“If you think that [iPod is] just a music player, then you must think Clark Kent is just a newspaperman,” says publisher O’Reilly & Associates on the Web page for their latest release, J.D. Biersdorfer’s “iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Second Edition.” The updated tome covers the latest changes to iTunes and iPod, including the new iPod mini. It’s a book that O’Reilly says “should have been in the box.”
Biersdorfer, who is a tech columnist for the New York Times, details a variety of iPod tips and tricks, including: iPod as hard drive, iPod as e-book and Web page reader, and iPod as GameBoy, which utilizes the built-in games, such as the Breakout-like Brick and the perpetually popular time killer Solitaire. Those who pine for the days of the Newton will be interested in reading about iPod as PDA, which allows the MP3 player to display your calendar, address book, and to-do lists. You can even use iPod as an alarm clock and stopwatch.
The iTunes section of the book covers everything new in iTunes 4.2, such as sharing music across a network, and provides tips for importing music, creating playlists, burning CDs, and more. Biersdorfer also takes you on a tour of the iTunes Music Store, which is part of the application.
“iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Second Edition” weighs in at 349 pages and retails for US$24.95. It’s available now.