Category: iPod/iTunes

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iTunes Extras work like a DVD

DVD Extras have never really excited me. I can't think of a single DVD movie that I bought because it had great extras. Director's commentaries, deleted scenes, alternate endings, interviews and trailers are all cool, but I almost never look at them. So needless to say when Apple announced iTunes Extras in iTunes 9, I wasn't even remotely interested. Then something happened…

itunesextra-startrek

 

I saw that I can have visual chapters now?

I loved the NEW Star Trek movie so much that I bought it on iTunes immediately and later on Blu-ray (yes, I know the Blu-ray comes with a Digital Copy. I was excited OK?). I hadn't had a chance to watch it again until recently. I decided to watch it on my Apple TV. I was pleasantly surprised by the menu that came up. Sure I knew about the possibility of Extras, but what I wasn't expecting was a more "DVD like experience" in the form of a menu and more importantly CHAPTER perspective. 

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Check out this Blog on your Mobile Device

techblog

One new feature of my Tech Blog is a NEW improved interface on your Mobile Device. Although the iPhone/iPod touch does a great job of viewing websites as they are formatted, that doesn't mean that you get the most optimized experience. This is especially true for those who are on slower EDGE networks. So thanks to a WordPress Plug-in called WPtouch that my buddy and web designer Erik Berskiold turned me on to, this blog and my MacNews blog are now optimized for mobile viewing too.

techblog1  techblog2

The post are automatically reformatted to fit your display nicely and of course even the YouTube videos will automatically open up the YouTube app on your device if you tap them.

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Sony FM/AM Clock Radio Digital Picture Frame with iPod/iPhone Dock Review

ICFCL75IP

How's that for the longest product name in history? Oops, I forgot to stick in the model number: ICF-CL75iP. Ahhh, that's better! Wait, I forgot Dream Machine. OK, that's it.

A couple of months back I saw a pre-announcement that Sony was coming out with an Alarm Clock that had a built-in iPod/iPhone dock – YAWN! I know, who cares right? There are so many options out there, what's Sony going to bring to the table? Well there was one thing that got my attention and that's the built-in digital picture frame. This clock radio, iPod dock has a nice big 7" display. 

Rather than spending a lot of time trying to describe it, here's a video I recorded:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE0otgu9UWQ

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Sony DR-BT101 Bluetooth Headphones – Video Review

BT101

Earlier this year when Apple announced that the iPhone 3.0 and iPod touch 3.0 OS updates would now finally support stereo bluetooth headphones I began the search for the best ones. Unfortunately there was no one claiming to have found the best ones. All of the reviews I’ve found for the various models varied widely in opinions. I guess when it comes to audio everyone’s tastes and tolerances are quite different. So I decided to bite the bullet and start my own research project for the best ones. I’m starting with the Sony DR-BT101 Bluetooth Headphones. The only reason I’m starting with these is because they were very reasonably priced compared to the others I saw. Enough with the words, see my video review here:

 

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Nike+iPhone – (Nike+) Shoes = Flexibility

myshoes

I’ve been a fan of the Nike+iPod kit since day one. Although I don’t consider myself to be a runner. I am a  walker and therefore like to keep track of my walking goals and progress. When the Nike+iPod kit first came out it was a two piece kit sold by Apple and Nike. What you got in the box was a sensor that went into a special compartment in the sole of your Nike+ shoes and a receiver that attached to the dock connector on the iPod nano.

nikesensor

With this combination you got music while you ran or walked, voice prompts let you know your stats and distance to go and stats that would automatically get uploaded to your Nike+ account on the web each time you’d sync your iPod. It’s GREAT!

nikeinshoe 

I’m an iPhone user though

When the iPhone came out two years ago I wasn’t really interested in carrying both an iPod and my iPhone. After all the iPhone has an iPod built-in. So I kinda got away from using my Nike+ kit. Sure I was still walking, but I just wasn’t keeping track anymore. Well when I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS, I was very happy to see that like the iPod touch (2nd gen), Apple had built-in support for the Nike+iPod integration. Now I could carry just the one device and I would no longer need the receiver attached to the dock connector. Cool! I still have my original Nike+ shoes and I started using them again. This is when I realized that I’m not always going to want to wear these shoes everywhere I go. I have nothing against Nike shoes (you should see my closet), but I just didn’t want to be limited to the one pair of shoes every time I wanted to walk and track my progress.

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NewerTech 3 in 1 Audio/Sync/Charging Cable + PowerJolt

NT3in1

A couple of weeks back I did a 3 part series on Travel Tips including some of my favorite gear to travel with. Of course I’m always on the look out for ways to travel with less and travel smarter. One of the tips involved traveling with both a car charger for your phone and an audio cable to take advantage of your rental car’s Audio In port. Now instead of carrying two different cables I’ve been able to consolidate down to one.

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iTunes 9.0.1, a closer look

 itunes9_main

iTunes is one of those apps that’s usually open on my computer throughout the day. I’m either using it to update the contents of my iPhone or simply playing music in the background. I really like the new features of version 9 and I am a fan of the app in general, however there are a couple of things in iTunes 9 that make me cheer and sigh at the same time:

 

Genius Mixes

geniusmixes

Genius Mixes is a new feature that compliments the previous feature of Genius Playlists. This feature however is completely 100% automated. So much so that you can’t even see which songs are included in the Genius Mixes, which are automatically generated.  I can live with not seeing the contents as for the most part the mixes are pretty good and play songs that I like, but haven’t listened to in a while. However, every now and then a song will start playing and I’m like "how the heck did that get in there?" For example, in one of my Jazz mixes, a Christmas song started playing. Of course I can just skip right by it, but it begs the question: "why can’t I simply choose songs in my library to NEVER be included in a Genius Mix? I know, I know, if I want more control that’s what Genius Playlists are for. I hear ya! However, for some reason I just really like the automation of the Genius Mixes more, I just wish that Apple would give SOME controls over it. 

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iPhone OS 3.1, iTunes 9, New iPods Today

As expected, Apple rolled out several updates and new iPods today. So here’s a quick recap:

 

iPhone OS 3.1

iphone3.1

The iPhone OS 3.1 update was rumored to be in the works shortly after 3.0 was released. This new version adds Genius App Store recommendations. I’ll be interested to try this feature. The idea is that now that there are over 75,000 apps available on the App Store that you can’t possibly find them all or see them all. So like Genius playlists, this feature will recommend Apps to you. Should be fun. 

Free update, available today via iTunes

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New iPods today!

iPodEvent9909

Today is Apple’s annual iPod event

 

It’s highly likely that we’ll see a complete new line of iPods introduced today and possibly a new version of iTunes too. An Apple TV update would be sweet too.

 

I don’t like to deal in rumors, but here is the running list of rumors about what’s on tap for today:

  • New iPod nano with camera
  • New iPod touch (16GB, 32GB & 64GB) with camera, microphone and maybe video recording
  • New iTunes 9 with social networking features
  • Either a New iPod Classic with a camera/wi-fi or the iPod classic will be discontinued completely
  • New shuffle??? Maybe?
  • Beatles catalog coming to iTunes
  • Beatles Special Edition iPod that includes the entire collection
  • iPhone OS 3.1 Update (non-destructive video editing, 3GS voice control over bluetooth, bug fixes)
  • New Apple TV update (the 40GB model seems to be out of stock at the Apple Store online)

I’ll give you my run down of the event and my thoughts after the introductions are made. Check back here later today.

 

 

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My DVD to MP4 Media Conversion Project is Done!

emptydvdracks 

You might remember my post from May when I was in the middle of converting my Movie DVDs over to a hard drive. I have successfully converted my DVD movie connection to .MP4 H.264 format! This means that I can now enjoy any movie I own on any HDTV in my house via Apple TV or I can take the movies with me on my laptop or iPhone. I actually finished the conversion a couple of months ago, which was much earlier than I anticipated.

appletv

How did I do it?

I have over 380 standard def Hollywood DVDs. Painstakingly one-by-one I converted each one over to an .MP4 file using Handbrake. All 440 movies total (some were already digital or home movies) were imported into iTunes and reside on a Drobo connected to an intel iMac. This iMac serves as my iTunes server. It’s the one that all of my Apple TV’s are sync’d to and it’s the one that I use to sync my iPhone to for media ( you can sync an iPhone to more than one computer for data and media separately). I also use this iMac to sync my iPods too. So it has it all, music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, best of the best photos, etc. 

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