Saturday, December 2, 2006

Apple iPod Nano - Revolutionizing the Mp3 Player World



I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the advent of the Apple iPod revolutionized mp3 players. The look, the style, the sound quality, the navigation, the features, the seamless integration with iTunes and other services, all these separate components added up to a spectacular and revolutionary mp3 player. Each new mp3 player that Apple has released has pushed the envelope for design and all around use. First they miniaturized the iPod with the iPod Mini. Then they miniaturized that, and by getting rid of the LCD screen were able to offer the Shuffle for unheard of low prices for an iPod. Now they've gone to the next level. The Apple iPod nano.

But will it really revolutionize mp3 players? Yes. And here's why:


Size and Storage

Take the iPod, shrink it, shrink it again, and then shrink it one more time and you have the iPod Nano! It's no thicker than a pencil and slides right into your back pocket without even noticing, literally! The nano is smaller than most other flash mp3 players, but has something that none of them do: 2GB and 4GB file capacities. No flash mp3 player has the kind of file capacity that the nano has. And what this means is that you can store a previously unheard amount of music on an mp3 player with no moving internal parts, i.e.- a completely skip free player.

Signature iPod Quality

Remember that this is an iPod, so you have unmatched usability and sound quality. The player comes with the Apple signature click wheel and navigation system. It hooks up seamlessly with iTunes and other standard Apple software. The sound quality, as with all iPods, is excellent.

Brand New Features

The iPod nano comes with a full color screen which can display multiple image file formats in a crisp high quality format. It also now syncs up directly with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express for contacts and colander functions and to-do lists. One of the coolest and most useful new features the nano comes with is a stopwatch and lap timer. Because it's small and flash based, the nano already is great for working out, but the stopwatch can record many lap times and then give you shortest, longest, and average lap, as well as your overall time and individual lap times.

The Cool Factor

What can I say? The iPod nano just oozes cool from every angle. It's small and sleek. The colors are hot. The navigation is excellent. It can play music or audio books, display pictures, or even do both at once!

Conclusion

So what's the nano done to push the envelope and revolutionize mp3 players? It's made the largest file capacity flash mp3 player ever. It's added a brilliant color screen to display images. And it's added tons of neat new features previously unavailable on iPods. And it's done all this while not giving up what we have come to know and love about the iPod: superb sound, navigation, and usability. There isn't much negative to say about the nano. At $200 and $250 respectively, the 2GB and 4GB iPod nano sure isn't cheap,

10 reasons why you should buy an Ipod nano

A trendsetter and expensive is what the ipod nano is to most people. It makes a statement that I have arrived and I appreciate technology to the fullest. To some it is just another music player to others it is the best.

Here are a few reasons why you may want one:

1. It is pencil thin and can fit into your wallet along with other paraphernalia.

2. Imagine a space of 2GB or 4 GB--this means you can store from 500-1000 songs. Pure listening pleasure.

3. The click wheel and color display take music towards new horizons---plays 14 hours of music.

4. Carries photos, pod casts, and audio books. You can navigate through many photographs using the click wheel. Photos can be transferred and synced with a folder using the itunes softwear.

5. The ipod can be accessorized using the dock connector and head phone jack. So music follows you around at home, in the car, and even while walking or running. Where ever you go the ipod will follow.

6. Its feather weight and so easy to lug around. The screen does not crack or break easily contrary to fears. However the ipod is not scratch or stain proof.

7. Synchronized with iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, the ipod can access the world's largest selection of music.

8. The pod has a state of the art processor, system performance, and flash memory. The technology is such that it never skips.

9. The system requirements are everyday, either a MAC OS x 10.3.4 with aUSB port or Windows 2000 SP4 or windows XP.

10. Music is your whole life and pure unadulterated sound is something to die for.

Expensive, the ipod retails at US$199 for 2GB and US$249 for 4 GB. But it sets the trend and gives a vison of what music heaven can be.

10 Most Common iPod Repairs

The greatest advantage and disadvantage of an iPod is its small shape. For such a small gadget, the iPod holds can hold thousands of mp3 files. With its portability, the increase of mishaps is sure to happen. From common scratches to hard drive problems, an iPod's biggest selling point can also be its greatest drawback. Detailed below are the most common repair issues: 1. Getting Dropped: It's as easy as giving it to someone to look at or even slipping out of your pocket. Dropping an iPod can happen anytime. This can result in minor aesthetic issues that can be ignored or to greater hard drive issues that have to be sent to a specialist for repair.

2. Getting Scratched: Scratching an iPod is as easy as scratching a cell phone. With its increased daily use, the iPod is not just used on occasion, but is a regular accessory.

3. Falling in Water: How many times have you dropped your cell in phone in water? Nowadays, dropping an iPod in water can happen just as easy.

4. Exposure to Extreme Weather Conditions: Depending on where you live, weather conditions can affect your iPod. From the large amount of rain in Seattle to the snowy weather in the NorthEast, or even the blazing sun in the South, any harsh weather condition can affect your iPod and can cause needed repairs.

5. Dirt: With regular use, dirt can accumulate in the iPod. Cleaning is needed in many cases.

6. Bending: Even though there is an increase in clothing designers catering to the iPod user by designing storage units in many jackets, shirts and pants, bending and cracking can happen. Many people keep their iPods in their back pockets and mishaps can happen when sitting.

7. Broken Screens: One of the leading repairs is LCD repair. Breaking or cracking of the screen can happen in so many ways, accidentally or even with just normal use.

8. Hard Drives: The most costly repair is the hard drive. For whatever reason, these gadgets can stop working like normal. A hard drive upgrade or replacement may be needed.

9. Headphone Sockets: With continual use, the headphone socket may become loose or even broken. Repair is needed since it is the source for listening. 10. Battery: With time, the battery life may become too short or even have battery malfunctions. A battery upgrade may be needed. These are just some of the problems you may face with an iPod. With care and forward thinking, many of these can be limited. To lessen iPod repair issues, be sure to use a protective case and use care and caution.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Ipods Price crash



The best Ipods Available
1. Apple iPod Nano (4GB, Black) • 4 GB Flash Memory• 880 Average Song Capacity• Photo Display• 1.5 oz.• Supports: AAC, AIFF, MP3, MP3 VBR, WAV Price: $243.71

2. Apple iPod Nano (4GB, White) • 4 GB Flash Memory• 880 Average Song Capacity• Photo Display• 1.5 oz.• Supports: AAC, AIFF, MP3, MP3 VBR, WAV Price: $249.66

3. Apple iPod Photo (30GB) • 30 GB Hard Drive• 6,600 Average Song Capacity• Photo Display• 6.4 oz.• Supports: AAC, AIFF, MP3, MP3 VBR, WAV Price: $241.33

4. Archos Gmini 120 • 20 GB Hard Drive• 4,400 Average Song Capacity• Voice and Audio Recording• FM Radio• 8.64 oz. Price: $235.89

5. Archos Gmini 220 • 20 GB Hard Drive• 4,400 Average Song Capacity• Voice and Audio Recording• FM Radio• 5.92 oz. Price: $306.54

6. Archos Gmini XS 100 (4GB, Black) • 4 GB Hard Drive• 880 Average Song Capacity• 2.8 oz.• Supports: MP3, WAV, WMA Price: $160.10

7. Archos Gmini XS 100 (4GB, Pink) • 4 GB Hard Drive• 880 Average Song Capacity• 2.8 oz.• Supports: MP3, WAV, WMA Price: $160.10

8. Archos Gmini XS 100 (4GB, Silver) • 4 GB Hard Drive• 880 Average Song Capacity• 2.8 oz.• Supports: MP3, WAV, WMA Price: $160.10

9. Archos Gmini XS 104 (4GB, Black) • 4 GB Flash Memory• 880 Average Song Capacity• Photo Display• 2.8 oz.• Supports: MP3, MP3 VBR, WAV, WMA Price: $174.47

10. Archos Gmini XS 104 (4GB, Pink) • 4 GB Flash Memory• 880 Average Song Capacity• Photo Display• 2.8 oz.• Supports: MP3, MP3 VBR, WAV, WMA

Thursday, November 16, 2006

How to get videos onto your iPod video?

The iPod video is known as the last generation of iPods, which surprised the market and the sales since its appearance. Basically, this new device is able to play videos. If this seems like fun, the technical part might need some guidance.
Firstly, you should know that both the PSP and iPod can play H.264 / MPEG-4 encoded videos with AAC audio tracks. Due to this fact, the resolution is rather limited, together with the limitation of the bit rates that you can use on the device. For the new iPod video, this limits means (for the H.264 video) up to up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240 and 30 frames per second. For the MPEG-4 video, the limits are up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480 and the same 30 frames per second. Even more, the AAC audio bit rate is around 160 Kbps. After establishing these limits, the next step is to establish the source of the video, which can be either from a DVD or a video of the computer.
In other terms, the company Apple claims, in a purely informative ad which is posted on the official website, that the new iPod, as they call the new iPod video, can store 15, 000 songs, 25, 000 photos and not less than 150 hours of video.
If wanting to get a video from a DVD, then the first thing you should do is to insert the DVD in the device. After this, you should open (in case it doesn't immediately open by itself) the DVD, using file and open DVD from the menu. Check the options in the DVD menu, to set up everything as you like, meaning language, subtitles or chapters. Begin playing the movie, using the DVD menu to navigate. When the movie begins, you should press the record button and select the folder in which you want to store the recorded files. When you want to end the recording, simply click the stop button and if the recording goes well, there will be a screen confirmation that you have converted your file successfully.
If you wish to convert a video from your computer to your iPod video, then the first thing that you should do is go to the menu file and click open video file. After this, your video is supposed to begin to play, the perfect moment to adjust the video as you like. Also, you can set the perfect moment to start the recording, using the bottom playback controls. When you decided this, click the button record and feel free to stop it at any time. After recording, just like in the case of importing videos from a DVD device, there will be a message on the screen saying that everything went on successfully.
If respecting these basic rules, the videos and movies will be stored carefully in your iPod and you will be free to watch them, at any time. Still, be aware of the fact that the iPod offers limited space and resolution, which means that you should be picky when deciding what to keep and what to delete. The new iPod video is a challenging and innovative product that combines music with images, offering, for the first time, the possibility of playing video on such a small digital device.

ipods- the king of Mp3's

Do you remember the days when if you wanted to listen to music, you had to plug in your stereo and hope that the power didn't go out? Those days are long gone and there are now tons of devices that make it easy to take your music with you. I'm sure that some people still prefer their portable CD players, but almost everyone nowadays either already owns or has their eye on those spanking new mp3 players that are all the rage.
Mp3 players are much more lightweight than CD players, because they don't require CDs. In fact, most of the top mp3 players allow you to download music directly to your mp3 players' hard drive. This has drastically reduced the space requirements and today's mp3 players can easily fit into a shirt or pants pocket. While many brands have their own versions of mp3 players, by far the most popular is undoubtedly the Apple iPod. Here's why the iPod is so much ahead.
Mp3 players can be put into two categories; those which use flash memory and those which have a hard drive. The iPod Nano boasts an amazing 2GB of storage space, which translates to over 500 songs. The accompanying software is upgradeable so you don't need to change mp3 players to keep up. You can fine tune the sound quality by using a number of equalizer presets and the device is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.
You really see the iPod's popularity though when you consider hard drive mp3 players. These typically have a much higher storage capacity than flash memory mp3 players and the iPod is no exception. Although much of the features are the same as its flash memory counterparts, iPod hard drive mp3 players top the scale with a whopping 30 GB of storage and the ability to recognize and play video files as well.
The amount of space offered, and the accompanying features, have put Apple's mp3 players at the top of many consumers' wish lists and the iPod continues to hold off challengers. High sales of Ipods have led to a jump in the associated market of iPod accessories. Think of a possible accessory, and it's probable been made. Today's iPod accessories comprise the typical headphones and rechargeable adapters, but there is some more creative fare. These iPod accessories include docking stations, speakers and LCD displays. Even the garment industry has jumped on the bandwagon and created iPod accessories in the form of special pockets for your iPod