The Ultimate iPod and iTunes Resource

Do you want to make the most of your iPod? The tips below are provided by author Michael Miller from his new book iPodpedia: The Ultimate iPod and iTunes Resource.

AVERAGE CONSUMER TIPS
1. Rate Your Songs
The song rating feature is one of the most underused features of iPod/iTunes -- even though it's quite easy. While the song is playing on your iPod, press the center Select button three times, then scroll the Click Wheel to add or subtract stars. Press the Select button again when you're done. This not only changes the rating of the song on your iPod, but also the rating in iTunes -- when you next sync your iPod, that is.

2. Rip a CD Directly Into a Playlist
Here's a bit of a time saver. If you have a new CD that you want to rip to hard disk and also add to a pre-existing playlist, you can do the ripping and adding in a single step. Just insert the CD into your PC's CD drive, select all the songs on the CD within iTunes, and then drag the songs to the desired playlist in the Source pane. When you start the rip, the CD tracks will be automatically added to your library and to the selected playlist, all in a single step.

3. Find and Delete Duplicate Tracks
After you've used iTunes for awhile, you're bound to end up with at least a few duplicate tracks -- songs you've burned or downloaded more than once. Since storage space is valuable, it pays to periodically go through your library and delete those duplicate tracks, freeing up space for newer music. Fortunately, iTunes has an easy way to identify duplicate tracks in your library. All you have to do is select View > Show Duplicates. This lists all tracks that share the same name, in alphabetical order. Examine each of the duplicate tracks, and delete one or more instances as necessary.

4. Find Out What Playlists Contain a Certain Song
Ever wonder what playlists contain a given song? That is, do you have something in more than one playlist? All you have to do is select the song in question (anywhere in iTunes), right-click it, and select the Show in Playlist option. This expands the pop-up menu to show all the playlists that contain that song. Neat!

5. Add Album Art
By default, iTunes accesses the iTunes Store to find album art for all tracks you rip to your PC's hard disk. The unfortunate fact is that the iTunes Store doesn't have art for all albums, which means you could end up with a significant portion of your music library without any accompanying artwork.

To add or change album art for a track in your iTunes library, click File > Get Info, then select the Artwork tab. To add new artwork, click the Add button, then browse your hard disk for the replacement art file.

And where do you find album cover artwork? The best place to search is Amazon.com, which has artwork for the millions of CDs it sells online. Just save the artwork to your hard disk, or copy the artwork from the Amazon site and paste it into the Get Info dialog box in iTunes.

6. Use your iPod as an Alarm Clock
That's right, you can use your iPod as an alarm clock. All you have to do is set the iPod's internal alarm, then choose the playlist you want to hear when you wake. To set the iPod's alarm, select Extras > Clock > Alarm Clock > Alarm > On. Scroll to Time to set the wake time, then to Sound to select a wake-up playlist (or annoying beep). When the wake-up time comes, your iPod wakes up and starts playing (or beeping).

7. Use Your iPod as a Calendar
The iPod and the iPod nano (but not the iPod shuffle) both let you import many different types of calendars, including those in Microsoft Outlook. To use your iPod to view calendars, you first have to configure your iPod for disk storage. Start by connecting your iPod to your computer, then open the iTunes Software. In the Source pane, select your iPod, then select the Summary tab. Check the Enable Disk Use option, then click the Apply button. You're now ready to start working with calendars and contacts.

Once your iPod is configured properly, syncing your Outlook calendar to your iPod is a relatively easy process. Start by connecting your iPod to your PC and opening the iTunes software. Next, select your iPod in the Source pane and then select the Contacts tab. In the Calendars section, select Sync Calendars from Microsoft Outlook, then select either All Calendars or selected calendars from the list. Click the Apply button, and your Outlook calendar will be transferred to your iPod.

8. Back Up Your Music
The music you rip from CD or download from the iTunes Store is stored on your computer's hard disk -- and, eventually, synced to your iPod. But what do you do if your hard disk crashes?

Fortunately, iTunes 7 lets you make a backup copy of your purchased music to a data DVD or multiple CDs. Just select File > Back Up to Disc. When the iTunes Backup dialog box appears, choose to back up your entire library or only iTunes Store purchases. Click the Back Up button and you're prompted to insert a blank CD or DVD into your computer's drive; do so and then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the backup. (You'll be prompted to insert additional discs if your library is too big for a single disc.)

9. Work around Copyright restrictions
By default, Apple limits how can use the music you purchase from the iTunes Store. You can play a song on only five PCs, and you can't play it on any music player except an iPod.

So what do you do if you want to play a track you purchased from the iTunes Store on your non-Apple music player? While such an action is technically prohibited, there is a workaround.

Essentially, what you have to do is burn the protected track to CD and then rip it back to your PC in MP3 format. When you burn the track to CD, the encrypted wrapper is removed as the file is converted from AAC to CD Audio format. Then when you rip the track from CD back to your hard drive, there's no DRM encryption to worry about -- and you can play or burn the track however you like.

10. Play YouTube Videos on Your iPod
One of the most popular video sites on the web is YouTube (www.youtube.com). You're probably used to viewing YouTube videos in your web browser, but it's also possible to download YouTube videos to watch on your fifth-generation iPod.

The key is the iTube program, downloadable for free from www.benjaminstrahs.com/itube.php. All you have to do is enter a URL for the YouTube video; iTube then finds the file, downloads it, converts it to MP4 format, and then imports it into the iTunes software. It's that easy.

ADVANCED TIPS
1. Create Multiple iTunes Libraries
These days, the single-iPod family is rare. What do you do if you have multiple iPods synced to a single PC?

iTunes 7 lets you create multiple libraries on a single PC. This means you can create different libraries for different iPods, or even different libraries for a single user with varying tastes. (For example, you might want one library of videos to watch when you're on the road, and another library of music for listening around the house.)

Start by closing the iTunes software. Now hold down the Shift key (Mac: Option) and double-click any iTunes icon to re-open the program. Instead of the program starting right up, you instead see a new dialog box. If you've already created a second library, click the Choose Library button and select the library file from the next dialog box. If you want to create a new library, click the Create Library button and enter a name for the library when prompted. iTunes now launches, completely devoid of content. This is the empty library you just created; fill it up as you see fit.

2. View Maps on Your iPod
The iPod is a great device for viewing maps while you're on the go. The trick is to save a screen capture of the map you want to use, and then copy that image file to your 5G iPod for viewing as a photo.

Start by creating the map you want on Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or any similar mapping site. Next, minimize the size of the map as much as possible; too large an image is overkill on the iPod's smallish screen.

Now comes the fun part. You need to capture the map image. In Windows, press the PrtScr or PrintScreen button on your keyboard. On a Mac, press Option+Shift+3. Either approach captures your entire computer screen into your computer's clipboard.

Next, you need to paste that captured screen into an image editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements. Use your program's crop control to crop the image so that only the map itself is visible. Now save the cropped file into the folder you use to house your iPod photos.

When you next sync your iPod, the map image will be transferred automatically. You can now display the map on your iPod's screen, as you would any image file.

3. View PDF Files on Your iPod
Here's a very unusual and little-known feature of iTunes -- the ability to store and display PDF documents. This PDF capability exists to facilitate the display of liner notes that come with some albums available in the iTunes Store, but you can use it to read any PDF document from within iTunes. For example, you can create (or scan) your own album notes for any CD, and then store those notes as a PDF files in your iTunes library.

To add a PDF file to your library, simply drag and drop it onto the Library item in the iTunes Source pane, or onto a specific playlist. The item now appears in the library list by name only, with a little booklet icon next to the name. Double-click the item to open the document in a separate Acrobat Reader window. (And if you want to organize all your PDF files together, create a smart playlist with the rule Kind > Contains > PDF.)

4. Use Your iPod as a Stopwatch
Sure, you know that you can use your iPod to listen to tunes while you're working out. But did you also know that you can use your iPod to time your workouts? That's right, both the big iPod and the iPod nano have a built-in stopwatch you can use to time laps, runs, workouts, and the like.

To use your iPod or iPod nano as a stopwatch, select Extras > Stopwatch > Timer. To start timing your run or workout, select and click the Start button; the screen now displays your elapsed time, in minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second. To pause the stopwatch, click the Pause button. If you're done with your workout, you then click Done, and your elapsed time is stored on the previous screen. Click a date/time to view the details of that session.

You can also use the Stopwatch to time multiple laps. You do this by clicking the Lap button at the end of each lap; the screen now displays your elapsed time for each lap. Press Pause then Done when you've finished your final lap.

5. Use Your iPod to Give Presentations
Did you know you can use your iPod to give presentations? That's right, you don't have to haul your notebook PC around the country anymore; just load your presentation to your iPod, connect the iPod to a projector, and start presenting.

The key is to convert the slides in your presentation into a series of JPG images. That is, each slide becomes a separate JPG file. You should be able to do this from within your presentation program, or by using a separate screen capture program and capturing each slide as a JPG file. Store the resulting JPG files in a single folder on your PC's hard disk, then sync that photo folder to your iPod.

Even better, use the iPresent It utility to automatically convert your PowerPoint and PDF presentations into iPod slideshows. The program lets you create slideshows using drag-and-drop operations; buy it for $17.95 from www.zapptek.com.

To play your presentation, start by connecting your iPod to some sort of video projector, using the Apple iPod AV Cable or something similar. Then select Photos > Photo Library to select the presentation folder, press Play to start playing a slideshow, and use the iPod's Click Wheel to move from slide to slide. Of course, you'll want to make sure you enable manual advance rather than automatic advance and turn off the shuffle function.

6. Use Your iPod to Store Computer Files
Your iPod is built around either a small hard disk drive or flash memory -- the same sorts of storage media used by your computer and other devices to store digital data. Why, then, can't you use your iPod to store computer data?

Well, you can. That's right, your iPod can be used as a portable storage device, much like a USB flash drive or external hard disk drive. All you have to do is configure it for this type of use, or install third-party software to do this management for you. Then you can move and copy any type of file to and from your iPod -- which is great for taking data on the go.

To configure your iPod for data storage, follow these steps, connect your iPod to your computer, then open the iTunes software. In the Source pane, select your iPod and then select the Summary tab. Check the Enable Disk Use option, then click the Apply button. You can now copy files to and from your iPod using Windows Explorer or My Computer.

7. Move Music from your iPod Back to Your PC
Apple lets you easily copy music from your computer to your iPod. But it doesn't let you copy files the other direction -- from your iPod back to your PC. So what do you do when you want to restore files that you've accidentally deleted from your computer's hard disk, or copy iPod music files to a different computer?

The answer is to use a third-party iPod file management program. This type of program lets you see all the music, playlists, and videos stored on your iPod, and easily copy them to any connected computer. Some of the more popular of these programs include Anapod Explorer (www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod), CopyPod (www.copypod.net), iGadget (www.purpleghost.com), iPodCopy (www.wideanglesoftware.com/ipodcopy), and YamiPod (www.yamipod.com).

8. Listen to Your iPod on Your Home Audio System
When you want to share your iPod music with others, consider connecting your iPod to your home audio system. The easiest way to do this is to use a Y-cable with a male mini-jack plug on one end and two male RCA plugs on the other. Connect the mini-jack plug to your iPod's earphone jack and the two RCA plugs to the right and left audio input jacks on your audio system. It's a simple solution, but it works.

A better approach is to use an iPod dock to connect to your home entertainment system. With this method, your iPod connects to the dock via its bottom-of-unit docking connector, which lets the dock itself (or the accompanying remote control) operate the iPod. The audio outputs on the dock then connect to the auxiliary inputs on your audio system or receiver, and the video output (when available) connects to the audio input on your TV.

Some popular iPod docks include the Belkin TuneCommand AV ($89.99, www.belkin.com), DLO HomeDock Deluxe ($149.99, www.dlo.com), and Griffin TuneCenter ($129.99, www.griffintechnology.com). All of these docks also offer video output, so you can view your iPod's menus on your living room TV.

9. Customize Your iPod's Main Menu
Don't like the way things are presented on your iPod's main menu? You're in luck, because the main menu is fully customizable, from the iPod itself. All you have to do is select Settings > Main Menu. This displays the Main Menu screen (not to be confused with the main menu itself). Click any item to switch it from On (displayed on the main menu) or Off (not displayed).

10. Change Your iPod Display
If you don't like the way your iPod display looks, you can change it, using a program called iPodWizard. This Windows-only freeware program, available from www.ipodwizard.net, lets you customize everything about the way your iPod looks -- fonts, graphics, colors, you name it.

Another approach to hacking the iPod interface is to replace that interface -- that is, use a different firmware in place of the standard iPod firmware. Rockbox is such a replacement firmware, designed for use on iPods and competing MP3 players. Rockbox is freeware, available from www.rockbox.org.