iPod Tips and Hacks - Making the Most of Your iPod

Lot's of how-to's for maximizing the iPod are on the way. Check back frequently for new tips and hacks.

Index your iPod: If you are using Google Desktop, you can add your iPod to the list of drives to be indexed (easily done with TweakGDS). Bonus feature: Since iPod's music is stored in randomly named folders, it can be hard to find your music if you want to copy it back to your computer. GDS will find all of the files (including music) on your iPod, so you can open the correct folder and copy the files easily. Note: The music folder on iPod is hidden by default. Navigate to your iPod in Windows Explorer, and make sure you have your view set to show hidden files and folders. When you see the hidden "iPod_Control" folder, right-click and select "Properties", then uncheck the "Hidden" box. Click ok and allow it to apply to all folders and subfolders, and your music will now be visible to GDS for indexing. Use GD Extreme to perform your searches, and you can shift-select as many song files as you want, and copy them off!

For lots of downloads, really cheap, I like eMusic. Tons of indie artists for under $.25 a track, plus a free trial with 50 free mp3s. Can't beat that. They've got a pretty slick feature that shows you what other users are downloading if they've downloaded some of the same stuff as you, so you can easily discover new music from people with similar tastes. Very cool.

Still want more ideas for new tracks? Put these XML links into your favorite RSS reader to get the latest lists from iTunes:

• Top 10 Albums
• Top 10 Songs
• Just Added
• New Releases
• Featured Albums and Exclusives

I highly recommend Firefox for your browser, which has an RSS reader built-in, in addition to several RSS extensions. If you're using the Sage extension, you can simply right-click the XML button and select "Bookmark This Link...", making sure you put it in the Sage Feeds folder. Otherwise, click the XML button to follow the link, then copy the address from your address bar and paste it into your RSS reader.

If you want a truly custom iPod, try loading it with Linux: iPod Linux Installer, or hacking the graphics: Engadget iPod Hacking