iPod Nano Me

With all the new hype surrounding Apple’s latest announcement on the iPod touch and iPod classic, it’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy and ditch your older iPod.

The iPod mini is by far one of the most popular devices in the iPod family. As the owner of ipodjuice.com, I get to speak directly with our customers on a daily basis, and it’s amazing how many people want to get a new iPod mini battery for their player and to extend their playtimes well-beyond the original stock battery that Apple put inside the unit.

What makes the iPod mini so special?

Well, one of the first things that you notice about the iPod mini are all the bright colors they come in. You can find an iPod mini in gold, silver, green, blue, and perhaps the most popular color, pink (the ScrollWheel and top and bottom end caps are white). Of course, you can always snatch a 2nd Generation iPod nano in a bevy of bright colors, but they have far less storage then a 1st or 2nd Generation iPod mini does.

And this leads me to my second point: the 4GB or 6GB hard drive inside an iPod mini generally provides more than enough storage for the average music listener.

Third, the iPod mini is a durable animal. The outer shell is made of metal and, although it can get scratched up if you are not careful, it can take a beating and still protect the internal components.

Fourth, while the iPod mini battery inside the unit will eventually degrade over time, it is user-replaceable if you know what you are doing. Just make sure you find a third-party vendor that provides good, detailed instructions and the proper tools to safely complete the job. ipodjuice.com is the category killer here, and you can check them out at www.ipodjuice.com for more information.

Next, although in my experience I would say that there are slightly more female owners of the iPod mini than male. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but the iPod mini’s popularity seems to cut across a gender and a wide range of ages.

Finally, the iPod mini is just the right size: smaller than a new iPod Video and more manageable than a iPod nano, the mini is perfect for long runs and bicycle rides. It works great when clipped to an armband or you can simply tuck it away in your pocket.

Long live the iPod mini!

ipodjuice.com is a website owned by Milliamp LTD, and specializes in providing iPod battery kits for the Apple iPod and iPhone

Milliamp LTD and the ipodjuice.com website are in no way associated with Apple Computer, Inc.

iPod and iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

Hi
I just bought a apple ipod nano which had no manual. I just want to know how you put music on the bloody thing.
Thanks

iPod is a brand of portable media players that is designed and marketed by Apple and was launched on October 23, 2001. Since October 2004, iPod sales have dominated the market for digital music players in the United States.

Devices in the iPod range are primarily digital music players, designed around a central click wheel although the iPod shuffle has buttons only.

The full-sized model stores media on an internal hard drive, while the smaller iPod nano and iPod shuffle use flash memory. Like many digital audio players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices.

In addition to playing music, iPods with display screens can display calendars, contact information, and text files, and play a limited range of video games. Models introduced in 2004 include the ability to display photos and the fifth-generation iPod, introduced in 2005, can additionally play video files. In January 2007, Apple announced the iPhone, combining the features of a video-capable iPod with integrated mobile phone and mobile internet capabilities.

Apples iTunes software is used for transferring music (as well as photos, videos, games, contacts and calendars, for models that support those features). As a free jukebox application, iTunes stores a comprehensive library of music on the users computer and can play, burn, and rip music from a CD. It can also sync photos and videos.

History and Design:

The iPod came from Apple digital hub strategy, as the company began creating software for the growing market of digital devices being purchased by consumers. While digital cameras, camcorders and organizers had well-established mainstream markets, the company found digital music players lacking in user interface design and decided to develop its own.

The name was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public. As soon as Chieco saw a prototype for the player he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase: “Open the pod bay door, Hal!”, which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship. At that time “iPod” was a name that Apple registered for Internet kiosks, but never put to use.

Apple hardware engineering chief Jon Rubinstein assembled a team of engineers to design it, including Tony Fadell, Stan Ng and Jonathan Ive. Additionally, Sparkfactor Design has designed some of the iPod hardware from 2002-2004. They developed the product in less than a year and it was unveiled on October 23, 2001. CEO Steve Jobs announced it as a Mac-compatible product with a 5 GB hard drive that put “1000 songs in your pocket.”

Uncharacteristically, Apple did not develop the iPods software entirely in-house. Instead, Apple began with PortalPlayer reference platform which was based on 2 ARM cores. The platform used rudimentary software running on a commercial microkernel embedded operating system. PortalPlayer had previously been working on an IBM-branded MP3 player with Bluetooth headphones. Apple contracted another company, Pixo, to help design and implement the user interface, under the direct supervision of Steve Jobs.

Once established, Apple continued to refine the software look and feel. Starting with the iPod mini, the Chicago font (once used on early Macintosh computers) was replaced with Espy Sans, which was originally used in eWorld and Copland. Later iPods switched fonts again to Podium Sans, a font similar to Apple corporate font Myriad. The iPods with color displays then adopted some Mac OS X themes like Aqua progress bars, as well as brushed metal in the lock interface.

User interface:

Apple focused its development on the iPod’s unique user interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical capability. The iPod is currently the world’s best-selling range of digital audio players and its worldwide mainstream adoption makes it one of the most popular consumer brands. Some of Apple’s design choices and proprietary actions have, however, led to criticism and legal battles.

The iPods with color displays use high quality anti-aliased graphics and text, with sliding animations. These iPods have five buttons and the newer generations have the buttons integrated into the click wheel an innovation which gives an uncluttered, minimalistic interface.

The buttons are:

Menu to traverse backwards through the menus, and toggle the backlight on older iPods when held

Center to select a menu item

Play / Pause which doubles as an off switch when held

Fast Forward (When held)/ Skip Forward

Fast Reverse (When held)/ Skip Backwards

The operations such as scrolling through menu items and controlling the volume are performed by using the click wheel in a rotational manner. These iPods also have a Hold switch at the top, which prevents accidental button presses.

Newer iPods automatically pause playback when the headphones are unplugged from the headphone jack, but playback does not resume when the headphones are re-inserted.

However, in newer iPods (excluding iPod shuffles), when the headphones are re-inserted into the headphone jack when the iPod is asleep, the iPod will automatically wake up to the last screen viewed before going to sleep. An iPod that has crashed or frozen can be reset by switching ‘Hold’ on then off, then holding Menu and Center (Menu and Play on the 3G iPod) for 6 seconds.

The iPod shuffle does not use a click wheel and instead has five buttons positioned differently to the larger models. It has a Play / Pause button in the center, surrounded by four buttons: Volume Up / Down and Skip Forward / Backwards. This button arrangement is shared by the Apple Remote (which ships with all Apple computers with Front Row and the Universal Dock).

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iPod Basics and Purchasing Guide

So, you are looking to purchase an iPod? Please take the time to read this brief article which will at best help you get the most out of your new iPod, and at the least, help you avoid mistakes and misconceptions. This article is written out of my personal experience with iPods.

1. What is an iPod?

An iPod is a MP4 player, not a MP3 player. Basically, the MP4 format is a proprietary format only recognized by Apple products, such as iPods and QuickTime™. In order for music to play on an iPod, it must be in MP4 format. Apple’s music download site, iTunes™, offers music only in the MP4 format. The iTunes™ software which comes with an iPod will convert MP3 music files to MP4 format, so they will play on your iPod. An iPod will not play MP3 files, neither will Windows Media Player play MP4 files. Both the Nano and Video iPod will store and display photos, but a video iPod is needed to play video files.

2. What is iTunes?

® Apple hosts the world’s largest music download site called iTunes™. As of March 2006, over 1 billion files have been downloaded for use in iPods. Pretty amazing. This site offers music files for 99 cents each, and you need not download an entire album, but can select only the music files you want and download it into your computer. The iTunes™ software in your computer is the vehicle by which files are loaded into the iPod. Simply place your iPod into its dock (which is attached via USB to your computer), start iTunes™ and your iPod is updated automatically with new music, playlists, Podcasts and so forth. I have tried other music download sites and have not found any which I like as well as iTunes™, even though they may offer music cheaper than iTunes™. A basic search will locate alternative music download sites.

There are a variety of other files available on iTunes™ called Podcasts. These are audio or video files which include news broadcasts, informational programs, comedy programs and many others. The great majority of Podcasts are free, and others are not.

3. What You Get

iPods come with the following:

iPod with battery

Earphones (called “earbuds”)

A generic pouch for the earbuds

A docking station (to transfer files and charge the iPod)

iTunes™ software CD

Instruction manual

That is all.

4. What You will Need

Every iPod user will need a case, and we strongly recommend a screen protector.

Both the iPod Nano and 5th generation (5G) Video iPod are susceptible to scratching, and the black units seem to show scratches worse than the white ones. This is true of both the iPod housing AND the screen. Nothing is worse than having your iPod blemished with unsightly scratches, especially when it is easily avoidable by using a case and screen protector. Having your unprotected iPod floating around inside your purse or in your pocket will absolutely cause your iPod to quickly accumulate scratches both on the housing and on the screen. Be warned! This is not really a defect, but just the way it is.

5. Using iPods in your Car

Most people quickly realize that it would be great to be able to have their iPod play music through their car stereo. No longer would they have to mess with CDs or tapes. How many CDs would you have to carry to have your entire music library with you in the car? You can take it all in the palm of your hand with an iPod. So, how does one play music through their car stereo? There are several options.

First, there are cables available for most car stereos which plug into the iPod and the other end of the cable plugs into a port on the back of the stereo. Removal of the stereo is usually required to accomplish this task. Also, the wire used to connect your iPod is exposed. It does, however, sound great! Some car stereos have a line input on the faceplate. In this case, all one needs to do is use an adaptive cable from the headphone jack of the iPod to the input on the stereo. In both of these scenarios, the iPod will run on its internal battery unless a car charger is used as well.

Second, (and by far the most popular) method, is to use an FM transmitter to transmit a signal from your iPod to your FM radio and play it as if it were a radio station. There are a variety of FM transmitters from several manufacturers. We recommend using a unit which is a dock and not a plug into the iPod port. The plug-in units consume power from the iPod battery and seem to produce a weak signal resulting in poor audio quality. A docking unit (such as the Griffin RoadTrip™) holds your iPod in place, charges the iPod and produces a strong signal. The RoadTrip™ also features a removable FM module which allows it to plug into your computer. You can therefore listen to FM radio through your computer without having to install software.

6. Using iPods at Home

iPods can easily play through your home stereo. One can simply use an adaptive cable which plugs into the headphone jack of the iPod and into the stereo input of your stereo. In this setup, the iPod is operating on battery power unless the iPod is also plugged into a charger.

Docking your iPod is the preferred method, and there are a variety of docking solutions available. The iPod docks into a base which charges the iPod, and an output jack on the base connects the iPod to your stereo via a cable. Some units offer remote controls for your iPod and others do not, but often these remotes are weak and have very limited range and field of reception. We have found that some television or stereo programmable remote control units can be programmed to work with certain iPod docking systems, while others work partially or not at all. It is worth trying if you have a programmable remote.

Some docking units also have a video output for use with the 5G Video iPod, which allows one to watch videos or photos stored in the iPod on a television. We have found that the picture quality is poor on large screen televisions, but ok on a smaller screen. Using a dock with S-video output will provide a far superior picture than units using an RCA connector. As of now, iPods do not support high definition.

There are speaker systems which contain their own amplifier and operate as a stand-alone unit with an iPod. These are not all created equal. Our testing has found that a high price does not always equal high quality. We have found $150 systems which in our opinion sound significantly superior to $400 units. It is best to listen to the various systems before making your selection; or if buying online, follow the recommendations of the seller IF they have tested the systems and can provide you with recommendations based on testing results.

There are alarm clock radios (such as iHome™) which allow you to go to sleep listening to your iPod and wake up to it as well. We have tested the iHome™ and others, and found iHome™ to be our unit of choice.

7. Loading Movies into Your 5G Video iPod

When the Video iPod first came out, I gave it a high ranking on the “Dumb-O-Meter.” Who wants to watch a movie on a 2.5 inch screen? However, after having used one, I have recanted my original opinion. It is now my iPod of choice. Unfortunately, iTunes™ and other MP4 download sites usually have little to offer in the way of legal movies which are formatted to play on an iPod. ITunes™ does have some short films, music videos and television shows, but not much else.

An easy solution for this is to convert your own DVDs into a format that the iPod can play. This can be accomplished by means of a software product called a DVD to iPod converter, such as Cucusoft, Lenogo and others. It is a simple process. Put a DVD in your computer, start the converter program and let it convert the movie to iPod format. Then, move the converted file into your iTunes™ video list. The next time you dock your iPod to your computer, it will load into your iPod. Some converter programs will also convert AVI, MPEG, MPG, WMV and other computer video formats for use on an iPod. This can allow you to convert your family videos and view them on your ipod. IPod movies are great for entertaining children on the road, for the business traveler stranded at an airport or for long airplane trips.

DVD converters we recommend are available here.

8. iPods and your PC

The music files for your iPod are stored in two places: in your PC in the iTunes™ program, and in your iPod. If your PC crashes and you loose your hard drive or have to reformat, you will loose EVERYTHING contained in your iTunes™ folder, including all of the songs you have purchased from iTunes™. Furthermore, iTunes™ does not offer the means to re-download songs you have purchased for free. You will have to buy them again. Neither does the iPod come with a means to load files into a computer. Fortunately, there are software programs which allow you to copy the contents of your iPod into a PC or from one iPod to another. These programs are usually titled “iPod to PC”, or something similar. If your computer crashes, you will kick yourself for not having this program to restore your music files back into your computer.

IPod to PC programs we recommend are available here.

I just ordered an IPOD nano from overstock.com. I didn’t get an instruction book nor did I get a CD. All I got for instructions was a double sided sheet of paper. Is this normal or did I get screwed b/c I bought it from overstock.com?

I am having trouble with the nano. The screen is frozen and will not respond to any commands.

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