Did you know that there are 3rd party services that let you stream your music and listen to your whole library from another location? You can browse or play your entire contents of your music library on other computers using iTunes. At Simplifymedia.com you can authorize up to 30 computers to access your tunes remotely when your home computer is connected to the net.

There are other services that stream music too like Nutsie which works by uploading the contents of your music library onto their server. Then you can listen to your music on any computer, or cellphone by logging on to Nutsie.com. Uploading may take several minutes or longer and you can listen only to preset playlists.

Avvenu Music at Avvenu.com is another service that lets you listen to your itunes songs on other PCs or Macs.

One final note: You can’t use the services to burn remote songs to CDs or transfer them to an iPod or other player.

I’ve got to get an iPhone!

Making new playlists for your iPod shuffle is so easy a caveman can do it. Just place your shuffle in the dock and after it opens itunes for you go the menu under file and select new playlist. A new folder will pop up in your playlist menu on the left of iTunes and you can name it Shuffle-Rock or whatever you choose. Then select your main library and when it opens you can select and drag any or bunches of tunes into that folder which it will copy for you. You will also see the number of songs in the shuffle and how many hours of playtime you will have at the bottom of the window.

Really easy to keep making new playlists and then update whenever you get tired of what’s on there. Just look for the Autofill at the bottom of the window and select the shuffle folder from the pop down menu. Make sure you check the Replace all items when autofilling box. ITunes will automatically change all the songs for you on your shuffle. It’s that easy thank you Apple.

I’m always fascinated by how the media picks up a story and runs with it. The latest is the news about iPods and lightning. My local newspaper even had a picture of the poor fellow who was struck by lightning while he had his earbuds in. Now a bunch of news is being written about lightning safety and iPods.

Truth of the matter is - you can be seriously hurt by lightning whether you’re listening to your iPod or not. Duh… Lightning isn’t attracted by the electronics in your iPod. You don’t have to worry if it’s hazardous to your health. You just have to worry about lightning. It’s a proven fact that lightning can strike you even if the storm is miles away. Ask any golfer.

I live in an area that gets tons of lightning in the summer. I know to seek shelter if I start to hear rumbles. Do I always? No, because, well, it never hit me before, so I think I must be immune. If I got hit standing under a tree, it’s not news. But if I was listening to my iPod at the time, I could make headlines.

I met a guy in a doctor’s waiting room last year who had been hit by lightning while operating a frontloader. He twitched and jerked and looked totally miserable. He said his nervous system had been destroyed. I suspect he’d think the injured eardrums and burns from the earbuds would have been a good trade-off to what his problems were.

Follow lightning safety precautions and go ahead and listen to your iPod. You’re safe.

Downloaded music and videos from iTunes comes with a copy-protected feature that allows you to store and play your files on up to 5 computers.

What do you do if you get rid of a computer without de-authorizing it? Are you stuck now with only having 4 authorized ones?

Good News… you can reset your authorizations in one of two ways.

First Way  

• log into your account at the iTunes Store
• Select  "Account" under Quick Links at the upper right corner
• This reset will deauthorize all your computers (have no fear, it’s not that scary)
• You’ll now be forced to enter your password the next time you play a copy-protected song on any of the computers you want to remain authorized.

Second Way

• Contact Apple and explain the situation to them.
• Don’t be surprised if they tell you to do the steps in the ‘First Way’

Apple isn’t a company that basks in their past successes for too long. They recently released the iPhone - sold 500,000 the first weekend. Now there’s talk from JP Morgan to their investors that the Nano is going to be recreated as an inexpensive iPod Nano Phone by the end of the year. This makes good sense because there are millions of people who would love an iPhone but can’t afford it.

Apple filed a patent in  November 2006 indicating this new Nano will have wheels for dialing instead of the touch screen like the iPhone. The patent states the invention regards "controlling an electronic device, particularly a multifunctional electronic device that is capable of operating in multiple modes, as for example, a phone mode for communications and a media player mode for playing audio files, video files, and the like."

The estimated price of this "Nano Phone" is around $300 or less. Those of us who don’t have deep enough pockets for the iPhone can now wait with baited breath on this next new innovation from the mind of Steve Jobs.

iPod video converter software allows you to convert your DVD’s to a format you can play on your video iPod. The video iPod plays videos and not only that - something that all you videophiles out there have to love – it also allows you to easily output video into your TV or your computer.

iTunes has a huge library of videos available for purchase. They even have free videos from major universities you can watch.

But what about the video you already have? Files such as iMovies, DVDs that you own, TV shows that you’ve recorded with a Mac-based digital video recorder (DVR), what do you do with them? Can you play them back on your video iPod?
The answer is: OF COURSE! And converting them is way easy.

Below is the low-down on the top five software programs that allow you to rip DVDs into your iPod.

#1 — Cucusoft PSP/iPod Video Converter + DVD to PSP/iPod Converter Suite

Its name is a mouthful, that’s for sure, but all of it is true. Widely considered as perhaps the best iPod converter around, Cucusoft’s iPod Converter Suite is actually four programs bundled together to form an all-in-one video conversion package.

With this Suite, you can convert all your favorite DVDs from your collection and almost all other types of video files you have stored, then play them on your new Video iPod or even a PSP (Playstation Portable). Now, you can bring your favorite movies along with you and watch them through iPod whenever, wherever.

It’s an excellent program for beginners. You don’t need to have any media know-how to get this thing started. If you’re trying to rip movies from a DVD, just pop in the disc into your computer and launch the Cucusoft iPod Converter Suite. The program will automatically load the disc, allowing you to select the file format to play on your iPod.

And the software can support almost all types of media files out there, such as, AVI, DivX, Xvid, MP43, MPEG1, MPEG2, .asf, .wmv, .mov, .rm, .rmvb, Video DVD disc, .VOB, .IFO, VCD, and SVCD. In addition, for people who are looking to do more with their movies, the Converter Suite supports various iPod video sizes including H.264 video (up to 768 kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats), MPEG-4 video (up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec, Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats).

$39.95
Free Trial Download

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Windows 9x/2000/NT/XP/2003 server
• DirectX 8.0 or later (this is most likely already on your system, but can be downloaded for free from Microsoft if not)
• Minimum MMX-enhanced CPU
• Minimum 32 MB RAM or more
• Any VGA card

#2 –Lenogo DVD Movie to iPod Video Converter

If you want a fast, solid, and stable converter that delivers time after time without crashing, then look for the Lenogo DVD Movie to iPod Video Converter. With a user-friendly design and an interface that’s straightforward, even beginners will find it easy to operate. Just one note though: If you’re a first-time user, now is probably a good time to start learning the basics about media files. Lenogo DVD Movie to iPod Video Converter is a professional DVD to iPod converter software, the fastest so far in the world.

Convert all kinds of DVD to iPod video (mp4) format with a conversion speed that is far faster than real-time. Now, you can convert an entire DVD movie in half an hour on a high-end computer. Of course, there are many factors that could affect the actual conversion speed, factors like the following:

DVD to iPod conversion process is closely related to hardware. Conversion speed is subject to the quality of DVD discs and speed of hard drivers. The speed figures depicted in Lenogo website’s diagram are test data which may differ from computers.

Unregistered version is slower than the registered one because each frame in the former version is noted with "Unregistered version" which wastes time.

$29.95 to register
Free Download for unregistered version 
Step by Step Tutorial
30 day money back guarantee

#3 – XiliSoft DVD to iPod Converter

With a nice-looking interface and slightly advanced options, the XiliSoft DVD to iPod Converter is very much set up for the intermediate user. A beginner may be able to use it with little problem, but if you want to make a lot of adjustments, you need guidance to avoid getting into trouble with this program.

As a powerful DVD ripper, the XiliSoft DVD to iPod Converter can rip DVD to VCD, DVD to DivX, DVD to MPEG, DVD to WMV, DVD to AVI, DVD to WMA, DVD to ASF, and other popular video and audio formats with just a few clicks. The software supports ripping DVD by custom file size, as well as splitting output file to fit your CD-R. Also, if you happen to have a favorite segment of a DVD, you can rip that particular segment to play it back on your Video iPod.

$29.00
Free Trial  Download

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
OS Supported: Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP
Hardware: Intel Pentium II 350 MHz or above, or any Athlon
64 MB RAM or above

#4– Makayami iPod Media Studio

A program with all the right features, Makayami iPod Media Studio has the one feature that Apple didn’t give you – the fastest software to transfer DVDs directly to your video iPod and enjoy them on the gorgeous 2.5" LCD-monitor.

The software allows you to take any movie from you DVD collection and play it back in your iPod Video on the go. If you’re looking for something entirely different, you can also take recorded TV-material or home movies from your DV-camcorder or digital still camera, and convert those into small files you can load into you iPod Video.

The program is fairly easy to use and fast. All it requires is two clicks of the mouse to get the conversion going, optimizing the small output files for playback with the iPod built-in video player. You can also store up to 100 hours of video (60 GB model) or 50 hours (30 GB model) of feature films, TV, or other content on your iPod with the help of this software – providing the perfect pocket entertainment center for frequent travelers or to keep kids happy in the back of the car.

The software will automatically zoom and crop 16:9 widescreen movies to fit on the 4:3 iPod screen – a feature which you can manually turn off.

$29.95
Free Trial Download 

SUPPORT AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Foreign languages support
• Subtitles
• Dolby Surround Sound
• No need for Quicktime Pro
• PC with Windows XP, NT, or Windows 2000

#5 – InterVideo i Video to Go

The software has a professional looking interface with function controls right where they should be. It also comes with a good help section so those who aren’t as savvy with media software will have no trouble at all figuring this one out. InterVideo i Video to Go supports a wide range of conversions including MPEG4, H.264, DVD Video, AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, DiVX®, ASF, DVR-MS, and 3GP. And all that in just three simple easy steps.

The InterVideo i Video to Go features only one screen the whole conversion process. That’s right, just one window for all tasks. It’s quick and easy with no learning curve.

$26.99 + $4.99 shipping

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

• Processor: Intel Pentium III 600 Mhz processor (Intel Pentium 4 1.8G processor, recommended)
• RAM: 128 MB system memory (256 MB system memory recommended)
• Operating System: Windows 2000/XP
• Sound: Windows compatible sound card that supports 48 KHz playback (PCI recommended)
• Display: 800×600, 256 colors (800×600, 16/24/32 bits color)
• Hard Drive: 50 MB of hard disk space for program installation
• DirectX: DirectX 9

You’re sure to find at least one iPod video converter from this list what will do the trick for you.

Apple is releasing its long awaited iPhone today. This is a reason to celebrate a new holiday between Father’s Day and the Fourth of July. We’ll call it ‘iPhone Day’.  In 10 years, we’ll wonder how we ever got along without them.

This phone is like the ultimate in iPod accessories. As each new generation iPod comes out, more and more accessories are available and the newest and latest features are added by Apple. So now, not only can we listen to our Playlists and watch videos.. we can also use our iPod to take pictures, browse the web with wi-fi, send email and, oh yeah, make phone calls.

Currently, the only provider is AT&T. Don’t expect this to change any time soon. You’ll have to sign on for a two year contract with them. Make sure their service works well in your area

Steve Jobs is a true visionary in his field. His lips are sealed for now, but look for even better features on the iPhone to be released in the coming years. It’s only an infant now, just wait til it’s a teenager!

Apple announced today that 100,000,000 iPods have been sold.

Here’s what the first generation looked like…

Well, they’ve come a long way in the last five years.