuffle Tips
  5. Website of the Month: Mac Podcasts

1.  Article: Selecting the Right iPod


2.  Quick Start Lesson: Adding Music & Videos to iTunes

There are many sources available for music and video content to add to iTunes and your iPod. In this lesson, I'll give a quick view of some of the sources and how to add or convert the music and videos so they'll play in iTunes and on your iPod. Note that I'm not including purchased music or videos available from the iTunes Music Store (or any other source) since they are not available in all countries.

CDs
Adding music from your CD collection is easy and straight forward as long as the CD is not copy-protected. Simply insert the CD into your Mac, launch iTunes, select "Add to Library..." from the File menu, select the CD in the dialog box that opens and then select the tracks you want to import.

Podcasts from iTunes Music Store
You can find many free podcasts at the iTunes Music Store. First, connect to the Internet, launch iTunes and click on the iTunes Music Store icon in the "Source" column. Select "Podcasts" from the menu on the left side of the Music Store pane. Click the "Browse" button and you can view podcasts in different categories. To add a podcast to your iTunes library, highlight a podcast in the lower half of the pane and click the "Subscribe" button in the "Price" column.

Converting Files for iTunes and Your iPod
Music and video files that can be directly imported into iTunes, either by dragging them onto the iTunes icon in the Dock or selecting "Add to Library..." from the File menu, can be converted by file commands in iTunes. To convert a music file, highlight the file and then select "Convert Selection to [MP3]" from the Advanced menu. Converting a video file for use on an iPod is similar - highlight the file and select "Convert Selection for iPod" from the Advanced menu.

A wide variety of Internet sources exist for downloading or viewing music and video files. Assuming that you've downloaded files from legal sources, you may need to convert some of these files so they'll work in iTunes or on your iPod. If the files are not in an iTunes compatible format, third-party software is available for easily converting the files. Two free programs are Max for converting music files and iSquint for converting video files.

3.  Featured Free Software: iSquint

Techspansion LLC
http://www.isquint.org/

iSquint is a simple-to-use program that lets you convert files in different formats, such as .avi, .wmv., and .flv, to file formats that are compatible with iTunes and the iPod. To convert and add files to iTunes (and your iPod), launch iSquint, drag the file(s) to the lower part of the iSquint pane, click the circle in front of "Optimize for iPod," put a check in the box in front of "Add to iTunes," and click the "Start" button. iSquint will then convert the files and add them to iTunes, and they'll be ready for syncing with your iPod.

4.  Tips of the Month: iPod Shuffle Tips

Arranging Songs on a Shuffle
Even though an iPod Shuffle doesn't have a screen, it is possible to control the order of songs on your Shuffle. First, connect your Shuffle to your Mac and launch iTunes. Drag songs from your library or playlists to the Shuffle's icon. To arrange the songs alphabetically by title, click the "Name" column. You can also arrange songs by other categories (e.g., artist) by clicking on the top of a column. You can manually arrange the songs in the order you want by clicking on the first column (the one for song number) and then manually dragging a song to a desired position in the list.

Keeping Your Place on a Shuffle
Arranging songs in iTunes the way you want them to play on your Shuffle works fine if you use the "Play in Order" switch on the Shuffle. But many people on Apple's iPod discussion board have reported a problem with the Shuffle's ability to remember its place in the list when you turn it off. I've found a solution for this problem that works most of the time. Before turning off the Shuffle, make sure it is playing a song and not at the pause spot between songs. Next, press the pause button and then turn off the switch on the Shuffle. The next time you turn on your Shuffle it should remember its place in the song list. Note that this "trick" doesn't always work and it might not work if you connect your Shuffle to your computer between playing times.

5.  Website of the Month: Mac Podcast

Surfbit's Mac ReviewCast
http://www.macreviewcast.com/

Surfbit's Mac ReviewCast
This month I have an audio podcast site to recommend that can be accessed through the iTunes Music Store or through its website.

Each week Mac ReviewCast has a new audio podcast filled with short reviews of Mac OS X software and Mac products. There are also interviews with authors of Mac books and, occasionally, contests with excellent prizes (usually software).

We hope you enjoyed this issue of Tips and More for Mac OS X. See you next month.


Read the previous issues of Tips and More for Mac OS X.


Disclaimer: All trademarks and products mentioned in this ezine are assumed to be the property of their owners and no infringement of rights is intended through mention of the products in this ezine.