ipods

Travel

When iPods Are A Traffic Risk

4:00PM Angus Kidman | For regular pedestrians, an iPod can be a useful tedium-buster. However, Victorian police have tied an increasing number of road deaths to walkers being distracted by MP3 players and text messaging. More »
Money

Top 5 Ways To Save Money On iTunes

3:02PM Angus Kidman | Variable pricing might not have made much difference to what’s on sale in the iTunes store, but there are ways you can get music without endlessly coughing up $1.69 a track. More »
Fix

Install ITunes Without The Extra Bloat

2:30AM Adam Pash | iPod-love’s got you stuck with iTunes, but you’d prefer to cut down on the extra bloat iTunes requires on your hard drive? Here’s how to install iTunes without QuickTime, Bonjour, or that pesky iTunesHelper. More »
Work

iTunes 8.1 Adds AutoFill To All iPod Models

2:30AM Adam Pash | iTunes has always filled the iPod shuffle with music to capacity without asking for much intervention from you, but Apple snuck the same very handy functionality for all iPod models in the recent iTunes 8.1 release. If you’d like to enable AutoFill with your iPod or iPhone, Ars has the details: More »
Travel

Airbus Promises More In-Seat Entertainment

10:00AM Angus Kidman | Options for in-seat entertainment on planes have improved dramatically in recent years, but for the most part still restricts you to whatever the airline chooses to program. While planes like the A380 have upped the ante, it’s still relatively rare to be able to view your own content on a screen bigger than your portable media device. However, the situation should get better. As I report for APC, Airbus expects options for plugging in iPods and other forms of content should increase in the next few years, as airlines seek to differentiate themselves and attract the fickle traveller dollar. What would you ideally like on in-seat tech menu? Share your dream configuration in the comments. Airbus: why in-seat tech is so tricky More »
Organise

Falling Dollar Makes Australia iPod Discount Heaven

11:29AM Angus Kidman | The declining Australian dollar might be bad news if you’re planning a US trip, but it turns out to be good news if you want to buy an iPod. Australia now ranks as the cheapest place on the globe to purchase a basic iPod, according to CommSec’s quarterly iPod index, reports Susannah Moran at AustralianIT. That’s a dramatic change from the previous quarter, when Australia ranked 14th for buying the then-entry-level model. iPods are generally hard to acquire at a discount (save for Apple’s own occasional sales), so any opportunity to save money is helpful. CommSec to unveil ‘iPod index’ [AustralianIT] More »
Fix

Rigging up your car to use an iPod

12:05PM Angus Kidman | 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] More »
Communicate

BigPond ditches DRM for MP3 format

3:32PM Angus Kidman | 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] More »

OrbLive Streams Live TV to Your iPhone or iPod Touch

6:00AM Adam Pash | iPhone/iPod touch only: You may be familiar with Orb for its music or TV-streaming abilities (it can even turn your Wii into a media center), but now the folks at Orb have taken on the iPhone and iPod touch with a new application called OrbLive. You can now stream live television to your device, in addition to music, videos, photos, and everything else Orb is known for. Hit the jump for a look at Orb’s live streaming in action and a guide for installing OrbLive on your iPhone or iPod touch. More »

Device Charging Holder

10:01AM Adam Pash | The Driinn Mobile Phone Holder declutters your charging portable device by providing both a place to store your device and a method for controlling its long cable while it charges. This charging holder about half the price of the previously mentioned Socket Pocket and charging hammock, and the wrap-around for long cords really cleans things up. The Driinn Mobile Phone Holder comes in a variety of colours and will set you back around $7 at Amazon. Driinn Mobile Phone Holder [Amazon via Unclutterer] More »