Other Gadgets (general gadgets)

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
There is on my Mac. It's called iSync (or Mail, Address Book, and Calendar). I sync to my ipod and to my cell phone. (BTW, if you use entourage, get e2sync, which will transfer all info to those programs from entourage)

I actually would worry about syncing from two sources, because they tend to overwrite each other.

Anyway, the monkey has a better idea on the uniden, but my sense was that it simply used bluetooth to use your cell phone as a second line. Basically the phone pretends to be a handsfree/headset, and can communicate with your cell phone that way, either to dial or answer. Further integration has not yet been supplied. The uniden claims to be able to sync with your PC (but not mac) through its own software, so it can get your contacts that way. I would think you might be able to transfer directly, too, but probably manually.

how long has iSync been around?

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Question from an iPod late adopter:

iTunes is giving me problems when I try to load music from existing CDs. Each time I try to do so, two things happen:

* Speed starts out pretty high (10.something x) but quickly drops down to 3x or 2x or so.

* It loads the first few songs fine, but any larger task (loading an album, or 10-20 songs, etc.), the entire computer crashes, and I've got to reboot.

It's entirely possible that the problem is unrelated to iTunes itself, as the computer is probably in need of a good cleansing, but I thought I'd ask in case this particular problem was recognizable to anyone else.

Thoughts?

Sounds like your computer is fucked up, but have you tried reloading the iTunes software?

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Sounds like your computer is fucked up, but have you tried reloading the iTunes software?

Yeah. Downloaded the new version of iTunes the other night. Downloading music from the website works fine, it's just when I try to load CDs that it fucks up.

A call to the Geek Squad is probably in order.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Yeah. Downloaded the new version of iTunes the other night. Downloading music from the website works fine, it's just when I try to load CDs that it fucks up.

A call to the Geek Squad is probably in order.

My ipod has decided not to charge anymore when I plug it in. Pain in the ass. It looks like it is charging when it's plugged in, but then when I unplug it (after several hours), it tells me that the battery is low and it has no power. What do you mean by Geek Squad? customer service?

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
What do you mean by Geek Squad? customer service?

I mean these guys.



Not for the iTunes in particular, but for some general, overpriced help to clean the crud that's otherwise accumulated in my computer and is probably the cause of the problem. I don't have the requisite level of trust in bribing someone from my IT department to help me, and clearly I lack the technical ability to diagnose the problem myself.

Gattigap

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
My ipod has decided not to charge anymore when I plug it in. Pain in the ass. It looks like it is charging when it's plugged in, but then when I unplug it (after several hours), it tells me that the battery is low and it has no power. What do you mean by Geek Squad? customer service?

I think there has been a few lawsuits on this and you can get a rebate/replacement.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
My ipod has decided not to charge anymore when I plug it in. Pain in the ass. It looks like it is charging when it's plugged in, but then when I unplug it (after several hours), it tells me that the battery is low and it has no power. What do you mean by Geek Squad? customer service?

1) See lawsuit issue.

2) Does it actually have no juice? When I take mine off the charger, it says, say 1/4 full. But it's full, and within about 1 hour the meter/gauge is back up to full (or close to). and it lasts a few hours.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
how long has iSync been around?

Quite some time. At least a couple of years, if not longer. It's built in. (Also, it's gotten a lot better in the most recent iterations.)

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
1) See lawsuit issue.

2) Does it actually have no juice? When I take mine off the charger, it says, say 1/4 full. But it's full, and within about 1 hour the meter/gauge is back up to full (or close to). and it lasts a few hours.

thanks (to you and club and gatti).

It actually has no juice. will not run.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Question from an iPod late adopter:

iTunes is giving me problems when I try to load music from existing CDs. Each time I try to do so, two things happen:

* Speed starts out pretty high (10.something x) but quickly drops down to 3x or 2x or so.

* It loads the first few songs fine, but any larger task (loading an album, or 10-20 songs, etc.), the entire computer crashes, and I've got to reboot.

"Loading" music from "existing" CDs is called ripping.

It's ordinary for CDs to rip at widely varied speeds, for a number of reasons, including the fact that the transfer rate increases with the data radius --- the disc is spinning "faster" in relation to the read-head at the outer edge and "slower" at the spindle when the disc is spinning at a constant RPM. Different songs on the same disc will therefore rip at substantially different speeds, assuming a constant angular velocity.

Ripping to AAC or MP3 is a down-conversion, which is a fairly processor-intensive thing to ask the computer to do. You may be asking too much of your CD drivers and processor. Are you running a Mac or a PC? How old? Are you trying to run other programs in the background?

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
"Loading" music from "existing" CDs is called ripping.

I know. Coming so late to the party with an iTunes question, though, I thought I should be more humble and not try to affect any infringer cred.

It's ordinary for CDs to rip at widely varied speeds, for a number of reasons, including the fact that the transfer rate increases with the data radius --- the disc is spinning "faster" in relation to the read-head at the outer edge and "slower" at the spindle when the disc is spinning at a constant RPM. Different songs on the same disc will therefore rip at substantially different speeds, assuming a constant angular velocity.

Makes sense, though I've tried as a workaround having the tracks ripped (hmm, seems safe, now) to .wma files and having them converted to AAC. The dynamic above still applies, which shouldn't occur were the CD the problem.

Ripping to AAC or MP3 is a down-conversion, which is a fairly processor-intensive thing to ask the computer to do. You may be asking too much of your CD drivers and processor. Are you running a Mac or a PC? How old? Are you trying to run other programs in the background?

Running a PC. It's only two year old Dell Latitude, so I wouldn't imgaine this to be a problem, but you never know. I've tried this both with, and without, programs in the background.

[pony_trekker]

I have used my Palm Zire 71 mainly as a vehicle for synchronizing my work calendar (PC Based Outlook) and my powerbook (Ical).

It really sucks. 1/2 the time it doesn't sync everything. The other 1/2 the time it syncs too much stuff and you have double apointments. 1 in 100 syncs it just deletes everything.

Does anyone have any other suggestions other than palm for keeping the two schedules linked? Ipod won't work because I don't think you can go ipod---> outlook.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by pony_trekker
I have used my Palm Zire 71 mainly as a vehicle for synchronizing my work calendar (PC Based Outlook) and my powerbook (Ical).

It really sucks. 1/2 the time it doesn't sync everything. The other 1/2 the time it syncs too much stuff and you have double apointments. 1 in 100 syncs it just deletes everything.

Does anyone have any other suggestions other than palm for keeping the two schedules linked? Ipod won't work because I don't think you can go ipod---> outlook.

Look into The Missing Sync

I haven't used it personally, but it's supposed to be pretty good. I think it does what you're looking for.

Depending on how good/bad your firm's security is, it may be possible to sync your home iCal directly with the company's exchange server. Or you can use entourage to do the same, with built in exchange support.

[pony_trekker]

I am thinking of getting one. Canon has the Elura which is 1.3 megapixel video and which seems to be good and the Optura which is more expensive but 2.2 megapixel.

Any thoughts or xperiences?

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by pony_trekker
I am thinking of getting one. Canon has the Elura which is 1.3 megapixel video and which seems to be good and the Optura which is more expensive but 2.2 megapixel.

Any thoughts or xperiences?

I have teh panasonic GS-120 (I think that's the number, 3 ccd version, now the GS-250 or so). It's great. Works great with iMovie too. Low light's not the best, though.

When I did the research, I recall that a number of people had issues with Canon, but I don't recall exactly what. Seemed to think Sony was a better way to go.