How to turn an iPod into a Remote Control

The Apple Ipod

Users of the Apple iPod could not get enough of the music experience. These are some of the features of the Apple iPod that makes it so attractive to music lovers and techies:

1. The Apple iPod have so much space available of up to forty gigabytes that it can store up to about five thousand songs.
2. The Apple iPod also comes with the ergonomically designed Click Wheel wherein you can do fast forward, play, reverse, pause and access the menu with ease.
4. The Apple iPod can be used up to 12 hours non-stop due to its long life battery.
5. The Apple iPod was also designed in such a way that you would have the ability to set up your own play list and it also has a shuffle function to introduce randomness during playing.

iPod Hacks

Through the years, however, the Apple iPod has been modified by techies by using iPod hacks, bent on providing more power to the user in terms of customization and personalization of their Apple iPod.

Strictly speaking, iPod hacks are anything that gives changes to your iPod in terms of appearance, either in terms of software or hardware. Various firmwares that provides iPod hacks, are available on the Internet websites like the iPodWizard that is capable of changing the graphic and text of the Apple iPod.

Some users of the Apple iPod are already content with their iPod simplying playing music, however, some people use iPod hacks because they seem to want more.

Turning an iPod into a Universal Remote

Latest technology capabilities have provided a user power to modify his Apple iPod. These iPod hacks can even transform a normal Apple iPod into a universal remote.

The Apple ipod can be used to control any home electronic equipment in your house. It can control your television, DVD player, Media Center, even a robot. This is the power of iPod hacks.

Simply put, you can use a Pocket PC to possibly record the waves an infrared remote produces. Transfer these waves to your iPod and start changing your TV channels. You now have a new universal remote control.

The following are required before starting this example project of iPod hacks:

1. An Apple iPod
2. A Mac or Personal Computer with a sound recording software installed.
3. A Pocket PC, could be a Pocket PC 2002 or 2003.
4. A total remote software and IR device

The following procedure guides you through changing your iPod into a remote control using iPod hacks:

1. The most important element in this iPod hacks project is the sound or wave to infrared converter.

First, install the total remote software on the MAC or PC. This software is meant to extend the range of the Pocket PC to include consumer IR capabilities.

2. Record the infrared signal by using a sound-editing program that can modify sounds and remove channels. An example of such sound-editing program is the SoundForge.

Input the infrared signals from your remotes to the PC by using the software. Input all infrared signals of the home electronic equipment that you want to control.

You can observe if you have recorded the sound effectively if you'll hear weird beeps or pulses. This is basically what an infrared signal would sound like. Using the SoundForge, you can actually view the pulses and signals on a graphic representation of the wave.

Do not forget to increase the right channel. Then mute it. The process through the IR device would not function properly if you missed this important step.

3. Convert the signals into sound files (actually saved as WAV files).

4. On the Apple iPod, make a new playlist and add the WAV files to the playlist.

5. Now, you can test the new universal remote. Use the Apple iPod to play the sounds through the converter for remote controlling any home electronic equipment.

This basic example of iPod hacks is obviously very easy to understand. Softwares are already available that users can use to modify their Apple iPods.

iPod hacks are still, however, very risky with regards to its effects on your iPod device. Unless handled by a professional technician, the Apple iPod could malfunction if the modification is not right. 

Liven Up Your iPod With Great Games

Many have branded ipods as the most entertaining thingamajig in this generation, and they are, but not only because of the music it plays. There are ipod games that can relieve you of your boredom. Ipod games are very good and entertaining, which will be perfect for you, if you are the impatient type of person. Ipod games certainly do wonders for your patience. But these wonders do not limit to this justification. There are things that ipod games can do that no other game can.

Once you start playing a certain ipod game, you get hooked to it and you will not last a day without playing it. Most of the ipod games are very addictive. Once you start playing an ipod game, it suddenly becomes part of your system. Or rather, your system becomes a part of the game.

Ipod games have their own way of transporting you to another world. This doesn’t necessarily pertain to anything cosmic, these ipod games bring you to a different world; a world of fun and enjoyment, and sometimes, for survival; fighting for your life. You run away from your own nightmares (though it is very hard to understand how you can run away from your own dreams, just think Freddie Krueger); you can be an amateur Sherlock Holmes and crack a murder case.

You can also become an exotic hero, with only a tattered piece of cloth wrapped around your hips, probably living in the deep jungle, talking to apes and other exotic creatures. There are also ipod games that relate to office work. If you’re not the office worker you wanted to be, you can be your ideal self in this game.

There are also ipod games involving architecture and construction work. There are beaches and airplanes, wherein you have to play the role of a tycoon and build your own beach resort or your own airstrip. There are a very wide variety of ipod games you can enjoy. Ipod games rank from reality to fantasy. You can play anything, that is available, that strikes your fancy.

Since ipods are portable, you can play your favorite game anywhere. When you’re waiting in a line, that seems to take for eternity, you can just whip out your ipod and play that impatience away. Also, when you’re in the loo, waiting for the cessation of God’s call, you can experience life-changing games, which may even quicken the “evacuation” of certain “residents”. You can play ipod games simply anywhere.

If your fingers get tired from all those pressing and clicking, you can just exit, then and there, and continue when you feel like embarking on your legendary journey again.

There are quite a number of companies that release ipod games. One of the top producing would be Malinche.

Malinche has released various games already, but nothing among the then-produced ipod games can match to this one. This ipod game is called The First Mile. Experiencing horror fiction interactively? Cool. Have you ever been in a horror story? Listening to it gives you goosebumps. Can you imagine what playing a role in it can do to you?

The first part of the game makes horror fiction an understatement. This game has been commented by those who have played it, that they were scared to death with this one (which you’d probably find hilarious for how, then, could they comment on it if it killed them in the first place, but that’s beyond the point).

Hearing, or in this case, reading about this ipod game terrifies you with its details on its work of horror, what more when you’re experiencing it? This is only one of the ipod games that you can enjoy. There are lots more of ipod games that you can play; your choice, your game.

So load an ipod game, or better yet, ipod games, in your ipod, and play them while swinging to the beat of your favorite track on the background. “Music adds an extra dimension to an already incredible experience”.

Apple was indeed pleased and quite impressed with these ipod games. The Apple creators felt flattered that their invention was used in such an entertaining and unique manner. In debt of gratitude, they featured the game, The First Mile, in their Apple Product Guide.

Another reason for their thanks to Malinche, is that, you do not need to graduate elementary school to know how to download an ipod game. Their device was used as a medium for kids, who are not music lovers, to enjoy them too. It just takes a few seconds, but the fun and experience last for hours on end.

Do not wait until the fat lady sings. Download that ipod game you have been having a crush on and be in on the hottest trend in the ipod world today.

The Coolest iPod Downloads Around

iPod is only five years old but it dominates the digital audio player in the world. Around 42 million iPod unit sales has been recorded for the fiscal year of 2001 to 2005. The rate of iPod sales in the first quarter of 2006 shows that iPod is selling 100 iPod units every minute.

That is how popular iPod is. For this reason, third party manufacturers are jumping to the iPod craze and are manufacturing iPod skins, iPod covers, iPod cases and iPod special headphones, and iPod battery kits to meet the demand of the users to achieve maximum experience with their iPods.

The third party software developers do not want to be left behind so they created software and plugins for iPod mini, iPod nano, iPod Video. Third party developers offer their products as iPod downloads.

iPod downloads maybe a software or an image or video file for your iPod mini, iPod nano, or iPod shuffle. iPod downloads may be for free, freeware iPod downloads, or shareware, of for free for a limited time of use iPod downloads.

Software iPod downloads may be a dictionary, foreign words translator to english or a video file converter from computer to iPod.

Image or video file iPod downloads include screensavers, icons, free videos, and free music videos.

Below are some of the best iPod downloads.

--Accio Dictionary for iPod

Accio Dictionary is not a Harry Potter dictionary, although this iPod download works magic.

There are many dictionary iPod downloads out there but we consider Accio as one of the best if not the very best dictionary iPod downloads in the industry. With this iPod download, you can manage to ask a simple, "Where is the train station?" in Spanish or German or Portuguese or Italian by just simply referring to your Accio Dictionary in your iPod nano, iPod mini or iPod shuffle.

With this shareware iPod download, you can listed to translatations of phrases and words that a tourist often ask to a native, like asking directions or asking for a name or saying thanks and sorry. The translations in this iPod download are spoken by native speakers.

The Accio iPod dictionary has 8,000 indexed translations. The vocabularies in this superb iPod download are those you need for traveling and everyday usage.

Accio iPod dictionary offers five shareware iPod downloads. iPod Downloads are for: English-German, English-Spanish, English-French,  English-Italian, English-Portuguese.

The four Accio iPod downloads also offer the following:

- Quick reference using the iPod “Notes.”
- It also has a "Talking Phrasebook!" You can listen to translated words or phrases for travelling and everyday use, spoken by native speakers.
- This iPod download is expandable. You can add several Accio modules into your iPod — these iPod downloads have everything you need for tours and travels.
- Up to 8,000 indexed translations.

--About iSpeak It

This is one of the most incredible iPod downloads to date. Imagine, you can convert into an audio file your favorite e-books simple by using this iPod software. Compatible with iPod nano, iPod mini, and iPod shuffle, you can install this fabulous iPod downloads software from the Apple.com or at its official website.

If you're a writer and would like to hear how you writing sounds, get this in iPod downloads center immediately for this is for you. This iPod download works best if you are working on a dialogue. You will know if your dialogue sounds more like your mother than a dialogue for a literary piece; unless the character that is speaking is inspired by your mother.

iPod downloads center offers iSpeak as a shareware. You can take any document that you want and convert in into  an MP3/AAC track\. You can do this in your iTunes by turning on the built-in text-to-speech of Mac. Windows XP also offers text-to-speech capabilities.

What can you do with iSpeak once you downloaded it from the Apple iPod downloads center? You can download news, driving directions, email messages, weather, and then text-to-speech it in your computer with the help of iSpeak and then transfer it in your iPod nano, iPod mini, or iPod shuffle.

This spectacular software from the Apple iPod downloads center accepts files such as Word, RTF, Pages 2, PDF, AppleWorks, text and even HTML files.

You Gotta Love iPod's Covers!

With the release of iPod in 2001, third party manufacturers of iPod covers and cases had sprouted, offering iPod covers in various colors for first to fifth generations of iPods, the iPod mini and the iPod nano, and the iPod shuffle.

iPod covers are created to protect or shelter the ultra sleek iPods from dust, dirt and scratches. Most iPod users buy iPod covers to protect the iPod skin that they have dressed on for their iPods.

-FABRIC iPOD COVERS

iPod covers are usually made from cotton fabric. It may be stitched like a pouch bag or a slip on. Some third party manufactureres create plastic iPod covers, but this kind of iPod cover is not very popular.

Although iPod covers are not necessarily needed, most iPod users buy iPod covers to look fashionable with the colorful designs of their iPods.

iPod covers made from fabric are washable and reusable.

1. Pouch iPod covers

Pouch iPod covers are usually made from cotton fabric. The added tie (to create a pouch) serves like a lanyard so you can slip it on your wrists whenever you are in the move.

2. Slip on iPod covers

Slip on iPod covers may come with embroidery or printed image of your favorite character in a movie or a book or even of your own face.

Lucas online arts store has some sets of Star Wars slip on iPod covers with an imprint of faces of Princess Leia, Luke Sky Walker, Darth Vader, Hans Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi and the robots. iPod covers containing scenes or faces in movies like Pirates of the Carribean or the iconic head of Hello Kitty, are offered also in the net either as hard plastic iPod cover or fabric slip on iPod cover.

3. Innovative iPod covers

Some designers offer innovative iPod covers. Like the handmade iPod cover muffs from Australia which is made from printe polyester canvas with a matching foam and polar fleece inside to keep the iPod in place.

But the most innovated iPod covers are baby's socks. These iPod covers are very cute to look at. They are offered in bold colors that is so striking to look at. These iPod covers are made from yarn knits and are also washable.

METALLIC IPOD COVERS

For those who wants to look techie and very modern, the metal iPod covers fit you perfectly.

Metallic iPod covers are made of aluminum, with grade of that anodized aircraft, and have designs and sizes to fit first to fifth generations of iPod and also the mini, nano and shuffle lines.

These metallic iPod covers are lighweight, and scratch-resistant, which means your iPod unit is not only protected inside, but the protective metallic iPod cover is also protected from scratches and could last for a longer time than washable iPod covers.

A lining called Neoprene holds the iPod securely in place and likewis cushions it from sudden impact.

Metallic iPod covers have cut outs to give way for dock connector pork, headphone jacks, click wheel and the hold switch, so the iPod is fully functional even though it is encased in the metallic iPod cover.

Metallic iPod covers are priced slightly higher than the fabric iPod covers. Some says that the high price is worthy considering that metallic iPod covers could last at least 100 times compared to fabric iPod covers.

LEATHER iPOD COVERS

For those who wish to have an elegant cover for their iPod, they should look out for fine-grain leather iPod covers.

Leather iPod covers are offered in cool tones. They have heavy-duty stitching around the edges to ensure protection for your iPod. It comes with a detachable, rotating belt clip or lanyard.

Apple, in 2006, came up with their own line of iPod covers. Apple's iPod covers are made from italian, fine-grain leather, and are clearly aimed for the high-end market. Apple's leather iPod covers has cutout to give access to to important features of the iPod such as the ports for the dock connector and the headphones, and also the click wheel.

Leather iPod covers are costly. They are priced more than half of the price of polyester or fabric made pouch, slip on or baby socks iPod covers.