Secrets of the iPod and iTunes (Fifth Edition) [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Adaptive Technology

Although the iPod's audio jack is labeled with the headphones symbol, that jack can accommodate more than the iPod's earbuds. Unlike the headphone jack on some other electronic devices, the iPod's audio jack can send out perfectly clean audio from this port to your computer's sound input port or to a home or car stereo. All you need to perform this feat is the right cable. The same goes for the third-generation iPod and iPod mini Dock. Its Audio Out port is comfortable with a variety of audio cables. In this section, I'll show you exactly which cables to use and how to string them properly from the iPod or Dock to the device of your choice (Figure 9.8).

iPod to Computer

You already know that if you want to swap data between your iPod and Mac or PC, you use the FireWire or USB 2.0 cable. But in some instanceswhen one of your computers doesn't have a FireWire or USB 2.0 port, for exampleyou may want to record directly from your iPod to your computer. To do so, you need an adapter cable that carries stereo Walkman-style miniplugs on both ends. (You can distinguish a stereo miniplug from the mono variety by the two black bands on the plug. A mono miniplug has just one black band.)

Just plug one end of the cable into the iPod's or Dock's audio jack and the other into your computer's audio input port. (Note: Audio input ports are missing from some Mac models. For these Macs, you need a USB audio adapter, such as Griffin Technology's $35 iMic audio adapter.) To record audio from the iPod on your computer, you'll need some variety of audio-editing application. When you have that application installed properly, click the Record button in that program and then press the iPod's Play button. The iPod's audio will be recorded on the computer.

You can find such cables at your local electronics boutique for less than $5 for a 6-foot cable. Higher-quality cables that include better shielding, thicker cable, and gold connectors can cost significantly more.

iPod to Home Stereo

Take the personal out of personal music player by attaching your iPod or Dock to your home stereo and subjecting the rest of the household to your musical whims. You need nothing more than a cable that features a stereo miniplug on one end and two mono RCA plugs on the other.

Plug the miniplug into the iPod's or Dock's audio jack and the two RCA plugs into an input on your stereo receiver (the AUX input, for example). With this arrangement, you can control the volume not only with your stereo's volume control, but with the iPod's scroll wheel as well.

A cheap version of this cable also costs less than $5. Griffin Technology ([www.griffintechnology.com]) offers the $15 iPod Home Connect Kit, which includes a high-quality version of this cablea 4-foot miniplug-to-male RCA adapter cablealong with a cable that features a pair of female RCA plugs and a stereo miniplug. The cables are iPod-color-coordinated and carry gold-plated connectors. With the first cable, you can connect your iPod to your stereo. Using the cables in tandem, you can connect your iPod to your computer or to computer speakers that carry female miniplug connectors for input.

iPod to Hard-wired Computer Speakers

Some computer speakers are hard-wired, meaning that the manufacturer, in its cheapskate wisdom, decided to save a couple of pennies by attaching the speaker cable permanently to the speaker. To connect your iPod to such speakers, you need a cable that features a male stereo miniplug on one end and a female miniplug on the other. To make the connection, plug the adapter cable's male miniplug into the iPod's or Dock's audio port and the speaker's male miniplug into the female miniplug connector on the other end of the adapter cable.

Inexpensive versions of these cables also cost less than $5 and are available at your local electronics boutique.

iPod to Two Headphones

There may (and I hope there will) come a time when you'll want to snuggle up with your snookums and listen to your Special Song played on an iPod. A touch of romance goes out of this ritual, however, when you have to split a pair of earbuds between your li'l sweet potato and you.

To bring the intimacy back to your musical relationship, purchase a stereo line splitter. Such an adapter bears a single stereo male miniplug connector on one end (the end you plug into the iPod) and two stereo female miniplug connectors on the other. Plug a pair of headphones into each female connector, and you're set. (Well, you're almost set; you still get to argue about who controls the volume.)

XtremeMac ([www.xtrememac.com]) sells such a connector, called the iShare Earbud Splitter, for $13. Belkin ([www.belkin.com]) offers a Headphone Splitter Cable for $5. You'll find similar adapters at your local electronics bazaar.

iPod to Car Stereo

This one's a bit trickier. A few car stereos include a miniplug jack labeled CD. If you have such a jack, you're in luck. Just use a stereo miniplug-to-miniplug cable (like the one I recommend for the iPod-to-computer connection), and you're ready to rock. If you don't have a connector, a technician at a Ye Olde Auto Stereo Shoppe may be able to provide one by tapping into a hidden connector on the back of the car stereo. If taking your car to such a tech sounds like a bother, though, you might try one of these adapters.

A new BMW

[www.ipodyourbmw.com]

Apple and BMW have teamed up to create an integrated iPod adapter that works with dock-connector iPods and 3 Series, X3 and X5 SAVs, and Z4 Roadsters made in 2002 and later. This adapter basically makes your iPod work like a CD changer, allowing you to access tracks in up to five specially created playlists (you must name them BMW1 through BMW5) from the audio controls on the car's steering wheel.

This sounds cool, but I was taken aback by how primitive the system is. When you pay your BMW authorized service provider the $250 necessary to purchase and install the adapter, you'll find a single cable rattling around in the glove compartmentno mounting unit or decorative iPod holder. And the car's stereo can't display title or album information. Instead, you'll see something like CD 4-32. Unless you've memorized the order of the songs in each playlistor have created playlists that you know you'll desire while drivingnavigating the playlists will be a chore.

Then again, as the owner of a broken-down VW, maybe I'm just envious.

Alpine KCA-420i (iPod Interface)

[www.alpine-usa.com]

Alpine offers a solution for those who don't care to purchase a BMW simply to control their iPod from a car stereo. That solution is the $100 KCA-420i (iPod Interface). This plain-ish white box acts as an interface between the iPod and an Alpine Ai-NET head unit (a car stereo manufactured by Alpine). Like the BMW doohickey, the Alpine unit moves music from the iPod to the car stereo, as well as powers the iPod. Unlike BMW's scheme, Alpine's system allows you to view title, artist, and album information on the front of the car stereo. Although you're welcome to store your iPod in the glove compartment, installation doesn't require that the iPod connector cable be routed to it. If you prefer to keep your iPod in a handy cup holder or overhead storage bin, just tell your installer to pull the cable to the location of your choosing.

Cassette-player adapter

If your car has a cassette player, you can use a cassette adapter (Figure 9.9). This thing looks exactly like an audiocassette, save for the thin cable that trails from the back edge of the adapter. To use one of these adapters, shove the adapter into your car's cassette player, plug its cable into your iPod, and press the Play buttons on both the iPod and the cassette player. Music should issue from your car's speakers.

These adapters cost less than $20.

Although you can use these adapters in any cassette playera boom box or home stereo, for exampleyou may have some difficulty ejecting the adapter from players that feature snap-down doors. The adapter's cable may wedge between the door and the inside of the player, making it difficult to open the door.

Wireless music adapter

Cassette adapters are fine as long as your car has a working cassette player and you don't mind having a cable trailing from your player to wherever you place your iPod. But if you lack such a player (or just can't stand the untidiness inherent with such adapters), consider a wireless music adapter.

This small device works like a tiny radio station, broadcasting whatever is plugged into it to a nearby FM radio. Some of these devices offer you the choice to switch among a few frequencies in the college-radio and National Public Radio range (88.1, 88.3, 88.5, and 88.7 MHz, for example); others provide buttons or a dial so that you can fine-tune reception; yet one other allows you to pick the station on which you'd like to broadcast right from within one of the iPod's playlists.

Most wireless music adapters work in a very limited range. Move them more than a couple of feet from the radio's antenna, and you'll pick up interference. For this reason, most are not ideal for use with a home stereo. Their effectiveness in an automobile depends on how heavily populated the airwaves around you are and how sensitive your car's antenna is. A strong radio signal will overpower these devices, rendering them ineffective. If you live in an urban area with a plethora of active radio stations (or plan to travel in one routinely), you may want to explore a hard-wired connection or a cassette adapter.

PodFreq

[www.sonnettech.com]

The most effective of the bunch that I've tried is Sonnet Technologies' $100 PodFreq (Figure 9.10, next page). No, it's not cheap, and yes, it works only with third- and fourth-generation iPods. But it does what it's supposed to do: puts out a signal strong enough to overpower weaker stations and broadcast effectively up to around 30 feet (making it useful around the house). I've attempted to put a 60 GB iPod Photo into a PodFreq and I'm afraid it's too big. Hopefully Sonnet will have an iPod Photo-compatible model by the time you read this.

This device draws its power from the iPod, so there are no batteries to fool with. And it carries both a mini USB 2.0 connector and a 6-pin FireWire connector. With an automobile power adapter, you can charge the iPod while driving.

The PodFreq is bulky. But part of that bulk is comprised of a rectangular unit on the bottom of the device that includes a clear LCD display, a power button, and two buttons that make it easy to change the device's frequency.

iTrip and iTrip mini

[www.griffintechnology.com]

The coolest of the bunch are Griffin Technology's $35 iTrip and $40 iTrip mini (Figure 9.11). These sleek doodads fit snugly atop the iPod and plug into the Headphone jack on early iPods and into the Headphone jack and Remote port on third- and fourth-generation iPods, iPod Photos, and iPod minis. This is the adapter that allows you to pick a frequency from a playlist for the iPod to broadcast on. It works this way:

1. Install the software from the iTrip CD-ROM.

A passel of short MP3 files representing the various FM radio frequencies is loaded into iTunes or, if you've not moved to iTunes on your PC, Musicmatch Jukebox.

2. Update your iPod so that the iTrip files are downloaded to it.

3. Attach the iTrip to your iPod.

4. Navigate to the Playlists screen, where you'll see an entry labeled iTrip Stations.

5. Highlight this entry, and press Select.

6. Use the scroll wheel to move to the frequency you'd like to broadcast on (107.5 MHz, for example).

7. Press the iPod's Play button (not the Select button).

8. When the iTrip's blue LED begins to blink rapidly, press Play again.

So what happened here? Griffin created different tones to instruct the iTrip to broadcast to particular stations. When you select a frequency in the iTrip Stations playlist, your iPod plays the tone associated with that station, and the iTrip programs itself to broadcast on that frequency.

Unlike some wireless adapters, the iTrip doesn't require batteries; it's powered from the iPod's internal battery.

Although this is an intriguing scheme, it's also potentially dangerous if you're trying to dial in a new frequency while driving. If you use an iTrip and feel the need to fiddle with its frequencies, please pull over.

And others

iRock ([www.myirock.com]) makes the $30 iRock 300W Wireless Music Adapter, which features a cool design, requires two AAA batteries (should last for about 20 hours of use), and includes a selector switch that lets you choose among four frequencies88.1, 88.3, 88.5, and 88.7 MHz. The iRock works with all iPodsalbeit sometimes not very well. If these four frequencies are occupied by strong radio stations, you're out of luck. Also, the iRock doesn't put out a very strong signal, so you may still hear static even when these frequencies are unoccupied.

Belkin ([www.belkin.com]) offers the $40 TuneCast Mobile FM Transmitter and the $60 TuneCast II Mobile FM Transmitter. Like the iRock, the less expensive TuneCast requires two AAA batteries and allows you to choose among the same four frequencies as the iRock. With the TuneCast II, you can choose any station on the FM dial by selecting a frequency with a couple of tuning buttons. Better yet, it preserves battery power by switching itself off when it detects no signal after 60 seconds. I've found that the TuneCasts have better range than the iRock.

Arkon Resources ([www.arkon.com]) makes the diminutive $25 SoundFeeder SF121 FM Stereo Transmitter. This device also requires two AAA batteries and includes a dial that allows you to select any frequency between 88 and 95 MHz. This unit is also plagued by poor range.

TransPod

[www.everythingipod.com]

Digital Lifestyle Outfitters' $100 TransPod, available from Netalog, is the automotive all-in-one solution. The device is comprised of a power adapter, an FM transmitter, and a mounting bracket that you attach to a convenient location on your car's dashboard. When you slide your original iPod into the bracket, the TransPod pulls power from the car's cigarette-lighter receptacle (now labeled a power receptacle in many cars) and is ready to broadcast to a user-designated FM radio station (Figure 9.12).

Having It All

Given the number of ways you can accessorize your iPod, you may think that you'll spend a fair amount of time ordering online or hopping from shop to shop to get everything you need. Relaxthere's an easier way.

Dr. Bott LLC ([www.drbott.com]) provides just about everything you require in its iPod Connection Kits. The company's $50 iPod Universal Connection Kit with FM Transmitter includes the SoundFeeder FM stereo transmitter (with two AAA batteries), the PocketDock mini-dock connector (see the next section of this chapter), an auto-charger adapter for charging your iPod from your car's cigarette lighter, a carrying pouch, and the three cables I list earlier in this chapter. The $48 iPod Universal Connection Kit with Tape Adapter substitutes a cassette-tape adapter for the FM transmitter. These connection kits are compatible with all iPods, thanks to the inclusion of the PocketDock.

[XtremeMac.com] offers its $50 Get Connected Bundle. This bundle includes a variety of adapter cables (including the iShare Earbud Splitter), an auto charger, and an audio cassette adapter. XtremeMac offers two Get Connected Bundlesone for first- and second-generation iPods, and another for iPods with dock connectors.

Apple has released its $79 iPod Stereo Connection Kit with Monster Cable, which includes an iPod Dock, iPod Power Adapter, iPod Dock Connector to FireWire Cable (the standard data/power cable that comes with all iPods with a dock connector), and a Monster Cable Mini-Stereo to RCA Cable. Although this kit is designed so you can attach your iPod to your home stereo easily, you may find that the pieces it contains are useful in other situationswhen you need a backup set of iPod gear for your office or when you take your iPod on the road, for example.