Review: iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual
You've purchased the most beautiful portable music device. Now what? You look in the box and notice the skimpy quick start guide that comes with your iPod. Sure this teaches me how to add music to iTunes and sync it... but does it tell me how to add notes, sync my calendar, or use it as an external hard drive? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
This is where iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual comes in. NY Times writer J.D. Biersdorfer brings it into it's fourth edition covering the the whole iPod series from Shuffle to Video, you will learn everything you've ever wanted to know about your iPod - Mac or Windows.
What's Inside:
Nicely broken up into 5 main parts, you will learn about the iPods hardware, software, what it can do besides music, how to hack and troubleshoot it, and an appendix with step by step menus.
Each one of these areas is delivered in clear and concise prose. It will provide you with the enough information and the confidence you need to rip your latest CD into iTunes, backing up your music, connecting it on the go, and what we all strive for -- achieving better battery life.
Novice and Experienced:
If you have been using your iPod for awhile, you probably feel pretty comfortable navigating the menus, and making it churn through the diurnal tasks of playing your favorite songs or podcasts during your morning commute.
While audio nirvana is the main purpose of the iPod, it can do so much more -- depending on the version you have. Apple has a habit of adding new features to it's latest and greatest products. Some are so compelling that you can't resist -- you have to have it (eh.. Video, anyone?). Don't worry, this book is in it's fourth edition, and is currently up to date with all of the latest iPods - at least for today.
You Must Learn:
Did you know there are 'Apple Scripts' that are available free (sorry Windows brethren.. this section isn't for you). These Apple Scripts help you utilize some extra features in iTunes and add functionality to your iPod. With the 'Clipboard to Note' script, you can take any text you have stored in your clipboard and add it to a Note on your iPod. Think Mapquest directions... no more forgetting to take the directions out of the printer. There are many more, each almost as useful as the next. I consider myself an advanced user, and I was thrilled to find that Apple offered these, as well as other third party sites.
Since the book does cover both iTunes platforms - Mac and Windows, it contains easy to read screen shots of each. iTunes essentially looks the same on both OSes, but there are a few minor differences. Fortunately, cross-platform writing is becoming a trend as more and more identical software is available on Macs and PCs.
Can you find most of these walk-throughs online or on Apple's web site? Probably. But, it is going to take you a lot longer, and you will surely need to reference many of these sections again. Immediately, Chapter 12: Troubleshooting, comes to mind. There is something to be said for having a tangible reference book, and actually sitting down and turning a page. This beats scrolling a mouse wheel any day.
A Missing Manual With Something Missing:
Unlike many of the other 'Missing Manual' books, this one is not written by David Pogue. While it is edited by him, it falls short on the wittiness that I have come to expect from this series. Laughing out loud is what keeps me coming back to this series, and I felt that was um... 'Missing'. Also missing, was a more in depth look at multi-iPod households. Since this is becoming extremely common, a chapter dedicated to this would serve the readers well.
Summary
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