Another call for help on an iPhone (they're coming thick and fast these days). Battery won't charge.
Did some digging prior to site visit (Kensington, very plush) and found this could be due to a software glitch. Sure enough the iPhone didn't show it was charging but found evidently it was. Downloaded the latest iPhone software which makes things better and in some cases is a cure.
With the new software installed I noticed the opening screen showed a flat battery but Safari showed a full charge. Other applications seemed to have a different view of the state of the battery. The phone was hammered over internet connections and YouTube downloads and the battery held good, and recharged at the end of the session.
Another complaint from the client was exceptionally slow internet access. Found the device was latching onto a neighbours wi-fi connection, with a poor signal and slow transfer. Swapped to another open wi-fi and speed improved significantly.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
iPhone and Email
If you're struggling with getting email operational on your iPhone I sympathise. Over the last week I've been trying to configure an iPhone for a client and it hasn't been easy. So. let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was client.
Client is highly mobile, both by profession but also for the short term by home. Having just moved out of his old flat he's living temporarily in another in central London prior to relocating to a new home. So, no permanent internet connection and the iPhone seemed ideal. First problem - you can't register an iPhone unless you can connect via broadband but I'll skip that one.
So there I am, in flat, trying to connect to client's BT internet account. Several hours later, no connection. Decided to give up on that. Persuaded client that he could live with another email address and so went to Yahoo to get an identity he could use from the phone. Yahoo is one of the providers pre-configured into the iPhone, so what could go wrong? All you have to do is enter three variables, and wait while the setup is validated. Error message. Try again (and again and again) thinking I must have typed in the password wrong but everytime it refused to validate the account. Some hours after the start of a simple job (with client naturally losing confidence in me) we've achieved nothing.
Will this thing handle mail at all? I tried my own email account (Gmail), another pre-configured option on the iPhone - and had access to my mail in seconds. Went to Yahoo.com via Safari and could see client's account, so I was sure the account name, password etc were accurate. Decided to ditch Yahoo and get a Gmail account. Thankfully Safari allowed me to do that. Went back into the iPhone Settings menu to add the new Gmail account, just a few entries, and pressed the save button. As with Yahoo the iPhone goes away to validate the email account. Or not, which is what it did. Except this time Google actually gave me a meaningful error message - I needed to switch on Pop email in my Google account preferences. Thanks Google, some feedback I could understand.
So back into Safari to attend to the message, which is done via the options settings in Gmail. Just click on a couple of links - except I couldn't get the iPhone's Safari clicks to activate the final link on Gmail. Incidentally doing this highlighted how excruciatingly slow the iPhone can be, it was painful. So there I was, no response from the iPhone and no broadband from which I could talk to Gmail. Thankfully my son Tim works in London, for an American technology company and answered my call. He activated clients Pop settings in a few seconds. Bingo, we finally had email on the iPhone, and a happy client.
That's more or less the end of the story, except an update from the Apple store in Lakeside. I asked one of their people if he was aware of a problem configuring the iPhone to use Yahoo mail. He wasn't but did an internet search to find an answer. We found a post suggesting that the Yahoo setting should not be what the iPhone default and manual says, but should be something like "pop.mail.yahoo.com" amd "smtp.mail.yahoo.com" instead. This makes more sense, but its undocumented and leaves me with the feeling either that I'm the first person to try to connect to a Yahoo account from an iPhone, or that Apple haven't tested this here in the UK (scary).
Client is highly mobile, both by profession but also for the short term by home. Having just moved out of his old flat he's living temporarily in another in central London prior to relocating to a new home. So, no permanent internet connection and the iPhone seemed ideal. First problem - you can't register an iPhone unless you can connect via broadband but I'll skip that one.
So there I am, in flat, trying to connect to client's BT internet account. Several hours later, no connection. Decided to give up on that. Persuaded client that he could live with another email address and so went to Yahoo to get an identity he could use from the phone. Yahoo is one of the providers pre-configured into the iPhone, so what could go wrong? All you have to do is enter three variables, and wait while the setup is validated. Error message. Try again (and again and again) thinking I must have typed in the password wrong but everytime it refused to validate the account. Some hours after the start of a simple job (with client naturally losing confidence in me) we've achieved nothing.
Will this thing handle mail at all? I tried my own email account (Gmail), another pre-configured option on the iPhone - and had access to my mail in seconds. Went to Yahoo.com via Safari and could see client's account, so I was sure the account name, password etc were accurate. Decided to ditch Yahoo and get a Gmail account. Thankfully Safari allowed me to do that. Went back into the iPhone Settings menu to add the new Gmail account, just a few entries, and pressed the save button. As with Yahoo the iPhone goes away to validate the email account. Or not, which is what it did. Except this time Google actually gave me a meaningful error message - I needed to switch on Pop email in my Google account preferences. Thanks Google, some feedback I could understand.
So back into Safari to attend to the message, which is done via the options settings in Gmail. Just click on a couple of links - except I couldn't get the iPhone's Safari clicks to activate the final link on Gmail. Incidentally doing this highlighted how excruciatingly slow the iPhone can be, it was painful. So there I was, no response from the iPhone and no broadband from which I could talk to Gmail. Thankfully my son Tim works in London, for an American technology company and answered my call. He activated clients Pop settings in a few seconds. Bingo, we finally had email on the iPhone, and a happy client.
That's more or less the end of the story, except an update from the Apple store in Lakeside. I asked one of their people if he was aware of a problem configuring the iPhone to use Yahoo mail. He wasn't but did an internet search to find an answer. We found a post suggesting that the Yahoo setting should not be what the iPhone default and manual says, but should be something like "pop.mail.yahoo.com" amd "smtp.mail.yahoo.com" instead. This makes more sense, but its undocumented and leaves me with the feeling either that I'm the first person to try to connect to a Yahoo account from an iPhone, or that Apple haven't tested this here in the UK (scary).
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tintavision - R.I.P.
Sometimes I'm asked what I was doing before I launched podServe, our CD ripping service. Well I had purchased a franchise from a company called TintaVision and was trying to help people overcome dyslexia. Although the service was good and I greatly enjoyed helping people to read better getting involved with TintaVision was without doubt the worst business decision I have made.
Even so it was with some sadness that I learnt TintaVision had gone bust. I worked with some great people, particularly the team at CCPD in London, but the stirling work at the coal face was let down (in my opinion) by some of the worst management I've had the misfortune to be subjected to. Most of the time I felt that those who should be taking us forward had completely lost their way, and ours with it. Eventually these mistakes catch up with you.
I particularly feel sorry for the many people who now won't be helped by the TintaVision process. If you are an ex-TintaVision person please feel free to contact me, it would be nice to keep in touch. Unless you were one of the management in which case ....
Even so it was with some sadness that I learnt TintaVision had gone bust. I worked with some great people, particularly the team at CCPD in London, but the stirling work at the coal face was let down (in my opinion) by some of the worst management I've had the misfortune to be subjected to. Most of the time I felt that those who should be taking us forward had completely lost their way, and ours with it. Eventually these mistakes catch up with you.
I particularly feel sorry for the many people who now won't be helped by the TintaVision process. If you are an ex-TintaVision person please feel free to contact me, it would be nice to keep in touch. Unless you were one of the management in which case ....
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Activating Apple's iPhone
Last week a client asked me to source one of Apple's new phones. I checked out the Apple website to see what had to be done, spoke to my local O2 store and set about the task.
I expected a typical Apple experience. Smooth, slick, simple and fool proof. This was not what is delivered and we spent a day of immense frustration.
First, you can't pay by cash. Strikes me as a bit odd, but not as odd as the lecture I got from the salesman about what I needed to register the iPhone. Judging by his tone I was getting the impression he didn't much relish the task of selling the iPhone. I was quizzed on whether I had a bank account, but at least I was told clearly that the monthly line rental charge had to be made to a bank account. Why, when virtually everything else I buy can be charged to a card (including pre-pay phone top ups and landline calls), can't the iPhone calls be charged to plastic?
Second is the activation process itself. I started this from the clients office, armed with his bank account details. As I went through the process I found I had to create an iTunes Music Store account. My client has no intention of buying any music from the store, but you can't move on through the process unless you input some account details. No, not bank account details, this has to be plastic. So immediately you have split financial personality. I rang O2 to see if this is really necessary and after the frightful mess of the automated attendant system eventually spoke to an Apple man. No way round it, you have to create an iTunes Music Store account and give O2 and Apple your card details.
Faced with no other option I put in a credit card, followed by their business bank account details. Pressed the next button. Did the phone burst into life? No, I just got a screen saying O2 needed more time to do a credit vet.
I thought no worry, while we're waiting for that I'll set up the rest of the phone's features. Could I do that? No, pending the answer to the credit question the whole phone is locked, just sitting in its cradle charging the battery.
So there it was left late on Friday. One excited client with no operational phone, and I'll have to go back next week to finish off the job. But one of the most puzzling suggestions made to me from another iPhone owner is that once you've started the activation process you can't go back and correct what you've put in (that much is true from my experience) - the only way round it is take the phone back to O2 and change it for another.
Not my best Apple experience.
I expected a typical Apple experience. Smooth, slick, simple and fool proof. This was not what is delivered and we spent a day of immense frustration.
First, you can't pay by cash. Strikes me as a bit odd, but not as odd as the lecture I got from the salesman about what I needed to register the iPhone. Judging by his tone I was getting the impression he didn't much relish the task of selling the iPhone. I was quizzed on whether I had a bank account, but at least I was told clearly that the monthly line rental charge had to be made to a bank account. Why, when virtually everything else I buy can be charged to a card (including pre-pay phone top ups and landline calls), can't the iPhone calls be charged to plastic?
Second is the activation process itself. I started this from the clients office, armed with his bank account details. As I went through the process I found I had to create an iTunes Music Store account. My client has no intention of buying any music from the store, but you can't move on through the process unless you input some account details. No, not bank account details, this has to be plastic. So immediately you have split financial personality. I rang O2 to see if this is really necessary and after the frightful mess of the automated attendant system eventually spoke to an Apple man. No way round it, you have to create an iTunes Music Store account and give O2 and Apple your card details.
Faced with no other option I put in a credit card, followed by their business bank account details. Pressed the next button. Did the phone burst into life? No, I just got a screen saying O2 needed more time to do a credit vet.
I thought no worry, while we're waiting for that I'll set up the rest of the phone's features. Could I do that? No, pending the answer to the credit question the whole phone is locked, just sitting in its cradle charging the battery.
So there it was left late on Friday. One excited client with no operational phone, and I'll have to go back next week to finish off the job. But one of the most puzzling suggestions made to me from another iPhone owner is that once you've started the activation process you can't go back and correct what you've put in (that much is true from my experience) - the only way round it is take the phone back to O2 and change it for another.
Not my best Apple experience.
Friday, November 09, 2007
iTunes Alternatives - Alive and Well
When I set up our CD ripping business, podServe, I looked at several ways of ripping CDs. In the early days MusicMatch did the job. When it arrived iTunes was a breath of fresh air. But from the beginning there have been other ways of getting music on, off or around your iPod. Some were vital in the dawn of the iPod era as some of us were running Windows ME (remember that?) and Apple's offering only ran on XP or their OS. Those were the days. Awful.
For a trip down memory lane I went back to some of the alternatives - were they still there? Did they still work? What's new?
Well, the market for iTunes replacements appears to be thriving. One of the first we tested was Ephpod (www.ephpod.com). This runs on Windows and offers a browser / explorer type of interface which some people might prefer. It also supports 'reverse synchronisation' enabling you to recover tracks from your iPod and load them back onto a PC. This is a vital function when your hard drive crashes or your laptop gets stolen. This product is available from ephpod.com.
In my opinion the market leading podServe saving product is XPlay 2. I have lost count of the number of times this little treasure has saved my bacon or that of a client. Not only can you recover tracks from iPod to PC but you can use Xplay to play music from your iPod through your PC, much as you do with iTunes. You can also recover from drive errors. This is the best (by a nose) $30 I have spent in the last four years - you can invest at mediafour.com.
Hot news - coming soon is XPlay 3, which will add album art functionality (find & install) and significantly integration with Windows Media Player & Media Centre. We'll have to wait until next February so line up patiently behind me with around $15 as an upgrade fee.
Much as I love XPlay I think my most impressive investment was Mike Matheson's iAlbumArt. Great product, outstanding support (I swear Mike never sleeps) and a brilliant way to add album art. $10. Fabulous.
The other product that has stood the test of time is Anapod Explorer - from redchairsoftware.com. Windows still, with a simple drag and drop style of operation. They've kept pace with iPod facilities with added functions to synch photos and the like. Anapod is now a family of products with a maximum price of $30.
One Anapod module is CopyGear. As the name implies this enables you to drag music back from iPod to PC. But - Redchair have released a version of this module to run on Macs. I think they were the first to do this and a very handy utility it is too at a modest $20.
One of my clients loves another iTunes alternative (it came bundled with some diving goggles containing a waterproof MP3 player) is Media Monkey. You guessed it, mediamonkey.com, and there's a long features list albeit Windows only. Price points are free and $20 for the Gold version. Media Monkey offers CD ripping, an album art lookup facility plus a sleep timer feature.
Finally - revolution is afoot in the shape of Floola.
Take a look at floola.com where you can download this cross platform (Mac & PC) system. It's another drag & drop alternative to iTunes, but .....
You can install Floola on your iPod and run it from there, meaning you can run it on any PC. Brilliant.
You can also export your iPod library to HTML files. I'm planning to make use of that very soon. Hop over to floola.com to download Floola for yourself or read more.
For a trip down memory lane I went back to some of the alternatives - were they still there? Did they still work? What's new?
Well, the market for iTunes replacements appears to be thriving. One of the first we tested was Ephpod (www.ephpod.com). This runs on Windows and offers a browser / explorer type of interface which some people might prefer. It also supports 'reverse synchronisation' enabling you to recover tracks from your iPod and load them back onto a PC. This is a vital function when your hard drive crashes or your laptop gets stolen. This product is available from ephpod.com.
In my opinion the market leading podServe saving product is XPlay 2. I have lost count of the number of times this little treasure has saved my bacon or that of a client. Not only can you recover tracks from iPod to PC but you can use Xplay to play music from your iPod through your PC, much as you do with iTunes. You can also recover from drive errors. This is the best (by a nose) $30 I have spent in the last four years - you can invest at mediafour.com.
Hot news - coming soon is XPlay 3, which will add album art functionality (find & install) and significantly integration with Windows Media Player & Media Centre. We'll have to wait until next February so line up patiently behind me with around $15 as an upgrade fee.
Much as I love XPlay I think my most impressive investment was Mike Matheson's iAlbumArt. Great product, outstanding support (I swear Mike never sleeps) and a brilliant way to add album art. $10. Fabulous.
The other product that has stood the test of time is Anapod Explorer - from redchairsoftware.com. Windows still, with a simple drag and drop style of operation. They've kept pace with iPod facilities with added functions to synch photos and the like. Anapod is now a family of products with a maximum price of $30.
One Anapod module is CopyGear. As the name implies this enables you to drag music back from iPod to PC. But - Redchair have released a version of this module to run on Macs. I think they were the first to do this and a very handy utility it is too at a modest $20.
One of my clients loves another iTunes alternative (it came bundled with some diving goggles containing a waterproof MP3 player) is Media Monkey. You guessed it, mediamonkey.com, and there's a long features list albeit Windows only. Price points are free and $20 for the Gold version. Media Monkey offers CD ripping, an album art lookup facility plus a sleep timer feature.
Finally - revolution is afoot in the shape of Floola.
Take a look at floola.com where you can download this cross platform (Mac & PC) system. It's another drag & drop alternative to iTunes, but .....
You can install Floola on your iPod and run it from there, meaning you can run it on any PC. Brilliant.
You can also export your iPod library to HTML files. I'm planning to make use of that very soon. Hop over to floola.com to download Floola for yourself or read more.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Secret Services - That's podServe
Almost choked on my cornflakes - that could be me. Some months ago I was approached by Cary Whitley as she was compiling a new book. She was reviewing services for people who in marketing speak are cash rich, time poor. Our CD ripping service (read all about it at http://www.podserve.co.uk) was up for inclusion. I'm pleased to say after further talks our service has been listed.
So there this morning is an article by Judith Wood in The Daily Telegraph reviewing 'Secret Services'. Conceitedly I scanned through to see if podServe CD ripping service got a mention, but pride comes before a fall and we didn't get a mention in the Telegraph. Reading the article more closely (I'm not a bad loser) I was fascinated to see the basket of services we're among. I didn't know you can hire a handbag (www.be-a-fashionista.co.uk) or get a company to swoosh out your wheelie bin. I did know there are people who'll assemble flat pack furniture for you and I was pleased to see Ten UK mentioned in the side bar as we've had many of their clients using podServe over the last four years.
If you're looking for a copy of Secret Services by Cary Whitley and her company Fab Publishing, go to www.fabpublishing.co.uk or call 0870 443 0035. If you want to go direct to our CD ripping service we're at www.podserve.co.uk
So there this morning is an article by Judith Wood in The Daily Telegraph reviewing 'Secret Services'. Conceitedly I scanned through to see if podServe CD ripping service got a mention, but pride comes before a fall and we didn't get a mention in the Telegraph. Reading the article more closely (I'm not a bad loser) I was fascinated to see the basket of services we're among. I didn't know you can hire a handbag (www.be-a-fashionista.co.uk) or get a company to swoosh out your wheelie bin. I did know there are people who'll assemble flat pack furniture for you and I was pleased to see Ten UK mentioned in the side bar as we've had many of their clients using podServe over the last four years.
If you're looking for a copy of Secret Services by Cary Whitley and her company Fab Publishing, go to www.fabpublishing.co.uk or call 0870 443 0035. If you want to go direct to our CD ripping service we're at www.podserve.co.uk
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
MP3, MP4, GPS, USB - Where does it all come from?
From time to time someone contacts me because they think I sell MP3 players. Actually I don't but I recently came across a young lady who works for a company that does manufacture these items, along with MP4 players, USB items, digital photo frames, GPS units and so on. So, if you're looking for this type of technology in bulk contact Sandy Zhang via her company's website - http://www.taiwantrade.com.tv/honlitw
Friday, October 05, 2007
iPod Touch Springs Into Life
One of the things I like about my CD ripping service (www.podserve.co.uk) is the chance to play with new toys, and today it was the iPod Touch. A client had invested in one while on an overseas trip and plugged it into an HP Windows PC expecting it to synch music and videos.
Result - nothing. First the iPod Touch began to charge so the unit was functioning, then it appeared in My Computer as a photographic device. I was called over to try to work some magic. A quick look at the PC verified the situation being as reported with no new iPod icon in the iTunes source pane. My first thought was to install the latest version of iTunes, despite my clients belief that this was not going to solve the problem. Acording to the client iTunes update had been run when the new device was plugged in - just a matter of days ago.
"Humour me" I said, and loaded the latest iTunes from my USB drive. It took ages to load, so we made small talk about the wonders of technology, until finally the new iTunes had taken root. Instant succes, I appear to be a minor techie god, the iPod Touch starts to synch as required.
Client mainly wants video content so to check it works OK we go to the Apple site and download a couple of movie trailers. "Wow" says client (actually using another word with one more letter) at the image quality. "Can we get on the internet?' We could, in just a few seconds. I was amazed to see the iPod Touch found more wireless networks than the PC and one was unsecured, so we clicked our way onto the worldwide interweb. It was great, fast, cystal clear and easy to enlarge the page image. Client immediately notices how much better this is than BlackBerry.
Moral of the story - if you're having problems with an iPod Touch (or any other iPod for that matter), make sure you have today's version of iTunes not just what you think might be recent. Don't assume for the sake of a few minutes downloading.
Second moral - if you want to play with cool toys set up a CD ripping service in London.
Result - nothing. First the iPod Touch began to charge so the unit was functioning, then it appeared in My Computer as a photographic device. I was called over to try to work some magic. A quick look at the PC verified the situation being as reported with no new iPod icon in the iTunes source pane. My first thought was to install the latest version of iTunes, despite my clients belief that this was not going to solve the problem. Acording to the client iTunes update had been run when the new device was plugged in - just a matter of days ago.
"Humour me" I said, and loaded the latest iTunes from my USB drive. It took ages to load, so we made small talk about the wonders of technology, until finally the new iTunes had taken root. Instant succes, I appear to be a minor techie god, the iPod Touch starts to synch as required.
Client mainly wants video content so to check it works OK we go to the Apple site and download a couple of movie trailers. "Wow" says client (actually using another word with one more letter) at the image quality. "Can we get on the internet?' We could, in just a few seconds. I was amazed to see the iPod Touch found more wireless networks than the PC and one was unsecured, so we clicked our way onto the worldwide interweb. It was great, fast, cystal clear and easy to enlarge the page image. Client immediately notices how much better this is than BlackBerry.
Moral of the story - if you're having problems with an iPod Touch (or any other iPod for that matter), make sure you have today's version of iTunes not just what you think might be recent. Don't assume for the sake of a few minutes downloading.
Second moral - if you want to play with cool toys set up a CD ripping service in London.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Brilliant Stereo Sound That Follows You Across the Room
I’ve got a new best friend. It’s cool white, very discrete and called Dias. Thanks to Dias for the past week I’ve been listening to some great sounds while I work or unwind.
Brilliant sound is what Dias is about. I like a good stereo sound, over the years I’ve invested a lot in audio equipment and music CD ripping is my business now. But getting a good sound here, while I work, is difficult so I love the sound I get now. Yes, the quality is high – very high – but that’s not the main thing. Thanks to Dias I get a great stereo sound wherever I am in the office.
Incredibly Dias stereo sound follows you round the room.
Just think about that. Like me you’ve probably tried speakers attached to your PC, or maybe driven by your iPod. You probably set things up so you get the best sound where you sit, but then when you move, you lose the stereo. Not with Dias – now, my stereo sound really does follow me round the room. Doesn’t matter which PC I’m working on (I rip CDs using six computers), doesn’t matter which end of the office I am, standing up or sitting down, the same great sound.
I’ll try to describe the quality of the sound from Dias. The first thing that struck me is that it’s loud. Some music just needs muscle, rock for sure but a lot of classical music just is loud. An orchestra is loud, and there’s no point in trying to relive an orchestral experience when you can’t make the windows rattle.
Dias, if you want, is thumping loud. Wind up the bass and my wooden floor does overtime transmitting the low notes. That brings me on to the next thing I noticed. Perhaps it’s best described as detail and I hear it in two ways, First, with a good bass setting the music isn’t lost to a dull thump. Dias delivers the bass I love without smothering the rest of the music. Second, there’s a lot of fine points in sound that Dias delivers brilliantly. Sometimes that’s high notes, but I’ve also noticed (I love live recordings) its often little things like a shout from someone in the audience or an aside to another musician, this new system brings out music data I’d expect to hear only on much more expensive systems.
Great at the top, solid at the bottom and faithfully reproducing everything in between. It’s hard to describe what I hear but Dias conveys emotion. Maybe I should call it a warm sound, maybe it’s a human sound quality rather than an overly technical rendition you get with some computer generated sound. Thanks to that emotional quality the Dias is easy to listen to and doesn’t leave you feeling strained. Dias is a good colleague at work and a relaxing friend indoors in the evening.
Where does Dias stack up among the competition? Well, most of my clients connect their iPods to Bose units and Dias can hold its head up in that company. The sound is every bit as good. Both Bose and Dias have that effortless quality people love, plus a handy credit card style remote – all the sound settings are at hand plus a mute button when the phone rings. Subjective comparisons are hard to make but I’d give Dias the edge over Bose because it generates sound over a larger area and is better at carrying that sound round the room.
I’d love to explain how Dias stereo sound follows me when I move and does so without the traditional two speaker system, but I can’t. Try the Dias website – www.diasmusic.com. I’ll just tell you what you get. The biggest of the three ice white units generates the bass and has a black knob labelled ‘spatial level’ which is what does the clever bit – getting stereo in effect from a single speaker. This box can be hidden out of the way, at the moment it’s living under my desk.
Next is the small white satellite unit with speakers at the front and on either side. By the clever use of sound from these outlets Dias generates the great stereo. Because the sound is outstanding anywhere in the room, the location of this unit isn’t as critical as you’d expect in a good stereo. When I set the system up I played with its location but the Dias sounds good wherever the satellite sits. There’s a docking station for my iPod (which charges the iPod while it plays). The cabling is simple to connect and long enough to enable you to locate the units where you want them.
Finally the small remote control. I put my iPod into the dock, hit a playlist and using the remote got the sound I wanted within a couple of minutes. I tweaked the spatial sound knob and found half way round worked great and I’ve left it there. You can use the iPod dock as a sound source – with the new iPod having such a massive disk all your music would be at hand – or connect your computer’s sound card to listen not just to music but internet radio or sound streamed from websites. If you connected this to Apple’s AirPort Express, or a Roku unit, you’d have a brilliant distributed sound system.
That’s my new friend, my best friend. If you love music check out Dias. If you’re interested in digital music check out how Dias makes sound, it’s just so much better than the old two speaker approach. If you’re thinking of pumping sound round your house, check out Dias. If you’re thinking of Bose, check out Dias – sounds better and its £100 less expensive. Dias should be your new best friend too
Brilliant sound is what Dias is about. I like a good stereo sound, over the years I’ve invested a lot in audio equipment and music CD ripping is my business now. But getting a good sound here, while I work, is difficult so I love the sound I get now. Yes, the quality is high – very high – but that’s not the main thing. Thanks to Dias I get a great stereo sound wherever I am in the office.
Incredibly Dias stereo sound follows you round the room.
Just think about that. Like me you’ve probably tried speakers attached to your PC, or maybe driven by your iPod. You probably set things up so you get the best sound where you sit, but then when you move, you lose the stereo. Not with Dias – now, my stereo sound really does follow me round the room. Doesn’t matter which PC I’m working on (I rip CDs using six computers), doesn’t matter which end of the office I am, standing up or sitting down, the same great sound.
I’ll try to describe the quality of the sound from Dias. The first thing that struck me is that it’s loud. Some music just needs muscle, rock for sure but a lot of classical music just is loud. An orchestra is loud, and there’s no point in trying to relive an orchestral experience when you can’t make the windows rattle.
Dias, if you want, is thumping loud. Wind up the bass and my wooden floor does overtime transmitting the low notes. That brings me on to the next thing I noticed. Perhaps it’s best described as detail and I hear it in two ways, First, with a good bass setting the music isn’t lost to a dull thump. Dias delivers the bass I love without smothering the rest of the music. Second, there’s a lot of fine points in sound that Dias delivers brilliantly. Sometimes that’s high notes, but I’ve also noticed (I love live recordings) its often little things like a shout from someone in the audience or an aside to another musician, this new system brings out music data I’d expect to hear only on much more expensive systems.
Great at the top, solid at the bottom and faithfully reproducing everything in between. It’s hard to describe what I hear but Dias conveys emotion. Maybe I should call it a warm sound, maybe it’s a human sound quality rather than an overly technical rendition you get with some computer generated sound. Thanks to that emotional quality the Dias is easy to listen to and doesn’t leave you feeling strained. Dias is a good colleague at work and a relaxing friend indoors in the evening.
Where does Dias stack up among the competition? Well, most of my clients connect their iPods to Bose units and Dias can hold its head up in that company. The sound is every bit as good. Both Bose and Dias have that effortless quality people love, plus a handy credit card style remote – all the sound settings are at hand plus a mute button when the phone rings. Subjective comparisons are hard to make but I’d give Dias the edge over Bose because it generates sound over a larger area and is better at carrying that sound round the room.
I’d love to explain how Dias stereo sound follows me when I move and does so without the traditional two speaker system, but I can’t. Try the Dias website – www.diasmusic.com. I’ll just tell you what you get. The biggest of the three ice white units generates the bass and has a black knob labelled ‘spatial level’ which is what does the clever bit – getting stereo in effect from a single speaker. This box can be hidden out of the way, at the moment it’s living under my desk.
Next is the small white satellite unit with speakers at the front and on either side. By the clever use of sound from these outlets Dias generates the great stereo. Because the sound is outstanding anywhere in the room, the location of this unit isn’t as critical as you’d expect in a good stereo. When I set the system up I played with its location but the Dias sounds good wherever the satellite sits. There’s a docking station for my iPod (which charges the iPod while it plays). The cabling is simple to connect and long enough to enable you to locate the units where you want them.
Finally the small remote control. I put my iPod into the dock, hit a playlist and using the remote got the sound I wanted within a couple of minutes. I tweaked the spatial sound knob and found half way round worked great and I’ve left it there. You can use the iPod dock as a sound source – with the new iPod having such a massive disk all your music would be at hand – or connect your computer’s sound card to listen not just to music but internet radio or sound streamed from websites. If you connected this to Apple’s AirPort Express, or a Roku unit, you’d have a brilliant distributed sound system.
That’s my new friend, my best friend. If you love music check out Dias. If you’re interested in digital music check out how Dias makes sound, it’s just so much better than the old two speaker approach. If you’re thinking of pumping sound round your house, check out Dias. If you’re thinking of Bose, check out Dias – sounds better and its £100 less expensive. Dias should be your new best friend too
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
iPod Moves To Kill Sonos
In various places I've speculated on the possibility of using the new iPod Touch, with its wi-fi capabilities upgraded, to act as a remote control for a home music / entertainment system. One of the attractions of such a device for me, being so associated with Apple as I am through podServe.co.uk, is to be able to take on Sonos.
The term in my mind for such a device was 'Sonos killer'. In my opinion it would lever Apple into a whole new dimension for complex home audio. Yet being Apple, it would look great, work out of the box, have a cool user interface and a realistic price tag.
Is this simply a pipe dream? Well apparently not, because judging by Apple's patent applications they're heading in that direction. This great blog post explains it all:-
http://www.macnn.com/blogs/?p=311
Please Apple, get moving on this. I'd place a small wager that this will be the in-demand boys toy for Christmas 2008.
The term in my mind for such a device was 'Sonos killer'. In my opinion it would lever Apple into a whole new dimension for complex home audio. Yet being Apple, it would look great, work out of the box, have a cool user interface and a realistic price tag.
Is this simply a pipe dream? Well apparently not, because judging by Apple's patent applications they're heading in that direction. This great blog post explains it all:-
http://www.macnn.com/blogs/?p=311
Please Apple, get moving on this. I'd place a small wager that this will be the in-demand boys toy for Christmas 2008.
Monday, September 24, 2007
podServe For Sale on eBay
You can imagine my surprise when I received an email saying my business - podServe (www.podserve.co.uk) - was up for sale. On eBay!
A snip it seemed, with starting bids of $10,000, although as of writing there aren't any bidders.
My blood pressure is now back to normal but I'd like to make clear that my podServe (the CD ripping business for London) is in business, will continue to serve iPod owners and I have no intention of selling up, and certainly not for as little as $10,000. It seems that the PodServe that's on the blocks is an American podcasting platform. You can read more here:-
http://www.texasstartupblog.com/2007/08/27/podserve-for-sale-on-ebay-no-reserve/
So if you want you CDs ripped contact me, www.podserve.co.uk or ring 01277 222398, we are definitely in business.
A snip it seemed, with starting bids of $10,000, although as of writing there aren't any bidders.
My blood pressure is now back to normal but I'd like to make clear that my podServe (the CD ripping business for London) is in business, will continue to serve iPod owners and I have no intention of selling up, and certainly not for as little as $10,000. It seems that the PodServe that's on the blocks is an American podcasting platform. You can read more here:-
http://www.texasstartupblog.com/2007/08/27/podserve-for-sale-on-ebay-no-reserve/
So if you want you CDs ripped contact me, www.podserve.co.uk or ring 01277 222398, we are definitely in business.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
iTunes & Sonos Reunited
I was asked by a long-standing podServe client to source and install a new computer system for his London home. One of the key features was that it had to store his music in a form that was available to a new Sonos system. Without the computer having to be switched on all the time.
The configuration we agreed on was largely Apple components. We're both Apple fans so we opted for a new iMac (with the 20 inch screen), connected to Apple's AirPort Extreme (the new version with N grade comms) and a Netgear modem. Data storage ended up being a LaCie ethernet connected hard drive. Installation was a two phase approach, I went in one afternoon to connect up my hardware, the audio visual suppliers went in the next day to do their stuff, mainly setting up the Sonos system.
Actually there was a wait of several weeks while BT supplied first a broadband connection to the clients door, then a week or two before the phone wiring was able to get the signal up to the top of the house where we needed it. Anyway, I did my bit and when I left the music was on the hard drive, the system was connected to the internet, iTunes played music and there was a wireless signal so my client and his wife could use their laptops. The following day the AV team went in.
I got a message to say that although the Apple / iTunes / Sonos mix worked fine when the AV guys were there, our client found the next day that Sonos had 'lost' its music. No sound, no customer satisfaction. I was aked if I'd go onsite with the AV company's technical man to see if we could resolve this. Three hours later we had everything working, but it was a fraught installation.
The first problem we had to overcome was the http address of the ethernet drive - how do you find it? Actually this was simple, using the software LaCie supplies called IPConfigurator. This is a free download from the support area of lacie.com (its also bundled on their discs I believe). This is a simple utility that when run scours your network and comes back with a list of addresses for any connected drives. perhaps I should say LaCie conncted drives, I haven't checked to see if IPConfigurator will find drives made by other companies.
Mr podServe is a happy man thinking we're almost there. Over to the AV expert to use the Sonos configration software to set up the sound system. At this point we have a problem getting the Sonos software on the Mac to accept the http address of the drive. Eventually we got it to accept our entry - if you're doing this remember you need to input not only the address but also the username and password. Even so it wasn't easy to get the Sonos unit to go to the drive and catalogue the music.
We battled with the Sonos wireless connection, no luck. We connected the nearest Sonos to the router via ethernet cable, still it wouldn't access the drive. We swapped Sonos units thinking that might be the issue, nothing worked. So my AV guru had the brainwave to connect the LaCie hard drive to the ethernet port on the Sonos unit, which was in turn connected to the router.
Bingo! It worked, Sonos found the drive and catalogued the music library. Then that information was propagated through the Sonos network. It seems they create their own little peer-to-peer network for this purpose, very clever. To round off the configuration I opened iTunes on the iMac and set about getting the music library to point to the relocated LaCie drive. I had thought this would be a tricky task but no, very straightforward. When done (the main problem was waiting the 10 minutes it took to complete the re-listing in iTunes) we had:-
- a functioning Sonos network
- Sonos Zone players happily accessing different music from different parts of the house
- iTunes playing music from its library.
All at the same time, all with a very quick pick up time from the hard drive. We switched the iMac on and off, same for the Sonos, just to check amnesia hadn't crept back in and we found it worked and continued to work. Job done, Mr podServe is a happy man, as is the hi-fi guru.
The configuration we finished with is a Netgear modem/router to which we connected the iMac, the AirPort Extreme and one Sonos controller. The LaCie ethernet drive is conncted to the Sonos controller, from which the iMac happily accesses it. There's sound and wireless thoughout a four storey brick and concrete house on the edge of the City.
The configuration we agreed on was largely Apple components. We're both Apple fans so we opted for a new iMac (with the 20 inch screen), connected to Apple's AirPort Extreme (the new version with N grade comms) and a Netgear modem. Data storage ended up being a LaCie ethernet connected hard drive. Installation was a two phase approach, I went in one afternoon to connect up my hardware, the audio visual suppliers went in the next day to do their stuff, mainly setting up the Sonos system.
Actually there was a wait of several weeks while BT supplied first a broadband connection to the clients door, then a week or two before the phone wiring was able to get the signal up to the top of the house where we needed it. Anyway, I did my bit and when I left the music was on the hard drive, the system was connected to the internet, iTunes played music and there was a wireless signal so my client and his wife could use their laptops. The following day the AV team went in.
I got a message to say that although the Apple / iTunes / Sonos mix worked fine when the AV guys were there, our client found the next day that Sonos had 'lost' its music. No sound, no customer satisfaction. I was aked if I'd go onsite with the AV company's technical man to see if we could resolve this. Three hours later we had everything working, but it was a fraught installation.
The first problem we had to overcome was the http address of the ethernet drive - how do you find it? Actually this was simple, using the software LaCie supplies called IPConfigurator. This is a free download from the support area of lacie.com (its also bundled on their discs I believe). This is a simple utility that when run scours your network and comes back with a list of addresses for any connected drives. perhaps I should say LaCie conncted drives, I haven't checked to see if IPConfigurator will find drives made by other companies.
Mr podServe is a happy man thinking we're almost there. Over to the AV expert to use the Sonos configration software to set up the sound system. At this point we have a problem getting the Sonos software on the Mac to accept the http address of the drive. Eventually we got it to accept our entry - if you're doing this remember you need to input not only the address but also the username and password. Even so it wasn't easy to get the Sonos unit to go to the drive and catalogue the music.
We battled with the Sonos wireless connection, no luck. We connected the nearest Sonos to the router via ethernet cable, still it wouldn't access the drive. We swapped Sonos units thinking that might be the issue, nothing worked. So my AV guru had the brainwave to connect the LaCie hard drive to the ethernet port on the Sonos unit, which was in turn connected to the router.
Bingo! It worked, Sonos found the drive and catalogued the music library. Then that information was propagated through the Sonos network. It seems they create their own little peer-to-peer network for this purpose, very clever. To round off the configuration I opened iTunes on the iMac and set about getting the music library to point to the relocated LaCie drive. I had thought this would be a tricky task but no, very straightforward. When done (the main problem was waiting the 10 minutes it took to complete the re-listing in iTunes) we had:-
- a functioning Sonos network
- Sonos Zone players happily accessing different music from different parts of the house
- iTunes playing music from its library.
All at the same time, all with a very quick pick up time from the hard drive. We switched the iMac on and off, same for the Sonos, just to check amnesia hadn't crept back in and we found it worked and continued to work. Job done, Mr podServe is a happy man, as is the hi-fi guru.
The configuration we finished with is a Netgear modem/router to which we connected the iMac, the AirPort Extreme and one Sonos controller. The LaCie ethernet drive is conncted to the Sonos controller, from which the iMac happily accesses it. There's sound and wireless thoughout a four storey brick and concrete house on the edge of the City.
Monday, September 03, 2007
iTunes, Exact Audio Copy or dBpoweramp?
Last Friday my wife invited some friends and colleagues over and a good time was had by all. That is until I put some music on and we sat out on the patio enjoying the late evening sun, and someone moved his chair to sit next to me.
He said he was moving his seat to get the best audio location. My heart sank – an audio bore. I smiled politely and was pleased when he complimented me on the sound quality. We went through my stereo components and he approved them, although he had ‘auditioned’ my speakers and had gone for a more expensive model. Then the question of CD player.
Actually, I explained, this isn’t a CD player – it’s my iPod. There was a pause. One of the new video iPods? Er, no, this one’s about three years old and its done a million miles, looks like it’s about to fall apart, but sounds good.
“You must have used special software to rip your CDs”. Er, no – iTunes. There was one of those pauses where I’d clearly said the wrong thing. I probed his concern and this was his reply.
“Nobody who’s is halfway serious about music quality would use iTunes.”
That was it. Complete certainty despite the evidence of his own ears. What would be acceptable ripping software? I was given two names – Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and dBpoweramp – which could be relied upon due to the thoroughness with which they read CDs. As my guest explained CDs played via a computer can result in bad CD readings and only advanced software such as these two can read with the accuracy a serious music lover needs. As we later said our goodbyes I thought I’d test that view.
On Saturday I downloaded both applications and set them up on one of my computers. When I set up podServe I’d tried other ripping software so this was a good opportunity to try these, in the case of dBpoweramp re-try. I chose at random five of my own CDs to compare. I wanted to primarily test ripping quality to see if these systems produce better sounds than iTunes.
I started by ripping five CDs into iTunes, stopwatch in hand. Timings carefully noted I repeated the process using EAC. Or at least tried to. EAC is the most confusing product and it took a long time to get a working ripping system. I used the most accurate ripping configuration and eventually the five CDs were added to my hard drive.
dBpoweramp had a more forgiving interface, so I was able to start ripping more quickly. Broadly you can opt for speed of ripping or high accuracy. Thanks to a more communicative interface I could see what had happened when I ripped the CDs. Using the highest accuracy settings each CD had been ripped properly (as was the case with EAC). However it had taken considerably longer to do so – slightly over four times longer.
So I had three sets of rips – iTunes, EAC and dBpoweramp. Bit rates and file formats were the same. Time to sit down and listen for a couple of hours. Did the audiophile rips improve on iTunes? Well not to my ear. As far as I could tell they were identical.
Finally I thought I’d test dBpoweramp’s claim to offer fast ripping. So I switched from great accuracy to speed. Five CDs later I had another set of rips and two notable red flags. On the last tracks of two CDs (The Rolling Stones – Stripped & The Beatles – No 1s) dBpoweramp was flagging ripping errors. What about the speed though? dBpoweramp was marginally slower than iTunes but only by a few seconds. However dBpoweramp got its album data more quickly then iTunes (which was taking a leisurely 15 seconds or more to query CDDB) and at the same time it located the album art. As you may know, iTunes gets its album art in a second pass and only then if its on iTunes.
To be fair to dBpoweramp the fast rips of the good tracks sounded every bit as good as the accurate rips. But there are two tracks where the sound is distinctly flawed, albeit flagged nicely for the user. Given no significant speed advantage I can’t see the point of using dBpoweramp above iTunes.
In this test I found that iTunes was both fast and accurate. It ripped all tracks properly. It ripped all tracks a little faster than dBpoweramp in sprint mode and much, much faster than either EAC or dBpoweramp in their secure ripping modes. And crucially my iTunes tracks sound just as good as the others. Roll on the next home social.
He said he was moving his seat to get the best audio location. My heart sank – an audio bore. I smiled politely and was pleased when he complimented me on the sound quality. We went through my stereo components and he approved them, although he had ‘auditioned’ my speakers and had gone for a more expensive model. Then the question of CD player.
Actually, I explained, this isn’t a CD player – it’s my iPod. There was a pause. One of the new video iPods? Er, no, this one’s about three years old and its done a million miles, looks like it’s about to fall apart, but sounds good.
“You must have used special software to rip your CDs”. Er, no – iTunes. There was one of those pauses where I’d clearly said the wrong thing. I probed his concern and this was his reply.
“Nobody who’s is halfway serious about music quality would use iTunes.”
That was it. Complete certainty despite the evidence of his own ears. What would be acceptable ripping software? I was given two names – Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and dBpoweramp – which could be relied upon due to the thoroughness with which they read CDs. As my guest explained CDs played via a computer can result in bad CD readings and only advanced software such as these two can read with the accuracy a serious music lover needs. As we later said our goodbyes I thought I’d test that view.
On Saturday I downloaded both applications and set them up on one of my computers. When I set up podServe I’d tried other ripping software so this was a good opportunity to try these, in the case of dBpoweramp re-try. I chose at random five of my own CDs to compare. I wanted to primarily test ripping quality to see if these systems produce better sounds than iTunes.
I started by ripping five CDs into iTunes, stopwatch in hand. Timings carefully noted I repeated the process using EAC. Or at least tried to. EAC is the most confusing product and it took a long time to get a working ripping system. I used the most accurate ripping configuration and eventually the five CDs were added to my hard drive.
dBpoweramp had a more forgiving interface, so I was able to start ripping more quickly. Broadly you can opt for speed of ripping or high accuracy. Thanks to a more communicative interface I could see what had happened when I ripped the CDs. Using the highest accuracy settings each CD had been ripped properly (as was the case with EAC). However it had taken considerably longer to do so – slightly over four times longer.
So I had three sets of rips – iTunes, EAC and dBpoweramp. Bit rates and file formats were the same. Time to sit down and listen for a couple of hours. Did the audiophile rips improve on iTunes? Well not to my ear. As far as I could tell they were identical.
Finally I thought I’d test dBpoweramp’s claim to offer fast ripping. So I switched from great accuracy to speed. Five CDs later I had another set of rips and two notable red flags. On the last tracks of two CDs (The Rolling Stones – Stripped & The Beatles – No 1s) dBpoweramp was flagging ripping errors. What about the speed though? dBpoweramp was marginally slower than iTunes but only by a few seconds. However dBpoweramp got its album data more quickly then iTunes (which was taking a leisurely 15 seconds or more to query CDDB) and at the same time it located the album art. As you may know, iTunes gets its album art in a second pass and only then if its on iTunes.
To be fair to dBpoweramp the fast rips of the good tracks sounded every bit as good as the accurate rips. But there are two tracks where the sound is distinctly flawed, albeit flagged nicely for the user. Given no significant speed advantage I can’t see the point of using dBpoweramp above iTunes.
In this test I found that iTunes was both fast and accurate. It ripped all tracks properly. It ripped all tracks a little faster than dBpoweramp in sprint mode and much, much faster than either EAC or dBpoweramp in their secure ripping modes. And crucially my iTunes tracks sound just as good as the others. Roll on the next home social.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Sounds Odd
Don't you just love train rides? This week I've been into London twice by train so the last thing to go in my bag as I leave home is an iPod. The iPod in question is the podserve.co.uk main test platform. I hope that sounds grand but its actually three years old and if it were a car it would have been round the clock at least twice.
Leaving in a bit of a rush its pot luck as to what's on the machine. This time it was pretty full (just as well as there were some long delays) with a wide mix of music. None of this is terribly remarkable until I got to Elvis Costello. I can't vlaim to be a big fan but he's done some good stuff. I noticed my favourite, Oliver's Army, wasn't there but none the less started to listen to Elvis.
Then it screeched. Short, sharp scream. Then Elvis performs for a few seconds, then hopped on to the next track. So I skipped back to check what was happening, same thing second time around. I made a note of the track and thought I'd look in more detail when I got back to The Hutch (which is what the office has now been named).
The first thing I did this morning was to listen to the track in iTunes. It plays fine, which was a load off my mind. I wouldn't like the thought that podServe's CD ripping clients were suffering jumpy tracks. Breathe a big sigh of relief and re-synch the iPod. Track still plays up.
So I erased the iPod, and reloaded it with the same playlist. On checking, Elvis is still deformed. My thinking by this time is that there's a fault on the iPod's hard drive and by chance I've found the track that rests on the bad sector. To force a removal to another and better location I created a new playlist, with EC and other artists, and synched the iPod to that. Nothing changed, he was still skipping to the next track after a few seconds. So I again erased the iPod and forced the new, shorter playlist onto it. Crossed fingers.
So on an almost empty iPod poor old Mr Costello finds the same flawed area again. As Sherlock Holmes might say, this is a two pipe problem. Not being a pipe smoker I made do with a cup of coffee.
I thought I'd try the same exercise but rather than use iTunes to load the iPod, I'd use Xplay 2 (from www.mediafour.com). This is a great piece of software that's got me off the hook time and time again. Magic. The track loaded with Xplay works fine. But why?
I can only think that the iPod's mini operating system has a method of placing files that results in the same track landing in the same place each time. Xplay must use a different algorithm. Moral of the story - if your iPod produces odd sounds check with iTunes first for file integrity. If normal resynchs don't solve the problem try a third party product such as Xplay 2.
Leaving in a bit of a rush its pot luck as to what's on the machine. This time it was pretty full (just as well as there were some long delays) with a wide mix of music. None of this is terribly remarkable until I got to Elvis Costello. I can't vlaim to be a big fan but he's done some good stuff. I noticed my favourite, Oliver's Army, wasn't there but none the less started to listen to Elvis.
Then it screeched. Short, sharp scream. Then Elvis performs for a few seconds, then hopped on to the next track. So I skipped back to check what was happening, same thing second time around. I made a note of the track and thought I'd look in more detail when I got back to The Hutch (which is what the office has now been named).
The first thing I did this morning was to listen to the track in iTunes. It plays fine, which was a load off my mind. I wouldn't like the thought that podServe's CD ripping clients were suffering jumpy tracks. Breathe a big sigh of relief and re-synch the iPod. Track still plays up.
So I erased the iPod, and reloaded it with the same playlist. On checking, Elvis is still deformed. My thinking by this time is that there's a fault on the iPod's hard drive and by chance I've found the track that rests on the bad sector. To force a removal to another and better location I created a new playlist, with EC and other artists, and synched the iPod to that. Nothing changed, he was still skipping to the next track after a few seconds. So I again erased the iPod and forced the new, shorter playlist onto it. Crossed fingers.
So on an almost empty iPod poor old Mr Costello finds the same flawed area again. As Sherlock Holmes might say, this is a two pipe problem. Not being a pipe smoker I made do with a cup of coffee.
I thought I'd try the same exercise but rather than use iTunes to load the iPod, I'd use Xplay 2 (from www.mediafour.com). This is a great piece of software that's got me off the hook time and time again. Magic. The track loaded with Xplay works fine. But why?
I can only think that the iPod's mini operating system has a method of placing files that results in the same track landing in the same place each time. Xplay must use a different algorithm. Moral of the story - if your iPod produces odd sounds check with iTunes first for file integrity. If normal resynchs don't solve the problem try a third party product such as Xplay 2.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Ipod Movies and iTunes
A client rang, he was struggling to get his videos into iTunes and from there onto his iPod. While trying to help I gained an understanding of how fiddly this process can be. It's something we do all the time so its a firm reality check when a client shows us how the process can go wrong.
First, the basic building blocks. You need one or more video files in the right format. These need to be MPEG files, and they need to have been created in sympathy with the iPod's screen aspect ratio. You will need specialist software to do the conversion. Dig around on the internet and you can find this at a modest price or even free.
Second, you need the right type of iPod. Videos don't play on all iPods, not surprisingly you need to have Video iPod. Sure the screen on the nano is very good and yes I'd be happy to watch old films in B&W, but NO, only the iPod Videos play movies.
The quick way to get the movie into iTunes is to drag it from its current location into the iTunes source pane. This is the area on the left of the main screen, headed Music, Video and so on. Here's the odd thing - as you drag your movie file across the space of your desktop or the main iTunes screen, the file icon (in Windows) will appear to have a 'no entry' road sign on it. Off-putting, isn't it. Just keep dragging across the screen until you get to the source panel and the icon will have a '+' sign. When you let go, it will be added to your library.
This got my client fooled, he was expecting it to take time - not unreasonably, we'd given him a large 90 minute movie to watch. Remember, if you haven't checked the box in Preferences (under Advanced) to copy to iTunes music folder when adding to library, then all that gets added in iTunes is a pointer to the source destination. Done in the blink of an eye.
Is the movie there? Click on Movies in the source pane and your film should be listed there. Use the normal play / pause button and away it goes. Can't see anything? Control+G will pop a small white preview screen in the bottom left, and your moving image will preview there. Alternatively use one of the buttons between the Apple icon and the search function at the top of the screen to let you see your film in full screen.
If you've added movies before ticking add to msuic folder etc don't lose heart. If you go to Advanced and select Consolidate iTunes will hunt down all files located outside your main music folder and copy them there at a click.
When done, you're ready to synchronise music and movement onto your iPod.
First, the basic building blocks. You need one or more video files in the right format. These need to be MPEG files, and they need to have been created in sympathy with the iPod's screen aspect ratio. You will need specialist software to do the conversion. Dig around on the internet and you can find this at a modest price or even free.
Second, you need the right type of iPod. Videos don't play on all iPods, not surprisingly you need to have Video iPod. Sure the screen on the nano is very good and yes I'd be happy to watch old films in B&W, but NO, only the iPod Videos play movies.
The quick way to get the movie into iTunes is to drag it from its current location into the iTunes source pane. This is the area on the left of the main screen, headed Music, Video and so on. Here's the odd thing - as you drag your movie file across the space of your desktop or the main iTunes screen, the file icon (in Windows) will appear to have a 'no entry' road sign on it. Off-putting, isn't it. Just keep dragging across the screen until you get to the source panel and the icon will have a '+' sign. When you let go, it will be added to your library.
This got my client fooled, he was expecting it to take time - not unreasonably, we'd given him a large 90 minute movie to watch. Remember, if you haven't checked the box in Preferences (under Advanced) to copy to iTunes music folder when adding to library, then all that gets added in iTunes is a pointer to the source destination. Done in the blink of an eye.
Is the movie there? Click on Movies in the source pane and your film should be listed there. Use the normal play / pause button and away it goes. Can't see anything? Control+G will pop a small white preview screen in the bottom left, and your moving image will preview there. Alternatively use one of the buttons between the Apple icon and the search function at the top of the screen to let you see your film in full screen.
If you've added movies before ticking add to msuic folder etc don't lose heart. If you go to Advanced and select Consolidate iTunes will hunt down all files located outside your main music folder and copy them there at a click.
When done, you're ready to synchronise music and movement onto your iPod.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
AllofMP3- Born Again
Along with many others I mourned the passing of allofMP3.com. I just loved the way the conclusion of my long ago and almost forgotten economics course had been applied to digital music - something about price tending towards the marginal cost of production. It seemed to me fabulously ironic that this should have come to pass in that bastion of free markets - the former Soviet Union.
Well imagine my joy to find that the BBC web site is hailing the son of allofmp3.com. It's here - www.mp3sparks.com
The suggestion was that this was a replacement for my much loved example of free market economics, but no, its much more than that. It has somehow inherited my login name, password and download history. Even what remained of my balance! A whole $0.13.
So I decided to invest a bit of my balance and downloaded a track. Yes, it works, the music downloaded effortlessly and zapped straight into iTunes on my Mac. I listened with great pleasure.
Right now I should think the US copyright control police are jumping up and down in rage and plotting all manor of retribution against the evil empire. Probably only a matter of days, but until then ...........
Well imagine my joy to find that the BBC web site is hailing the son of allofmp3.com. It's here - www.mp3sparks.com
The suggestion was that this was a replacement for my much loved example of free market economics, but no, its much more than that. It has somehow inherited my login name, password and download history. Even what remained of my balance! A whole $0.13.
So I decided to invest a bit of my balance and downloaded a track. Yes, it works, the music downloaded effortlessly and zapped straight into iTunes on my Mac. I listened with great pleasure.
Right now I should think the US copyright control police are jumping up and down in rage and plotting all manor of retribution against the evil empire. Probably only a matter of days, but until then ...........
Friday, June 29, 2007
Classical Mac
Over the last twelve months there's been a noticeable trend towards getting more classical CD collections to rip. I'd like to think this is because podServe's marketing and web site (www.podserve.co.uk) has been emphasising the extra attention we pay to classical music libraries.
Maybe we take it for granted (and our Data Grooming software helps) but classical music is better on a Mac. Earlier this week Joe put a classical CD into one of our Windows systems and found the album data that got downloaded was corrupted. Thankfully he stopped and asked for help.
My suggestion, greeted with some scorn, was to put the CD into one of our Apple Macs. He was suitably amazed to find the album data appeared, in the correct format. Well done Apple.
So, if you're thinking of buying a new computer, or looking for a CD ripping platform, opt for the Mac - your music library will thank you for it.
Maybe we take it for granted (and our Data Grooming software helps) but classical music is better on a Mac. Earlier this week Joe put a classical CD into one of our Windows systems and found the album data that got downloaded was corrupted. Thankfully he stopped and asked for help.
My suggestion, greeted with some scorn, was to put the CD into one of our Apple Macs. He was suitably amazed to find the album data appeared, in the correct format. Well done Apple.
So, if you're thinking of buying a new computer, or looking for a CD ripping platform, opt for the Mac - your music library will thank you for it.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
iPod Mysteries
Got a call for help - an observant iPod user noticed that when he synched his iPod the scren showed that 15 Gb of his 30 Gb iPod's storage was being used by 'other'. His question was what's in this 'other' section and how can he recover it for his music?
I went through what I thought was the obvious culprits, data, contacts, photos, games. No, none of those were responsible. Each time we tried to synch the lost half a disc stayed dedicated to 'other'. We tried to restore, no good. Then we finally accepted that a factory reset was the only option left. Did that, but still found the stubborn 15 Gb was out of reach. However we did prompt an error message - error 1428.
Looked this up on the Apple web site and it seemed to suggest the problem here is with Windows rather than the iPod or iTunes. At this point my client expressed concern that this really was a fault with his iPod and so rang the retailer, the iPod being only three months old and he didn't want a 'Friday afternoon' device. Happy ending - iPod replaced, no problem. That's Tesco for you.
Had to go to the Apple Store to invest in (yet another) 500 Gb hard drive. While I was in the queue to pay I rudely eavesdropped on a conversation between a lady and an Apple employee. She was complaining that her iPod often seemed to stall or jam, just stopping mid track. What was the suggested solution? Take the iPod to a technicain in another part of the store who would blast it with compressed air. The customer laughed (me too) but the Apple man was serious. Her iPod was duly taken away and the young lady stood aside to wait for the air to work its magic. I hung around hoping to hear the outcome but had to leave, not wanting to get a reputation as a stalker.
Can't wait until I get an iPod in with the same symptoms to try compressed air. I didn't think to ask if it should be hot or cold.
I went through what I thought was the obvious culprits, data, contacts, photos, games. No, none of those were responsible. Each time we tried to synch the lost half a disc stayed dedicated to 'other'. We tried to restore, no good. Then we finally accepted that a factory reset was the only option left. Did that, but still found the stubborn 15 Gb was out of reach. However we did prompt an error message - error 1428.
Looked this up on the Apple web site and it seemed to suggest the problem here is with Windows rather than the iPod or iTunes. At this point my client expressed concern that this really was a fault with his iPod and so rang the retailer, the iPod being only three months old and he didn't want a 'Friday afternoon' device. Happy ending - iPod replaced, no problem. That's Tesco for you.
Had to go to the Apple Store to invest in (yet another) 500 Gb hard drive. While I was in the queue to pay I rudely eavesdropped on a conversation between a lady and an Apple employee. She was complaining that her iPod often seemed to stall or jam, just stopping mid track. What was the suggested solution? Take the iPod to a technicain in another part of the store who would blast it with compressed air. The customer laughed (me too) but the Apple man was serious. Her iPod was duly taken away and the young lady stood aside to wait for the air to work its magic. I hung around hoping to hear the outcome but had to leave, not wanting to get a reputation as a stalker.
Can't wait until I get an iPod in with the same symptoms to try compressed air. I didn't think to ask if it should be hot or cold.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
iTunes, Hard Drives and The Joys of Windows
Several of our clients (www.podserve.co.uk) have reached the stage where their music libraries are larger than their hard drive on their laptop or PC. So, more and more people are looking to store their music on a separate hard drive, and it particularly suits people with second homes as it allows them to take their msuic with them.
Music library on a USB connected hard drive is a simple system on our Macs. Just plug the disc in, no problems. Leave the drive unplugged, no problem.
Windows? Oh, no. If you open iTunes even once without your hard drive being connected it loses all links between its internal libraries (the itl and itx files) and the real location of your music. You see a swathe of grey exclamation marks, against every track. You can't play your music, your iPod doesn't synch properly. The 'cure' is to reload all your tracks. Not only does this take time, but it means you lose the contents of all your (simple) playlists. Small consolation in that smart playlists rebuild themselves.
Twice in the last few days we've had to fix this problem for clients, neither of whom were happy that their hard built playlists had gone.
So, if your music is on a free standing hard drive - you must hae your drive connected and powered on BEFORE you open iTunes. Each and every time. Please don't blame podServe, Apple or iTunes. This is down to Microsoft and I'm afraid I don't know a work-around.
Music library on a USB connected hard drive is a simple system on our Macs. Just plug the disc in, no problems. Leave the drive unplugged, no problem.
Windows? Oh, no. If you open iTunes even once without your hard drive being connected it loses all links between its internal libraries (the itl and itx files) and the real location of your music. You see a swathe of grey exclamation marks, against every track. You can't play your music, your iPod doesn't synch properly. The 'cure' is to reload all your tracks. Not only does this take time, but it means you lose the contents of all your (simple) playlists. Small consolation in that smart playlists rebuild themselves.
Twice in the last few days we've had to fix this problem for clients, neither of whom were happy that their hard built playlists had gone.
So, if your music is on a free standing hard drive - you must hae your drive connected and powered on BEFORE you open iTunes. Each and every time. Please don't blame podServe, Apple or iTunes. This is down to Microsoft and I'm afraid I don't know a work-around.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
iPod Hardware Repairs in London
iPods are great, but like all computers they go wrong from time to time. If your iPod is in warranty Apple is the first port of call. But what if your iPod is older?
If you can get to Kensington High Street the Apple dealers there - Cancom Kensington - are worth a call. They're at 290 Kensington High Street, about ten minutes walk from Kensignton High Street tube station and the main shops. As Apple dealers they know the whole product range and can check your iPod from both a hardware and a software perspective. Talking to their staff they appear well informed, polite and very helpful.
If you'd prefer to ring them their number is 0845 686 3400. I hope your iPod never fails, but if it does, this could be your salvation.
If you can get to Kensington High Street the Apple dealers there - Cancom Kensington - are worth a call. They're at 290 Kensington High Street, about ten minutes walk from Kensignton High Street tube station and the main shops. As Apple dealers they know the whole product range and can check your iPod from both a hardware and a software perspective. Talking to their staff they appear well informed, polite and very helpful.
If you'd prefer to ring them their number is 0845 686 3400. I hope your iPod never fails, but if it does, this could be your salvation.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Outstanding Support
Some years ago I made what has turned out to be a brilliant investment. It's a great piece of software which finds album art and embeds it into iTunes music libraries. I've found it to be quick, easy to use and very reliable.
It's called iAlbumArt, it is written by Mike Matheson and you can find out more at www.ialbumart.ipod-sync.com.
Several times I've done something which needs help. On every occasision I've been amazed at the quality of support I've received, direct from Mike himself. Maybe it helps with me being in the UK and Mike being in the States, but his replies to my calls for help have been as fast as they've been patient and courteous.
So if you're looking for software to handle your iTunes album art, and you appreciate world class support, look into Mike and his product. It's brilliant.
It's called iAlbumArt, it is written by Mike Matheson and you can find out more at www.ialbumart.ipod-sync.com.
Several times I've done something which needs help. On every occasision I've been amazed at the quality of support I've received, direct from Mike himself. Maybe it helps with me being in the UK and Mike being in the States, but his replies to my calls for help have been as fast as they've been patient and courteous.
So if you're looking for software to handle your iTunes album art, and you appreciate world class support, look into Mike and his product. It's brilliant.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Robotic CD Ripping
In an earlier post Ripfactory explained that they were exiting the robotic CD hardware ripping market. Their plan instead was to have their ripping software sold by the hardware manufacturer as part of a robotic ripping solution. Given the worldwide raising of the blood pressure in the CD ripping community at the mention of Ripfactory, a step in the right direction.
Other postings have brought me into contact with MF Digital. I would have no hesitation in recommending them as a first class company to deal with, they've come over as a solid and professional, keen to deliver good service to their client base. They've even stepped into the breach when their erstwhile trading partner had appeared to let a client down.
So the ripping scene takes a step closer to the golden horizon with the launch of MF Digital's combined robot hardware and software CD ripping systems. You can find out more at MF Digital's web site.
The RipStation name echoes the heritage of Ripfactory but the product is supplied by MF Digital. If you're looking for a robotic ripping solution now your first port of call should be MF Digital. Perhaps I can briefly point out that I don't use a robot myself and I hold no brief for MF Digital beyond being happy to plug the good guys.
Other postings have brought me into contact with MF Digital. I would have no hesitation in recommending them as a first class company to deal with, they've come over as a solid and professional, keen to deliver good service to their client base. They've even stepped into the breach when their erstwhile trading partner had appeared to let a client down.
So the ripping scene takes a step closer to the golden horizon with the launch of MF Digital's combined robot hardware and software CD ripping systems. You can find out more at MF Digital's web site.
The RipStation name echoes the heritage of Ripfactory but the product is supplied by MF Digital. If you're looking for a robotic ripping solution now your first port of call should be MF Digital. Perhaps I can briefly point out that I don't use a robot myself and I hold no brief for MF Digital beyond being happy to plug the good guys.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Robert Reads and Responds
I sit here typing this stuff and sometimes feel I'm the only one reading it. No, not so - I get replies.
The latest is from Robert Warnock at Ripfactory, he's their Metadata Support Specialist. Robert asks that I credit him and his colleagues for the improvements we've made in our Data Grooming functionality. Indeed much of what we offer is delivered by the latest version of their Audiogroomer software, customised for podServe's special needs.
Yes, thanks to Robert, Audiogroomer is a great tool and along with a couple of other packages and some home grown code, our take on Data Grooming rocks.
The latest is from Robert Warnock at Ripfactory, he's their Metadata Support Specialist. Robert asks that I credit him and his colleagues for the improvements we've made in our Data Grooming functionality. Indeed much of what we offer is delivered by the latest version of their Audiogroomer software, customised for podServe's special needs.
Yes, thanks to Robert, Audiogroomer is a great tool and along with a couple of other packages and some home grown code, our take on Data Grooming rocks.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Ripping Wrecked by Locking?
For those who have forgotten we operate a CD ripping service (www.podserve.co.uk). At the end of each project we delete the files created along the way - often thousands of AAC or MP3 tracks. And as we also scan images for our clients from time to time we have images files to delete.
Ever since we've been using Macs this has been a smooth process, but I've noticed recently that one of our Macs is getting troublesome. Nothing major, but I sometimes have to go into the iTunes music library and manually delete some files. More troublesome is finding that files in Trash have somehow become locked. This is quite a nuisance, rather than rapidly clearing Trash the process stops. I was left with files left in Trash which I couldn't delete.
Unlocking a file with OS X is easy, just a few mouse clicks, but when you're stuck with 100+ locked files it becomes an unpleasant chore. I'm not alone in this as a Mac user client rang me saying he was having the same problem. So I did a bit of digging and found software which unlocks or locks files in a batch. I've run it a few times and it works well. It's simply called Locker and it's avaialable from vojousoftware.com.
So if you're struggling with batches of locked files, Locker is your answer.
Ever since we've been using Macs this has been a smooth process, but I've noticed recently that one of our Macs is getting troublesome. Nothing major, but I sometimes have to go into the iTunes music library and manually delete some files. More troublesome is finding that files in Trash have somehow become locked. This is quite a nuisance, rather than rapidly clearing Trash the process stops. I was left with files left in Trash which I couldn't delete.
Unlocking a file with OS X is easy, just a few mouse clicks, but when you're stuck with 100+ locked files it becomes an unpleasant chore. I'm not alone in this as a Mac user client rang me saying he was having the same problem. So I did a bit of digging and found software which unlocks or locks files in a batch. I've run it a few times and it works well. It's simply called Locker and it's avaialable from vojousoftware.com.
So if you're struggling with batches of locked files, Locker is your answer.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Data Grooming Upgraded
I don't often get excited about computer software, but our new Data Grooming software is really exciting (well for me anyway).
The features list is greatly improved so in turn our clients get a better service. First, we've increased the list of classical composers in the database. Previously we'd found 40 pretty adequate but we've got many more now. I'll be surprised if we find any names to be added to the list.
Handling artist names is also much better. We can now remove one of the most annoying features of modern music - tha apparently endless use of 'featuring', 'feat.' and so on. It can increase the number of performers in a collection and make it hard to find the track you want via the Artist route. Well, say that annoyance goodbye.
Handling Disc 1 etc is more thorough, adding artist name to 'Best of' and 'Greatest Hits' works just as well, and is a little faster.
There's a facility to correct the inappropriate use of capital letters though I've yet to get to grips with the detail of how that works.
Anyway, enough for now, I'm off to play with our new toy. Any data you'd like us to groom for you?
The features list is greatly improved so in turn our clients get a better service. First, we've increased the list of classical composers in the database. Previously we'd found 40 pretty adequate but we've got many more now. I'll be surprised if we find any names to be added to the list.
Handling artist names is also much better. We can now remove one of the most annoying features of modern music - tha apparently endless use of 'featuring', 'feat.' and so on. It can increase the number of performers in a collection and make it hard to find the track you want via the Artist route. Well, say that annoyance goodbye.
Handling Disc 1 etc is more thorough, adding artist name to 'Best of' and 'Greatest Hits' works just as well, and is a little faster.
There's a facility to correct the inappropriate use of capital letters though I've yet to get to grips with the detail of how that works.
Anyway, enough for now, I'm off to play with our new toy. Any data you'd like us to groom for you?
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
AAC 1 - MP3 0
Looking at the small print in the recent Apple / EMI announcment about DRM free music it seems that the music file of choice will be Apple's AAC, and not the previously universal MP3. Why?
Well, recently Microsoft got hit by a massive lawsuit alleging copyright infringement over the technical rights to the MP3 codec. Perhaps neither Apple nor EMI fancied being hit in the same way.
Maybe EMI saw this as another way of controlling the distribution of their tracks. Maybe the thinking was MP3 is synonymous with those evil file sharing pirates, so AAC could be 'safer' in that respect.
I originally thought this was a simple marketing ploy to enable Apple to market their products (ie iTunes Music Store tracks) to Zune and the users of other MP3 players. It's more than that, each MP3 manufacturer will come under pressure to release firmware updates to support AAC on their players. users will have to find the upgrade, download it, apply it to their machine - how many will just not bother and buy a new iPod instead?
At a sweep Apple and EMI may have changed the drift of digital music. Where once MP3 was seen as the universal standard that accolade could fall to AAC.
Well, recently Microsoft got hit by a massive lawsuit alleging copyright infringement over the technical rights to the MP3 codec. Perhaps neither Apple nor EMI fancied being hit in the same way.
Maybe EMI saw this as another way of controlling the distribution of their tracks. Maybe the thinking was MP3 is synonymous with those evil file sharing pirates, so AAC could be 'safer' in that respect.
I originally thought this was a simple marketing ploy to enable Apple to market their products (ie iTunes Music Store tracks) to Zune and the users of other MP3 players. It's more than that, each MP3 manufacturer will come under pressure to release firmware updates to support AAC on their players. users will have to find the upgrade, download it, apply it to their machine - how many will just not bother and buy a new iPod instead?
At a sweep Apple and EMI may have changed the drift of digital music. Where once MP3 was seen as the universal standard that accolade could fall to AAC.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Ripping Movies in iTunes?
So you can rip CDs, you can play CDs. You can download tracks from iTunes Music Store.
You can download movies from iTunes Music Store. You can play them in iTunes. So what's missing? Ripping DVDs.
We could be a step closer to the missing link in the entertainment puzzle, thanks to a recent ruling in America. Given Apple's great position with Apple TV, iTunes and video iPods surely ripping movies in iTunes is the logical next step.
This facility would unleash additional iPod, iMac and Apple TV sales. At podServe we have strong interest in this facility.
Watch this space. My money is on this happening in the next three months.
You can download movies from iTunes Music Store. You can play them in iTunes. So what's missing? Ripping DVDs.
We could be a step closer to the missing link in the entertainment puzzle, thanks to a recent ruling in America. Given Apple's great position with Apple TV, iTunes and video iPods surely ripping movies in iTunes is the logical next step.
This facility would unleash additional iPod, iMac and Apple TV sales. At podServe we have strong interest in this facility.
Watch this space. My money is on this happening in the next three months.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Itunes Music Store Enhancements
Macrumors today annouces two significant extensions to the facilities offered by iTunes Music Store.
The first is an advice function - based on past purchases you can be alerted to the availabilty of new music by the same artist. It's a cute feature, I wonder how long it will be before we're told of similar music we would enjoy, much as Amazon does now with its 'other readers have purchased' at the same time.
The second has financial impact - the ability to 'complete my album'. Noticing you've bought one or two tracks you'll be prompted (and probably financially incented) to but the rest of the album. Not only does this make sound business sense but it would go some way to narrow the gap between a downloaded album and the low priced CD suppliers. I wonder if it's Apple or the labels who are biting the financial bullet on this one.
But ...
With a full download costing £7-99 a physical disc offers good value for money. If you'll forgive the plug for our own CD ripping service (http://www.podserve.co.uk), we can rip a CD for £1. I can source a CD in my High Street music store for as little as £5, putting the two together we can still offer a saving plus the client gets a physical CD he can enjoy anytime.
Final shameless plug - podServe also rips your CD at a higher quality than iTunes Music Store.
The first is an advice function - based on past purchases you can be alerted to the availabilty of new music by the same artist. It's a cute feature, I wonder how long it will be before we're told of similar music we would enjoy, much as Amazon does now with its 'other readers have purchased' at the same time.
The second has financial impact - the ability to 'complete my album'. Noticing you've bought one or two tracks you'll be prompted (and probably financially incented) to but the rest of the album. Not only does this make sound business sense but it would go some way to narrow the gap between a downloaded album and the low priced CD suppliers. I wonder if it's Apple or the labels who are biting the financial bullet on this one.
But ...
With a full download costing £7-99 a physical disc offers good value for money. If you'll forgive the plug for our own CD ripping service (http://www.podserve.co.uk), we can rip a CD for £1. I can source a CD in my High Street music store for as little as £5, putting the two together we can still offer a saving plus the client gets a physical CD he can enjoy anytime.
Final shameless plug - podServe also rips your CD at a higher quality than iTunes Music Store.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
My iPod's Ringing
I love music, but I run a business so calls need to come first. I've often been annoyed (with myself) by missing calls when my ringtone has been muffled by a loud track.
So when one of my clients drew my attention to the BluEye I thought I'd tell everyone. This is a £50 unit which plugs into the cable between your iPod and your headphones. It looks very much like the old iPod remote, or the current iPod radio. Like that it includes a 15 auto scan FM radio, but more importantly it gives you Bluetooth headset functionality for your iPod.
Obviously you need a Bluetooth enable mobile phone. Apparently you can make and receive calls via your iPod, get caller ID display on your iPod screen - and your music is automatically paused when you take a call.
You can find out more at www.blueye.co.uk or www.gear4.com or Amazon.
The BluEye is made in black or white.
So when one of my clients drew my attention to the BluEye I thought I'd tell everyone. This is a £50 unit which plugs into the cable between your iPod and your headphones. It looks very much like the old iPod remote, or the current iPod radio. Like that it includes a 15 auto scan FM radio, but more importantly it gives you Bluetooth headset functionality for your iPod.
Obviously you need a Bluetooth enable mobile phone. Apparently you can make and receive calls via your iPod, get caller ID display on your iPod screen - and your music is automatically paused when you take a call.
You can find out more at www.blueye.co.uk or www.gear4.com or Amazon.
The BluEye is made in black or white.
Friday, March 23, 2007
RipFactory Riposte
Last weeks item on RipFactory prompted a long phone conversation with Patrick McGrath, a Director of RipFactory, on Saturday afternoon. I promised him an opportunity to reply. Here, unedited, is his response:-
Jeff
There are no graves dug for Ripfactory, nor will there be. We're here to stay and as the premier solution for ripping software that is Ripstation, we have a great and worthy product which rips a significant number of discs annually in the most efficient and automated way possible.
I'm saddened to hear you had any calls at all about us, and we'll be sure to get to the bottom of any issues that are directly raised to us - we take our software, support and reputation very seriously, and if there are any issues that can be sorted by us, then we will do all in our power to sort it.
We believe we have a fantastic product which is endorsed by our user base , but it is fair to say that we have had slowdowns over the past few months with our robotics (hardware). To address any issues , we have moved to new OEM partners , creating a new build , faster speeds and excellent warranty and support. The net effect in this is that getting it moving in such a short period of time was a difficult process and sadly this led to some significant delays on deliveries of hardware. We always deliver software immediately and where possible have lent smaller units to our customers to ensure things are moving. It would be fair to say that this led to much slower than normal time in getting hardware out the door, but our new OEM partners have been fantastic and we have been working through the backlog as fast as is humanly possible - as such within the next 10 days we should have all back orders cleared. From then on we make some changes - hardware will be sourced, paid for and supplied local to the user and RF will simply provide instant software deliveries for Ripstation - faster and more efficient for all.
In the main, aside from the few exceptions you have mentioned, our customers have stuck with us knowing that the support, products and collateral we have to offer are second to none. We thank them for that and we appreciate the fact that they see benefit in a long term relationship with Ripfactory.
Ripfactory will be around for a long time to come, supporting the CD ripping fraternity with exciting and more innovative products in 2007 and beyond. Watch this space indeed!
I hope this helps bring some balance to the picture.
Best
Patrick
************************
Patrick also promised that his support people would contact me to resolve the longstanding problem I have with their Groomer and Album Art applications, neither have worked properly since I paid for them. As yet I've had no contact ......
Jeff
There are no graves dug for Ripfactory, nor will there be. We're here to stay and as the premier solution for ripping software that is Ripstation, we have a great and worthy product which rips a significant number of discs annually in the most efficient and automated way possible.
I'm saddened to hear you had any calls at all about us, and we'll be sure to get to the bottom of any issues that are directly raised to us - we take our software, support and reputation very seriously, and if there are any issues that can be sorted by us, then we will do all in our power to sort it.
We believe we have a fantastic product which is endorsed by our user base , but it is fair to say that we have had slowdowns over the past few months with our robotics (hardware). To address any issues , we have moved to new OEM partners , creating a new build , faster speeds and excellent warranty and support. The net effect in this is that getting it moving in such a short period of time was a difficult process and sadly this led to some significant delays on deliveries of hardware. We always deliver software immediately and where possible have lent smaller units to our customers to ensure things are moving. It would be fair to say that this led to much slower than normal time in getting hardware out the door, but our new OEM partners have been fantastic and we have been working through the backlog as fast as is humanly possible - as such within the next 10 days we should have all back orders cleared. From then on we make some changes - hardware will be sourced, paid for and supplied local to the user and RF will simply provide instant software deliveries for Ripstation - faster and more efficient for all.
In the main, aside from the few exceptions you have mentioned, our customers have stuck with us knowing that the support, products and collateral we have to offer are second to none. We thank them for that and we appreciate the fact that they see benefit in a long term relationship with Ripfactory.
Ripfactory will be around for a long time to come, supporting the CD ripping fraternity with exciting and more innovative products in 2007 and beyond. Watch this space indeed!
I hope this helps bring some balance to the picture.
Best
Patrick
************************
Patrick also promised that his support people would contact me to resolve the longstanding problem I have with their Groomer and Album Art applications, neither have worked properly since I paid for them. As yet I've had no contact ......
Saturday, March 17, 2007
iTunes Five Minute Tune Up
You could significantly improve your music enjoyment in just five minutes. We've produced a quick and easy guide to how to get the best from your iPod.
And it's free.
All you need to do is e-mail us at tuneup@podserve.co.uk, or via the contact page on the main podServe site (www.podserve.co.uk).
We'll have your iPod humming in a few minutes.
And it's free.
All you need to do is e-mail us at tuneup@podserve.co.uk, or via the contact page on the main podServe site (www.podserve.co.uk).
We'll have your iPod humming in a few minutes.
Friday, March 16, 2007
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