A Surprising Free Feature From iTunes

[MardiGras Dave]

Before you read this thread, I want to make a quick point... I am not here to praise Apple or iPod. I, like you, have chosen not to jump on the iPod bandwagon because we are smart enough to know that there is something much better! With that said... please do not use this single thread to slam Apple, iPod, or iTunes.

What I am simply trying to do is to inform you of a service that you may, or may not want to take advantage of. Its your choice.

I am writing about this for one purpose only... to give you all a new free way of downloading material to your Cowon product (or any other media player) that plays 'Mpeg's.

If you feel the need to flame iPod... Please start a new thread. I have heard all of the negative issues with iPod and I agree! I think they suck too, I think that they can go f*ck themselves too, I think iPod is Crap, I think that Steve Jobs is Satan, just like you do... Now that has been said... please don't repeat it or anything else negative.

I will never buy an iPod... but I will take advantage of some of the free services that are available to iPod customers as well as everybody who has a computer and/or a media player device!!! I'm talking about iTunes.

iTunes is Free. You don't have to buy anything to download the software to your computer. iTunes is not SPYWARE. It is a simple online tool that Apple has built for its iPod customer. There is a lot of free stuff on iTunes... and I am talking about 'Podcast'.

Where Cowon, as a company, has lost its interest in 'Jetcast'... iTunes has been very successfull with it. Programing through 'Podcast' has done extremly well. I get:
'60 minutes' episodes, play by play reviews of 'the Family Guy', photoshop radio, cooking programing, NPR news feeds, MTV news, The Happy Tree friends, ESPN radio.... and even links to 1000s and thousands of free media downloads!

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But, I thought that iTunes only plays 'ACC' format not readable on Cowon Media Players?

Most of the formats that I have run across are on 'Podcast' are in a 'Mpeg' format. There is obviously 2 different forms of 'Mpeg'. One that plays video & audio and one that is audio only. iTunes will list the format that the file is in.
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In the 'Free' software for iTunes... they have a management features that allow you to subscribe to Podcast... such as: CBS radio. I can subscribe to '60 minutes'. When I load iTunes on my computer... I can press a button that will automatically download all of the items that I have subscribed to... for FREE! But before I load the program... I clear my 'podcast' folder in MyMusic folder on my computer. Then when the 'Mpegs' are downloaded to that folder... I then transfer those files to my 'U3'. On the way to work (a 45-minute drive) I can listen to anything that I downloaded that morning. All for FREE! And there is some really cool stuff that comes through iTunes.

Im not sure if this will work for anything but Media Players that play movies because of the Mpeg format. Does the 'U2' play 'Audio Mpegs'? Im sure that we will know soon... because if it doesn't...the 'U2' owners will be sure to let us know of their displeasure!

[dfkt]

Cthulhu be thanked, you don't need iTunes (which I hate and which IS spyware (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/12/itunes_602_spyware_claim/) - at least for non-computer-savvy folks, and which I would like to bash like the iPod, but not in this thread :winker:) for listening to podcasts. There are much better, less bloated, apps for listening to podcasts, like Juice (http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/), for example...

[MardiGras Dave]

Cthulhu be thanked, you don't need iTunes (which I hate and which IS spyware (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/12/itunes_602_spyware_claim/) - at least for non-computer-savvy folks, and which I would like to bash like the iPod, but not in this thread :winker:) for listening to podcasts. There are much better, less bloated, apps for listening to podcasts, like Juice (http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/), for example...

Yeah! 'Juice' looks like what I wanted in the first place!

Why have you not posted a link to it before?

[dfkt]

Heh, noone asked me about podcasting software until now. :winker:

[MardiGras Dave]

Heh, noone asked me about podcasting software until now. :winker:
:lol:

I am downloading it now and I will post a review! :bigthumbs

[Vlad Tepes Drac]

what exactly is podcasting? never really looked into it

[dfkt]

what exactly is podcasting? never really looked into it

http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/faq/index.php#5

It's sorta web-radio-on-demand...

[fracer]

dfkt, I use feed demon for automatic downloading of podcasts(rss), pretty excellent program btw.

On your comment about Juice, yea its pretty simple and efficient, I used it when it first came out, it was called "IPODDER", and apple yelled at the programmers to change the name to something else...since it already had the lemon logo they changed it to "juice"...:winker:

[Dadship12]

I've used iPodder for quite a while now to get my podcasts. Its an interesting medium that slowly gaining recognition outside the 'tech' world. iTunes was a big step for podcasting since so many people had it for their iPods. Unfortunetly this is also a promotion for Apple since the term 'podcasts' was derived from 'iPod'. Still a great service.

edit: they changed it to juice? Maybe I need to update since mine still says iPodder....

[MardiGras Dave]

i checked out Juice... But I think that iTunes Podcasting Service is much Better. Its packaged nicer... Damn Shame if you ask me... but if it works.. it works!

I don't mind using their service if I don't have to pay for it!

what exactly is podcasting? never really looked into it Anyone who can record voice and digitize it into a readable format can upload material on Podcast services. For-profit & non-profit companies have gotten into distributing podcast. There is some really cool sh*t out there...and there is a lot of crap.

[Ant]

DFKT, does it really matter that much if a company knows what your listening too? they keep records of what you buy online, (top 40/100 etc.) same as shops have kept records of cds sold for the top 40. What difference does it make? especially as it can be disabled.
Whilst i too hate ipods and itunes, etc. i can't see that this is really a just argument against them. Seems to me to be more intended as a useful feature anyway, but so what if it isnt?

[dfkt]

Ant, sure, it's not the most evil thing in the computer/audio/media/sales-business.

I'd just rather use a specialised, open-source application that does its one job well, than use a bloated application with tons of (for this case) useless features and advertisements.

The bad thing is that people will get used to this certain bad program and use it for everything: CD ripping, file tagging, podcast listening, online audio shopping, loading their DAP, etc... and it's just not the best solution for most of these requirements, at least in my opinion and for my needs.

Sure, it obviously works for technophobes and people that just don't care about their audio, but if you step up a level in your desires for good quality, more control over what you're doing, and how you're doing it with your audio, then I guess iTunes is the wrong choice.

Everyone should choose the way he/she wants to go, I'm just preaching for the somehow not-so-corporate way, since not everyone is informed that there is a choice. :winker: (But of course, in this forum I'm preaching to the choir!)