iPod Touch 3.0 Software Review...

I updated my iPod to version 3.0 around the day that the update came out, now it is time to share my experience with in the form of a software review.

Considering the fact that I have no form of screen capturing device with which to display screens from the iPod, I shall be conveying what I have seen with artistic depictions of each screen I deem necessary for you to see.

In this review, I shall be covering the new features mentioned here that I am able to with my available resources.

First on the chopping block is the newly introduced ability to download Movies, TV shows and Audiobooks right to your iPod via WiFi. The main screen for the new addition is pretty much the same as the music screen, the real difference is when you pick a film.

All in all, I think that this is a good addition, but I have to ask why? Is this so that I can buy whole Movies on the go? I see no real application for this other than to run your battery down. If I'm sitting in a McDonalds and I suddenly have the urge to watch Top Gun, I'll probably be done with my meal, be out of there and home before the movie's done downloading. If you're already at home, just use iTunes, there's no reason to use this feature unless you're in the same boat as I am and your computer's in the shop.

The next feature would have to be Spotlight Search, an addition to the Home screen. This feature will search your iPod's contact lists, emails, calendars, notes, music and videos for anything you type into the search box.

I tried it, it works. I don't really have anything to say about it, it just works.

Finally ( also know as "I don't want to draw screens anymore"), we have copy and paste. With this feature, you are able to copy pieces of text and then proceed to paste them elsewhere. Looks like the jokes will have to stop here folks, the iPod and iPhone now have copy & paste. No, I'm not making a screen.

I also noticed after the update that the YouTube application had been updated with new features. You are now able to log into your YouTube account and merge your favorites and subscriptions with your device.

Something else I noticed is that when I turn on my iPod, after showing the Apple logo, there is a black screen for around five seconds. I was freaking out the first time this happened, but after those five seconds, the lock screen showed up instead of simply taking me to the home screen like it did previously. I've also noticed that it takes considerably longer to shut down that before, sometimes a good fifteen to twenty seconds.

All in all, I consider this update to be worth it, though I do think that ten dollars for a software update is a little steep.

The Speakers! They do Nothing!

So yeah, last night I had a spot of computer trouble.

I had just updated iTunes last night and restarted my trusty laptop and found that the start-up sound didn’t play. The login confirmation sound didn’t play, etc… I looked at the sound manager and drivers and it looked like everything was recognized correctly, so I was stumped. I later realized that I did get sound, but only in iTunes and Windows Media Player, odd to say the least. So I tried reinstalling the sound driver, didn’t do anything, mainly because HP didn’t provide the correct driver for my system (I have an HP tx2010 laptop) so that made things worse. I eventually did a system restore and everything was OK.

That was weird to say the least, but it also made sense considering what I had done on my computer earlier that day. I recently switched from Thunderbird to Postbox for viewing my Gmail account, but Postbox didn’t offer the functionality that allowed it to be minimized to the taskbar like Thunderbird (I used the MinimizeToTray add-on). I looked around the Intertubes for a solution, knowing that there are many applications that allow programs to minimize to the tray, picked one and installed it.

During the installation, it notified me that a certain component in the installation might be viewed as a Virus by the system, but it “TOTALLY WAS NOT!” Yup, they put that in Caps in the EULA. Anyways, it didn’t work and I uninstalled it.

My security system, Webroot Spysweeper, started it’s scheduled security sweep and saw a Trojan, this is uncommon. I had it remove it, I didn’t really care considering that it was probably one of the components from the program I uninstalled.

Long story short, I’m not sure if it was the Trojan or iTunes that qualified my Laptop’s sound for a run at the Gelding’s Plate, but if you’re reading this and you have that problem, just do a system restore, it’ll clear it right up.