Personal Tech

How to Further Maximize iPod?s Functionality

Let’s continue our discussion on how to maximize the features of your new Apple iPod.
–> Become a Sound Engineer!
Here’s another way to maximize iPod use: by using Griffin’s iMic, you’ll have a USB audio interface enabling you to record your old records and tapes to play in iTunes (discussed in the next article), add to your iPod, or burn to CD and listen just about anywhere. A device called GarageBand (also by Griffin) lets you connect any keyboard, guitar or microphone for quality recording.
–> Take a Memo…
Want another way to obtain “mileage” for your iPod? How about taking a note? iTalk (also by Griffin) will turn your portable music player into a digital voice recorder with thousands of hours of recording time. Now you can get rid another peice of equipment that is lying around, and organize your electronics into one little compartment/pod.
–> Protect what you Love!
If you consider your iPod one of your most prized possessions, you’ll want to protect it. These things do get misplaced or forgotten at airports, taxis, and bars. Here are ways to protect your iPod: you can have it engraved (Apple offers this service for free); track it (Inspice’s SmartProtect can recover stolen electronic devices; cloak it (through PodLock, retails for $40.00). Podlock won’t protect your music libraries and photos, but it will prevent the thief from getting into your private documents.

Mia LaCron is the founder of low-carb-diet-blog.info – http://www.low-carb-diet-blog.info – devoted to helping individuals eat a low carb diet.

Serbia – CELL Calling Cards

How to Maximize the Features of the Apple iPod

Congratulations! You are the proud owner of n iPod; maybe more than one, if it’s just after holiday season and you were the beneficiary of such nice presents!
Now, we’re noted earlier that Apple has done a very good job of making things as simple as possible. However, there are limits to how simple things can get; and there are elements of iPod ownership that can be a little bit complicated.
If you’re intimidated by technology, or if like a lot of people you’re worried about doing some damage, then this section is for you!
–> The Remote
The iPods are small, delicate things; particularly the iPod nano. While they are somewhat designed for real-life usage, they are vulnerable to the elements and to scratching. For this reason, many people gladly reach for their iPod remote instead of fiddling with their precious little device by hand.
Fiddling with your iPod while driving is risky business, but if you absolutely must do so, think about using a remote control, a valuable device even if your iPod is within reach. Apple makes one and it retails for about $40.00-$45.00.
–> Car iPod?
Yup, in case you aren’t aware, you can mount your iPod in your car and enjoy it as you motor to work (or anywhere else for that matter). In June of 2004, MacWorld magazine conducted a survey of mounting options available for iPods, and discovered about a dozen products available, ranging in price from $15.00 to $50.00. Some devices hook into vents, some are for dockable iPods only, some tilt and swivel, and still others attach to car dashboards.
If you do decide to mount your iPod to your car (thus making it a much cooler car!), you probably want to know how to fine tune your iPod once it’s mounted. This is a little easier said than done! It takes a bit of tweaking the mounting installation so that you can get the sound quality and direction that you want.
A man named Franklin Tessler, who allegedly and in his own words spent more money than he should have installing an iPod in his Infinity G35, wrote:
“if you hear a humming or whining sound when the iPod is playing, install a ground loop isolator between the iPod and the head unit.”
He adds that Radio Shack sells one for less than $20.00 (part number 270-054).
If you browse through any computer or electronic magazines, the iPod-related advertisements alone should clue you into the many ways you can use your iPod: many iPod users like to listen to their iPods in the car – probably the one single place where most listening is done.
Griffin (www.griffintechnology.com) is marketing the iTrip which attaches your iPod to the built-in FM stereo of any car.

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com/ – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

Colombia – Medellin Calling Cards

The Power of iTunes With the iPod

So, you know about iPods and the various ways that you can enjoy them – including as you drive. Yet there’s a very big subject that we want to cover, because this is the biggest reason that people buy this neat little device: iTunes.
It’s not difficult to understand what iTunes is, and why people are somewhat addicted to it (in the good way, of course!). Look at it this way: the iPod is the hardware, and iTunes is the software. Or if you’d prefer a different analogy – one that isn’t so technical – imagine that the iPod is the radio itself, and iTunes are the music stations.
iTunes is the name of an online music store that sells countless numbers of audio tracks that include music, but also include books and other material, too.
While there are a number of websites that legally sell music, iTunes is unarguably the most popular and the most well-known; and that trend doesn’t appear to be stopped whatsoever!
As of the end of the second quarter of 2004, iTunes had sold 70 million songs in its first year and offered 700,000 tracks. Both of these numbers have grown substantially since then, and analysts are busy tallying up the numbers for the rest of 2004, and now into 2005.
So…just how far reaching is iTunes popularity? Well, in England, it seems to be the favorite destination – in fact the # 1 destination of people who are looking to purchase digital music. iTunes’ market share in the UK is 54% while Napster has only 10%.

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com/ – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

Antigua Calling Cards

More Advantages of the iPod

–> Multiple Language Supports
Thinking of buying an iPod and sending it to a relative or friend overseas? If so, then you might be concerned about the menu, and the fact that it’s in English. Well, worry no more!
Actually, initial versions of the iPod already offered 14 different languages. Now, especially since sales of the iPod have boomed worldwide, latest generation versions offer more than twice as many languages, including:
 Czech
 Danish
 Dutch
 English
 Finnish
 French
 German
 Greek
 Hungarian
 Italian
 Japanese
 Korean
 Norwegian
 Polish
 Portuguese
 Russian
 Simplified Chinese
 Spanish
 Swedish
 Traditional Chinese
 Turkish
Also, for song information only, the iPod menu supports:
 Bulgarian
 Croatian
 Romanian
 Serbian
 Slovak
 Slovenian
 Ukrainian
–> It Knows when You’re Listening…
Speaking of versatility, one advantage that the iPod has it that it can sense whether headphones are being used or not. If you’re listening to music and you pull the headphone jack out of its port, the iPod will pause.
But remember that if you re re-attach the headphones, the music will not play by itself, you’d have to do that manually.
However, if you’ve set your iPod to sleep mode or turned off, plugging in the headphones will get the song to play again.
–> Get Ready for the iPod Photo!
So the iPod offers you music, educational tools, and now photo display! Apple released the iPod photo in early 2005. The portable music player now has a color screen to allow users to display photos and album art.
The iPod photo can send photos to a television via a composite or S-video cable.
The iPod photo can hold 30,000 photos, but it costs “an arm and a leg” according to some consumers. Rumors have it however that as soon as it’s picked up and given a look-see, the temptation to buy one gets very, very strong. So beware!

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com/ – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

Mongolia Calling Cards

The Powerful and Ultra Compact Ipod Nano

You may have heard about something called the iPod Nano; or you may have just bought one (or received one as a gift…how nice!). Because at the time of this writing the iPod Nano is so new, we want to take a closer look at it here.
Chances are, most readers will want to know more about this latest creation from the thinkers at Apple.
The iPod Nano is very tiny. In fact, it’s about the size of a portable flash drive (those little memory sticks that people walk around with and plug into their laptops).
The iPod Nano has all of the features of the iPod mini, with the real differences being size, storage capacity, and technical scalability (we’ll look at this in a second).
Similar to the mini, the nano also has a color screen, and the beloved grey wheel that must be depressed in order to work (which, as noted, is a feature that Apple added based on feedback from early iPod consumers).
The iPod Nano weighs – get this – an ounce, which MacWorld equates to the heaviness of 6 credit cards.
Since most of us carry about a dozen cards in our wallet or purse – everything from library cards to gas cards to a driver’s license and more – it’s really quite amazing that something so technologically advanced could be so light!
Other remarkable features of the iPod nano include the fact that it has a stop watch, which can record lap times (which is great for those who listen to their iPod nano as they jog!).
The iPod nano also has a world clock, which is perfect for travelers, and has 22 preset listening modes.
We noted the iPod nano’s technical scalability, and this is something that many people are quite pleased with.
To enhance the functionality of this tiny little creation – and, of course, to boost sales! – Apple has enabled the iPod nano to play songs wirelessly through any home theater, via Bluetooth technology.
This is a very significant feature that many iPod nano users are extremely happy about. In seconds (even less!), they can listen to their tunes through a state-of-the-art home entertainment system: no wires, no fuss, just sitting back and hearing their favorite songs sound as good as a live concert; in some cases, even better.
While most of the publicity about the iPod Nano has been overwhelmingly positive, there is some negative feedback also. The color screen is prone to scratching, which can make reading the menus difficult.

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com/ – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

Vatican Calling Cards

Which Apple Ipod Should You Buy?

One of the wonderful things about living in the 21st century is the seemingly limitless choice that we have at our disposal. The world is practically at out finger tips, and with the click of the mouse we can have anything we want (this of course with the help of our atm/credit card:).
Truly: whether you shop online or choose to venture into your local electronic superstore, there are quite literally hundreds of devices out there waiting to try and impress and entertain you. While it’s certainly nice to have so much choice, it can indeed be overwhelming to some.
If you’re on the verge of buying an iPod but aren’t quite sure where to turn, then Apple has provided some rather wise buying advice (after all, Apple wants you to be happy so that you buy many iPods for many years to come…and give them as gifts, too!). Here’s what the website MacWorld (www.macworld.com) advises:
“If your digital music collection remains relatively small, you’re probably better off with an iPod mini. But if it takes 30 days to play your music collection from end to end, if you’d like to use the iPod’s extra space for file storage, if you need extra battery life, or if you’re a big fan of audiobooks, you’ll love the new iPods.”

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com/ – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

Mexico – CELL Calling Cards

Just What is the iPod?

If you ask 10 people to explain what an iPod is, you’ll likely receive 10 different answers; and all of them will likely contain some element of fact and logic. Introduced by Apple Computers in 2001, the iPod is technically defined as a portable music player; and even this doesn’t do it justice.
As you’ll see (or perhaps know already from your own experience), the iPod is so much more than a mere convenient way for you to listen to music while on the go.
These things SELL!
The iPod is the #1 seller of legal digital music and digital music devices.
And just what does it take to be #1 in the highly competitive personal entertaining business? Well, since its launch in 2001, over 3 million iPods have been sold; and counting.
In fact, in a 3 month period from April to June 2004, almost over 850,000 iPod and iPod minis were sold. To put that into some kind of perspective, that’s almost 10,000 iPods/iPod minis per day. And if that doesn’t make you go WOW, that’s 398 per hour, or just under 7 per minute – of every hour, of every day, for 3 months!
It’s no wonder, given these awesome sales total, that the question most people ask these days isn’t: are you getting an iPod, but rather: where is your iPod?

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com/ – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

Deaveraging Because it is more expensive to provide certain services in some areas
than it is in others, many long-distance carriers vary their charges for the same
services in different areas.

calling card

The Secret to the Apple Ipod?s Success: The Look and Feel

A big reason for iPod sales goes beyond its incredible functionality (which we’ll look at further in this book). Apple has been known for its aesthetics since it entered the personal computer market decades ago.
In fact, one of the reasons that Apple Macintoshes (now referred to as iMacs) have found such a loyal following among artistic professionals is its relentless commitment to how things look, in addition to what things do. It was no surprise, therefore, that the iPod followed this legacy perfectly.
The iPod is about the size of a deck of cards, while the iPod mini is about half that size. They’re both a kind of creamy white, which is Apple’s signature color for the devices.
The iPod works through a grey click wheel that is rotated and pressed/depressed at the same time. This allows listeners to navigate through various songs – skipping tracks, scanning, repeating, and pausing.
A nice new feature of the latest iPod versions is that this wheel must be depressed by the listener in order for the song navigation to occur.
Apple added this little feature after some negative feedback on early versions. Those models didn’t require the wheel to be depressed, and therefore some listeners complained that it was being accidentally hit or bumped.
Also, take heart if you want to have a more unique-looking iPod to add to your sense of personal style. It looks like there are “special edition” iPods in the works, such as:
• the Ashley Simpson iPod
• the New York Yankees iPod
• the Eminem iPod
• the Madonna iPod
• …and more!

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com/ – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

long distance calling card

Why the Hype Over the Ipod?

Some of you reading this may remember something called the Sony Walkman.
Or, if you aren’t old enough to recall what those are, just ask your parents or an older brother or sister; and you’ll see this kind of pleasant, reflective smile cross their face.
You see, the Walkman was the coolest thing to come out of the early 1980s. And if you had the fortune (or maybe the misfortune – really big hair was in back then) of living back then, you almost certainly owned one of these devices.
They were everywhere. In airports. On busses. In malls.
Heck, even in cars you’d see kids in the back listening to their own thing, while the parents rocked out to the soothing, mellow driving tones of Perry Como or Dean Martin (which many kids at the time found intolerable; many still do).
The Walkman was beyond a phenomenon; because that term implies that something is here today, then gone tomorrow. The Walkman was a mainstay; a staple of the society in which it was introduced.
Without exaggeration, if a Time Capsule was created for the 1980s, it would simply have to have a Walkman in it; to neglect this item would be like discussing technology in the 21st century and failing to note that strange little thing called the Internet.
So why trip down memory lane to talk about the Walkman? Well, don’t worry; we aren’t just waxing nostalgic for our own amusement.
We’re setting the stage for the next generation of personal entertainment devices; an innovation and invention that is sure to become the Walkman of our time.
We’re talking, of course, about the iPod.
In case you’ve somehow managed to avoid seeing the marketing and advertising associated with the iPod, it’s almost certain that you’ve seen them. They’re everywhere (sound familiar?).
And it’s not just kids who walk around with those two little white wires protruding from their ears and into something that kind of looks like something dental floss might come out of.
The iPod, like all truly amazing inventions, has crossed demographic consumer lines. People of all ages are sporting these things; from teachers to senior citizens; from athletes to Generation Y skater types who somehow manage to keep those earplugs in place despite flying through the air (and sometimes crashing to the ground).
Now, if you haven’t yet entered iPod country yourself, then please don’t feel intimidated or worse, obsolete.
Though iPods are incredibly popular, there are still enough people out there who haven’t yet tried one on. And furthermore, there are also a growing number of people who have an iPod, but haven’t really taken it out of first gear. Why is this?
Well, it’s because technology can seem confusing, and despite its small size, figuring out the ins and outs of the iPod can seem intimidating and time consuming. Yet nothing could be further from the truth!
Apple, which makes the iPod, has built a reputation on simplicity of use; and the iPod most definitely reflects this approach. As such, the iPod is as easy to use as a DVD player; even easier, perhaps.

Mia LaCron is the founder of IpodFunctions.com -
http://www.ipodfunctions.com – devoted to helping individuals get the most
out of their Ipod.

calling card prepaid minutes

Virus or Spyware – What?s the Difference?

This month’s article is one of the things I still find comes up as a frequent question, “what’s the difference between Viruses and Spyware”? so I will try and answer that here.
One of the biggest
slowdowns of a PC is caused by viruses, adware or spyware as it’s often called.
Before you can benefit from any other optimisation tips or improvements you
really need a system relatively free from those pests.
A virus is a piece of malicious software code
written to cause some kind of damage to a computer system or network or even
the Internet itself. Viruses spread, similar to their biological namesake, from
one machine to another and can spread havoc wherever they go. They are most
commonly spread by sharing files with others or through email attachments where
they can be set up to send themselves to all the addresses in your email
address book.
Adware is usually dowloaded and installed
along with some other program without your knowledge and unlike a virus doesn’t
spread by itself. Very often you click “OK” without reading the terms
and conditions and by doing so you agree to have the files installed. An
example is, you see a “free” program on offer that you think might be
useful and download it without thinking. Even some anti-spyware programs
install adware and the website earns money from the ads that are clicked
on.
The catch is that the extra files introduced
are used to determine things like your surfing habits and the data is used to
serve up popup ads or redirect your browser to a page other than the one you
wanted. Some of the programs can be used to install keyloggers which can send
back information about passwords and bank details etc. Adware is not a security
problem it is more an annoyance especially when you have ten different programs
trying show ads. The amount of computer resources it uses up slows your system
to a crawl.
Spyware is more malicious and evil intentioned
and is designed to steal something from you. It can be downloaded by visiting
the wrong types of websites or on the back of other files the same way as adware.
Spyware can often be hard to remove as it can continually recreate itself and
hide somewhere on your hard drive.
Programs such as trojans can be downloaded without you knowing about it and then used by hackers to gain
access to your computer at a later date. The name comes from the story of the Trojan horse where the
Greeks hid inside the wooden horse left as a peace offering and were wheeled in
to the fort by the Trojans themselves. Then at night the Greeks crept out of
the horse and opened the gates to let the enemy in. Trojans and adware unlike
viruses don’t spread themselves.
It is wise to run more than one spyware
checker as no one system gets rid of them all. You can never be certain you
have every one removed because new ones may not have been discovered and the
Spyware program doesn’t recognise it yet. I use the two free ones
“Spybot – Search and Destroy” and “Adaware 6.0″ both easily found on google and I also use this one available at

http://www.pcsandthings.com/c-spy.htm

which comes from a reputable company that specialises in removing
spyware.
Sometimes people say to me “doesn’t my
anti-virus software remove spyware”? Well the answer is most don’t and
even if it does I always find a specialist product works best. Beware also of
bogus spyware scanners available on-line which actually install their own
spyware once they have removed their competitors. Sometimes you run a free scan
and it finds all sorts of nasties but you will have to sign up and pay to
remove them. I have even seen it that they find things that don’t exist or try
to frighten people into believing they have lots of spyware when all they have
are advertising cookies.
Cookies are small text files that websites
leave on your system so that when you return they can customise the page that
loads or they can count you as a returning visitor. They are harmless and most
of them are useful. They can be easily removed by deleting them in your browser
settings.
So you need to be running a suitable and up to
date antivirus program and one or more Spyware checkers.

Make your computing experience a bit less stressful and help speed up your computer at http://www.pcsandthings.com

India – Bombay Calling Cards