Lots of excellent iPod online learning from excellent teachers!
Lots of people will be getting all sorts of Mac gadgets and to go with them there are lots of online articles and inexpensive books that make the experience much more enjoyable and productive.
New iPod owners can get lots of help from the web and get up to speed using their iPods very quickly. The iPod is a well -- designed device that is easy to control -- once you understand its controls and how they work. Because the iPod is likely quite different from other devices you have used, it can take a little time to get totally comfortable controlling one.
Brad Miser has posted a free chapter Using an iPod, from his book Absolute Beginner's Guide to the iPod and iTunes, that will teach you about the iPod's controls and how to use them. You'll also come to know (and love) the iPod's menu structure and the major screens with which you will deal -- whether you have an iPod or an iPod mini.
Brad has written extensively about computers and related technology, with his favorite topics being anything that starts with a lowercase i, such as the iPod and iTunes. In addition to Absolute Beginner's Guide to the iPod and iTunes, Brad has written many other books, including Special Edition Using Mac OS X, v10.3 Panther (a User Group Network Editor's Choice book); Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle (Mac/Graphics); Mac OS X and iLife: Using iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD; iDVD 3 Fast & Easy; and others. He has also been an author, development editor, or technical editor on more than 50 other titles; a featured speaker on various computer-related topics at Macworld Expo, at user group meetings and in other venues.
Another excellent online article "Using an iPod" is a free chapter from Tim Robertson's iPod and iTunes Starter Kit (432 pages from Que). In this online chapter Tim shows you how to connect an iPod to headphones or speakers so you can hear its music; tour the iPod's menus and screens utilize the Backlight, and more.
The iPod and iTunes are the hottest technologies in the world of digital music today! The iPod and iTunes Starter Kit, provides all the information that music fans need to get the most out these amazing digital music tools. From the basics of listening to audio CDs, to advanced customizing of music on an iPod, the book equips Mac and Windows users who have never explored digital audio to master digital music by using these tools. Included in the kit is a CD with FREE downloads (an $80 value) of various software products for your iPod and your iTunes such as Lyripod 1.0, GNUpod, Music Publisher, RadioLover 1.2, RockStar 1.0 and much more. (Paperback 432 pages from Que Publishing. Also see: Easy Digital Music by Tom Bunzel)
Maria Langer, author of the hit book Mac OS X Advanced: Visual QuickPro Guide provides an excellent online article, complete with pictures, called: Creating a Slide Show with Music on an iPod iPhoto. Maria says:
"I just bought an iPod Photo. I already had an iPod - the original 5MB model -- and I use it quite often. It meets all my needs, even though it holds a measly 1,000 songs. (Come on, how many songs do you really need to take on the road?) And no pictures. But I needed an iPod Photo to write the iPod pages of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Visual QuickStart Guide, the upcoming revision of my Mac OS X book. And now that I have my iPod Photo in my hot little hands, I'm coming up with all kinds of ways to use all of its features."
Also from Maria: OS X File Management using the Finder to organize and manage your files from viewing the contents of your disks to burning CDs: OS X Finder Basics for using the Finder and items that appear on the Mac OS X desktop; and What's New in Mac OS X 10.3 Panther?. Maria has authored literally dozens of books on the Mac including the Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide
Take your Mac to the limit and BEYOND... when this book arrived, I couldn't put it down! Leo Laporte TechTV host shows you all the coolest add-ons and gadgets for your Mac! Each chapter is devoted to a particular genre of products -- complete with details and recommendations -- Leo even picks his favorites!
This is the first book devoted to covering Macintosh gadgets, written by Leo Laporte - one of the most widely recognized voices in Mac technology today.
Leo Laporte hosts two shows on TechTV (formerly ZDTV), a 24-hour cable channel dedicated to computers and the Internet. The Screen Savers airs live weekdays from 7-8p Eastern time. Call for Help is live weekdays from 3-4p Eastern. He appears regularly on other television and radio programs including ABC's World News Now and Live with Regis and Kelly. He is the author of Leo Laporte's 2003 Computer Almanac, published by Que and named Pearson Technology Group's Book of the Year in 2002.
Leo Laporte's 2005 Mac Gadget Guide by Leo Laporte, Todd Stauffer lists for $24.99, but is available from Amazon for up to 30% off. Paperback: 304 pages. (There's also a Leo Laporte's 2005 Gadget Guide for Windows!)
With all the gizmos and gadgets for your computer there will also be a learning curve. Some devices will take more learning and some will take less. I'm not trying to tell you NOT to buy a book -- of course books represent the best value in learning you can get -- but snoop around first on the internet and see if the training lesson or tutorial is available online.
Until next time, happy mousing.
Fred Showker, Editor/Publisher UG Net News
Fred Showker is co-editor of "MUG Info Manager," the User Group Network News service, and a founding Apple User Group Advisory Board (UGAB) member. He was an original founder of the User Group Forum on AppleLink Personal Edition which became America Online in 1988 ... read more
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