iPod Software Update 1.2 Now Available

Walter Weeks writes "This afternoon Apple has released the much anticipated iPod Software Update 1.2. This update adds a slew of features and updates such as iCal support, a digital clock, sound check, restructuring of the menu hierarchy, and more! Currently, it is not available for Mac OS 9 nor via Software Update, but you can get it on Apple's iPod site." It also has the promised audible.com support. Now that I have a web browser in my phone and a calendar in the iPod and contacts in both, maybe I can get an iPod and sell the Palm. If only the phone or iPod had AvantGo ...

best new features

[arson1]

IMO, The new software updated let's your iPod keep track of the play counts, so when you synce back up to itunes, the songs you played while you were out are accoutned for.

That, and the calendar, just because it looks cool :)

Re:best new features

[tbmaddux]

I like the inclusion of browsing the iPod by genre, something I'd been missing (standard in iTunes) so much that I'd been building genre-based playlists just for the iPod.

Re:best new features

[Alex Thorpe]

The problem with browsing by genre for me is that many of my songs don't have one chosen, and some artists have multiple genres, sometimes on the same album if I ripped songs from them at different times. Heck, my Rammstein collection would show up in 5 different categories: Rock, Metal, Industrial, Alternative, Electronic.

I had been using cddb.com to look up album names for some songs. Doing so again for genre would take a LONG time!

iPod is my new PDA

[bastion_xx]

Seriously. I had a sweet Compaq PocketPC, but lost it (long story, long night). As such, I've been in the market to buy a new PDA.

Too bad some of the new integrated PDA/Cell phones weren't available (yet), so I looked at what my needs were:

1) Contacts - Read/only
2) Calendar
3) Storage
4) Cool new features - MP3 playback
5) Taking Notes

My usage is primary read-only and I use the PC (Mac) for managing everything. Seldom did I create contacts or calendar entries on my Pocket PC. However, daily I used to look up names and numbers or calendar entries. As for note taking, I always carry a pen. So as long as paper is still being made, I should be set.

With the new 10GB models and 1.2 of the code, I now have a new PDA. And it's a mad MP3 player as well!

Re:iPod is my new PDA

[funky womble]

You can get quite a long way with a standard mobile phone (not one of the new and expensive phone/PDAs). Most recent Nokias, for example, hold around 500 names along with space for email address, up to 4 phone numbers, address and notes, quite usable calendars, and big enough SMS memory to write yourself plonty of notes which can be organised into folders.

Much smaller than a PDA and when you're used to the keypad, typing on them is pretty fast. I'm sure other manufacturers have similar functions too.

Though an iPod would be a pretty cool thing to have too <grin>

Re:iPod is my new PDA

[iomud]

It'd be cool if they opened up the ipod firmware, I imagine we'd have all kinds of cool hacks out in no time. I cant complain though, Apple keeps increasing the ipod's versatility with each update.

My #1 wish for the iPod:

[imac.usr]

A tiny input device that plugs in either via the headphone jack (like the remote) or via the FireWire port, like the fold-up Palm keyboards.

The ability to modify contact entries and enter brief notes would mean I can stop having to find space in my backpack for my Newton. :P

Re:My #1 wish for the iPod:

[possibly0]

this isn't meant facetiously, but i would recommend a small pad of paper. you can write changes or notes on paper while you're out, and enter in into your computer when you get home. this is nice, too, because sitting down and going over what you've written is a good way of remembering it or planning what you need to do.

Re:My #1 wish for the iPod:

[am 2k]

The ability to modify contact entries and enter brief notes would mean I can stop having to find space in my backpack for my Newton

<Trying to imagine how to enter text using a wheel>

They added a clock function ...

[jkujawa]

But it has to be set by hand. Bwah?

Re:They added a clock function ...

[SlamMan]

Mine synced up the clock when I added had it adding songs to my iPod.

Ogg support possible?

[Outland Traveller]

Is there anything about the iPod that would preclude it from supporting Ogg/Vorbis in a future software update?

Re:Ogg support possible?

[andfarm]

Probably the fact that there is (as of yet) no integer-based decoder available for OGG. That, or weakness of the processor. AFAIK, it actually uses an ASIC for MPEG decoding, so that isn't being done by the processor at all.

Anyway, LAME at default VBR settings is transparent to most listeners and averages 1 MB/min. Good enough for me and my music.

Re:r3mix

[andfarm]

That's essentially what I'm using.

Avant Go

[GreenKiwi]

Check out ephpod [ephpod.com]. It can download news and weather.

What does 'spoken word support' mean?

[SIGFPE]

Huh?

Re:What does 'spoken word support' mean?

[rdarden]

From Audible.com: "Audible's spoken-word programs are downloaded in files designed to be more compressed than MP3 music files."

I presume that's what "spoken word support" means.

Updater for OS9

[Anonymous Coward]

is here [apple.com]

OS 9

[count3r]

Regarding it is not available for Mac OS 9, the iPod site contains this [apple.com] link that says it does.

..c

I am Ignignaut

[Gizzmonic]

And this is Ur.

>I hope you can see this, Because I'm doing it as hard as I possibly can!

No Linux on the iPod??

[pininfrna]

I would just like to acknowledge the restraint exhibited by the /. community in posting to this thread. I know at least ONE of you wanted to ask about an iPod linux distro...

Playlist on the fly?

[sulli]

This is the feature I still want .. I would love to be able to select the next 20 songs to play all at once. I presume not in this release?