14 DAY TRIAL // The topic of this review is music. Here's what I found on the Internet about music: "Music is a way to just relax, chill, and not worry about our stupid problems". It has a grain of truth, but for others music is an inspiration, a way of living and some are so hooked-up on music that they hum all the time.
Based on that conclusion, people at Apple Computer have developed a new version of iTunes (6.0.5 that is). Well, that's an all in one show, because besides the fact that you can update your iPod with new files, you can also do a lot more: organize your music, burn playlists on CD or DVD, share your music and videos, buy hot tunes from the music store, create libraries of music and video.
The installation file is 35,7 megabytes large, but after installation you don't have to keep it, as you can download it from Apple's web page. With iTunes, QuickTime video player will also be installed on your computer, so you can play any video the player supports.
iTunes 6.0.5 is not just a simple music and video player or a software to gas-up your iPod. It is an interactive on the spot gate to the on-line multimedia products. You won't have to search all over the Internet for your favorite songs or radios.
The software is absolutely free, which adds up to the features it includes. The interface is very easy to handle as it has the sources placed in the right upper part and the toolbar is in its standard position. At the bottom there are seven buttons. The left bottom buttons are for handling the playlist (create playlist, turn shuffle on/off, repeat playlist or song and show or hide song artwork and video viewer). The right bottom buttons adjust the settings for the equalizer, turn the visual effects on or off and eject the disc.
The equalizer has 22 presets (R&B, Hip-Hop, Lounge, Classic, Loudness, Piano, Pop, etc.) and you can edit them or make your own presets. Another feature of the equalizer is that you can manually adjust the settings according to your state of mind.
The Music Store is the place to be. Here you can find absolutely any video and song you want. Just choose the category (it covers everything from audiobooks to soundtracks and TV shows) you are interested in and all the results will be displayed. Then you can choose the favorite artist or give a search. Although the files of the Music Store are not free (new releases and iTunes exclusives for just $1.99), you can choose podcasts and there you have lots of options to choose from: technology, news and politics, science and medicine, business, education, TV and film, sports, etc. Let us choose, for example, the comedy section. Here you have 6 pages among which you can find Happy Tree Friends, The Dawn and Drew Show, Fox and the City, etc.
The Postcast category with the Vintage ToonCast is my favorite, as you can see lots of old cartoons in there, like some episodes from Superman or Woody Woodpecker. Those are really funny!!!
The Preferences dialog helps you make the settings suited for your taste. The most important feature is the Parental Control. You have the possibility of restricting the display options of the software, so that your kid does not lay his eyes (or ears) on explicit content videos and songs. This feature is password protected, so watch out parents!
You can disable the sources (as many as you want), but I recommend checking that Restrict explicit content box so that your kid will not be able to preview, browse or buy explicit content articles.
The Good
The fact that the software is free is the best thing. Besides this, it has lots of interesting things to download (affordable). Updating your iPod with it is no problem. You can make playlists and then burn them on CD or DVD. The built-in video player can also run separately (half size, normal size, double size or fullscreen). iTunes has a nice collection of radio (a few hundred streams). The user can very easily handle the playlists.
The kit has a built-in video player (QuickTime) so you can watch video files stored on your computer.
The Bad
The Music Store seems a little crowded at first, with all the options and choosing, but after you make your selection, everything clears up. You may want to check the memory usage as it is a bit high.
The Truth
I think I am going to use it more often, especially for the movie trailers section. Thus I can decide whether I will buy the DVD or not. It is a nice software and its utility is highly defined. It gathers all the entertainment under one big umbrella and the best thing is that it is all already sorted and in place. The software will help you in cataloging the media on your computer and eliminate the chaos in the media folders by creating smart playlist. The truth is that it took me a while to order my music and to make playlists, afterwards the smart playlist option came in really handy.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
