How not to use iTunes

Yello everybody!

This is a call out for iPod users, be that a standard 20 or 40GB jobbie, a 60GB Photo, 1GB shuffle or whatever! I'm writing an article for my blog on how to escape from iTunes with an iPod. I'm looking at 3rd party applications to manage your iPod, most notably ml_ipod plugin for Winamp.

If anyone has some ideas for things I should mention or possibly link to during my article, I'd be much obliged if you'd reply here Even opinions whether you love or loathe iTunes, and whether you'd be interested in my article or not.

My article MAY cover some other stuff about the iTunes store and how to manage that without needing to use iTunes to play DRM files, but I'm not so sure I can say much about that without a lawyer on my shoulder!

Anyways, feedback is much appriciated!

 

Here's a little info on JHymn since you mentioned discussing DRM and the problems associated with it http://hymn-project.org/jhymndoc/

 

Yep, Hymn has definatly crossed my mind but using such a program rather trusts the user of the program to be using the software in good faith. I mean, theoretically once you've unlocked the DRM file, you can then distribute as freely as any other non-protected file format. Of course, I would never think of illegaly distributing such files, but providing just that little too much information could land me in trouble. Which is why I will be treading very carefully.

Thanks for the links Halo Much appriciated, all I need to do is get my hands on an iPod to play with them! I can do plenty of messing with my little shuffle, but I couldn't comment on their usefulness for big grown up iPods.

While this article is under construction I'll be doing a little review of my shuffle, including things like sound quality. I've got a nice setup for testing out sound quality.. I've got a Project head amp with a custom power supply and oxygen free wiring (courtosy of my step dad!), and access to a pair of HD 650's, touted to have a perfectly flat frequency response, perfect for doing such reviews!

I'm also thinking about making a custom power supply for my shuffle, which should be a cool little mod, but whether it makes a difference is up for debate. The iSupply units for the normal iPods really do work wonders (supprisingly), so I wonder whether somthing similar for the shuffle will do the same.

 

Goldy, edition 54 of PC Utilities mag has a 4 page (p28->) article on "hacking" the iPod. Not hacking in the PC sense but useful info, anyhow. Bazza

 

http://www.ipodwizard.net/ Hack the iPod's firmware to change display graphics, fonts, and strings.

Don't forget Eupod Pro http://espen.se , especially for iPod users with the European volume limitation.

 

Here, Bazza, Information is power!




There are a great number of ipod hacks at hack-a-day.com They range in usefullness and interest. One of the tutorials includes how to make a portable usb charger for the shuffle/ ipod with a usb data cable.

 

I love www.hack-a-day.com and www.i-hacked.com Great stuff. They've done a couple of things with the shuffle, hack-a-day dissasembled one (could have some useful info) and i-hacked.com had an article on how to make a usb charger battery pack for a shuffle.

Either way, I'm posting my shuffle hack on bit-tech.net as well as here, good community of hardcore modders over there who are invaluble reference for such projects. You can take a lookat my thread in the bit-tech.net modding forum