Since the update to iTunes 9, my smart playlists have been scrambled and not syncing in the order I tell it to. I called Apple support and they couldn't offer a solution. However, they were very nice and informed me it wasn't the iPhone firmware, but it was an iTunes 9 issue. I had hoped iTunes 9.01 would fix the problem, but alas, it didn't. 

I needed to come up with a work around, since I use two very important smart playlists -- recently added & 25podcasts. Essentially I have a playlist that shows the recently added stuff, from newest to oldest.  I also have a 25 podcasts lists, that sort, you guessed it, from newest to oldest. The syncing problem was shuffling them all around and sometimes not even putting the correct content in the list. 

Here is a temporary work around:

1. Open iTunes 9

2. Edit your smart playlist (control-click or right click on it).

3. Enable live updating so that it will show the most recent content.

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Updated on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 11:05PM by jcost

By now you've probably updated to the new cleaner looking version of iTunes 9. It looks great, but some people are having a hard time finding some old features. Specifically, I've read story after story about the demise of the Mini Player. Never fear -- it's still there.

How to do it:

1. Open 'iTunes 9'.

2. Go to the 'View -> Switch to Mini Player'.

Select this option again to switch back to normal.

3. If you prefer a keyboard shortcut, press 'Command + Shift + M'. This keystroke will alternate from mini to regular.

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If you are like me and running a high-res screen, everything seems smaller, especially the text. Instead of straining your eyes with iTunes, enlarge it. Great for Demos too.

Here is how to do it:

1. Open iTunes and go to the 'iTunes->Preferences' menu. Once you are there, select the 'General' tab.

2. iTunes offers two options for enlarging the text. The 'source', which is the left side of your screen where your playlists live. The 'List' is where your songs appear.

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