Digital music site Last.fm is like Pandora on steroids. The site allows devoted music fans from around the world to compare tastes, stream music from their favorite artists, stay up to date on local shows, download free MP3s, and create their own custom radio stations.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Last.fm's open API has given rise to hundreds of user-created applications, plug-ins, web tools, mash-ups and widgets. No other music site offers more tools or more features to help users connect with each other and the music they love.
Unfortunately, the deep features that makes Last.fm so appealing to hardcore music nerds, can also make the site a little intimidating to first-timers and casual listeners. Like a freshman dance, folks will often just find one comfortable corner of Last.fm and lose sight of everything else going on around them.
If you're interested in breaking out of your Last.fm rut, I've put together a quick video guide and slideshow, illustrating some ways to take your experience further.
Disclosure: Last.fm is a property of CNET parent company CBS.
Most people are pretty familiar with making music playlists in iTunes (if you're not, we can help). Video playlists are a less common sight. iTunes already does a pretty good job grouping your TV shows and video podcasts together in their correct order. But for all you video junkies out there who want to create playlists that scan your vast library of "Family Guy" episodes with "Stewie" in the title, playlists can be a lot of fun.
If the ultimate goal is to get these video playlists onto your iPod or iPhone, there are a few hurdles worth knowing about. For all the ins and outs of making video playlists for iTunes, the iPod, or the iPhone, check out our CNET How to video or check the step-by-step slideshow.
To really be a Jedi-level iTunes guru, you must master the art of the Smart Playlist. The most enlightened of all the playlists (don't let Genius Playlists fool you), Smart Playlists can be used to quickly create genre playlists, sort out your least favorite tracks, or keep your kid's insipid music from infecting your iPhone.
To help you on your way toward total playlist domination, I've put together a little video and a slideshow to get the ball rolling. If you've got a favorite Smart Playlist tip to share, please be kind enough to drop it in the comments section.
Apple's iTunes software makes it dead-simple to copy music onto your iPod, but when it comes to moving files in the opposite direction--from the iPod to your computer--there's no obvious solution. I get an e-mail on this topic at least once a week, usually from someone who's had his laptop stolen or watched helplessly as his hard drive crashed. After an incident like that, it can be a relief to know your music collection (or at least part of it) is backed up on an iPod.
Of course, relief can quickly turn to frustration when you plug that iPod into a new computer and can't figure out how to grab those files. Worse yet, iTunes will sometimes prompt you to erase the iPod if it's not recognized. Saying yes will only end in tears.
To be fair, iTunes isn't completely useless when it comes to pulling media off your iPod. Under the iTunes File menu, there's an option for "Transfer Purchases From iPod" that will work to pull any content purchased through the iTunes Store back to your computer. It's a nice place to start, but to get the rest of your content off your iPod, you'll need to download some additional software.
There are two very useful applications out there that will transfer the rest of your music, videos, playlists, and metadata off your iPod and back to your computer. In truth, there are dozens of programs that can accomplish the same thing, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll stick with these two since they're easy to use, and work with all models of iPods and iPhones.
Update: an updated version of Pod to PC (version 3.02) offers compatibility with iPhone OS 3.0 but requires a $9.95 activation fee. The original, free versions of the software outlined in our slideshow and video are still available using the Download.com links below, however, they are not compatible with iPhone OS 3.0.
Depending on the type of computer you're transferring to, download Pod to Mac or Pod to PC from Download.com. If you're looking to get photos off your iPod, go ahead and download Pod Photo Transfer (PC only), as well.
To see how the process works, CNET's Tom Merrit made a handy video that walks you through the steps for retrieving files from an iPhone. The process is identical for iPods, so don't feel left out when Tom says "iPhone"--just overdub it in your mind with the iPod model of your choice. For a few extra iPod media transfer tips, check out our CNET slideshow.
As an iPod Touch owner, iPhone OS 3.0 enhancements such as MMS, and copy/paste aren't as relevant to me as the subtle improvements Apple has made to media playback and search.
New features such as music search (distinct from Spotlight), fine track scrubbing control, podcast e-mailing, and an expanded iTunes storefront, won't grab many headlines but they're certainly welcome additions to an already excellent product.
To make my point, I've put together a slideshow and video of some of the less-appreciated improvements iPhone OS 3.0 has given to media junkies like myself.
On Sale Now:
$171.98
- $219.99
View the latest prices for Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 8GB)
On Sale Now:
$229.99
- $279.99
View the latest prices for Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 16GB)
On Sale Now:
$299.00
- $299.99
View the latest prices for Apple iPhone 3GS - 32GB - black (AT&T)
People sometimes criticize Apple's iTunes software for looking too much like a spreadsheet--but for some people, it's not spreadsheet enough. If you're the kind of data-devouring music nerd who dreams of spinning your iTunes library database into a killer Microsoft Excel pie chart, then you have come to the right place.
In the following video and slideshow tutorial, I'll show you how to break your library data out of iTunes as a tab-separated list, PDF file, or Web database.
Much has been made about the Palm Pre naturally syncing with iTunes at launch. But Boy Genius Report pointed out, and LifeHacker seconded the motion, that any device can sync with iTunes, if you have a little third-party software help along the way. I'll show you in our video.
For Windows folks, try iTunes Agent which you can get at CNET Download.
If you don't have the latest .NET framework for Windows, you'll get an error, so go to Microsoft.com and get the latest version and install it.
Also, make sure you have iTunes installed, or it might have trouble communicating with iTunes.
Once you have iTunes agent up and running it will prompt you to configure it. If you've never used it before, just say no. You're indicating you don't have a previous profile you need to transfer. If all goes well, iTunes will launch and a pop-up will tell you iTunes Agent is ready to sync your devices.
To add a new device, make sure it's connected to your computer, then right click on the iTunes Agent icon in the system tray and choose preferences.
Press New. You'll get a warning letting you know that the first time you sync, all the data on the new device will be erased. So, be sure you have everything off the device before you go ahead.
Then fill out the fields, naming your device, and so on. Point the folder to the place on the new device where you want the music to go. You can choose particular playlists to associate with this device. Once you're done, press save.
To sync, right click on iTunes Agent and select synchronise devices.
Your selected songs will now be synced to the device.
Mac users should look up iTunemyWalkman from Ilari Scheinin, which is similar to iTunes Agent.
As an English major with a tech job, I feel a little guilty not jumping onto the e-book and Kindle bandwagon. I love books, but I'm just too cheap to justify an e-book reader and too lazy to believe I would use it. Nope, until they find a way to upload books directly to my brain, my format of choice is the audiobook.
The only problem I have with audiobooks is that they're expensive, especially if you're downloading them online at $15-$25 a pop. To cut expenses, audiobook fans will often stick with CDs--trading them with each other, loaning them from local libraries, or signing up for a subscription service.
But if you've ever tried to transfer a multi-CD audiobook onto an iPod, you've probably run into problems such as chapters playing out of order, mislabeled or missing files, or just a generally messy experience. There's no foolproof way to get a multi-CD audiobook onto an iPod, but there's certainly a few tips and tricks that can make the experience smoother.
To help you through the process, I've put together a slideshow and video tutorial with all my favorite tips for getting audiobooks CDs into iTunes and on to the iPod.
If you're an iTunes user (download for Windows|Mac) whose appetite for music, movies, and podcasts is outstripping the capacity of your computer, it might be a good time to think about offloading that library to an external hard drive or a separate internal drive. If you do it right, the process is relatively simple, although the transfer time could take an hour or more, depending on the size of your media library.
To walk you through it, here's a step-by-step video and slide show tutorial on how to move your iTunes library to an external hard drive.
I know our MP3 Insider audience could probably spot the difference between FLAC and MP3 just by using their finely-tuned ears, but for mere mortals, making sense of audio formats isn't easy. There was a time when all you had to worry about was music coming on CD, cassette, or vinyl, and telling them apart was obvious. Telling the difference between MP3, WMA, and WAV files isn't quite as clear and determining each format's advantages and limitations takes some homework, too.
If you or someone you know could use a little Audio Formats 101, I've made and overview video and slideshow that covers most of the basic formats that people encounter on their computers. I don't go so far as to say which formats work best (that's a judgment call everyone needs to make for themselves), but you'll get a sense of which formats work on the iPod, and some clues for how those WMA files got in your music collection.
