Player Blog Category Archives: Software

Anapod iPod Software Review

Gear @ IGN has a review of Anapod from Red Chair Software. Anapod is an iPod companion software package for Windows that gives much tighter integration with Windows than iTunes. This includes one of my must-have features: drag-and-drop file transfers from Windows Explorer. Unlike iTunes however, Anapod isn't free. It's $25 for either the iPod or iPod Mini edition or $30 for the Universal edition that supports both.

From the review:

So why even get third-party software when you get a full version of iTunes for free with the iPod? After trying Anapod, I would ask why wouldn't you use it over iTunes. In fact, the only thing I think iTunes has over Anapod is the price. However, if you are serious about your music Anapod has much more to offer.

And:

If you own an iPod I strongly suggest you try out Anapod. It will add several useful features to your iPod and streamline transfers. The list of features is excellent and the implementation of these features is almost perfect. RDC also enjoys a history of solid updates and product support, so you needn't worry about buying software from a company that might vaporize in a couple months. There's really no reason not to use it.

Recommended without reservation.

iPod Instead of a Palm?

It's not very well known that the iPod has the ability to store contact info, tasks, notes and other personal organization information that is usually toted around in PDA, such as the Palm.

Hopefully this feature will become a little better known now. Julio Ojeda-Zapata at the Your Tech weblog will be testing two options for syncing his iPod with his Outlook contacts and calendar: PocketMac iPod and iPod Sync.

A note to all you other player vendors: add these features ASAP! This is an easy way for you to add an incredible amount of value to your existing products with a simple software update. I suspect that many people who carry PDAs only use it to store addresses, phone numbers, to-do lists, etc. Just the simple stuff. Your players already have the raw materials for an organizer: a harddrive, an LCD screen, navigation controls and a way to sync with a desktop computer. All that's left is a bit of software magic and folks can carry around one less gadget.

Note: the iRiver iHP line can at least display text files that are on its harddrive. This is a good start and I hope iRiver expands on this in the future.