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

Power to the People

Like the heads of government, your iPod needs power to do its job. To bring power to your iPod, consider these accessories.

iPod Power Adapter

Apple included one of these (Figure 9.13) with the iPod, correct? Correct. But the iPod is a portable music player, and if you routinely truck it between a couple of locationsyour home and office, for example it might be convenient to have a power adapter at each end of your journey. Also, if you've purchased an additional Dock to use with your home stereo, you'll want an additional power adapter to provide juice to your iPod while it sits in that Dock. You can purchase an additional iPod Power Adapter at the online Apple Store ([http://store.apple.com]) for $49.

PocketDock

If you've upgraded from an older iPod to an iPod with a dock connector, you may be a bit dismayed to discover that some of your old accessoriesspecifically, the gear that has a FireWire connector doesn't work with your new iPod (because of that iPod's proprietary data/power port). Send Station ([www.sendstation.com]) comes to the rescue with its $19 PocketDock (Figure 9.14). This just-a-bit-larger-than-a-quarter doohickey bears a standard female six-pin FireWire connector on one end and Apple's proprietary male data/power connector on the other. When you want to use your old stuff with your new iPodan auto charger, for examplejust plug the PocketDock into the bottom of the iPod and string a standard FireWire cable between the PocketDock and a device that bears a standard FireWire port.

Even if you don't have old gear, the PocketDock is a nice thing to carry. FireWire cables are common enough that they're easy to borrow from a buddy or pick up in just about any store that carries computer equipment. Finding Apple's iPod Dock Connector to FireWire Cable in a pinch can be difficult.

Send Station recently released two additional versions of the PocketDock. The $23 PocketDock Combo includes both a FireWire and a USB 2.0 port, and the $30 PocketDock with Line Out includesyou guessed itan audio line out port along with the FireWire port.

World Travel Adapter Kit

The iPod can automatically accommodate the world's two major power standards: 115 and 230 volts. The power adapter, however, is designed to accommodate only the kind of plug used in the country in which the iPod was sold. If you plan to take your iPod globetrotting, you'll need the proper plug adapter. Apple's $39 World Travel Adapter Kit contains adapters that support outlets in North America, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Korea, Australia, and Hong Kong.

FireJuice

SiK's FireJuice ([www.sik.com]) is a very adaptable power adapter that comes in three refreshing flavors (Figure 9.15). The basics of each are similar. Each adapter features a switch that lets you use external power (an iPod AC adapter or auto adapter, for example), no power, or power from the computer's FireWire port. The FireWire data connection is always on. The difference among the modelsthe FireJuice 6, FireJuice 4, and FireJuice 6 for iPod w/Dock Connectoris the computer connector. These adapters include a 6-pin FireWire connector, a 4-pin FireWire connector, and Apple's proprietary data/power connector for dock-connecting iPods, respectively. The first two models are priced at $21, and the FireJuice 6 for iPod w/Dock Connector costs $40.

Why would you want such a feature? As you may recall, you can't charge an iPod from an unpowered FireWire porta port on a FireWire PC card or a four-pin FireWire PCI card, for example. The FireJuice adapter makes it possible to charge your iPod when it's connected to such an unpowered port. Those who are using their iPods with a PowerBook or iBook running on battery power would set the FireJuice to the "no power" position so that the iPod won't attempt to charge from the laptop's battery during syncing (thus saving precious battery life on the laptop).

Auto Charger

That extra iPod Power Adapter is so much useless metal and plastic when you're in a car miles from the nearest electrical outlet. To keep your iPod topped off on the road, you need an auto charger. The device plugs into your car's cigarette lighter or 12-volt receptacle, and power is delivered to your iPod through a plug that fits in the iPod's data/power port (Figure 9.16). Dr. Bott ([www.drbott.com]), Griffin Technology ([www.griffintechnology.com]), SiK ([www.sik.com]), XtremeMac ([www.xtrememac.com]), and Belkin ([www.belkin.com]) make auto chargers.

Dr. Bott's Auto Charger for iPod costs $30; it includes a power indicator and a replaceable fuse to protect the iPod should too much juice slip through the adapter. It also includes a PocketDock, so it can be used with all iPods.

Griffin Technology's PowerPod Auto Adapter costs $25 and also includes a power indicator and replaceable fuse. Unlike the charger from Dr. Bott, this charger comes in two pieces: the body and the cable. The body bears a female 6-pin FireWire connector, to which you attach a FireWire cable. This design is particularly useful because it means that you can use the PowerPod with any iPod. Griffin includes a cable with a FireWire connector on one end (for plugging into the adapter) and a dock connector on the other (for plugging into a third- or fourth- generation iPod, iPod Photo, or iPod mini). Owners of first- and second-generation iPods can use a standard FireWire cable to power their iPods.

XtremeMac offers two models of its iPod Car Charger: one for first- and second-generation iPods, and another for iPods with a dock connector. Both models cost $20 and include coiled cords and fuses.

Belkin's $50 Auto Kit power adapter is designed specifically for the iPods with dock connectors. The Auto Kit does more than power your iPod; it also includes a built-in amplifier (with volume control) and audio out port for playing your iPod through the car stereo. (Your car stereo must have an available input jack for the audio out port to be useful.)

SiK's $30 Imp is close to the do-it-all auto charger. Included in the package is a standard fused auto charger to 6-pin FireWire cable adapter suitable for charging a first- or second-generation iPod.With Imp, you also receive a Y-cable that bears Apple's proprietary power/data cable connector (the one that plugs into the bottom of third- and fourth-generation iPods and the iPod mini) on one end (Figure 9.17). The cable splits out to a female miniplug connector and a female FireWire connector.

It takes a second or two to wrap your brain around how you'd put Imp to best use. You could, for example, plug the auto charger into your car's cigarette lighter, plug the adapter's FireWire plug into the Y-cable's female FireWire connector, and then plug the power/data connector into your iPod mini to power the mini in the car. Or you could string a standard FireWire cable between the Y-cable's FireWire connector and your iPod's power adapter, and connect your home stereo to the Y-cable's miniplug jack. See what I mean? A little confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, you realize that Imp is a very versatile adapter.

Note that with all of these adapters, you can play your iPod while it's charging.

Backup Batteries

Fat lot of good an extra power adapter and auto charger do you if you're flying halfway around the world or traipsing through one of the less welcoming Costa Rican jungles during the latest Eco-Challenge. If you plan to be removed from a ready source of power for a period longer than the typical life of an iPod charge, you need some extra help. Currently, two companies offer that help.

Belkin's ([www.belkin.com]) Backup Battery Pack (Figure 9.18) holds four AA batteries and piggybacks onto a third- or fourth generation iPod or iPod Photo with the help of two clear suction cups. The device provides between 15 and 20 hours of additional playing time. Although it wasn't designated for the iPod mini, it will charge this iPod, and its suction cups are narrow enough to grip the mini. It's not a pretty sight, however, as the Backup Battery Pack dwarfs the poor iPod.

The Backup Battery Pack doesn't charge the iPod's battery. Rather, after you plug the device's power connector into the bottom of the iPod and switch on the battery pack, the iPod draws its power from the pack.

Battery Technology ([www.batterytech.com]) does the Backup Battery Pack at least two times better with its $100 iPod Battery. Advertised to power the iPod for up to 40 hours of music play time (though I have reliable reports of up to 45 hours of play time from this battery), this rechargeable lithium-ion battery ships with three cradles: one for the iPod mini, another for a lower-capacity third-generation iPod (a 15 GB model, for example), and another for a higher-capacity third-generation iPod (the 40 GB model). By the time you read this, Battery Technology will likely also offer cradles for fourth-generation iPods and the iPod Photo.

Building Your Own Battery Charger

The Belkin Backup Battery Pack is a very nice devicesolidly built, with some particularly attractive green LED lights that indicate just how much power is left in your batteriesbut it doesn't work with first- and second-generation iPods.

If you have one of these earlier iPods, are handy with electrical tape and heat-shrink tubing, and desire such a charger, you might consider building your own. Allen Evans shows you how at [http://users.adelphia.net/~evansa/iPodCharge82].

To adapt Mr. Evans' charger to an iPod with a dock connector, you'd need to find a female-to-female FireWire adapter, and plug the charger into one side of the adapter and the FireWire end of the iPod docking cable into the other. The extra effort you may have to expend to track down one of these connectors and wire it into your adapter may persuade you to forgo the cost savings and simply purchase the Belkin charger instead.

HotWire

Have you ever been frustrated that you can't listen to your iPod when it's being recharged via your Mac or PC? End that frustration with SiK's $11 HotWire cable. This power-only cable, which is compatible with first- and second-generation iPods (or a dock-connector iPod with a PocketDock connector), allows you to have full access to your iPod's controls while the iPod charges, so you can play your iPod during the process.