Do you use your iPod only to listen to music or watch videos? Whether that iPod connects to a Windows PC or a Mac, here are three things you probably didn’t know it could do.
1. Play games. The games won’t blow you away graphically. But they’ll entertain you while waiting at the doctor’s office.
From the main menu, scroll to Extras, Games. There you’ll have four options: “Brick,” “Music Quiz,” “Parachute” and “Solitaire.” “Brick” is similar to the old video game “Breakout.” The object of “Parachute” is to shoot down paratroopers and their helicopters by using the scroll wheel and the Select button. And “Solitaire” is the old standby.
“Music Quiz” plays a portion of a song from your collection. You have to identify it from a list of titles. The faster you choose correctly, the more points you get.
2. Organize your life. The iPod can store your contacts and calendar. To synchronize contacts automatically, use Micro soft’s Outlook Express or Outlook, or Address Book on a Mac.
Open iTunes. In Windows, right-click your iPod and select iPod Options. On a Mac, select iPod in the Source list and click Options. Click the Contacts tab and check the Synchronize Contacts From box.
Select the correct program in the drop-down list (on a Mac, click Synchronize Address Book contacts). You can synchronize all of your contacts or only selected ones. Click OK.
To view your contacts, select Extras, then Contacts from the main menu. Scroll down to the name of the person and press the Select button.
By default, the iPod will display first name and then last. You can reverse the order. From the main menu, select Settings, then Contacts, then Display. Press the Select button to change the options.
To have your calendar handy, you’ll need Outlook 2003 in Windows or iCal on a Mac. In iTunes, right-click your iPod and select iPod Options. Click the Calendars tab. In Windows, check the Synchronize Calendars from Microsoft Outlook check box. On a Mac, click Synchronize iCal calendars. Click OK.
To view your calendar, select Extras, then Calendar from the main menu. Scroll to highlight the day in which you’re interested. To view the next month or previous month, press the Next or Previous buttons, respectively. To view a day’s schedule, highlight the day and press Select. View details of a meeting or appointment by scrolling to it and pressing the Select button.
3. Store more. Filling a 60-gigabyte iPod with music, videos and photos is difficult. So use the iPod for computer backups or to transport large files.
Open iTunes, right-click your iPod (on a Mac, select iPod in the Source list) and select iPod Options. Click the Music tab. Select Enable Disk Use. A dialogue box will warn that you must unmount the iPod through iTunes before disconnecting. Check the “Do not warn me again” box and click OK.
You will now be able to transfer files using Windows Explorer (Finder on a Mac). In Windows, click Start, then My Computer.
Double-click on your iPod. You can now drag and drop files into this window for storage. On a Mac, double-click the iPod disk icon on the desktop.
