iPod Tricks

Q:
Can you give me any simple tricks I can do with my iPod? I know there are so many things you can do with them, but I just don't know how. Any suggestions would be wonderful!

A:
Along with the one up above in the Quick Tip section (deleting songs from your iPod), there are several other things you can do with an iPod. Some of them may even amaze you and since we have a little iPod theme going on for today, I might as well share some knowledge with you! Below are just a few of the coolest tricks I could find that you can practice with on your iPod. And who knows, I may have more for you in the future!

1.) Worried about using up all the battery power on your iPod? Well, then just learn to conserve it a little. The iPod does offer approximately 14 hours of battery life, but why not make it more? When you're not using your iPod, make sure you switch the Hold button into the locked position. This will prevent the iPod from being turned on accidentally and it will save some power. You can also salvage some battery life by turning off the background light on your player and by not skipping between songs too often.

2.) Did you know that you can use your iPod as an alarm clock to wake you up in the mornings? Well, you surely can! Go to the main menu and choose Extras, then select Clock, then Alarm Clock. Choose Alarm to turn it on and then set it for the time you want to wake up. You can also choose your very own sound to wake up to, from the options available. If you really want to go all out (maybe you have trouble waking up), you can set your iPod up with a speaker set and be awakened by a playlist of some of your favorite songs.

3.) Don't have time to read your e-mail on your computer? Then check it with your iPod! You are able to synchronize your iPod with your e-mail client so you can check your messages on the go. In order for this to work, you need to install the free K-Pod program (find it on Google) onto your computer. You can then download and view your e-mail from the Notes feature on the Extras menu. Mac users can try the program called PodMail to do this as well.

4.) In a hurry to create a song playlist for your iPod? Well, you can use the "On-the-Go" feature that comes with your iPod to create a quick playlist while you're away from your PC. All you need to do is highlight a song from the music menu and hold down the Select button until the song's name flashes on the screen. The flashing indicates that the song was added to the "On-the-Go" playlist. You can then access the new playlist from the main Playlists menu on your iPod.

5.) Don't have enough time to read through the morning news? Well, forget the newspaper and forget the computer. Do it with your iPod! A Web based utility called iPodulator allows you to convert Web material into a form that is compatible to be read right from your iPod. All you have to do is visit this Web site and enter in a Web address for one of your favorite Web pages or RSS feeds. When you're finished doing that, click on the iPodinate button and then save the results. Make sure you copy the file onto your iPod so you can look at it regularly.

Well, there you have it. How cool is all that?! Now, go and have even more fun with your nifty iPod!

~ Erin