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Wed, 22 Dec 2004

iPod & iTunes Garage: New Book Authored by Kirk McElhearn Reveals the Power of this Dynamic Duet

Upper Saddle River, NJ – December, 2004- Hear ye, hear ye! Attention all iPod and iTunes music junkies! Please briefly remove those conspicuous white earbuds and pay attention to hear this! Author Kirk McElhearn is the grand host of the iPod & iTunes coming-out party.

His new book, iPod & iTunes Garage, shows both Mac and Windows users the tips and tricks to transform their iPods into the most useful electronic device they own. And he demonstrates how to manipulate the iTunes digital music management program to make it the most entertaining piece of software in existence. The book covers the best features of iTunes and the iPod, including the new 4G model and the iPod mini. [And to be totally current, readers can visit McElhearn's blog-- www.mcelhearn.com -- to download a complimentary PDF update to the book detailing news about iPod photo, the iPod U2 and the latest versions of iTunes and the iPod software.]

McElhearn’s coverage ranges from the practical (“Installing the iPod Software”) to the sublime (“Turning your iPod into a Total Music System”.) The book has five basic parts. The first covers the iTunes software: both as an application independent of the iPod, then as the conduit to funnel music to the iPod itself. The rest of the book is devoted to the iPod: first, its features, as well as tips and tricks on using the iPod; then additional external software and hardware add-ons available to transform it into a comprehensive musical system and personal digital assistant.

For example, did you know that you can take your audiobook files, even those not purchased from Audible.com or the iTunes Music Store, and make them bookmarkable, so you don't lose your place when you listen to them? Or that you can use the iTunes Party Shuffle like a radio, or as a DJ to queue up tunes for a party? Or how about using the iPod in shuffle mode—do you know how many ways you can use this random playback?

“Most users don't know the tips and tricks that can help make iTunes a much more powerful digital music management tool,” said Kirk McElhearn. “And iTunes is the key to getting the most out of an iPod. My goal was to create a book that tells all.”

Starting modestly with the essential information such as how to install iTunes, in no time McElhearn breaks the sound barrier by presenting all the key features, such as how to create the twenty-first century equivalent of a compilation cassette tape: the playlist. McElhearn shows readers how to take control and organize their iTunes library so they're not overwhelmed when their music file collections balloon into the thousands.

McElhearn then turns his attention solely to the iPod, and first and foremost, aims to show readers how to leverage its primary function as a portable digital music player. He covers the basic functions that are essential for any iPod owner, including selecting and working with playlists, and important information not readily known, such as how to extend the device’s battery life and how to troubleshoot technical problems.

But skip ahead just a few pages, and McElhearn pushes the iPod to new limits. A sneak peek of these special topics includes how to transfer music files from one iPod to another, how to connect the iPod to a stereo, and how to store digital photos on the iPod. And for readers who frequently travel, McElhearn shows them how to charge their iPods on the move, how to listen to iPods in a car, and the best kind of headphones to filter out airplane noise. (And he even explains how to use the iPod as an alarm clock on business trips!)

Beyond this wealth of technical information, McElhearn weaves in one other dimension, which is to take a big-picture look at the sweeping cultural implications of iTunes and the iPod. Industry giants such as Steve Wozniak and Janis Ian share their opinions. And, McElhearn got in touch with dozens of musicians and authors, asking them what their “Essential Music” is. Musicians like Bob Weir, Peter Frampton, Chuck Garvey, John Foxx and Harold Budd; and authors like Arthur Golden, Peter Robinson, Christopher Priest and James Morrow share their favorite tunes.

In keeping with the spirit of the new Prentice Hall PTR Garage Series, the book is organized into more than 80 easily digestible topics to assist readers in immediately locating the desired material.

iPod & iTunes Garage (ISBN 0131486454) includes helpful screenshots and has an accompanying website: http://www.phptr.com/title/0131486454. The book will be available through major chain and independent booksellers nationwide and through online vendors at a suggested retail price of US $24.99.

About the Author

Kirk McElhearn is a freelance writer, journalist and translator. He has written or co-written 6 books on the Macintosh, and, as a journalist, he is a regular contributor to Macworld magazine and TidBITS. A native New Yorker, he has lived in France for almost two decades, and currently lives in Guillestre, a village in the French Alps. He has several thousand CDs, and three iPods so far. He ruminates at his blog, Kirkville: www.mcelhearn.com.

iPod & iTunes Garage is one of the flagship books launching the Garage Series from Prentice Hall PTR, a new street smart series of books about technology built on the premise that technical books don’t have to be boring, or be written in the impersonal voice of an all-powerful narrator. Already published within the Series is Web Search Garage by Tara Calishain, Java Garage by Eben Hewitt, and coming soon is “Web Design Garage” by Marc Campbell, “PHP-Nuke Garage” by Don Jones, “ActionScript 2.0 Garage” by Dan Livingston, and “Linux Desktop Garage” by Susan Matteson. Series Editor Eben Hewitt is the author of several other Java books for Prentice Hall PTR, including Java for ColdFusion Developers. He has several years of web-based programming experience in a variety of languages, and works as a senior programmer architecting and developing J2EE applications for an Arizona state government entity.

About Addison-Wesley/Prentice Hall PTR
Addison-Wesley (www.awprofessional.com) and Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference (PH PTR) (www.phptr.com) are respected publishers of quality computer science and engineering books and software for technical professionals. Both imprints are units of Pearson Technology Group, the world's largest provider of consumer and professional computer, information technology, engineering and reference content. Pearson Technology Group is an operating unit of Pearson Education, the world's leading educational publisher. Pearson Education is part of Pearson plc (NYSE: PSO), the international media company.

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Basasoft releases BasaOne Web Classes 1.1

Basasoft has released a new set of free classes and example projects that speed up Web Application Development with BasaOne.

The new release contains among others the following:

- Currency converter (simple and advanced)
- Finder window type box
- Alert
- Checkbox with text
- Text with bullet
- Alert example project
- Round corner box


and more...

Previously released classes include Menus, Panther tab-panel, Server with authentication, Countries popup, etc.

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BeLight Software announces Business Card Composer 3.0

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BeLight Software announces Business Card Composer 3.0, a new version of DIY business card tool, to be released in January, 2005. The package contains 23.000 clipart and Avery paper for 100 business cards. Everyone who buys current Composer from December 21st to January 21st will receive the 3.0 box for free:
http://www.belightsoft.com/composer/

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