The iPod Book: Doing Cool Stuff with the iPod and the iTunes Music Store (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

by Scott Kelby (Author) "Okay, just so you know-you're NOT supposed to read this chapter..." (more)
Key Phrases: second menu choose, checked songs, contextual menu that appears, Smart Playlist, Click Wheel, Recently Added (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

There are basically two kinds of iPod books: (1) The "tell me all about it" kind, which includes in-depth discussions on compression algorithms, debates about analog vs. digital equalizers; and tutorials on how to export your playlist in Unicode format. (2) There's this book. It's not a "tell me all about it" book, it’s a "show me how to do it" book.

 

Award-winning author Scott Kelby shows you step-by-step how it's all done, using the same casual, plain-English style that has made him one of the world's best-selling technology authors. You'll learn how to do only the most important, most requested, and just plain cool things you're going to want to do with your iPod–so you can start having fun with it today. Right now!

 

Each page covers just one topic, complete with full color photos, making it easy to find just what you're looking for fast. Plus, it shows you how to get the most from the iTunes Music Store, how to integrate your iPod into your car, which iPod accessories are hot, how to use photos with your iPod, and everything you need to know about the latest addition to the iPod family, the new iPod Nano! It's all here–in the only book of its kind–and you're gonna love it!

 

About the Author

Scott Kelby is President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and Editor-in-Chief of both Photoshop User and Layers magazines. Scott serves as training director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour and is the technical chair of the largest Photoshop gathering in the industry, Photoshop World. He has written numerous best-selling creative technology books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 2 edition (November 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321422287
• ISBN-13: 978-0321422286
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #295,197 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #51 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Digital Music > iPods
  #51 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Digital Music > iTunes
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet! I didn't know that was possible..., December 27, 2005

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

OK... I finally joined the cult of the iPodders this month. I'm not a music fanatic like others I know, but there are some podcasts I really should be listening to. So, with iPod in hand, I started working my way through The iPod Book by Scott Kelby. He did a really nice job on this, and I think I know what I'm doing now...

Contents: I Can't Help Myself - The Chapter for People Who Must Play a Song Right Now; The Outsiders - How to Work the Stuff on the Outside of Your iPod; Pod's Theme - iPod Essentials; It's Tricky - Cool iPod Tips & Tricks; Cars - Using the iPod in Your Car; Get the Freeze-Frame - Using Your iPod's Photo Features; Home Sweet Home - iTunes Essentials; Imaginary Player - Playlists and Smart Playlists; Proof of Purchase - Using the iTunes Music Store; Tip Drill - Cool iTunes Tips; Add It On - iPod Accessories (and the iTunes Phone); Get the Lido Shuffle - How to Use Apple's iPod shuffle; Cast of Angels - How to Download (and Create Your Own) Podcasts; Recommended Dose - A Peek at My Own Personal, Ultra-Secret, Yet Surprisingly Way-Cool Playlists; Index

There were a number of things I enjoyed in this book... For one, the writing style has some great dry humor and wit. Each chapter is tied into some music, and it's Kelby's contention that editors never read the book and chapter forwards, and he can get away with stuff in there. So for some great humor, don't skip *any* of the intros. But the book is more than just a few laughs. He does a nice job covering the range of functionality that comes in the iPod, in iTunes, and in the large number of after-market add-ons you can buy for your new toy. Want to listen to your iPod from the car radio with no wiring? You can do that. Want to use your iPod as a voice recorder? Yup, it's there. Do you just want to use your iPod as your stereo system attached to a pair of high-end speakers? No problem... All that and more is covered. Since he covers all the different iPod models, you also don't have to worry that your iPod Nano (or Shuffle) will get short-changed. The book has great information regardless of your particular version. Each page has one complete tip or hint, so it's easy to scan for just what you're looking for. Throw in a number of iTips at the bottom of several pages, and even the most experienced iPodder will probably find something that causes him/her to say, "hey! didn't know you could do that!"...

Maybe it's because I'm an iPod newbie and this was the first book that unlocked the possibilities for me. Regardless, I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it to anyone looking for something more in the way of information than what comes packaged with the unit...

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For beginners only!, March 4, 2005

By	Dawn R. Powell "dawne" (Fredericksburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The iPod Book: Doing Cool Stuff with the iPod and the iTunes Music Store (Paperback)

This book would be great for iPod newbies. It guides you, with clear pictures and humorous text, through setting up your iPod, putting songs on and listening to the music.

But I found the subtitle "Doing Cool Stuff with the iPod and iTunes Music Store" very misleading - is buying a song from the music store a "cool" thing? What about clicking the Power Search button? Worst was the "Faking having your iPod in your car" (in case you do not have a tape deck, fm player or audio-in jack but do have a cd player). The "cool idea"? Mix your favorite songs up in iTunes and burn some cds with them in shuffled format! HUH!??!?!? you don't even need an iPod at all to do that.

The advertisements for various products made me feel like I was looking at a bulky iPod catalog. If I was new to iPod, I would have liked this book - at least it explains in simple language the basics. But I am not new to iPod, I am well-versed in iPod and wanted to learn something "cool". If you are like me, find another book.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely NOT A "Hacks" iPod Book for Nerds, May 27, 2005

By	Lance Martin "Lance" (Brandon, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The iPod Book: Doing Cool Stuff with the iPod and the iTunes Music Store (Paperback)

I absolutely love this iPod book and I recommend it strongly to MOST iPod/iTunes users. I couldn't agree less with the negative reviews on Amazon, but ironically I do understand why these reviewers wrote what they did. Let me explain.

I got hooked on Scott Kelby's books on Photoshop and was thrilled that Scott has started branching out into other tech-related areas because his style makes his books some of the easiest books to read quickly. As a graphics person myself, I love the beautiful color illustrations on every single page on this book, but that's not why this (and all of Scott's books) are so strong. It's because each page covers a topic, the illustrations are NEVER confusing or cryptic (like many tech books often are), and because his choice of topics thoroughly cover the subject at hand. This book is no exception.

The iPod Book is conversational and every explanation and corresponding illustration is crystal clear. I wish all all manufacturers of technology would use this as a style guide for their manuals (though this book does leave out some of the technical mumbo-jumbo most manuals pride themselves in).

What You Will Get: A thorough understanding of everything most iPod owners care about. iTunes, after market accessories, hard drive functionality, usage directions, tips most average users can appreciate.

What You Won't Get: Lessons on how to hack your iPod's software to make it run space shuttle diagnostic software, or schematics so you can solder a GPS antenna to the motherboard so your iPod can tell you where you were each time you listened to Cold Play.

I think the biggest shortcoming of the book is its subtitle. The problem is that tech-hounds who troll all of the iPod blog sites and can spend hours hacking their iPod, see that the book is supposed to be "Doing Cool Stuff with the iPod and iTunes Music Store." That statement is VERY different from the perspective of an iPod aficionado vs. a casual user or a newbie. I'd suggest that the subtitle ought to be "The Perfect iPod Book for New and Casual iPod Users but NOT For Tech Hounds Who Already Subscribe To All 22 iPod e-Newsletters."

I'm not a newbie so some of the explanations Scott covered were way beneath me. The cool thing is that the book is laid out so well that I could VERY QUICKLY flip from page to page and read only those pages/topics I needed. I was never worried that I had missed some important information because it's so easy to understand the topic of each page. As a tech savvy person and casual iPod user, I found the book very worth the price and I'll share it with all my iPod toting friends. If you already have more than 3 iPod books in your library, you probably won't need this one.

It's a perfect book for 98 percent of all iPod users who would rather be listening to music than studying iPod white papers.