Fun iPod Tricks


An iPod is more than just a music player; it's an Information device. Not only can you use your iPod to play music from your favorite singer or band, you can use it to listen to radio recordings, listen to "audio weblogs" (known as podcasts), and more. In this article I'll show you some tips for getting the most out of your iPod. I'll also explain how to manipulate the files stored on your iPod.


Tip #2 -- Podcasting


Podcasting is a new term associated with weblogs. Increasingly, media files are found in weblogs, besides the usual text and graphics. RSS 2.0 supports a new feature known as enclosure, and it contains a URL pointing to media files in an RSS feed.


Podcasting is the aggregation of discrete, downloadable media files. While the term "podcasting" suggests an association with Apple's iPod, it is important to point out that podcasting is not limited to using Apple's iPod (for example, you can use Windows Media to listen to a podcast).


iPodder is a small application that runs on your Mac. It downloads audio files periodically from the Internet and copies them to iTunes so that they can be copied to your iPod.


Using iPodder, you can subscribe to several news feeds containing media files (see Figure 3).


Figure 3. Using iPodder.


You can also configure iPodder to check for new podcasts at regular intervals (see Figure 4).


Figure 4. Configuring iPodder to download new podcasts at regular time intervals.


Once the podcasts are downloaded, you can find them in iTunes (see Figure 5). And the next time you connect your iPod to your Mac, these podcasts would be copied onto your iPod.


Figure 5. Viewing the podcasts in iTunes.


Source: Wei-Meng Lee, Mac Dev Center