01/11/02

New iPod accessories available for MacWorld Expo.

The PodMate is a small device that attaches to the Apple iPod and transforms it into a universal infrared remote. Control virtually any TV, stereo, DVD player or VCR via the iPod. Building upon the ease of use of the iPod, it makes controlling any remote device a snap. The PodMate comes with software to emulate virtually any remote, and additional devices will be added as they become available. The PodMate can control devices from a distance of up to 40 feet. "When the engineers first told me about this concept, I simply didn't believe it was possible. When I saw it work, my jaw dropped to the floor. With such an elegant interface on the iPod, using it as a remote is a natural fit." says Jason Litchford, product manager for Griffin Technology. The PodMate will be demoed during MacWorld San Francisco but no shipping date or price has been set.

Rounding up the announcements is the PowerPod auto charger for the iPod. Attractively designed and durable, the PowerPod will keep your iPod's battery fully charged while listening to all your favorite tunes on the road. The PowerPod fits into any 12V accessory outlet or car lighter jack and includes a detachable 4 foot cable. The replaceable fuse will insure that no damage will occur to the iPod, and has an LED status indicator. Designed specifically for the iPod and road warriors, the PowerPod is currently available, and costs $19.50. For more PowerPod information: http://griffintechnology.com/audio/powerpod.html

XtremeMac is now selling a lot of iPod accessories. You can buy cases, chargers,swivel mounts and several other accessories from them for a very decent price.

EphPod, another program to make an iPod work under Windows

EphPod is a program designed to make your iPod work with Windows. You will need a program to let you read Mac drives through Windows for EphPod to work properly.

Apparently, Windows users are really jealous!!! Maybe they should by a Mac after all.....

iPod warranty in Germany

Here in Germany, warranty for electronics was six months until 2001... now it's 24 months!

Greetings, Mirko

Compusa warranty, a follow-up

I purchased a 2 year carry-in exchange warrantee at CompUSA on my iPod for $29.95. I bought the iPod at Apple. Thinking that the sales-man was just selling me the warrantee to get a commission and that it would be worthless when the time came to redeem the warrantee, I checked with the manager and he confirmed that it was valid and that they sold warrantees on all sorts of items, including Dell and Compaq computers. Does anyone have experience in trying to collect on these third party warrantees?

Ron.

Reader feedback about the FM modulator for iPod

The FM modulator mentioned in your site works pretty good. Also it is quite small, good looking, and an overall good design. I recommend it. It is called "irock!". I bought it at CompUSA for $30. The manager of the store in North Miami refused to sell me ANY warranty on my iPod. He claims that the fine print on the contract REQUIRES that the product be purchased at CompUSA. He also says that anyone that buys a warranty for a product not bought at CompUSA may not get any satisfaction if his iPod breaks! He says that any replacement or repair would be on a goodwill basis: decision made by the individual store, as the store would not be reimbursed by CompUSA headquarters.

Regards, Cal

Reader feedback about the quality of the iPod

Dear iPod-Zone, I read the reviews on your page, and just got my iPod yesterday. Let me tell you with a good set of Radio Shack headphones (Catalog #33-1169), the sound quality is so good, it makes even the Nomad Jukebox 6 GB model cry which I also have. And plus the other MP3 players don't have the volume of the iPod. I have these MP3s which were on my Jukebox I couldn't hear on the bus, but now with the iPod they are loud and clear! The sound quality is comparable to a concert hall sound with just about any Classical music piece I put on it. A note to the people trying to transfer your own songs (not the preloaded songs) from another MP3 player to the iPod using iTunes, don't try to multitask when you do the transfer and only transfer small groups of songs at a time, like 5 or 6 songs. Otherwise the process will hang. If you multitask, iTunes skips small sections of songs, and you are left with static and sometimes huge skips in your songs once they end up on the iPod. I might add the Powerbook G3 released pre-Pismo can connect to the iPod with a Ratoc CBFW2 card in the upper slot and Radio Shack 1500 mAmp 12 Watt positive adapter that fits the CBFW2 card. Bring your card to Radio Shack to make sure you get the right adapter.

Sincerely,

anonymous