MP3 Insider

Lately, I've been hearing a lot of fanfare about an application called DoubleTwist that is at its core a free music jukebox that offers content syncing to a variety of portable devices, including the BlackBerry, the PSP, and the iPod, as well as pretty much anything that can mount in Universal Mass Storage mode. One of the main draws of the program is that it can take your iTunes library and sync it to a variety of non-iPod players, an important feature for anyone who has ditched the ubiquitous device in favor of a music phone or other MP3 player. And soon, the Windows version of the jukebox will offer built-in support for Amazon MP3 store purchases as well (note: the Mac version already supports Amazon MP3 purchases), a move in line with the company's goal to offer consumers choice when it comes to digital music management.

The DoubleTwist video view.

Certainly, DoubleTwist is a useful solution for a lot of people, especially since it incorporates automatic video transcoding for a lot of the supported devices, which is the feature that drew me to the software. However, the program is not without its pitfalls, and some of them are sure to cause no small amount of frustration. For example, the video transcoding--done during the syncing process--takes forever. Conversion speed was roughly two times normal speed, so a 90-minute movie took 50 minutes or so to encode and transfer. Still, considering DoubleTwist offers this feature for free and integrates it so simply, I'm willing to forgive the sluggishness.

Much more annoying is how slow the video library loads in thumbnail mode, and while it is loading, you can't actually browse the selections. ... Read more

Who says you can't use the Zune HD with a Mac? Well, I did, for one...but contrary to popular belief I sometimes actually enjoy admitting when I'm wrong. As a Mac user with a penchant for non-iPod MP3 players, I often feel left out in the cold, especially when I see shiny new devices like the Zune HD. Sure, I could always use Boot Camp, but I prefer not to clutter up my pretty Mac with Windows XP, thankyouverymuch. Plus, dual booting isn't exactly a seamless experience.

That's where VMWare Fusion comes into play. At $80, the software is about the same price as Windows XP Home--not cheap--but it provides a super simple way to run apps and connect devices that are otherwise relegated to Windows machines. Plus, it integrates seamlessly into the Dock. Of course, I would prefer if Microsoft would just make the Zune HD and Marketplace Mac-compatible to begin with, but in the meantime, this will have to suffice. To see how VMWare Fusion works with the Zune, check out the video below.

Thanks, Nick!

When it comes to camcorders, I won't be abandoning my Flip anytime soon. But that doesn't make the iPod Nano any less attractive. The more camera-having gadgets, the merrier.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

The official CNET review of the fifth-generation iPod Nano is done, and I am officially exhausted. Someone please tell Apple to stop adding features to this thing. Remember when all an MP3 player to do was play music? CNET's first iPod review was only 600 words long. These days, you practically have to write a textbook to cover all the features that get crammed into a device like the iPod Nano.

An extra 0.2-inch really does make a noticeable difference when you're dealing with screens this small.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

Writer's exhaustion aside, the fifth-generation Nano is a fantastic little gadget that's one of the easiest-to-recommend stocking stuffers out there. The thing comes in a ton of colors, works with iTunes, helps you lose weight (pedometer), and might even get you to record the world's next completely unnecessary viral YouTube sensation. Sure, the earbuds are still garbage, but Sony seems to be the only manufacturer fighting that battle.

To prevent from boring you to tears, one area of the iPod Nano's performance I didn't go into exhaustive detail over is the video camera's image quality. If you're curious, I ran a few of tests over the weekend, shooting indoors and outdoors, and A/B testing the Nano against the Flip UltraHD. Aside from the obvious image quality differences, I also found problems with the Nano's tilt-sensor getting tripped-up on the camera's orientation and capturing videos sideways. ... Read more

Update: CNET's official review of the Apple iPod Nano (fifth-generation) is now available.

I'm holding Apple's fifth-generation iPod Nano, and it's feeling like deja vu. Here we are again with an 8GB and 16GB iPod Nano that bear the exact same shape and dimensions as last year's models, priced at $149 and a slightly more wallet-friendly $179, respectively. Sure, the aluminum is a little glossier, and the screen now stretches out to 2.2 inches (up from 2 inches), but most people would really need to have an Apple fanboy's eagle-eye to discern last year's model from today's.

But don't let looks fool you. Under the hood, Apple really juiced the fifth-gen iPod Nano up with a ton of tricks that serve to make the Nano better. I'm not convinced all of the Nano's new features were executed perfectly, but at least nothing about the fifth-gen Nano is a step backwards for Apple (unlike the third-gen Nano's awkward shape, or the button-less iPod Shuffle). For the sake of mentioning it, just know that everything found in last year's model is here as well, located in exactly the same place, with the same font, same everything. Music, photos, videos, podcasts, battery life, sound quality...same, same, same. Well, technically, rated battery life is up a little for video playback, clocking in a 5 hours instead of 4.

iPod Nano oddity No. 1: I can record video, but I can't snap a photo no matter how hard Antuan poses.

(Credit: CNET)

So what's new? Well, for starters, the iPod Nano now has a video camera. On the back of the Nano there's an eensy-teensy fixed-lens camera that runs flush with the body, capable of capturing 640x480 standard definition video at 30 frames per second. Files are recorded as iTunes-friendly .MP4 videos with h.264 formatted video with AAC audio. Video quality looks, well...decent. We'll have a better sense after more testing, but I think it's safe to say that it won't be crushing the Flip Mino HD anytime soon.

Part of the problem isn't so much the camera technology as it is the placement of the camera--located right behind the clickwheel where you can't help but rub your nasty hands across the lens each time you pick it up. After just a few minutes out of the box, video recordings became increasingly cloudy with screen grime.

Maybe I'm just filthy, but I have to think Apple would have done better to move the lens closer to the top and out of harm's ways.

Once a song is turned into an MP3, you can almost guarantee it will play on your mobile phone, iPod, or computer. But if you're looking for one universal video format that will work with all of your devices, you may as well forget about it.

On the surface, there's nothing about a digital video file that looks any more complicated than an MP3. But anyone who's tried to play a YouTube FLV file in iTunes, or a BitTorrented DivX movie on their Zune, has probably experienced the brain-melting frustration of working with digital video formats.

There are dozens of video conversion applications out there designed to magically convert any given video format for your particular device. But if you really want to understand the root causes that make video files so fickle to work with, I've put together a video and slide show tutorial to shed some light on things.

Have your own digital video nightmare to share? Feel free to vent in the comments section.

How to make sense of digital video files

Is an Android-based version of the Archos 5 on its way?

(Credit: Archos)

After making an initial appearance at the FCC in August, a new model of the Archos 5 Internet media tablet popped up on B&H on the first of September.

The product listings briefly showed pricing for four models of the updated Archos 5, as well as a page for the Archos DVR Station. If the listings are accurate, consumers can expect to see 16GB ($293), 32GB ($369), 160GB ($319), and 500GB ($419) versions of the updated Archos 5 in the not too distant future (September 15, maybe?).

The odd pricing discrepancy between the $369 32GB Flash memory model and hard drive-based $319 160GB model likely reflects the relative bulkiness of the hard-drive models compared with the thinner, less fragile Flash versions. Without further details, we can only guess.

In fact, there's still plenty we don't know, such as where or when we'll see the white Archos A5S glimpsed from the FCC filing, or how the new tablets will leverage Google's Android OS. I'll also be curious to see if the GPS icon shown on the main screen implies an integrated GPS receiver, or further reliance on a separate GPS cradle. Considering Archos' penchant for upselling users on software add-ons, battery packs, and accessories, I wouldn't bet on built-in GPS--but who knows?

(Via Archos Fans)

Slacker's first-generation Wi-Fi portable media player sold for $200 when it hit in 2008. Today it's just $50.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

There was a time in the history of MP3 players when new models were clearly superior to hardware that had been on the shelf a few years. If you were one of the unfortunate souls who bought an iPod Photo a few months before the iPod Video came out, you know exactly what I mean.

These days, the MP3 and portable video player landscape has hit a plateau of sorts. Sure, you've got your iPod Touch and Zune HD out there to keep things interesting, but for the others, features such as sound quality, format compatibility, screen size, and capacity have stayed relatively unchanged over the past few years. In fact, when it comes to storage capacity, your choices are more limited today then they were a few years ago--back when the hard drive was still king.

The point is, you can get some killer deals on a one- or two-year old MP3 player, without sacrificing much in way of features. Sometimes we get so caught-up in what's new, we forget to acknowledge those choice pieces of gear that are still relevant and excellent in spite of how long they've been on the shelf.

To honor these remarkable elders of portable audio and video, we've rounded up our top picks in the following slideshow. Feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments section.

Oldies but goodies: MP3 players that are still worth buying

For more tips on wallet-friendly MP3 players (both young and old) check out our Budget MP3 player list, as well as MP3 players under $100, and MP3 players for under $50.

Is this the back of the third-generation iPod Touch?

(Credit: Covino and Rich)

After a week filled with Zune HD news, there's nothing like a third-generation iPod Touch sighting to take the wind out of Microsoft's sails.

Images of the alleged camera-wielding iPod Touch surfaced earlier in the day, but were quickly shot down as a fake. Later the same day, a shaky video was published of the supposed iPod Touch, making a more compelling case for its authenticity.

The cynic in me still thinks this may be a second-generation Touch that's had its backing drilled and modified with a convincing camera. It seems odd that beyond the addition of camera, Apple would have left the design of the iPod Touch unchanged. Then again, the iPhone 3GS is a doppelganger for last year's iPhone 3G.

What do you guys think: real or fake?

(Via Engadget)

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.

How to make video playlists for iTunes, iPod, and iPhone--screenshots