Sunday
Coming Soon: Manybooks.com Review
In the next post when I get some time I'll throw up my more complete thoughts of using ManyBooks.com's services for reading books on your iPod. Be on the look out!
Monday
Make your iPod read books!
For those of you interested in reading ebooks but don't want to throw down $359 for an Amazon Kindle--read with the iPod you already own!
There's a little used folder in your iPod that you might be familiar with, the Notes section. This allows you to directly upload text files (.txt) to your iPod's not sections. However, there is a limit to the amount of characters that can go in each file.
I started using this on my iPod Video to read short stories by Anton Chekhov ( Each time I'd want to read a story, though, I'd have to measure out each part of the story into 600 word chunks and save them as their own separate text file. That's not rational, I know, and there is a better way.
The solution: ManyBooks.net
ManyBooks allows you to find absolutely free books and to save them in a specialized "iPod Notes" format. It makes navigation while reading on your iPod easier, too. At the top of pages will be a "previous" option that allows the user to click the middle of the scroll wheel to see the last page they were on. At the end of the page, there's a similar option to go to the following page.
When I say that you can find "absolutely free books," I really do mean it, I just don't mean the newest ones. Bestsellers like The Da Vinci Code and Freakonomics won't be found on ManyBooks.
Public domain books usually have stories and novels by authors that have been dead 100 years or more, the classics.
A fan of dead Russian authors like myself (Chekhov, for example) will find plenty to read.
I choose my iPod Video to read based on the screen size, it sure beats the hell out of reading with my iPod Mini.
Of course, the newest iPods like the iPhone and iPod Touch have larger, easier to read screens and much more advanced features. For those of you with either of those two, I'd instead recommend you to an application called Stanza, which is widely becoming one of the most common ways to read ebooks, even against such competitors as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader.
Remember folks, make use of what you've got!
There's a little used folder in your iPod that you might be familiar with, the Notes section. This allows you to directly upload text files (.txt) to your iPod's not sections. However, there is a limit to the amount of characters that can go in each file.
I started using this on my iPod Video to read short stories by Anton Chekhov ( Each time I'd want to read a story, though, I'd have to measure out each part of the story into 600 word chunks and save them as their own separate text file. That's not rational, I know, and there is a better way.
The solution: ManyBooks.net
ManyBooks allows you to find absolutely free books and to save them in a specialized "iPod Notes" format. It makes navigation while reading on your iPod easier, too. At the top of pages will be a "previous" option that allows the user to click the middle of the scroll wheel to see the last page they were on. At the end of the page, there's a similar option to go to the following page.
When I say that you can find "absolutely free books," I really do mean it, I just don't mean the newest ones. Bestsellers like The Da Vinci Code and Freakonomics won't be found on ManyBooks.
Public domain books usually have stories and novels by authors that have been dead 100 years or more, the classics.
A fan of dead Russian authors like myself (Chekhov, for example) will find plenty to read.
I choose my iPod Video to read based on the screen size, it sure beats the hell out of reading with my iPod Mini.
Of course, the newest iPods like the iPhone and iPod Touch have larger, easier to read screens and much more advanced features. For those of you with either of those two, I'd instead recommend you to an application called Stanza, which is widely becoming one of the most common ways to read ebooks, even against such competitors as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader.
Remember folks, make use of what you've got!
The iPod parts are shipping!
Today I got the 8GB Transcend Compact Flash card in the mail, along with the Mini's 650mAh battery.
I believe the stock battery for the iPod Mini is 400mAh, so along with the compact flash card (compared to the microdrive with moving parts), the iPod should have significantly increased battery life.
I've yet to receive the adapter that'll help make it so the iPod can read the compact flash card, since it usually runs off of the hard drive.
I'll continue to update the blog on the adventures of the compact flash iPod!
I believe the stock battery for the iPod Mini is 400mAh, so along with the compact flash card (compared to the microdrive with moving parts), the iPod should have significantly increased battery life.
I've yet to receive the adapter that'll help make it so the iPod can read the compact flash card, since it usually runs off of the hard drive.
I'll continue to update the blog on the adventures of the compact flash iPod!
Wednesday
Buying parts for the Compact Flash iPod Mini
Today I ordered the parts online.
When it comes to technology stuff, Newegg is usually the best. However, all the obscure parts you're going to need to find that are particular to iPods (older ones especially) are absolutely on eBay. Here's my rundown of the parts I eventually bought and the prices/where I bought them. All prices are with shipping included:
iPod Mini battery at 850 mAh (eBay) - $6.40
1.8" CF Zip Adapter (ExtremeDeals) - $3.50
The iPod Mini (real life person) - $20
8GB Transcend Compact Flash card (Newegg)- $25
Total: $55 for the whole CF iPod Mini (8GB)
I've never bought an iPod online, even a broken one. I do think I'd consider it, but it sure feels good to have the thing in your hand, know what the problem is, and then be able to order it. The worst thing would be to find someone on eBay exaggerated the amount of damage there actually was, and a broken screen becomes a dead battery and several scratches to the back of the iPod, too.
As you can tell, parts are rather cheap. Memory in recent months (and the last year in general) has gotten very cheap. $55 to get an iPod to work on and then to install flash memory in it is an excellent deal.
I'm also a fan of that fat little device, the Mini. Sure, smaller will always be deemed better, but I pose the question: does anyone else like the iPod Mini's form factor better?
When it comes to technology stuff, Newegg is usually the best. However, all the obscure parts you're going to need to find that are particular to iPods (older ones especially) are absolutely on eBay. Here's my rundown of the parts I eventually bought and the prices/where I bought them. All prices are with shipping included:
iPod Mini battery at 850 mAh (eBay) - $6.40
1.8" CF Zip Adapter (ExtremeDeals) - $3.50
The iPod Mini (real life person) - $20
8GB Transcend Compact Flash card (Newegg)- $25
Total: $55 for the whole CF iPod Mini (8GB)
I've never bought an iPod online, even a broken one. I do think I'd consider it, but it sure feels good to have the thing in your hand, know what the problem is, and then be able to order it. The worst thing would be to find someone on eBay exaggerated the amount of damage there actually was, and a broken screen becomes a dead battery and several scratches to the back of the iPod, too.
As you can tell, parts are rather cheap. Memory in recent months (and the last year in general) has gotten very cheap. $55 to get an iPod to work on and then to install flash memory in it is an excellent deal.
I'm also a fan of that fat little device, the Mini. Sure, smaller will always be deemed better, but I pose the question: does anyone else like the iPod Mini's form factor better?
Tuesday
Compact Flash iPod?
A lot of people don't know that they can take their older, hard drive-based iPods, and put a compact flash card (yes, like in cameras), and use that in place of a hard drive.
For those that don't know: a hard drive is what holds the music in the iPod (at least all generations leading up to the Nano and iPod Touch, iPhone). While it can hold a large amount of songs, it has moving parts in it
, which makes it more likely to break.On the flip side:
Most of the current iPods (except for the iPod Classic) all have flash memory. What this means is that there is no moving parts, battery life is generally excellent, and you can drop your iPod from high up and it won't quit working immediately.
Therefore, I propose: do both!
I've seen these claims online and can't wait to try it out, but apparently you can use a compact flash card as real flash memory inside an iPod. It does require an adapter, but it's totally possible.
The benefits of flash memory:
- Increased battery life
- Harder to damage
- Faster
- A damn good excuse for an iPod project
I'm going to try it out. I'll use an iPod Mini, an 8GB compact flash card (twice the storage the Mini came with) and an adapter, and probably a new battery just to make sure everything works fine.
Using eBay, you can get an compact flash adapter and card for about $25, and the battery is only another $5. The broken iPod I bought was $20, so altogether I estimate:
8GB compact flash card - $22
CF card adapter - $3
iPod Mini battery - $5
Broken iPod Mini (hard drive) - $20
All prices are with shipping included.
In the next couple of weeks I'm going to be ordering the parts and keeping you updated. I can't wait to put this baby together!
Monday
Easy iPod fixes
The most common way to fix an iPod is not even to send it in, nor is it to crack it open (but we'll get to that soon), it's Apple's "5 R's" for troubleshooting, which stand for Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall and Restore.
These can be immensely helpful for frozen or glitchy iPods, small problems, really. We're not talking about your iPod falling into the toilet. That one, my friend, is a goner.
Just a couple days ago, my 30GB iPod Video would start playing a song, and then--a few seconds in--would skip to the next song, halfway through. I panicked, for one, and tried another artist, just to make sure The Raconteurs weren't some kind of iPod-cursed band.
They weren't, it was the iPod's problem. Luckily, the restart feature that Apple recommends worked. What this does is makes your iPod reboot, so you see the Apple logo and then your menus, all settings intact.
Restart your iPod: Center button + Menu (hold down both till you see Apple logo)
When in doubt, check the 5 R's. If you're still in trouble, ask me!
These can be immensely helpful for frozen or glitchy iPods, small problems, really. We're not talking about your iPod falling into the toilet. That one, my friend, is a goner.
Just a couple days ago, my 30GB iPod Video would start playing a song, and then--a few seconds in--would skip to the next song, halfway through. I panicked, for one, and tried another artist, just to make sure The Raconteurs weren't some kind of iPod-cursed band.
They weren't, it was the iPod's problem. Luckily, the restart feature that Apple recommends worked. What this does is makes your iPod reboot, so you see the Apple logo and then your menus, all settings intact.
Restart your iPod: Center button + Menu (hold down both till you see Apple logo)
When in doubt, check the 5 R's. If you're still in trouble, ask me!
Should I just return my broken iPod back to Apple?
Bringing your iPod back to Apple to fix sounds great for a number of reasons. Noticed I said "sounds great."
The truth is, as I see it, for about 90% of the cases when something goes wrong with an iPod, there's no reason to return it other than the fact that you're too lazy to do it yourself. However, this is if:
1) You have your iPod still under warranty or have a protection plan. Obviously this helps, however:
2) It'll cost you. Essentially you'll be paying someone for something that you could have done in ten minutes, for a tenth of the price. There's plenty of horror stories about Applecare, among these are some people's very likely concern that you won't even have the same iPod sent back to you that you sent in to be fixed!
Like I said, if you've got patience, time and (very little) money, you can be fixing your iPod or anyone's iPod in no time at all.
The truth is, as I see it, for about 90% of the cases when something goes wrong with an iPod, there's no reason to return it other than the fact that you're too lazy to do it yourself. However, this is if:
1) You have your iPod still under warranty or have a protection plan. Obviously this helps, however:
2) It'll cost you. Essentially you'll be paying someone for something that you could have done in ten minutes, for a tenth of the price. There's plenty of horror stories about Applecare, among these are some people's very likely concern that you won't even have the same iPod sent back to you that you sent in to be fixed!
Like I said, if you've got patience, time and (very little) money, you can be fixing your iPod or anyone's iPod in no time at all.
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