I don’t like the iTunes software that much - it is slow and big and the only reason for me to use it is that it is the offical software that comes with the iPod. I recently ran into a problem which was fixed pretty fast by a quick tip that I found at one tip a day. I assume that iTunes is already installed at least on your main computer and you want to access the same library of songs that are stored on the main computer.

You need to locate the file iTunes Library.itl on this computer which is usually stored in username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes. You need to share the folder iTunes. To do this right-click the iTunes folder and select Sharing and Security  from the context menu. If there is no Sharing and Security entry you will have to enable simple file sharing by clicking on Tools and selecting Folder Options.

continue reading "Share the iTunes Library on a network"

The following website might be of interest to you if you own a video iPod and use to visit a gym regularly. Ipod Gym offers more than 80 free movies of exercises in the right format that can be directly transferred to the iPod. Most movies do not have sounds at the current stage but are subtitled which should be enough for must users.

Exercises are divided into four categories, namely Free Weights, Machines, Core Strength and Swiss Ball. Every category contains several movies which are sorted by description, rating and movie size. Exercises are rated starting with exercises for beginners to exercises for advanced+ users. It is always recommended to use those movies with greatest care and ask a professional trainer if problems arise.

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I do like podcasts. I listen mostly to music when I’m traveling but I sometimes have the urge to listen to podcasts and especially those that teach me something or cover subjects that I’m interested in. Podcasts are a great way of keeping up with the latest trends and technology on the internet in a time saving manner. I do not have to be near a computer and I can learn about new stuff while sitting in a car or train.

Odeo is one of those sites that look crappy but offer so much to their visitors. Their extensive podcast directory is my number one reason to visit them. It is not all about technology or internet, you do find podcasts that cover politics, sex and business as well. You may pick one of the 14 categories and delve right into the immense variety of podcasts that can be listened to online or downloaded in mp3 format.

continue reading "Odeo offers an impressive list of podcasts"

The iPod gets more and more functionality that only PDA and mobiles have at this time. Today it is a straightforward weather forecast which can be updated every time the iPod is connected to the computer that is running the weather for me software. Using weather for me is actually pretty simple. After you have downloaded the software you have to enter your name and email (or fake ones).

After that you have to configure weather for me by adding the city that you want the weather forecast for and some other settings. You can choose between English and Metric units and opt to save the forecasts. You will have to supply a city code to the program which can be obtained by visiting the my forecast website and entering the city of your choice. Every city has a code in its url that starts with city= ; the number behind that is the city code which needs to be added to weather for me.

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The iPod becomes more and more not only a music and video player but also a multi functional player which is able to display subway maps, books and now the contents of wikipedia. Wikipedia on your iPod is a huge ebook which is available in English, German and Italian. The English version is the biggest one with 1.5 GB of data followed by the German with 550 MB and the Italian with 170 MB.

The encyclopedia is currently not working with the latest iPods including iPod Nano and Video. I can see many uses for this. Students who have to write a test could very well use wikipedia for the latest information, it is also nice if you are a tourist and want additional information about an object in a certain town. Take a look at the screenshots below to see how this looks on the iPod.

continue reading "Wikipedia on your iPod"