MP3 Insider

For better or worse, buying an iPod also means committing to Apple's iTunes software. Apple's seamless combination of hardware, software, and online store has made it many fans, but for some folks, the iTunes way of doing things feels unbearably confining.

If you love your iPod, but can't stand being tied to iTunes, there are some compelling and capable Mac and PC iTunes alternatives that can sync with your iPod. Depending on your iPod model, you'll probably still need to keep iTunes around for firmware updates, video purchases, games, and some advanced features (calendar syncing, for instance), but there's no reason you can't sync your music and podcasts using a different program.

Each of the following media jukeboxes has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. This list isn't meant to be comprehensive (by all means, add your own suggestions in the comments section), I'm just taking an opportunity to highlight my personal favorites. Also, every application listed here is free, so there's no reason not to try them all and see what sticks.

Media Monkey is a control freak's dream come true.

Media Monkey
http://www.mediamonkey.com/
(Download Media Monkey from Download.com)

Ideal user: File hoarders, control freaks, meticulous taggers, boutique format users (FLAC, Ogg), people with messy collections.

Pros
• Ideal for large, scattered collections
• Advanced tagging features and auto tagging
• Supports iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G
• Copy songs from iPod to computer
• Album art lookup
• Skinnable
• Podcast catcher... Read more

Last night, Microsoft upgraded its Zune Pass music subscription service, allowing users to pick 10 songs each month that get permanently added to their music collection. Along with significant price drops across its Flash-capacity line of Zune MP3 players, it looks as if Microsoft is making a serious push to compete with the iPod this holiday season.

Will Zune's 'Keep 10' program force the hand of Napster and Rhapsody?

Apple isn't the only one who should be looking at Zune with some trepidation. Subscription music providers such as Rhapsody and Napster will now be expected to match Microsoft's value proposition by giving their users a mixture of purchased and subscription tracks for a comparable monthly fee. The move toward an allotment of monthly DRM-free music downloads (Zune's download catalog is about 90 percent MP3) shouldn't come as a surprise to the subscription music industry, who've tossed the idea around before. While Napster and Rhapsody needn't worry too much about losing customers to Microsoft's Zune-only music subscription service, I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar program rolled out from them before the year is out, if for no other reason than to curb the wave of criticism they are likely to hear from their user base.

The larger question collectively faced by Microsoft, Rhapsody, and Napster, is whether or not the increased value of hybrid subscription services will finally pave the way to widespread adoption of the subscription music model. The math seems to check out from the consumer perspective, considering that when you subtract $10 worth of DRM-free music downloads from the Zune's $15 monthly subscription, you end up paying just $5 a month for unlimited downloads of DRM content and on-demand streaming of full songs.

Folding "permanent" music downloads into a subscription music service also helps chip away at consumer fears of watching their music collections brick upon missing a monthly payment. If subscription providers can successfully convince people they're paying $5 each month for their subscription and $10 for 10 permanent song downloads, the proposition sounds less risky. If users ever decide to opt-out of their subscription, at least they get to walk away with some of their favorite songs.

Online music retailer eMusic may also be feeling some pressure from Microsoft's infringement on its monthly MP3 download subscription model. eMusic's indie-heavy catalog offers substantially better prices (as low as $0.33 per track) for its monthly download allotments; however, it still doesn't have the major label content and full song streams of Napster, Rhapsody, and Zune. If the hybrid model offered by the Zune Pass finds traction, it may force MP3 retailers such as eMusic to retool their plans, as well.

What do you think? Does an unlimited subscription music plan with 10 DRM-free monthly downloads hit the sweet spot? Will this finally give Zune the advantage it has been looking for?

A new firmware update to the Zune allows you to indulge in two-player games by linking two Zunes over Wi-Fi.

Donald and Jasmine discuss the latest Zune firmware, as well as their opinions on the current state of Bluetooth technology.

Also this week, an iPod concept that takes fashion gadgetry to another level, cute and tiny travel speakers from Sony, and thoughts on HD radio. Plus, the winners of our Burton prize giveaway are announced.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

... Read more

With the economy tanking and the holidays looming, Microsoft is hoping to salvage some Zune sales by chopping prices.

(Credit: Microsoft)

The software maker plans to announce on Wednesday a price cut for its flash-based models. The 4GB version will drop to $99, the 8GB model will drop by $10 to $139, and the 16GB model will sell for $179, down from $199.

Microsoft is also cutting prices for several of its Zune accessories. The cuts take effect on Wednesday in the U.S. and on Friday in Canada.

Zune marketing director Adam Sohn said in an interview on Tuesday that the moves were being made to "ensure hopefully we have a good holiday season." The prices put Zune's flash players cheaper than a similar capacity iPod Nano, though Sohn said that wasn't the explicit goal of the price cuts.

"We're trying to take into consideration what the realities of the market are," Sohn said.

The company introduced the latest Zune models, as well as the version 3.0 update to its software in September. Microsoft introduced a few new games and other device features on Tuesday as part of a version 3.1 firmware update.

Microsoft also kicked off a new wave of TV ads on Monday that aim to get more people to download the free Zune software, even if they haven't yet decided to plunk down for a Zune player or Zune Pass subscription.

"We think we need to attack it from both sides," Sohn said. The ads will run in prime time as well as on national cable and online, he said.

The latest Zune firmware update brings new features to every generation of Zune hardware.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

Microsoft has just released firmware version 3.1 for all models of the Zune MP3 player, and an update to the Zune PC software. The updated firmware adds three new games: Checkers; Sudoku; and Space Battle; as well as a new multiplayer mode for the existing Texas Hold 'Em card game. The multiplayer mode takes advantage of the Zune's Wi-Fi, letting players connect to other players with Zunes. The new Zune Checkers game also supports wireless two-player gameplay.

The Zune Social online community got a refresh as well, receiving a general visual makeover and a new "like-minded listeners" option now appears up on the right, displaying the Zune cards of listeners with similar musical taste.

Sudoku!

Also included in the update are incremental improvements to stability and performance of the Zune PC software, such as improved play count reporting and content synchronization.

To receive the free Zune software and firmware update, open up the Zune PC software, click on Settings, and select Check for Updates.

(via Zune Insider)

Even if you don't own an iPod, it can be easy to get sucked into the AAC trap. It's the default format used by the popular iTunes Software to rip CDs, and the program will prompt you to convert WMAs to AACs upon initial use if you have the Windows format living in your music folder. That's not to say AAC--or WMA, for that matter--is a bad format to use; in fact, some users prefer it to MP3. Plus, more and more portable devices are adding AAC support. However, MP3 is still the most widely supported file type (they ain't called "MP3 players" for nothing).

If you have a library full of AACs and want to convert them to MP3s, you've come to the right place. I've put together not one, but two step-by-step tutorials to help you through the process. The first method is entirely free, and it's a good choice if you are on a tight budget, or if you only have a handful of files to convert. The downside is that the software used does not preserve all of the metadata of the file, so you will have to input ID3 tag info by hand at the end of the process. The second method utilizes a software that requires a license fee (after a 30-day trial period), but it fills in all the ID3 tag info automatically.

Note: either tutorial can also be used for converting among the various formats the programs support. For example, you can convert WMA to MP3, FLAC to AAC, or OGG to WMA.

How to convert AAC to MP3 for free

Cost: free

Level: beginner

Time commitment: 15 to 20 minutes per album

System requirements: Windows

How to convert AAC to MP3 the easy way

Cost: 30-day free trial, then $30

Level: beginner

Time commitment: 5 minutes per album

System requirements: Windows

Pepto pink? No thanks.

When the cat's away, the mice will play! Or something to that effect. Donald is taking some well-deserved vacation this week, which gives Jasmine the perfect opportunity to run amok, spouting off on anything her little heart desires (within the confines of the MP3 player/headphone topic, of course). She opts to invite fellow female tech editors Bonnie Cha and Nicole Lee on the show to tear down or shore up stereotypes about gadget-conscious ladies and just generally gab about all things portable audio.

Episode 123

SanDisk announces 8GB Sansa Clip

MP3 players with dedicated volume controls

I can't begin to tell you how many MP3 players I've yanked off my desk and onto to floor because the cable of the test headphones was too short to allow me to enjoy the full range of motion around my capacious cubicle. Suffice it to say that it's a lot. (And it has taught me that MP3 players are surprisingly resistant to damage when hurled onto a carpeted surface.) But that and related issues are easily remedied by employing a cord extender. What about the opposite problem? You can't very well take a pair of scissors to your earphone wiring. What you can do is purchase a pair of earbuds with a short initial cable. Also this week: find out how to get stereo audio into a single ear.

Q: I was wondering if you know any earbuds that have a short cable. The headphones I normally use for my iPod has a cable that is too long. I've looked at the Sony MDR-AS50G, but am a little hesitant to buy it as I have a big head. Are there any other options that are on par with those headphones, or will I be stuck using my primary headphone? Also, I was thinking of buying the 4th generation iPod Nano and I wanted to know if any of the lanyard-style headphones for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Nano will work with the 4th generation. Thanks for the help.--Oscar, via e-mail

The Shure SE Line offers several earphone models with short cables.

(Credit: Shure)

A: What you want to look for is a set of headphones with a modular cable. These sets have a shorter initial cable directly attached to the earbuds, and then often come with an extender for times when you need a longer cord. Some examples: the Sony Active Line, the Shure SE Series, and the Audio-Technica ATH-CKM50A.

As for the second part of the question, I doubt the lanyard-style headphones for previous iPod Nanos will work for the newest Nano, because they generally snap onto the bottom somehow, and so they must conform to the exact shape of the player and the distance between the dock connection and the headphone jack. These factors have been different for each generation of the Nano.

Q: I only have hearing in one ear. I seem to remember seeing people wearing a high tech "single piece" headphone in order to hear local conversation as well. Do these exist and what are they called? Do they output "stereo" in that one channel?--Chris, via e-mail

In my opinion, the biggest improvement to the 2G iPod Touch is the volume rocker on the side.

(Credit: CNET/Corinne Schulze)

Add dedicated volume controls to the list of dwindling MP3 player features. Most MP3 players on the market today integrate volume adjustment capability into their main navigation controls, meaning you have to be on a playback screen to tweak listening levels. With traditional iPods and devices such as the Sansa Fuze, a spin of the wheel accomplishes the task, while most others combine volume with the up and down menu navigation buttons on a four-way control pad.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this practice, but I'm a staunch supporter of the dedicated volume toggle for two reasons: simple convenience and eardrum protection. (If you're someone who's audio files are not all the same volume, you know what I mean.) It's in that spirit that I've compiled a list of great MP3 players with dedicated volume controls. And I'll tell you what: it's probably no coincidence that half of the products won our coveted Editors' Choice award.

MP3 players with dedicated volume controls.

Is every iPod in your home associated with a different user profile on your family computer? Merging iTunes libraries between users may make life easier for everyone.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

Last week, I showed you a technique for keeping your music collections separate from one another in a communal iTunes library. This week, I'll try and help out those of you with the opposite problem--people with fractured iTunes libraries across multiple user profiles who want to pool their family's media together.

The root of the problem is that unlike Windows Media Player, Winamp, or nearly any other multimedia jukebox application, there's no way to get iTunes to actively monitor multiple folders on your computer and add new content automatically. In a perfect world, you could tell iTunes to create its library based on the music stored in all the "My Music" folders of every user on your computer. Unfortunately, iTunes doesn't work that way.

You can, however, make it so that any media added to any instance of iTunes on your PC is copied to a single, central location that all users can access. Pointing every installation of iTunes on your computer to a common library is as easy as holding down the shift button when you launch the application. The hardest part, often, is archiving and merging all the separate media collections each user has been amassing up until this point.

Click to see our step-by-step tutorial on merging iTunes libraries across multiple user accounts.

We've made another step-by-step guide that walks you through the back-up, redirecting, and restoring of a single iTunes library that pulls content from every user account on your computer. For extra inspiration, you can also take a look at the Insider Secrets video I shot, that outlines the steps for this iTunes tip and last week's. With any luck, you can use both these tips together to pool all your family's media and iTunes purchases together, and still maintain some sanity-saving restrictions on what content is copied to your individual iPod or iPhone.

If you have any other tips to share, please include them in the comments section.