16 TOP TIPS FOR YOUR IPOD AND ITUNES

Robert Irvine reveals 16 top tips for making the most of Apple’s iPod and iTunes

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Top iPod Tips

1 Prolong battery life
Although iPods now offer improved playback per charge, this is substantially reduced if you use yours regularly. Make the battery last longer by sliding the Hold switch into the locked position to prevent the player being turned on by accident. Also turn off the backlight and try not to skip between songs too frequently.

2 Use your iPod as an alarm clock
You can set your iPod wake you up in the morning using its alarm clock feature. Select Extras from the main menu, choose Clock then Alarm Clock. Select Alarm to turn the feature on, set the desired time and choose a noise from the options available. With speakers connected, you can be roused by a playlist of your favourite songs.

3 Read email on the go
You can synchronise your iPod with your email client to read new messages on the go. To do this on a PC, install the free program K-Pod from http://k-deep.com/k-pod.htm; for Macs try PodMail from www.macupdate.com. Downloaded mail can then be viewed on the player via the Notes feature in the Extras menu.

4 Copy songs from your iPod
iTunes won’t let you copy music from your iPod, only to it. However, if you need to restore songs from the player to your PC or Mac there are several third-party programs you can use, including PodUtil, iPodRip and iPod Music Liberator.

5 Play iPod music on your hi-fi
Enjoy your extensive MP3 collection via your hi-fi using the Logitech Wireless Music System. This device turns your player into a wireless remote control, streaming tunes directly to your stereo speakers. At £99.99 it costs a lot less than Apple’s iPod Hi-Fi.

6 Create a playlist on the fly
Your iPod offers an On-the-Go feature for creating a playlist while away from your computer. Highlight a song in one of the music menus, then hold down the Select button until its name flashes, indicating that it’s been added to the On-the-Go playlist. You can access this via the main Playlists menu.

7 Read web content on the move
A clever web-based tool called iPodulator lets you convert web content into a compatible format for reading on your iPod. Head to www.theplaceforitall.com/ipodulator then enter the URL for a web page or RSS feed. Click iPodinate then save the results and copy the file to your iPod.

8 Record directly onto your iPod
Although the iPod lacks a built-in microphone, there are several accessories available that can turn it into a voice recorder. Pick of the bunch are the Griffin iTalk and the Belkin Voice Recorder, both of which cost around £30 from iPod accessory stores such as www.iworld.co.uk.

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