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How-To: Sync an iPod Using Open-source Software

Written on July 09, 2009 by Lisa Hoover and 1 person has commented

It’s hard to deny how handy it is to plug an iPod into a Mac, fire up iTunes, and watch your device sync with your computer automagically. Take the Mac or iTunes out of the equation, though, and syncing gets a little trickier.
If you don’t like iTunes, or you use Linux as your primary operating [...]

Apple Celebrating First Birthday of the App Store

Written on July 07, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 5 people have commented

In just a few days time (July 11), the App Store will officially celebrate its first anniversary. To mark the occasion, Apple has introduced a special section in iTunes, which gives kudos to some of the company’s top App Store picks. The apps on the list are mostly ones you’d expect to see, based on [...]

14 Free iTunes Visualizers

Written on July 02, 2009 by James Dempsey and 6 people have commented

Apple’s iTunes application is perhaps the most popular app ever installed on the Mac. It’s also one of the least flexible in terms of customization. There’s little you can do to “make it your own,” so to speak. However, all is not lost for habitual tweakers like myself; the iTunes Visualizer can satisfy your need to not leave well-enough alone. I’ve put together a list of 14 cool (and free) Visualizers to get your started with your collection.

Become a Mac Power User: iTunes

Written on June 26, 2009 by Nick Santilli and 7 people have commented

We’ve posted Power User tips focusing on OS X as a whole (look for an update post for the not-far-off Snow Leopard) and the System Preferences. Today we’ll cast our gaze on iTunes. Listening to music on your Mac is like peanut butter and bananas — they just go together. iTunes is a fairly straightforward [...]

How-To: Sync iTunes Playlists With a BlackBerry

Written on June 23, 2009 by Jenny Kortina and 9 people have commented

I recently switched from an iPhone to a BlackBerry. As I mentioned before, one of my BlackBerry dislikes is that it simply does not sync as nicely as the iPhone. Until recently, I thought I could only drag certain songs onto my BlackBerry and that there was no way to sync playlists. Turns out I [...]

Third-party iTunes Syncing: It’s Not Just About Palm

Written on June 18, 2009 by Tom Reestman and 48 people have commented

Apple’s recent tech note regarding third parties using iTunes’ syncing has caused plenty of discussion. Should Apple “break” the Pre’s ability to sync as an iPod? Why would Cupertino do this? The comments across the web vary in their opinions, so I’ll throw mine in here as well.
First, it’s no secret what I think of [...]

An Open Request to Apple: Rent Shows Through iTunes

Written on June 17, 2009 by Arvin Dang and 10 people have commented

If you’re like me, you have one of many choices to view your television shows. TiVo, your own DVR, Netflix, Hulu, cable — whatever makes you happy. But for the last 6 months, I’ve been trying to budget both my time and money. In doing so, I’ve cut cable completely.
Between regular channels (with no DVR) [...]

Apple Obliquely Warns Palm Over “Unsupported” Media Players

Written on June 17, 2009 by Charles Jade and 9 people have commented

As the handheld world waits on iPhone OS 3.0, Apple may be planning a pre-emptive strike on “unsupported third-party digital media players.” A new technical note in the support knowledgebase certainly seems to imply that.
Without mentioning any names, Apple warns that, regarding iTunes integration, the company “does not provide support for” other hardware, and that [...]

ESRB Wants App Store Games to Be Rated

Written on June 11, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 13 people have commented

You may or may not have noticed that among the new features coming in iPhone OS 3.0, due June 17, are parental control settings that prevent users from downloading audio and video material from the iPhone store that comes in above a certain rating, determined by whomever sets the iPhone’s content filtering password. My money’s [...]

Theories On a Mac App Store

Written on June 05, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 16 people have commented

Given the runaway success of the App Store (if you haven’t heard, just pick up any newspaper, provided you can find one still being printed), I’ve began to give some thought to the feasibility of a Mac App Store. Does it make sense? Could Apple pull it off? What would it mean for developers and for users?

iTunes 8.2 Update Available Ahead of 3.0 Release; QuickTime Security Flaw Patched

Written on June 02, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 19 people have commented

iTunes 8.2 became available for anyone and everyone with a Mac, not just developers, late yesterday. A pre-release version of the update has been available to registered iPhone developers since the release of iPhone OS 3.0 beta 4 a few weeks ago, and is required for those hoping to run the 3.0 software on their [...]

The Palm Pre is an iPod? Yes, But We’ll See How Long That Lasts

Written on June 02, 2009 by Tom Reestman and 40 people have commented

A big story recently is how the Palm Pre syncs seamlessly with iTunes. It does so by making itself appear to be an iPod to iTunes.
Further details came out during an interview at the All Things Digital conference that indicate only non-DRM music and photos can be synced. It’s unclear whether non-DRM videos sync, or [...]

Re-Downloading Deleted iPhone Apps May Become Costly in OS 3.0

Written on June 01, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 19 people have commented

Naively, I used to think that once I’d purchased music, I could easily download it again, for free, on any other computer or WiFi-connected iPhone or iPod touch as long as I was signed in with my iTunes account. As most of you probably know, that’s not the case. Instead, if you try to download [...]

The Problem With Variable Pricing

Written on May 29, 2009 by Liam Cassidy and 5 people have commented

How quickly we forget the way things used to be. It was only in early April when Apple introduced variable pricing in the iTunes store, and already we’ve learned to accept that nearly every “popular” song costs $1.29.
If you’re not familiar with the subject, here’s the issue in a single sentence: The Big Four record [...]

Palm Pre Can Sync With Apple’s iTunes

Written on May 28, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 11 people have commented

One of the nicest things about having an iPod or iPhone is the easy syncing with iTunes, especially for Mac users. In fact, it’s such a perk, that users are constantly looking for ways to get their BlackBerry and other devices to sync as well. How Palm’s upcoming Pre phone (which could be one of [...]

Amazon, iTunes, Other? Where Do You Buy Your Digital Music?

Written on May 20, 2009 by Tom Reestman and 23 people have commented

I know some people who’ve settled on one source for digital music purchases. (I also have a friend who buys CDs and rips them himself, but that’s another topic.) This made me wonder what the buying habits of our readers are. I’m curious as to how many people pretty much limit themselves to one source [...]

TuneUp Update Brings New Features for Obsessive-Compulsive iTunes Users

Written on May 19, 2009 by Jenny Kortina and 4 people have commented

iTunes cleanup software TuneUp has been undergoing some exciting changes. Last week, TuneUp launched a new UI, and today the company is announcing the availability of the software at Apple Store retail locations in the U.S. Over 250 Apple Stores will now offer a retail-packaged version of TuneUp for $29.95.
I had a chance to review [...]

iTunes: Rebranding History

Written on May 15, 2009 by Liam Cassidy and 14 people have commented

Yesterday I was reminded of a song I used to like in the mid 90s by McAlmont & Butler. I hadn’t thought of that track in years, but I figured I should get it. I opened iTunes, navigated to the Store, searched, bought and downloaded. From memory recall to new music took about 30 seconds. [...]

Microsoft Jumps the Shark, But Gets a Lamborghini Gallardo SE for Only $700

Written on May 12, 2009 by Tom Reestman and 37 people have commented

Microsoft has lost its marbles regarding this whole “Apple is expensive” thing, which is clear with their latest “ad.” So far, they’ve only been running this ad online, which makes me wonder if even they know they’ve jumped the shark with this meme.
Their latest shot is a video with “certified financial adviser” Wes Moss. Wes [...]

iPhone OS Beta 5 Now Available, Kills Carrier File Switching

Written on May 07, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 6 people have commented

This week, Apple deviated from their usual biweekly update schedule and released yet another installment of the iPhone OS 3.0 beta. As of last week, the beta has been accompanied by an iTunes 8.2 pre-release build, and an updated version of that accompanies the beta firmware and the SDK. Aside from the single-week interval, the [...]