Tag Archives: ipod

Guide On Cleaning the Screen on Your Apple iPod and iPhone

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So you own an Apple touchscreen product, huh? If yes, you most probably also realize how important it is to be regular about cleaning it. Ofcourse, with possession comes responsibility. The full glass screen on the Apple iPod and iPhone is a pretty sight, no doubt. However, it is absolutely no surprise that the pretty thing is a dust-cum-fingerprint magnet (It only sounds fancy, trust me).

Fear not, it takes merely a few minutes to bring back the shine on your beloved Apple iPod or iPhone and get it to look like a gleaming brand new handset yet again. Beware, taking things for granted almost always results in a disaster; therefore, we would recommend you to not try to be too over-confident and take our short guide on how you can clean the screen on your iPod or iPhone. Just so that we are sure you won’t try anything otherwise, let us emphasise that cleaning the touch screen in an improper manner can easily give rise to scratches on the screen and damage your idevice.

Squeaky Clean:

First thing’s first, be very careful as you remove your iPod or iPhone from its protective casing and make sure that you do this very gently as the highly sensitive glass screen on the touchscreen can be easily scratched upon impact, as mentioned before.

clean screen of ipod touch

All the cleaning products that are required for the act include: a lint-free cloth and an ammonia-free glass cleaner (Yep, that’s about it). If you are the perfectionist sort, we suspect that you won’t mind spending a few extra bucks on a special iPod or iPhone cleanser which, in fact, is easily and widely available in most computer retail shops.

As far as the process goes, start with spraying the cleanser on the glass touchscreen. In doing so, make sure that you do not target the connector block or the speakers which doesn’t take any time in causing a ruckus. Moreover, the Home button is another part on the iPod and iPhone that you need to watch out for. The crevices on the Home button can easily intercept moisture to the internal parts of the device, which is why you need to be extra careful while trying this. Moving on, take a cleaning cloth and wipe off traces of any dirt and oily fingerprints, that there may be, off your iPod or iPhone. With this done, you will not need to worry about minor scratches resulting from persistent friction with the dust settling on the glass screen of the device.

cleaning your iphone or ipod screen

Ending Note:

We do honestly hope that your iPod or iPhone lives, and lives long. It is; therefore, necessary for you to keep it squeaky clean and how you do that has already been thoroughly discussed in the aforementioned guide. Do it right and you shall surely reap rewards with a fresh look on the face of your iDevice. Just in case, if you wish to prevent scratches on your gadget, you may also purchase a brand new case for it. All in all, we wish you and your iPod / iPhone a prosperous life together.

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Top Five iOS Games (Apple iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch)

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Overview:

There is no denying the fact that Apple has, over the years, warmly welcomed tens of millions of iOS games developed for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Although we did talk about how the Apple iPad ‘revolutionized’ the tablet market and presented before you a list of quality gaming applications for your eyes in the not-so-recent past, we now decided to prepare a list of five best iOS games that really managed to prove their worth to date and still manage to draw gamers back to the action (which isn’t quite a battlefield; only just an IPS touchscreen but oh well). Yes, it is certainly not tough to find games on the App store (duh!) but amidst all the competition that goes it is surely a pain in the backside (of the head I mean) to enlist the best in the business. So then, let us do the favour and you sit back and admire as we present before you the top five iOS games for Apple iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch.

Here we go..

1. Cut The Rope: Experiments

For a game that that is becoming the fastest iOS game to manage a milestone with one million sales, surely there is no mention necessary (although we did mark it for your sheer convenience). Yes, you got that right-Cut The Rope: Experiments is the name of the deal. Already having set a number of records in the App store, Cut The Rope has made its mark as a potential breakout hit in no time, for sure. Speaking a little about the visuals and layout/model, ‘Cut The Rope’ seems to have quite alot in common with the previous best ‘Angry Birds’ in this regard; however, it seems that the former might just have managed to edge past the latter by a whisker (although it is seriously arguable). While the adorable mini-monster and nice,fluid visuals keep casual gamers interested for a good amount of time, loud and crisp sound and pick-up-and-play control schemes simply take the game to a higher level. Apparantly, your job in the game would merely be to escort a piece of candy from a flimsy dangling rope into the mouth of  an Omnom (sounds like nom nom, I know). Evenly paced, this physics-based puzzler will keep you glued to your devices and will definitely make your moneys worth.

Cut The Rope

2. Real Racing 2

For all those of you who highly rate car racing simulations and even a handful of those who dare to belittle the iOS for making a mess of handheld gaming, Real Racing 2 is here and it is here to stay (as long as it doesn’t crash). Sequel to the original Real Racing for the iPhone, Real Racing 2 brings with it some stunning visuals, some licensed vehicles and an overall life-like racing experience in High Definition which is absolutely great watch. The game features a promising career mode along with a terrific online multiplayer mode that easily adds ten more hours of gameplay than usual. The tilt-and-touch driving mechanics coupled with adjustable thresholds and automatic breaking really adds to the breath-taking atmosphere as you pimp your ride on the racing tracks. A must buy really for all racing fanatics out there.

Real Racing 2

3. Infinity Blade

Epic Games and Chair Entertainment managed a feat that took the shape of a stunning, addictive and surprisingly deep epic fantasy hack n slash game among the best of the lot. This baby was named, the Infinity Blade by developers (what guardians, eh?). Undoubtedly, the game has been one of the most discussed gaming titles on the iOS and manages to immensely satisfy with its stunning visuals (courtesy of state-of-the-art Unreal Engine 3 development technology) cum unique, cyclical storyline as well as the masterful control scheme. Upon donning the suit of the warrior, feel free to take the stage and parry, block, dodge enemy attacks and swing your mighty sword to take down anyone who hinders your path. With a fancy story set in place, Infinity blade will offer some good replay value and keep you interested for long.

Infinity Blade

4. Fruit Ninja

So, you love Street Fighter, eh? No, unfortunately Fruit Ninja won’t be catering for your Street Fighting needs; instead, what Fruit Ninja would be allowing you is to slice and slash through sweet, juicy fruit with no mercy whatsoever. Plus, you need to watch out for those bombs that keep coming up at random to mess your brains. Slice through the bomb and you shall have a piece of your own medicine (GAME OVER!). Yes, that is the main idea behind Fruit Ninja. Although the whole scheme sounds relatively simple compared to some other hardcore comes on the App scene so far, Fruit Ninja pleasantly surprises with its addictive gameplay and the sort of punch it delivers courtesy the game design and easy-to-use controls (a swipe on the screen-yes, that’s all it takes!). Being refreshing title for most casual gamers out there, Fruit Ninja is easily a must-buy for all and sundry.

Fruit Ninja

5. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline

It takes some longevity to make it to a collection of merely five titles categorized under THE finest, part of which is a racing game already (Up at the top, there!). There is no reason why Asphalt 6 should not have made five of the finest on iOS. Although far from realism, or more conventionally known as simulation, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline combines elements of next-gen games like Ridge Racer and Split Second to produce an overall peach of a racing game. Cash bonuses and alternative routes hang in as some great incentives in the arcade title. There might not have been too much focus on the physics of the game; yet, the need for speed seems to be the main element in question as gamers blast their way at hyper speeds while causing a few collisions here and there. With an appeal of its own, Asphalt 6 complements our list of the top five iOS games that are, without a hint of doubt, worth your hard-earned cash (Well, even black money would do).

Asphalt 6

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Best New Features in Apple IOS 5

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Overview:

There is absolutely no doubt that Apple never fails to make the headlines; this year is no different. Hot on the heels of their predecessors, the Apple iPad 3 and the iPhone 5 are arguably the most awaited devices. While there has not been any proper announcement for the Apple iPhone 5, the word in the media is that Apple’s iPad 3 is expected to release as early as Autumn, 2011.  In the meanwhile, we decided to bring to you the five most significant and best features (out of many) about the Apple’s recently announced operating system whose developer preview had been released immediately after its announcement. It is important to note, though, that the official release of the iOS 5 is only expected until ‘some’ time in fall. Anyway, here is the list of five most significant pointers that we would really want to draw your attention to…

iOS 5 features

1. iOS 5 Notification Center

Despite the virtually no visual changes in its core interface, the iOS 5 enjoys some deserving support from the notification center. The iOS 5 Notifications allow users to access updates absolutely anywhere on the go. Notifications will include things like new incoming text messages, missed calls, calendar update as well as application updates ofcourse (we are assuming you do not know a thing about the word ‘notifications’-kind I know). Without posing even a hint of interruption to the user, the notifications appear in the top half segment of the screen, ever so conveniently and can be viewed with both, the lockscreen and the homescreen on. More noticeable is the pull-down Notification Center-a feature that not only quite closely resembles the Android mechanic; infact, it performs like one too. Not to mention, the widget support in the notification center certainly beefs it up.

Notification Center

2. Newsstand

You may safely say goodbye to the hassle of keeping all your collection of reading material stacked up in your room because your iDevice will do the favour from now on. Yes that is right-organizing your magazine and newspaper application subscriptions, the iOS 5 allows access to your favorite publications with ease and grace all around. With separate room especially made for newspaper and magazine subscriptions on the Apple store, Newsstand automatically becomes a go-to service for amenities such as these (Almost makes me wonder how early inventions like these would put hawkers out of service!). Yes, spot on-almost exactly the same way you have newspaper delivered on your doorstep.

Newsstand

3. iOS 5 Camera

Cameras are a striking feature on mobile devices these days, there is absolutely no denying that. To be honest, that genuinely strengthens the case for the iOS 5 camera that comes with the all new operating system. A great new addition in its own self, the iOS 5 camera allows users to take pictures using the volume buttons, and also a camera button on the lock screen has been provided this time so as to access the camera feature directly without having to dig deep into the UI. Ofcourse, the iOS 5 camera is incomplete without the photo editing features but no worries there as features like crop, rotate, enhance and remove have also been made part. More so, pinch to zoom while taking a picture simply complements the entire scheme of things.

iOS 5 Camera

4. iOS 5 Twitter Support

“It’s such a small world, no?”, “Wow, I got a new follower, see!”, “Guess what, this dude just joined my hash tag and ruined it with his bullc*ap just so that he could get a better clout score, hmph!”..If you haven’t heard or spewed any of this before, it won’t be long before you do. Why? Well, simply because Apple has natively introduced the once rumoured Twitter into its latest operating system, and with a one-click option this time around. It’s a late goodbye to slow and delayed tweets (very much in the Poets of the Fall fashion) now that the new iOS5 has made tweeting easier and quicker on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Once signed in via the Settings menu, users may tweet directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or any application for that mater-meaning thereby no more constant signing in to every new application that is downloaded to the device. Oh, and do not forget to use the ‘add a location to my tweet’ feature if you really care.

iOS 5 Twitter

5. PC Free

Who does not like freedom in this whole wide world (assuming we got the right answer)? The iOS 5 devices are no different, not even by a stretch. Good news is, gone are the days when Apple devices were not a one-time investment as users no longer require a personal computer to operate an Apple handheld (iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch). The devices now enjoy the freedom to be set up independently (of both, PC and wires) as updates can now be downloaded directly on the device itself. In addition, creation of back up and restore feature is only a matter of a few minutes using the iCloud.

PC free iOS 5

 

Here’s how Apple introduced the IOS 5 features:

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Connect Your iPod to Your Car Stereo

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Your iPod is over-crowded with all the high quality, amazingly sounding Kesha pop-pop tracks (whatever you get from it)? What a misery if you cannot have the same records while in the car. And who wants to pay extra for all the CDs or copy/paste the songs in a USB, etc etc? Here are a few simple-to-best solutions helping you connect your iPod to your car stereo. Choose any of them according to affordability, ease of installation and of course the sound quality and tada, go like “uh, no more worries.”

Not only iPods but you can also connect other digital music player or CD players to your car stereo. So let’s check out what are the possibilities that we have got. Here we start:

FM Modulator:

FM Modulator is a low power transmitter broadcasting on an unused frequency. Plug one connecting cable from the modulator into your Player’s headphone jack. It works on every car that has an FM radio feature and doesn’t need any installation process. The quality with FM modulation is poor though and you might need to have some AA batteries for the models that don’t plug into the lighter socket.

Line-in Connection:

Run a cable from your music player or iPod’s headphone jack to the front of your car’s stereo. It gives excellent sound quality. Stereo line cable costs you around $2 – $10 having jacks on both ends.

iPod smart-cable connection:

Apple’s cable or black box modules specific to the iPod connect into the back of car’s stereo / CD changer or satellite radio jack. It not only charges your iPod but passes the signal to the radio. Some modules also pass artist, album, title and track information to the car stereo. Other modules like Harman/Kardon drive + play, and Monster Cable iCruze have their own tiny LCD panels to be kept on the dash thus replacing your iPod’s screen that can then be safely stashed somewhere in the glove-box. This one solution is pretty costly ranging from $100 to $250 but gives you excellent sound quality, battery recharge option and with some options even passes the track information into your car stereo or on a dedicated LCD screen (few names shared already). The only issue with smart cable connection is that it may disable iPod faceplate controls.

From all of the above solutions the best one for iPod is to use smart-cable connection. The extension cable with 3.5mm stereo connectors on each end connects your iPod to your car. If your car lacks the sound input jack then buy a cassette adapter. A cassette adapter is a cheaper solution but the sound quality provided then is less than good. You can get all these items from some store that sells car stereo accessories.

Have your shot at these options of connecting your iPod to your car stereo and enjoy listening to the bursting iPod tracks right in your car!

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Latest Games for iPod Touch

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If you are here that means you have either just got your new iPod touch and are looking for a start to search some latest games for iPod touch to kick start your touch-based gaming experience. Or you’re an old user and want to know about some free games for playing or some latest hits? You’re at very right place.  You can get all these games from iTunes, either freely downloadable or for few bucks. These are few latest games for iPod Touch that surely will give you immense fun gaming time.

Fruit Ninja:

new latest games for Apple ipod touch

Feel like a real Ninja warrior by swiping your fingers and splatter the fruit. Oh! Be aware of the bombs or your juicy war would be lost! Enjoy this satisfying fruit that squashy, filling and well splatty for you Ninjas!

Angry Birds:

new latest games for Apple ipod touch

All the Apple product users don’t need to be told about Angry bird. This is not a latest game but sure has been getting new updates and improvements. And if you have just bought your iPod Touch then you must have fun with Angry Birds. Gamers are just mad about this game. The survival of the Birds is at your hand. Angry Birds’ life is at stake and YOU have to take the revenge from green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the destructive power of Birds to demolish the castles of pigs by laying waste on them. It can be an hour’ long game play with lots of logic, skill and repay value required to crush the enemy.

Audi A4 Driving Challenge:

new latest games for Apple ipod touch

Audi A4 is a free game for iPod. It’s a racing game for the entire PC, N4Speed gamers; club. The challenge is to test your precise performance driving skills. It’s not about the speed here, it’s about the control and mastery like the real driving.

Galaxy on Fire 2:

Apple ipod touch latest new games

Galaxy on Fire, latest game for iPod touch that has been updated just few days back. A driving malfunction sends K. T. Maxwell into space and time. He reaches a 35yrs ahead galaxy where aliens are having havoc on the warring races. Keith wants to be home, to the earth, but he is made to investigate and stop this alien destruction. Join Maxwell in this fully 3D, war-torn galaxy in an intergalactic trek of exploration, space battles, aliens, romance and much more. It’s not a free game for gamers, but you can get this highly amazingly designed game for just $9.99. And also after finishing all these tasks you can purchase other adventures!

Have fun with these latest iPod Touch games, of which Audi is one of the free games for iPod Touch and don’t forget to share with us your favorite games for iPod or iPhone. Fun Playing!

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Transfer Music From iPod To Computer

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The iPod is a great MP3 player but it only allows users to move music from the computer to iPod but does not have any option to allow the transfer of music from the iPod to the computer. Apple probably doesn’t permit that as they wouldn’t want users to illegally distribute music. However there are legit reasons for transferring music to the computer as a user would want to backup his/her music.

Transfer Process

Fortunately there is a way a user can copy music from the iPod to computer and it does not involve any third party software or iTunes. This guide will only work well for Windows.

  1. The first step is to go to the Windows Explorer and go to Tools, then select Folder Options and then View. (Windows 7 users can click on my computer, then the organize folder, then select folder and search options and then view.) There will be an advanced settings checklist over there where you need to tick the button which says “Show hidden files and folders”. Then click on the OK Button.  Ignore any warnings you get as it is just a standard procedure.
  2. Now plug in your iPod and wait for an iPod folder to show up in My Computer.
  3. Open the folder and then go to the iPod_Control folder. You will find your music in the drive though it will not be organized.
  4. Copy all the mp3s present there to a new folder or your existing one (if not then click on new>folder in your drive to create one). Make sure all MP3s are in one single folder and not in the various Folders they were in your iPod.
  5. You may choose to organize these files by creating a new music library via iTunes.  Simply go to iTunes, and then select Edit, then Preferences. Find the advanced tab and select the folder where you have saved your music.  Do select the option “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” and click OK.
  6. Add the folder to library by going to File, then click on “add folder to library”. This will allow your library to be organized.

So this is in effect the simplest way of transferring music from an iPod to a computer. If you find this article helpful, you can always subscribe to our RSS Feed or follow us on Twitter & Facebook for more updates.

 

How Apple Won the Mp3 Wars

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The iPod was the device which changed Apple’s fortunes forever and the way we listen to music. It was Apple’s most successful product when it came out in 2001. The Mp3 player market was quite new for Apple at that time.  They weren’t the only ones in the market with the Mp3 player as Creative was already in the market with its range of MP3 Players.  The technology pretty much existed but it was only Apple who created the market for MP3 players and managed to dominate it. Apple figured out that the digital music revolution was about to start and that there was no proper hardware for that purpose. They came up with their version of the MP3 player which was simply known as the iPod.  It was a huge surprise when the iPod turned out to be so successful. No one expected the iPod to be such an interesting and innovative device. The iPod is rightfully known as the icon of the Digital Age due to this very reason.

Their marketing strategy was what helped them blaze ahead in the race for Mp3 players. They did not focus on making a device which was cheaper and faster. Their iPod was stylish and a must have device which made consumers want it even more. The iPod was different from other Mp3 players in the market as it was quite sleek and sexy. It was also targeted towards the right market (young, style conscious music enthusiasts). The iPod worked far better on the Mac than the PC and perhaps that was one of the reasons why Mac Sales took off big time. This is one reason why the iPod was known to have a halo effect as it led to consumer interest in other Apple products.

In a nutshell the iPod managed to sell by the truckload because it revolutionized the way people could listen to music. They were the first to come up with the scroll wheel to allow people to listen to music (they later patented the Scroll Wheel).

Apple touted the iPod as this generation’s answer to the previous generation’s Walkman. It is a well known fact that a lot of people listen to music while commuting. It was ingenious on Apple’s part to give the public what they wanted.  There was truly a revolutionary device which would allow people to listen to music without having carried multiple CDs or cassettes. It was more feasible for them to carry their music collection on one small device.

Apple kept interest in the iPod alive when they kept coming up with new versions. The first  big addition to the iPod family was  the iPod Nano which was one of the first to use Flash Memory. Flash Memory is known to be more durable than a Hard Drive as there is no chance of it crashing and failing. No one believed that Apple could top that but then they came up with devices such as the iPod Shuffle and the iPod Touch. The iPod Shuffle was a small device without a screen which could hold a number of songs while the iPod Touch had a touch screen based interface which was similar to the iPhone.

The iPod strategy worked so well that they have sold around 260 million iPods up to date so far. Apple has managed to capture around  80 percent of the total market share in the US and a huge share in the global market.

The best thing about the iPod was the fact that it was able to sync with Windows and that made it a big catch for people. If Apple had marketed it as only being able to work with the Mac then it would not have had made such a big difference. The fact that there was a lot of support available for it via the Windows platform made it much easier to access for everyone and no reason to not buy it. Apple managed to make a big name for itself in the accessories market as it had advertised more than 1000 items and made around $1 billion in sales.

The iPod primarily allows users to access their favorite music online and download it, convert their CD collection to MP3s and listen to them on their player, access audiobooks, podcasts, watch movies on certain models. The cost of making an iPod is not as much because Apple has a lot of control and leverage with its suppliers. They can still charge a high price for their iPods despite the fact that consumers can get it cheaper somewhere else. The consumers are attracted by the higher price and know that the higher price means that it is a quality good. Apple has done a lot to promote its iPod with the help of great campaigns which have managed to reach out to their target market and have been able to deliver the message properly.

The biggest factor responsible for taking the iPod further was the introduction of the iTunes Music Store which offered users easy access to Mp3 download for a price. This made music access easy for everyone and it was a legitimate solution in place of file sharing. Apple did not have a good margin on the sale of the MP3s since the money went to the record labels. However the presence of a huge online store had a positive impact on the iPod as it helped sell by the truckload. Apple barely made 10 cents from each transaction but at least they made huge profits from the sale of iPods which were the only devices which could access Mp3s from the iTunes store. This was a clever move on Apple’s part as people would have to buy their devices so they could avail legal downloads. The sale of MP3s managed to reach around 5 Billion in 2008 despite the presence of other MP3 Stores such as Amazon and the Zune music store.

The iPod had a big halo effect as it managed to get people to buy other Apple related stuff. The success of the iPod led to massive sales for the Macbook, iMac and later iPhone. If you find this article helpful, you can always subscribe to our RSS Feed or follow us on Twitter & Facebook for more updates.