13.2 More Mac Shareware

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AppleScript isn't the only way code warriors have crafted helpful utility programs for the iPod. Here's an assortment of standalone software programs that do wacky and useful things for Mac iPods.

NOTE

You can find links to all of these programs on the "Missing CD" page at http://www.missingmanuals.com.

  • iPod Access can provide a complete backup copy of the iPod's contents, including purchased music, to a designated folder on the Mac. If you didn't find an iPod song-transferring utility you liked back in Chapter 2, iPod Access does that, too. This $10 Mac OS X program copies the songs in a tidy fashion and can even organize them into album and artist folders.

  • Pod 2 Pod can make an exact clone of one iPod and copy it onto a second one ” music, contacts, files, and all. This Mac OS X program, shown in Figure 13-2, can also make a full backup of your iPod and all its contents onto your Mac's hard drive as a slice of security in case your iPod gets broken, stolen, or lost. You can also restore the backup onto a new iPod when the time comes.

    Figure 13-2. Pod 2 Pod offers an easy-to-understand way to make a clone of one iPod and copy it to another. It's ideal for those of you who have too many iPods lying around the house and want all of them to be exactly the same.
    figs/13fig02.gif

  • iPod Launcher starts up a whole batch of programs and scripts automatically whenever you connect the iPod to your Mac OS X system. You might use it to trigger auto- backups of the data files on the iPod, for example. Or, if you use it in tandem with iPod It (Section 8.7), you can synchronize your Entourage data as well as download news headlines and weather reports without having to think about any of it.

  • VoodooPad is a notepad with delusions of grandeur, as you can see in Figure 13-3. VoodooPad ($10) works with Mac OS X 10.2 and later.

    Figure 13-3. No matter where your stream of consciousness takes you, with VoodooPad, your iPod can swim right along beside you. You type up a note, and then highlight words or phrases to create new pages linked to the original. You can then copy the whole collection over to the iPod, thus creating your own Wee Wide Web of linked documents.
    figs/13fig03.gif

  • Burn Out. If you have iTunes 3 or later, an iPod, and a copy of Roxio's Toast program for burning CDs, then Burn Out can make life a little easier. It lets you record CDs right off an iPod by way of iTunes, saving you the time of having to hunt for the original files and drag them into the Toast window. Instead, just select a playlist and burn away (http://homepage.mac.com/beweis). (The site is in German, but it links to an English edition of the program on http://VersionTracker.com.)

  • iLyric scans the Internet for the words to the songs in your music library and downloads them to your Mac, as shown in Figure 13-4. You can read them there or copy them over to the iPod's Notes folder for viewing on the go. The program is freeware for Mac OS X 10.2.6 and later.

    Figure 13-4. If you've ever wondered what Dusty was talking about with the "son of a preacher man" or what Jimi Hendrix meant when he sang "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy," iLyric can help you clear up the matter. The early releases of the iLyric software were designed for 2003 iPods, but a version for older iPods is in the works.
    figs/13fig04.gif

  • AAChoo makes it easy to convert your hefty MP3 collection into the new AAC format to save room on your iPod (Figure 13-5). It requires Mac OS X and Quick-Time 6 and costs $15.

    Figure 13-5. Want to convert your music library from the MP3 format to AAC without a hassle? AAChoo lets you convert single files, whole folders, or entire CDs into the AAC format; the program can even automatically update the iTunes library for you.
    figs/13fig05.gif

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iPod & iTunes. The Missing Manual
iPod: The Missing Manual (Missing Manuals)
ISBN: 1449390471
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 171
Authors: Biersdorfer

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