Re: [orca-list] Ipods and Itunes - What are they about?

[Jacob Schmude <j schmude gmail com>]

Hi
On Oct 26, 2009, at 09:17, Georgina Joyce wrote:
Could someone explain in simple terms what Itunes and Ipods are all
> about?  How different is it from using a standard mp3 player and  
> putting
> files into different directories?

I suppose, in actual usage terms, it's not all that different except  
that your files are divided up by various categories (artist, album,  
genre, etc) and you use iTunes to sync the files to the iPod so it  
mirrors the structure of your iTunes library.

> Yes you can buy electronic copies of
> music from itunes but will they only play on an Ipod?

No, as of mid 2008 Apple has removed all digital restrictions from  
iTunes music. They're standard AAC files and will play on any device  
that supports the m4a file type (MP4/AAC). Most devices do support  
this format.

> Are there Ipods that are accessible now?

Indeed there are. The 4th and 5th generation iPod Nano as well as the  
3rd generation iPod Shuffle all have the ability to sync pre-recorded  
spoken information generated by your computer's voice to the iPod.  
This includes artist names, song titles, and other information of this  
nature, allowing you to navigate most of the menus. In actual approach  
it's very similar to the Rockbox firmware's accessibility although  
much more of the menus are supported. The iPod Touch 3rd generation  
(the current model), as well as the iPhone 3GS, include Voiceover  
which is a full screen reader for these devices and does not rely on  
pre-generated files to make the device talk. Voiceover provides access  
to all the functions of the iPod Touch/iPhone as well as access to  
most of the 3rd party apps.

> Do these linux Ipod tools make storing andchoosing music easy?

After a fashion. However they do not always work with current iPod  
generations and support can take a while to arrive. Also, I do not  
believe that any of the Linux tools support the spoken files the iPod  
Nano and Shuffle rely on to make it speak. There was talk about adding  
this functionality to Gtkpod, but I don't know if anything ever came  
of it.

> I'm guessing Itunes and Ipods  don't handle in any shape or form  
> with vorbis ogg files?

Unfortunately, you'd be correct. They support mp3, AAC, Apple  
Lossless, AIFF, and Wave.
> In short, how accessible is an Ipod and Itunes from the linux  
> platform and what are the advantages over a standard mp3 player?

From the Linux platform at the moment I'd have to say not very  
accessible, unless support for the latest models of iPod Touch arrives  
in the Linux tools soon. I have an iPod Touch but I use it from the  
Macintosh, and I'd have to say its advantages are many as it's not so  
much an mp3 player as a PDA bordering on a fully capable pocket  
computer. However, to the best of my knowledge, you can't use this new  
model of iPod Touch with Linux yet. Alternatively if the Linux tools  
now support the spoken items on the Nano and Shuffle, those would be  
quite accessible from Linux as the Nano, at least, is supported by  
most of the Linux tools though I'm not sure if the Shuffle is.
>
hth