Do we need any of the things in our house... or even the house for that matter I mean all you need to survive is food, water, and air.

But all the little gadgets are what make life easier/fun.
I don't need my PC, mp3 or xbox. But I ENJOY having them and use them everyday.

Don't get me started on apple. I refuse to buy an ipod/phone because they only work with effing itunes files which cost more to download and i already have the mp3 or wma format which my creative zen plays just fine and it hasn't hiccuped once in 2 years of a pretty rough life.

Even with the previous rant on ipods I might just steal Wayne's just for the Top Gear content. You guys got me hooked and I just have the old fashioned antenna and can only watch what gets posted on youtube.

Eh? First I've heard of that. I thought the iPod could play any MP3 file...

Maybe so but thats what I've always heard. And yes i realize that i could burn all my music to cd then rip back to itunes but that would take weeks to complete and quite frankly im lazy.

"that's what I've always heard..."

You need to listen to people who aren't misinformed morons ;)

iTunes will import from a CD to:

aac
mp3
aiff
wav
apple lossless

You can choose a variety of bitrates for mp3 and aac (up to 320kbps) as well as sample rates (up to 48Khz). For aiff and wav you can choose the sample rates (they are lossless formats). It will also convert unprotected WMA files to AAC.

It never ceases to amaze me how much misinformation is out there...

If you have already ripped a bunch of mp3 files, you would just either click and drag them into iTunes or use the import function. It would read the meta data and automatically organize them. The only issue would be if you didn't get any meta data when you originally ripped. Really...it is that easy.

[QUOTE=nostatic;3676411

You need to listen to people who aren't misinformed morons ;)

[/QUOTE]

Sorry its a side effect of growing up in Western Oklahoma...bunch of misinformed rednecks. Anyways thanks for the advice i might buy one next time.

Careful about ripiing CDs!
 

Download Uproar: Record Industry Goes After Personal Use



<TABLE id=content_column_table style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: right" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=238><TBODY><TR><TD width=10></TD><TD width=228>


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
By Marc Fisher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 30, 2007;


Despite more than 20,000 lawsuits filed against music fans in the years since they started finding free tunes online rather than buying CDs from record companies, the recording industry has utterly failed to halt the decline of the record album or the rise of digital music sharing.
Still, hardly a month goes by without a news release from the industry's lobby, the Recording Industry Association of America, touting a new wave of letters to college students and others demanding a settlement payment and threatening a legal battle.
Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.
The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings.
"I couldn't believe it when I read that," says Ray Beckerman, a New York lawyer who represents six clients who have been sued by the RIAA. "The basic principle in the law is that you have to distribute actual physical copies to be guilty of violating copyright. But recently, the industry has been going around saying that even a personal copy on your computer is a violation."
RIAA's hard-line position seems clear. Its Web site says: "If you make unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings, you're stealing. You're breaking the law and you could be held legally liable for thousands of dollars in damages."
They're not kidding. In October, after a trial in Minnesota -- the first time the industry has made its case before a federal jury -- Jammie Thomas was ordered to pay $220,000 to the big record companies. That's $9,250 for each of 24 songs she was accused of sharing online.
Whether customers may copy their CDs onto their computers -- an act at the very heart of the digital revolution -- has a murky legal foundation, the RIAA argues. The industry's own Web site says that making a personal copy of a CD that you bought legitimately may not be a legal right, but it "won't usually raise concerns," as long as you don't give away the music or lend it to anyone.
Of course, that's exactly what millions of people do every day. In a Los Angeles Times poll, 69 percent of teenagers surveyed said they thought it was legal to copy a CD they own and give it to a friend. The RIAA cites a study that found that more than half of current college students download music and movies illegally.
The Howell case was not the first time the industry has argued that making a personal copy from a legally purchased CD is illegal. At the Thomas trial in Minnesota, Sony BMG's chief of litigation, Jennifer Pariser, testified that "when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." Copying a song you bought is "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy,' " she said.
But lawyers for consumers point to a series of court rulings over the last few decades that found no violation of copyright law in the use of VCRs and other devices to time-shift TV programs; that is, to make personal copies for the purpose of making portable a legally obtained recording.
As technologies evolve, old media companies tend not to be the source of the innovation that allows them to survive. Even so, new technologies don't usually kill off old media: That's the good news for the recording industry, as for the TV, movie, newspaper and magazine businesses. But for those old media to survive, they must adapt, finding new business models and new, compelling content to offer.
The RIAA's legal crusade against its customers is a classic example of an old media company clinging to a business model that has collapsed. Four years of a failed strategy has only "created a whole market of people who specifically look to buy independent goods so as not to deal with the big record companies," Beckerman says. "Every problem they're trying to solve is worse now than when they started."
The industry "will continue to bring lawsuits" against those who "ignore years of warnings," RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy said in a statement. "It's not our first choice, but it's a necessary part of the equation. There are consequences for breaking the law." And, perhaps, for firing up your computer.


<!-- sphereit end -->

The RIAA claiming they represent the "best interests" of the music industry is like having a dog say he represents the best interests of the fire hydrant industry.

ha ha life is getting easier on all of us...how many of us can start a fire without matches or a lighter?

ok my touch is now 1.1.2 Jailbroke. It was pretty simple to do, follow this guide and it's downloads. http://www.touchdev.net/wiki/Jailbreak_1.1.2

So now what are some of the better apps to install for the touch? Many of them are phone based so this is why I ask. Mail program would be best...which do you use Wayne?

that's why we have the interwebs ;)

Sorry, but seeing totally wrong information propagated cranks me off sometimes. Especially when it is a truly revolutionary product (and resulting sour grapes from some people).

cool....Guitar Hero on my iPod. Yeah this is something I DON'T need. lol

Are we still talking about the ipod touch here?

thank you Wayne, I will try and find it for my touch.

whew...that was no simple install.

Had trouble with the 1.1.1 iPhone apps, all would work but email would shut down after a few seconds.

Went back through the iPod files and set all of the added apps/files to 0755 and also added the newer 1.1.2 iPhone apps and that was a fix.

So now all the iPhone apps and add on programs are working. :D

I have an Iphone question... Is apple releasing or planning to release them on any other networks?

yes, at&t's exclusive is time limited.

you could buy one and unlock it.

last I heard ~18-20% of sold iphones are not activated with at&t.

consensus is they ended up mainly in europe and were unlocked and are being used on networks other than at&t

Wouldn't that be a "no" then if Apple isn't doing it themselves? Is this unlocking something that voids a warranty?

thanks im not too worried about right now due to lack of funds and the fact that its become a status symbol among the local high roller crowd and thus making me shy away frm it simply b/c i refuse to be associated with them.

Which is sad b/c its a great phone and most of the ppl that are buying them have no idea what its capable of or how to run the thing.

yeah, ending up with a $400 brick is part of the risk

I think the reason for the lack of storage in the Iphone is because they are using flash storage vs a hard drive. With Flash storage you don't get as much storage but you don't have to worry about moving parts. This is the reason behind the units durability. Plus you get a much longer battery life. Maybe soon they will make a larger flash storage or an SD card slot or something. I don't own a Iphone yet but I will probably down the road. The Palm Treo I am using is still doing what it is supposed to.

The storage issue is a big problem. Like it would of really killed them to put a mini SD slot and add a gig or two of memory like my cheap cell phone. As far as the hack you did Wayne, can you tell me exactly where you went. I did a search and I was coming up with information both positive and negative about hacking it. From my brief look, I have to downgrade my operating software, hack, and then upgrade. What apps are available that really make this worth it? And again, its not for me and my 15yo daughter seems to like it the way it is just fine. But you know us, we love to tinker.;)

Start here: http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22
EVERYTHING you need to know for the 1.1.1 downgrade, and the Jailbreak and 1.1.2 upgrade are here.

As for apps, just about anything you can think of that would be useful on a handheld device such as Palm, HP iPaq or Iphone. The main thing that makes these apps nice is when used in a WI FI area.

I used an HP iPaq for the fast 3 years and now my iPot is able to replace it and give me all the features I wanted.

Turning the iPot into a "Brick" is possible but from first hand knowledge if you follow the instructions for the Jailbreak then it's a no brainer.

Thanks!

the 1.1.3 firmware will be out soon, and will break it again ;)

Sorry, but I don't crack my phone. I need it to work all the time. I leave it stock and it works great. I accept the limitations and work around them.

If I were using the phone then I would do the same, very pleased with how well the crack worked with the touch however.

So what do you fellas think of the iPod Touch now?

Apple has released the new firmware and it includes some iPhone apps (for $20)...or do like me and just keep the jailbreak version and use the apps you choose.

I have had no issues, battery life is pretty damn good, love all the little things it does so much that I will likely get the iPhone when I finally move south (not sure when/where just know it will be south of Montana) to the world of modern communication.