Six little applications which give the iPod a makeover into something more than just a music player. Play on.
The iconic iPod has spawned a bounty of “apps” riches. For many of us the iPod verbalizes as music on the go. But in practical reality the iPod is as simple as they come. Transfer music and/or video (or “sync” as the jargon goes) using iTunes, plug the earphone into your ear and enjoy. iPod aficionados are a happy lot but don’t we all wish that it could just offer a bit more. We didn’t have long to despair because some nifty third party applications have promised and delivered the full power of the player. From traveling directions to reading books and mail, the army of software’s has given the Apple device a dose of near Kryptonic powers. Is this stretching the hyperbole a bit too far? Find out if these six apps work for you.
iGadget
This powerful application literally transforms the iPod into something resembling a PDA. From Outlook you can transfer your mail, notes and appointments to your iPod with the help of iGadget. Add to that list – text files, RSS feeds, weather forecasts and daily horoscopes. Want to transfer back some songs from the iPod to your PC? This piece of work can do that too. But like all good things in life, iGadget comes with a small price tag. But $15 and the download from www.purpleghost.com will turn your iPod into a personal digital assistant.
iDump
Grab this from www.codershole.com/iDump.php and you get complete control over transfer of song files from the iPod to the PC. It’s no fuss software; it lets you search for the songs to transfer and you also get to choose the output name format of the songs. But the coolest thing about this application is that it is free.
iDirectionz
Some of us are inveterate travelers and someone just did us a favor by releasing an application to help us find our way around. It’s the next best thing to GPS. if you are still waiting for the first GPS kit for the iPod then take this app from Verstige out for a spin. (The download is also available from Cnet.com.) Download the software, enter your source location and your destination, you get your driving directions in a text file. Transfer them to your iPod’s Notes folder. This is free to use and comes handy in case you plan to get lost.
Party Pro
From this site – www.helmesinnovations.com comes the Party Pro, your personal party guide. 800 drink recipes with photos, 55 drinking games, tips for the bartender, pick-up lines for the verbally challenged and a great global database on clubs and bars (only for US and Europe cities). As their are no free lunches, this software retails for $9.99 only.
Canto Pod
If you are as fastidious about the lyrics as you are about the songs then the Canto Pod is for you. A free software (at last), it gets the lyrics of your songs on your iPod and saves them in the Contacts menu. It takes a bit of a workaround because of the slightly complicated interface, but it is well worth for its utility. The slight dampener is that it understands only English songs.
Encyclopodia
An Open Source Project from www.encyclopodia.sourceforge.net, this neat bit of software is an information repository for the pocket. Users can access information sourced from Wikipedia using the scrollwheel. It is a bit of pain for the fingers but you can bet it is good for the brain. It might not work well with some of the newer iPods but their is no harm in giving it a try. It’s free.
The world of the iPod is now big and you can bet that their are many more applications on the way. We can only complain about the wait.
Nida | 
12 5th, 2008| 
