Windows/Mac: Cross-platform application Salling Media Sync synchronises music from your iTunes library to a number of popular mobile phones that don't begin with a little 'i.' The app syncs music by playlist or—if you're phone's got room for it—it can sync your entire library. The interface is clean and helpful, and the list of supported devices is large (though it currently supports mostly Nokia, Sony, and Sony Ericsson phones). Media Sync is available in both free and pay ($US22) versions, the difference supposedly limited to "faster sync" for the price tag. We don't have a supported phone at Lifehacker HQ, so if you give it a try let's hear how it works for you in the comments.

Mark Gladding (who created previously mentioned Text2Go as his day job) blogs about the ways in which you can use an iPod for in-car entertainment, covering all the options from the extremely low-tech (listening through the supplied earbuds) Like Mark, I'd concur that it's a waste of money to buy an in-car FM transmitter; you're better off getting a replacement car stereo that supports audio input. If you want to keep your iPod in place, check out this DIY car iPod dock. Got any other tricks to get your iPod rockin' roadside? Share them in the comments. [8 Ways to iPod your Car]

Mac OS X only: Free iTunes add-on GimmeSomeTune automatically fetches missing album artwork, lyrics, and automatically embeds them in your music library. GimmeSomeTune runs in the background, and in addition to the metadata tools, it also supports scrobbling your music to Last.fm, universal hotkeys, iChat status updates, and even Apple Remote control. Apart from all that, GimmeSomeTune is also an excellent iTunes desktop remote, complete with a fully customisable song notification window. The donationware GimmeSomeTune is a must-have for the iTunes lover, Mac OS X only.

Mac OS X only: Free application Tune Instructor adds advanced ID3 tag editing for your iTunes library through a smart third-party utility. The iTunes helper boasts features like search and replace for your tags, or it can set ID3 tags from a filename or set filenames from ID3 tags. It can automatically search and embed album art or lyrics—though I ran into issues with German-language lyrics sometimes showing up rather than English. The application has a lot of potential, and works well overall. I did run into a few peculiarities when testing it, but overall it offers advanced, worthwhile ID3 editing beyond what iTunes offers by default. Tune Instructor is freeware, Mac OS X only.

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Web-based service 8tracks remixes 30-minute MP3 playlists for personal listening or sharing with friends. 8Tracks offers all of the basic functionality of previously covered Muxtape, with the additional ability to add artwork and information about the mix itself. Users can browse others' mixes, comment, and view mixes sorted by popularity and freshness. Here is a sample mix I enjoyed listening to while reviewing the site:

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Subscription services -- where you pay a monthly fee in return for streaming and/or download access to a large music library -- are common in the US, but Sanity's new LOADIT service is the first such option we've encountered in Australia. For $29 a month, you can download up to 300 tracks each month. Tracks are encoded in Windows Media Audio format, which means you can only play them back in Windows Media Player 11 (which is where the service is accessed) or on WMA-compatible MP3 players. That means no joy for iPod fans. Does the notion of a download subscription service appeal to you, or would you rather purchase go-anywhere music? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Telstra's BigPond Music arm has started selling music in unprotected MP3 format, making it a much more appealing rival to the iTunes store than when it was a Windows Media-only shop (which blocked any iPod users for starters). All four major labels have signed up for the store, and tracks are available encoded at 256Kbps or (in some cases) 320Kbps. Telstra is currently still selling WMA formats as well, but we'll be surprised if this lasts too long. Pricing starts at $1.69 for individual tracks (BigPond ISP subscribers get a discount of 12% on individual tracks or 9% on albums, and don't have downloads counted against their quota). (Thanks Shane G!) [BigPond Music]

Weblog Simple Help details how to install and set up the free, open-source internet jukebox Jinzora on your Mac. Gina already showed you how to install Jinzora on your Windows PC so you can listen to your music anywhere over the internet, so if you were aching to try it out yourself on a Mac, Simple Help's guide is for you. If you've been using Jinzora (or a similar solution) since we covered it, let's hear how it's working for you in the comments.

Windows only: The MiniLyrics plug-in automatically downloads and displays lyrics for the currently playing song for a handful of the most popular media players. With support for everything from iTunes and Windows Media Player to Winamp and MediaMonkey, MiniLyrics fetches lyrics and—when possible—plays them back karaoke-style. The interface is completely skinnable, and you're likely to find a skin matching your preferred media player. You can also view floating lyrics in big red text for large, line-by-line playback of lyrics in time with the song. Not bad for a little impromptu karaoke or just a quick glance at the lyrics of a song. MiniLyrics is nagware, Windows only. For alternatives, check out previously mentioned EvilLyrics or the Lyrics Plugin.
Thanks Lekan!

Save a little time by fast-tracking through podcast intro chatter and cutting off movie credits in iTunes by using the custom Start and Stop times on your songs and videos. Macworld explains that you can right-click on the item in question, and choose Get Info. In the Options tab, check off Start Time or Stop Time to set it. (Use this same technique to create a perfectly timed interval training iTunes playlist for your next trip to the gym or the track.) If you convert the item to another file format, only the snippet will go into the new file.

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