Take Control of Your iPod: Beyond the Music, Second Edition
Learn a dozen ways to do more with an iPod than just listen to music!
Written by gadget-wizard Steve Sande, this 136-page book helps you advance to the next level of iPod mastery. You'll learn basics like charging an iPod and moving music over to it, but most of the book looks at all the other stuff you can do with an iPod: track calendar items and contacts, keep to-do lists, exercise, read ebooks and RSS feeds, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, watch video, view subway maps, back up your hard drive, and much more! (Click Front Matter, just below, to see the complete topic list.)
- More Info
- Front Matter
- FAQ
The book begins with colorful comparison charts of the various iPod models, just in case you aren't sure which iPod you have, since you may not realize that the iPod you bought few years ago is now considered a "second-generation iPod" or you may have received your iPod as a hand-me-down, sans manual.
This book provides instructions for both Mac OS X and Windows users.
iPod touch users: please note that this ebook covers the iPod touch only to the extent that it behaves like a regular iPod. It does not cover the iPod touch's many unique features.
Read this book to learn answers to questions such as these:
- Which iPod do I have?
- Can I replace my radio alarm clock with an iPod?
- How do I read RSS news feeds on my iPod?
- How do I put maps and directions on my iPod?
- How can I read long Microsoft Word documents on an iPod?
- How do I sync music videos to an iPod?
- How do I put Flash-based videos from YouTube on my iPod?
- How can I convert a DVD so I can watch the video on an iPod?
- Which iPods are best for using as voice recorders?
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Quick Start to Going Beyond the Music
- Know Your iPod
- Plug In Your iPod
- Troubleshooting & Security
- Install iTunes
- Listen to Music
- Set Up the iPod as a Disk
- Use PDA Features
- Back Up Your Computer
- Use Your iPod as a Mac Startup Drive
- Read Text, RSS & Email
- Transfer Photos & Maps
- Listen to Podcasts
- Listen to Audiobooks
- Run Presentations
- Watch Video
- Run with Your iPod
- Install Linux
- Play Games
- Learn More
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Read Me First
This book puts you in control of aspects of iPod use that go beyond the obvious activity of listening to music. This book was written by Steve Sande, edited by Tonya Engst, and published by TidBITS Publishing Inc.
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Introduction
Few products define the early twenty-first century better than the Apple iPod. Not only has it become the personal accessory for millions of people worldwide to wear on a belt or bag strap, but a huge industry has dedicated itself to making sure your iPod is outfitted with as many accessories as possible.
As a longtime devotee of electronic gadgetry, I'm often asked about the iPod as an entertainment device. Once the novelty of carrying a huge amount of music around in a tiny plastic and metal box has worn off, people start asking more questions about other ways the iPod can be used. That's the focus of this title: how to do more with your iPod than just listen to music.
You can do a tremendous number of things with an iPod: read electronic texts, use it as a backup startup drive for a Mac, or reduce your need for a PDA (personal digital assistant), such as a Palm or Pocket PC. An iPod makes it easy to take a Keynote, PowerPoint, or video presentation on the road without lugging a computer with you as well. You can even amaze your friends by turning your iPod into a pocket-size Linux computer, or track your progress as you train for a marathon.
This isn't to say that the iPod can totally replace a PDA or laptop, but if you own an iPod and have only an occasional need for special functions, it's well worth trying some of my hints to avoid the cost of purchasing an unneeded gadget. And who wouldn't want to go on a business trip or vacation with just an iPod in hand instead of a suitcase full of gizmos, cables, and chargers?
As new models of the iPod appear on store shelves, you can be sure that people will find even more useful and fun reasons to buy them. I'll keep up with those new uses for the iPod and keep the Check for Updates Web page for this book updated as those new uses arise. (If you have the electronic book, click Check for Updates on the cover; if you have the printed version only, contact my publisher and ask for a copy of the ebook.)
Quick Start to Going Beyond the Music
Although you can read this book sequentially, you may wish to use this page to chart your own path through the topics that I cover. You can click a blue link to jump quickly to a particular section.
Get a grip on basic iPod use:
(To use this book effectively, you must understand these topics.)
- Make sure you know which model of iPod you have in Know Your iPod.
- Your iPod needs power. Read Plug In Your iPod, find out about Dealing with a dead battery, and learn about Battery extenders.
- Understand the basics. Read Install iTunes and Listen to Music. This may also be a good time to note iPod Troubleshooting: The Five Rs and to find out about Locking an iPod.
- Turn your iPod into a handy a portable disk for files from your computer with Set Up the iPod as a Disk.
Stay organized:
- Track your schedule and contacts. See Use the iPod Calendar and Use the iPod Contacts.
- Sync other information to your iPod. Read Use iPDA to Sync Information (Mac Only).
- Leave yourself spoken notes. Read Talk to Your iPod.
- Use extra space for a backup or an extra boot disk. Read Back Up Your Computer and Use Your iPod as a Mac Startup Drive.
- Transfer Photos from a Camera to an iPod until you can transfer them to the mother ship.
- Copy Maps to an iPod, so you'll have them handy while traveling.
Stay on time:
- Use your iPod as a clock. Find out how in Use the iPod Clock, and be sure not to miss Set an alarm and Put yourself to sleep.
- Travel the world and keep your appointments. Read Use the World Clock.
- Time sporting events. See Use the Stopwatch.
Look and listen:
- Read Text, RSS & Email on your iPod.
- If you have a nano or a color-screen iPod, you can Sync Photos from a Computer to an iPod, Copy Maps to an iPod, and (only for the color-screen iPod, not the nano) Run Presentations developed in PowerPoint or Keynote.
- Listen to Podcasts and Listen to Audiobooks.
- Get the scoop on transferring video to your iTunes Library so that you can Watch Video on your iPod.
Have fun:
- Become more motivated about your exercise routine, and Run with Your iPod.
- Install Linux.
- Play! Read Play Games.
What iPods does this book cover?
Good question! As of October 2007, this book covers all the regular iPods, all the nanos, all the minis, and all the shuffles. It also covers the iPod touch, but only to the extent that the touch behaves like a regular iPod. So, it doesn't cover special touch features, like Wi-Fi access to the Internet, the Safari Web browser, the ability to enter data, and so forth.
Is this book up to date?
As of its most recent release in October 2007, yes, it is. However, chances are good that this particular ebook won't see another update in PDF form, unless the update is very minor. With Apple's release of the iPod touch we can't live up to the "beyond the music" premise of the title without vastly expanding the size of the book, and at that point we are better off re-thinking how we want to cover the iPod in the Take Control series.
As always, we'll make a point of posting minor update information on the ebook's Check for Updates page, though as 2008 winds along, the amount of new information may make additional minor updates impractical.
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