[omnivorette]

Just read this on MUG (Manhattan Users Guide) this morning:



iPod Doctor

August 15, 2006

It used to be that if you were buying a Jag, the old saw went, you needed two: one for the shop and one to drive. There are times when we feel the same way about Apple products. Gotta love 'em, and we do, but there's a reason Tekserve's walls are covered with ailing Macs, in various stages of recovery.

iPods are no exception, and may be especially prone to trouble since they're on the go so much. Here's Apple's service FAQ.

An alternative: Demetrios Leontaris. His company is NYC iPod Doctor and here's how he describes his services:

• iPod Battery replacement (you won't lose your music)
• iPod Screen replacement (you won't lose your music)
• iPod Main Board, Scroll Wheel and Headphone Jack replacement (you won't lose your music)
• iPod Hard drive replacement (sorry, but you probably lost your music)

The website is nicely set up so that you can easily define the problem and get an estimate. And this doctor makes house calls. More info at the website or call 201.314.3357 to schedule an appointment.

[rancho_gordo]

Can ipods connect through a standard USB port or do they just use their proprietary plug?

[omnivorette]

Mine is connected through a USB port.

[SLBunge]

You do need a proprietary cable that only works for USB to iPod. So it isn't like a standard USB camera or printer cable. And the iPod cable has to be white. Other colors will work fine but you won't look as cool.

[nightscotsman]

omnivorette, on Aug 15 2006, 06:42 AM, said:

• iPod Hard drive replacement (sorry, but you probably lost your music)

Well, yes - you've lost the music on the iPod, but it's all still on your computer in iTunes (unless through some unfortunate coincidence that hard drive has also crashed with no backup). So when you get your repaired iPod back, you just plug it in and everything will be transfered back on.

[Anónimo]

Mine, before it was stolen from our car, connected either by a FireWire or a USB plug. (The last of the really good iPod Photo 30 Gbs.) I usually used a FireWire connection. I still have my music and podcasts on my PowerBook.

rancho_gordo, on Aug 15 2006, 09:34 AM, said:

Can ipods connect through a standard USB port or do they just use their proprietary plug?

[mongo_jones]

so the new 5g ipod is in hand and music has been transferred to it. on the whole, i have to say that while the larger, colour screen is nice i don't like the feel of this thing at all. it is thinner and lighter but has raised sharp'ish edges--i will miss the soft, rounded feel of the 4g which sat so comfortably in my hand. also, it is a good thing that i am not interested in the video capability because it is a gigantic pain in the ass to get existing video files to play on this thing. many file formats that will play in itunes will not play on the ipod. and no, i'm not buying quicktime pro to convert my files.

some other changes will take some getting used to as well. for instance, you can no longer turn the backlight off by pressing down the menu button. instead, it comes on automatically whenever you touch the clickwheel. you can specify if you want it off at all times, in which case it won't turn on this way, or you can specify how many seconds after your last touch it turns off. the silly thing is that, of course, during the day you don't need it on at all, and each time it comes on it probably drains your battery that much more. so, during the day you'll need to set it to "always off" and remember to reset it when using in darker conditions. silly. the old system was better--you could turn it on and off at will without having to navigate a menu in the dark. also, this may just be a function of the smaller clickwheel (to accomodate the larger screen) but it takes much longer to scroll through playlist, album, song etc. folders.

anyone know how i get photos onto the thing? i don't see anything in itunes for photos. and does anyone know if car chargers are generation specific? i can't find any clear info on this online. if anyone is going to be in an apple store anytime soon i'd appreciate if you could ask someone that question. ditto for my 4g ac adapter.

[Heather]

If your photos are in iPhoto it should load them automatically - which is really irritating if you don't want your entire photo library on your ipod.

[mongo_jones]

i'm on a pc. i tried dragging and dropping pictures into itunes--no dice. ditto for trying to import or add files through the file menu.

[Lex]

mongo_jones, on Sep 6 2006, 04:36 PM, said:

i'm on a pc. i tried dragging and dropping pictures into itunes--no dice. ditto for trying to import or add files through the file menu.

You might want to check out Anapod again. $25 well spent.

[nightscotsman]

Apple has sent out invitations to a press event on Tuesday the 12th. Everybody expects them to announce new iPod Nanos as well as movie downloads through iTunes.

[mongo_jones]

i knew it. they were waiting for me to buy the 5g.

[porkwah]

you weren't going to buy a nano, were you?

i'm guessing that they won't increase the memory on the nanos -- > 4GB flash memory chips be hard to come by.

[mongo_jones]

no, but they will probably announce, at the same price as the 5g 30 gig pod, a new full-screen 40 gig pod with built in voice-recording, wireless headphones, and 20 hours of battery life.

[Stone]

fucking iPod broke.