1. I have a video iPod so I often will buy a few songs I have been coveting and then head straight for the movies/tv shows.  Of course the best way to save your money is to download the freebies on iTunes. If you go to the homepage of the iTunes store and scroll down toward the bottom of the page, iTunes will have a section called Free on iTunes. They change the options every so often. I’ve downloaded episodes of shows like Gossip Girl, ‘Till Death, and Lost for free!!
2. A second way to maximize your money is to find “movie length” tv shows. I’m sure they are elsewhere, but Lifetime has movies for $3.99 instead of the regular $15. They are perfect for a plane ride across the country and I can download 4 for the price of 1. I know what you’re going to say - it’s only for women but you’re wrong. I guauantee there are some men out there who would enjoy some of these movies!
3. A third way to make the most of your money is to RENT movies on iTunes. Most movies are $2.99 and new releases are 3.99. Rental parameters include 30 days to watch the movie and once you have started it - you have 24 hours to finish it. The viewing works very much like Pay Per View.
4. A final way to maximize your money is to start watching Indie films! They range from $2 to $10.

Good luck getting the biggest bang for your buck. If you have other methods - please write in and let us know!!

If giving a $100 gift is a little pricey - have your family reimburse you  for some of the $115 and you can pocket some cash for other gifts. You’ll be a huge hit this season!!

1. Open iTunes and Click the Party Shuffle icon right under your Playlists area.
2. A new pane will pop up on the bottom of the page that enables you to choose your source, display from 5 to 100 recently play songs and upcoming songs. In this area, you can choose to play music from your whole library or a certain Playlist.
3. If you are unhappy with the song list, click on the Refresh (or Shuffle) button on the bottom right of your screen. (This may vary based on iTunes version). This will generate a whole new list for you.
4. After you are generally satisfied, you can manually add and delete songs from the Playlist as you typically do. You can also rearrange the order of the songs. To add songs, make sure your Source is set to “Music” and then drag your selected songs onto the Party Shuffle icon.
5. Click the play button and let the good times roll!!!

Have fun!

I did a little searching and I wish I had this great article: The Beginner’s Guide to Filling Your iPod that I found on iLounge. It is very complete and goes through each of the sections of iTunes that I was referring to on the phone.

I hope this helps some of you shorten those long phone calls!

The number one way to set up the account without a credit card is to buy an iTunes gift card, gift certificate or allowance and enter it into iTunes to Redeem it. You can buy a gift card at many retail locations including grocery stores, pharmacies and electronic stores. As you go through the process to redeem your iTunes gift, you will be prompted to set up and account. Once you have redeemed your money, it will show up in your iTunes account and you will have access to it.

Although I don’t think this second option enables you to create and account, it does allow you to have access to the iTunes store. If you have a .MAC or AOL account, you can use your existing account address to access the iTunes store.

Check out these two other questions to learn about some other people’s experiences with this problem and the solutions that worked best for them. It seems the gift card route is really the way to go.

Question about downloading iTunes free videos

Question about using an AOL account

Shaun, thanks for your question and I hope this helps.

Once your photos are on your iPod, select Photos > Slideshow Settings inthe main menu on your iPod. You will see several options that offer a variety of settings.

Time Per Slide: This setting allows you to spend up to 20 seconds on each photo. Your other option is to manually click through each image.

Music:This setting allows you to choose a Playlist to accompany your slideshow OR you can choose silence.

Repeat:This option will enable your slideshow to repeat itself after it has gone through a cycle.

Shuffle Photos:Sometimes we like our photos on order and sometimes we don’t. Choose On or Off to keep your pics in line or to shuffle them.

Transitions:It’s time to get fancy! Choose from 12 transition options including dissolve, swirl, and push down.

TV Out:Display your slideshow on your TV for everyone to share. Choose from 3 options, On, Off or Ask. To display the slideshow on your TV, choose either On or Ask. On will connect with the TV and Ask will ask you to choose between TV and iPod before the show starts. Off is pretty self explanatory!

TV Signal: Here you will see 2 choices;NTSC (which you should choose if you are connecting to a TV in North or South America or East Asia)  and PAL which you should choose for most other places.

I hope this helps you use your iPod as more than a music machine - use it as a memory preserver and a brag tool!

Why am I bringing this up - well our birthdays are this weekend and she wants another iPod! She currently owns a 4GB Nano and really wants to upgrade to a video. Seeing as I’m in the business of iPod Trade-in Trade-up (www.BeyondThePod.com) she let me know she wanted a new iPod Classic 80GB Video for her birthday. I said, ”Great - if you let me sell your Nano - the new video won’t cost as much.” Well, apparently her old Nano is going to her hubby so she didn’t want to sell it. That makes sense. I personally use 2 different iPods and my husband has one as well. We’ve traded up several times already - but have chosen to keep a few at home.

I was just wondering - how many iPods reside in your household? Did you start with one and find you now have 2 or 3 among your family members? Just curious. Please write in and let us all know - I’d love to understand the trends!!

Pros:

1. Good size for a smaller bedside table
2. Charges iPod while connected
3. Can accommodate any size iPod including Shuffle
4. Plays music and videos through speakers
5. Comes with carry case
6. Speakers can rest down or be positioned up
7. Can be used as alarm clock with or without iPod
8. Easy to set
9. Comes with a remote control
10. Offers battery back-up in case there is no available outlet or power goes out
11. Able to use it with other MP3 player besides iPod

Cons:

1. Not your typical small travel alarm clock (it’s much bigger in size)
2. The AC adapter doesn’t fit in the travel case
3. I would like the volume to be even lower than the lowest for sleep mode

For her birthday, I bought my mom the Accurian™ Alarm Clock for iPod. I wanted to know if she would be able to figure out how to work it herself. Nope - sadly she needed help with it. Although she really likes the form factor - I don’t think she has ever really used it. I used it, however, when I was sleeping at her house. The difficult usability of this item is reflected in the lower price point ($20 - $30). I’m not going to offer a pro/con for this item. Just know when you purchase it - and set the iPod to show the Alarm and time - the light stays on. There must be a way for it to go off- but I couldn’t find it. So the bright light from my iPod kept me up for a while. I would have turned the light off on my iPod - but I like to know what time it is while I’m sleeping. Needless to say - I don’t really recommend this item to anyone. Although it looks kind of cute - it’s not a great, user friendly product.

Fixing a laundered iPod

Well there is no guarantee that your iPod is going to continue to work - but if you read any of the entries from the link above, there IS HOPE!! The number one resolution to ensuring that your iPod will continue to work is NOT TO TURN IT ON after it has gotten wet. Apparently this can fry the hardware inside. If, however, your significant other washes your iPod, freaks out, and tries to turn it on thus causing more damage PLEASE DO NOT throw it across the room in a fit of rage! Again - there IS hope! Click this link to learn what one person did to get his iPod working again!

Have you dunked your iPod? I’d love to hear more stories both positive and negative about your trial and tribulations with this amazing little toy.

To set your iPod Alarm clock go to Extras > Clock > [Set & Select Location] > Alarm Clock. There will be 3 options on this screen - Alarm, Time & Sound.

1. First select > Alarm and turn it ON by hitting the select button. (The middle button on the iPod.)
2. After you have done this, scroll down and set the time you want the iPod to wake you up. Set your desired time by scrolling to the hour you want to wake up. Press Select to move over to set the minutes.
3. Once your alarm time is set - you need to determine if you would like to wake up via a “Beep” or one of your Playlists. Go back to the screen with the three alarm functions and select “Sound“. This will bring you to a screen where you can choose from any of your Playlists or the top option of “Beep”.

Once your alarm clock is set - a small bell icon will appear on the main clock screen. To stop the alarm after it goes off in the morning, press the Pause button. If you wake up early and don’t want your alarm to go off, go to Extras > Clock > Location > Alarm Clock> Alarm > Off.