Matt’s Desk: Editor’s Blog

I’m a huge fan of audiobooks and have been for well over a decade.  Long before Audible.com was available (and even on occasion thereafter), I purchased audiobooks on CD, and accumulated a fairly large collection. Late last year, after stumbling across a forgotten box of these books, I began the process of transferring the CDs to audio files for use a range of portable devices.

But early in the process I ran into an annoying problem: each CD contained multiple tracks which, when ripped, resulted in up to 30 audio files per disc.  I did not want hundreds of MP3 or AAC files for each audiobook – what I wanted was one, simple file for each CD. So I began searching for a solution to quickly and easily join together the tracks from each CD into a single audio file.

After some experimentation, the solution I settled on was the Join CD Tracks option in iTunes.  This function provided the exact functionality I wanted and proved very useful.  In the article below, I’ll detail the process of creating a single MP3 or AAC audio file for an audiobook CD so your collection is more manageable.

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When I was getting ready to upgrade my MacBook to Snow Leopard with a format and fresh install, I began by backing up my files to an external hard drive.  I had accumulated hundreds of documents, photos, music tracks, etc., and wanted everything backed-up – not just via Time Machine – but also as raw files and folders.

One of the folders I made sure to backup was the Music > iTunes folder, which contains not only my music, videos and podcasts, but also the configuration information that lets my iPhone 3GS know that it’s partnered with that specific iTunes library.  Apple only allows an iPhone to sync with one iTunes library at a time (bummer), so failure to backup and restore the iTunes folder on your Mac after a fresh OS install will result in having to wipe and restore your iPhone before you can sync with iTunes again. 

Shortly after I began the upgrade process, an email came in from an iPhone Edition reader asking why he couldn’t sync his iPhone 3G with his new iMac running Snow Leopard.  After I replied with the bad news, I began writing a series of tutorials for iPhone Edition laying out the steps for backing up and restoring iTunes library information on a new or re-installed Mac or PC. 

I’ve just completed the section on Moving Your iPhone to a New Mac, and should have PC to PC, Mac to PC and PC to Mac sections completed in the next few days.  If you’re moving to a new Mac, or performing a fresh install of the new Mac OS, have a read and tell me what you think.

-M

Hello!  It’s been months (nine and change if you want to get technical about it) since I’ve posted to this, my Editor’s Blog.  I’m not sure why exactly I’ve been so very lax in updating my very own corner of Pocket PC Central, but the most likely explanation is being busy.

In addition to updating the site, I’m also working hard on getting our new standalone iPhone site, The Able iPhone, up and running, which I’m hoping will occur later this month.  The Able iPhone will be a replacement for the iPhone section of Pocket PC Central, and I’m very excited about it.  We’re also working on updating a lot of the information on the site that’s been stale; when changes occur as quickly as they do in the smartphone market, it’s easy to let useful info for older devices fall by the wayside – but millions of people use devices that have been discontinued for months or years, and we’re working on keeping the information and accessories listings on older smartphones and Pocket PCs up-to-date.

I’m going to begin posting to this blog at least once a week, and very likely multiple times a week going forward.  I hope you’ll enjoy my tech musings at least a bit more than the bulk of what’s available in the blogosphere. 

Fortunately, considering what’s out there, that shouldn’t be difficult.

Matt

I’ve spent most of the day working on the new iPhone section of Pocket PC Central, aptly named iPhone Edition.  I’m excited about this new part of the site for two reasons: first, it’s always interesting to broaden the products and topics covered by PPCC. The second is that the iPhone, which has changed so much of the handheld landscape, is about to change itself, and covering the evolution of a popular product is great.

Apple is announcing, most expect, the 2nd Gen iPhone on Monday.  Commonly called the 3G iPhone, the new Apple smartphone (or perhaps smartphones) will work with faster wireless networks, allow for 3rd party software, will sync with Exchange and will feature a new and improved OS. With PPCC: iPhone Edition, we’ll try to blend what makes Pocket PC Central so successful with the iPhone universe; of course, there’s a great deal of information out there about the iPhone, and I certainly know that much of it is high-quality, but hopefully we can add to the conversation and even help a few folks out in the process.

Stay tuned to iPhone Edition’s 3G iPhone page on Monday for the latest details and feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments regarding the new sub-section of PPCC.  I’m calling it quits for the week.

-M

I spent some time this afternoon working on my full review of the iPod touch.  Though Pocket PC Central is primarily known for its Windows Mobile device information, the MP3 side of the site (which we call PPCC: MP3 Player Edition) has been growing in traffic over the last year or so.  If you haven’t seen it, please take a look.  As a result, we’ve been trying to cover more of the stand-out devices currently available in the sea of mobile audio and video players.

The iPod touch is one of my favorite mobile devices in some time.  There’s no question that the iPhone is also a fantastic product, but I feel it simply doesn’t excel at many of the things smartphones should  do (I could write an entire essay on the practical shortcomings of the touch keyboard alone).  The iPhone’s technology ported to a dedicated media player, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.  The iPhone’s iPod interface was and is amazing, and the iPod touch is really little more than the isolation of that functionality without all of the telephonic add-ons.  I should have the full iPod touch review completed within the next couple of days.  If you want to read what I’ve written so far, you can take a look at the iPod touch Review entry on the Works in Progress page.  I also published a First Impressions review of the touch the first day I began using it (which was September 15) if you’re interested.  I’ve love to hear any thoughts you might have.

Enjoy what little is left of your weekend.  I have some TV to catch up on.

M.N.