Pandora Waives Monthly Listening Limit Before iTunes Radio Launch

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Review: SynciOS takes over for iTunes

SynciOS SynciOS is a free application that gives you much more control over your iOS device than iTunes does.

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I recently tried Wondershare's MobileGo for iOS, a handy tool for managing your iOS devices from your PC. MobileGo for iOS gives you a lot of freedom over your iOS device—something noticeably lacking when you use iTunes. I liked it a lot, but was admittedly turned off by its $40 price tag. That's why I'm so fond of SynciOS, an application that does a whole lot of what MobileGo can do, and does it for free.

SynciOS automatically recognizes your iPad, iPhone, or iPod when it's connected to your PC. It displays a host of information about the device, including its battery status, whether or not is jailbroken (it works with both kinds of devices), and even your estimated contract expiration date. Like older versions of iTunes, SynciOS uses a column on the left of the screen to let you navigate through the application and a connected device, while displaying more information in the main screen. (The latest version of iTunes eschews this layout in favor of what Apple calls a "simplified view," but I actually find that harder to navigate.)

SynciOS lets you manage all of the apps you've installed on your iOS device.

From the column on the left you can peruse your device's media (audio and video), photos, ebooks, apps, contact and calling information, and its file system. You can easily transfer content from the iPhone or iPad to your computer, and vice versa. While iTunes makes it easy to transfer songs and videos from your PC to your iPad, transferring photos isn't as easy. SynciOS, like MobileGo, handles this task easily.

You can create an album on your iOS device, load it with photos from your computer, and sync it in seconds. Also simple is transferring content that's not in a compatible format: SynciOS recognizes this content and converts it for you, making it easy to get all the songs and videos you want on your iOS device.

SynciOS stumbles a bit as a contact manager, though. It has an option for managing contacts, but recognized none of the hundreds of contacts I have stored on my iPhone. This is an area where MobileGo excels, as it allows you to sync and de-dupe contact lists. Like MobileGo, SynciOS does allow you to view text message threads on your computer, though it would be more helpful to see the phone numbers associated with contacts.

SynciOS lets you view and delete photos from your iOS device.

SynciOS does offer better handling of apps than MobileGo, however, as it allows you to see a complete list of all the apps installed on your iPhone or iPad. It lists the version number and size, and includes options for uninstalling and backing up any of the titles.

SynciOS is not a replacement for  iTunes, as it can't update your iOS software or offer you access to a built-on App Store. But it's not meant to be: SynciOS requires that you have iTunes installed. And it can't compare with MobileGo for iOS for contact management. But in all other aspects—especially price—this free application is the iOS manager to beat.

Note: The Download button will download the software to your system.

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10 Most Expensive iTunes Apps

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From Laptopmagazine. Product reviews and advice for best reference

Review: MobileGo for iOS goes where iTunes won't

iTunes is an excellent tool for managing the content on your iOS device from your Windows PC. Unless you'd like to sync contacts, or de-dupe them. Unless you'd like to convert audio and video files to an iOS-compatible format. Unless you'd like to extract music from a video and upload it to your device in a compatible format.

Clearly, iTunes has some limitations. Wondershare's MobileGo for iOS ($40, free demo with limited imports and exports) offers some nifty features that iTunes leaves out, making this application an excellent companion to Apple's software.

MobileGo for iOS lets you share contents between 2 iOS devices.

MobileGo for iOS is available in a free trial version, but the full version costs $40 -- a hefty price when you consider that iTunes is free. At that price, MobileGo for iOS has to earn its keep -- and, depending on how you use your iOS device, it just may do that.

MobileGo for iOS is not a full-fledged PC media management system like iTunes, or MediaMonkey. It does not scan your computer for audio and video files, and it does not organize your media library. What it does is focus on your iOS device. MobileGo automatically detects your iPod, iPhone, or iPad when it's connected to your computer, and displays its contents in a column on the left side of the application. You can expand any of the sections, which include media, playlists, photos, contacts, and SMS, to browse in a larger window on the right side of the application.

iTunes users who have yearned to manage their contacts or view their text messages on a big screen will appreciate MobileGo's approach. It lets you view entire messages threads, though you can't compose messages, which would have been a nice touch. You can export message threads to your computer for backup, though. Its Media, Playlist, Photos, and Contacts tools are a bit more useful, as you can use each of these sections to add content to your device or sync it back to your PC. MobileGo's interface is clean and attractive, and its large icons make it easy to figure out how to accomplish all of these tasks.

MobileGo for iOS also include a Toolkit, which is where you can perform some additional tasks. The Toolkit includes options for copying music to iTunes or your computer, extracting music from a video file and saving it as an audio file that can be uploaded to your phone, and converting music to an iOS-compatible format. One oddity about MobileGo: this Toolkit section lacks an option for converting video to an iOS-compatible device, which MobileGo is supposed to offer. While I never found this option in the Toolkit section, I soon realized that MobileGo for iOS simply handled the conversion automatically when I added an incompatible video to my device using the Media section of the application. The video conversion was handled quickly and seamlessly, but it seemed odd that an option to accomplish this task wasn't included in the Toolkit as it is with music.

MobileGo for iOS recognizes incompatible audio and video files, and converts them quickly.

The Toolkit also contains a Contact Manager, which allows you to backup contacts, find duplicates, and import or export contacts to and from Outlook or Windows Mail. Business users—or anyone who has lamented iTunes' lack of a robust contact manager—will appreciate this feature in particular.

And users with more than one iOS device will appreciate how easily MobileGo allows you to transfer contents between them. The software recognizes multiple iOS devices at a time, and allows you to export content from one to the other easily.

Even with its $40 price tag, MobileGo for iOS is an excellent application for managing the content on your iOS device. Its contact manager and file conversion tools, plus its ability to transfer content between two iOS devices will make it worth its hefty price for many users. Still, it's expensive and it can't do everything that iTunes can. It lacks an option for purchasing and downloading content, and includes no tools for managing iOS apps on your device. That's why it makes a good companion to iTunes, rather than a complete replacement.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

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Review: MobileGo for iOS goes where iTunes won't

iTunes is an excellent tool for managing the content on your iOS device from your Windows PC. Unless you'd like to sync contacts, or de-dupe them. Unless you'd like to convert audio and video files to an iOS-compatible format. Unless you'd like to extract music from a video and upload it to your device in a compatible format.

Clearly, iTunes has some limitations. Wondershare's MobileGo for iOS ($40, free demo with limited imports and exports) offers some nifty features that iTunes leaves out, making this application an excellent companion to Apple's software.

MobileGo for iOS lets you share contents between 2 iOS devices.

MobileGo for iOS is available in a free trial version, but the full version costs $40 -- a hefty price when you consider that iTunes is free. At that price, MobileGo for iOS has to earn its keep -- and, depending on how you use your iOS device, it just may do that.

MobileGo for iOS is not a full-fledged PC media management system like iTunes, or MediaMonkey. It does not scan your computer for audio and video files, and it does not organize your media library. What it does is focus on your iOS device. MobileGo automatically detects your iPod, iPhone, or iPad when it's connected to your computer, and displays its contents in a column on the left side of the application. You can expand any of the sections, which include media, playlists, photos, contacts, and SMS, to browse in a larger window on the right side of the application.

iTunes users who have yearned to manage their contacts or view their text messages on a big screen will appreciate MobileGo's approach. It lets you view entire messages threads, though you can't compose messages, which would have been a nice touch. You can export message threads to your computer for backup, though. Its Media, Playlist, Photos, and Contacts tools are a bit more useful, as you can use each of these sections to add content to your device or sync it back to your PC. MobileGo's interface is clean and attractive, and its large icons make it easy to figure out how to accomplish all of these tasks.

MobileGo for iOS also include a Toolkit, which is where you can perform some additional tasks. The Toolkit includes options for copying music to iTunes or your computer, extracting music from a video file and saving it as an audio file that can be uploaded to your phone, and converting music to an iOS-compatible format. One oddity about MobileGo: this Toolkit section lacks an option for converting video to an iOS-compatible device, which MobileGo is supposed to offer. While I never found this option in the Toolkit section, I soon realized that MobileGo for iOS simply handled the conversion automatically when I added an incompatible video to my device using the Media section of the application. The video conversion was handled quickly and seamlessly, but it seemed odd that an option to accomplish this task wasn't included in the Toolkit as it is with music.

MobileGo for iOS recognizes incompatible audio and video files, and converts them quickly.

The Toolkit also contains a Contact Manager, which allows you to backup contacts, find duplicates, and import or export contacts to and from Outlook or Windows Mail. Business users—or anyone who has lamented iTunes' lack of a robust contact manager—will appreciate this feature in particular.

And users with more than one iOS device will appreciate how easily MobileGo allows you to transfer contents between them. The software recognizes multiple iOS devices at a time, and allows you to export content from one to the other easily.

Even with its $40 price tag, MobileGo for iOS is an excellent application for managing the content on your iOS device. Its contact manager and file conversion tools, plus its ability to transfer content between two iOS devices will make it worth its hefty price for many users. Still, it's expensive and it can't do everything that iTunes can. It lacks an option for purchasing and downloading content, and includes no tools for managing iOS apps on your device. That's why it makes a good companion to iTunes, rather than a complete replacement.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

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Review: CopyTrans TuneSwift automates iTunes chores

Whether you're upgrading computers or just doing a little digital housekeeping, you'll need to move or backup your iTunes media library. You could do it manually, or you could save yourself plenty of headaches and hassle and use CopyTrans TuneSwift instead. This $15 application automates the process and handles all the heavy lifting for you.

CopyTrans TuneSwift installs as part of WindSolutions's CopyTrans Suite, which includes several different applications for managing various parts of your iOS experience, such as CopyTrans Contacts and CopyTrans Photo. While it's called a suite, you purchase the applications you want individually. All of the applications include a free demo version; you can try any of them and buy the ones you like. TuneSwift does not, however, offer any functionality in its free version. You can open it and view the interface, but you can't use any of its features until you pay for a license.

TuneSwift displays its progress as it works, but this application isn't exactly swift.

TuneSwift is simple to use, and its interface is straightforward. Launch the program, and it asks you whether you want to backup, restore, or transfer your iTunes Library. The options are as simple as they sound: backup creates a file that you can later use to restore iTunes should any problems arise, restore lets you fix problems (provided you already have a backup created), and transfer lets you move your iTunes installation to another location, such as a new computer or an external drive.

Once you make your selection, TuneSwift walks you through the entire process, as it helps you select locations for storing backups and transferring libraries. (Note that it will delete the contents of your iTunes library from its original location if you decide to transfer it, so creating a backup is always a good first step.)

Despite its name, TuneSwift isn't exactly swift: it took a couple of hours to back up my iTunes library of more than 16,000 files. And it slowed my Windows 7 PC to a crawl in the process. But it worked exactly as advertised, both when I backed up my iTunes library and when I transferred it to an external drive.

TuneSwift may not be swift, but if you need to clean up or move your iTunes installation, its ease of use will help you overlook its flaws.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page will download the software to your system.

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Airbind Hands-on: Wirelessly Sync iTunes with Your Android Phone

iPhone owners have long enjoyed a home-field advantage when it comes to uploading music from iTunes onto your smartphone. Simply plug the iPhone into your Mac or PC, wait for iTunes to recognize the device and click “Sync”. By comparison, adding music to Android phones can seem like a massive chore.  You can run your phone in PC Mode, allowing the device to automatically download music from your computer, but the service sometimes can’t find your albums in its Internet database or alters the name of songs during the transfer.

Alternatively, Android users can manually transfer albums from their computers to their smartphones, but doing so can be time-consuming. Enter Airbind, a deceptively simply app that allows users to automatically sync iTunes with their Android phones.

Airbind promises to put all of your iTunes music on your Android phone in only 3 steps. We went hands-on with the app to see if it is really as easy to use as they claim. Downloading the Windows client was a snap, and the client itself runs silently in the background. The options in the menu are somewhat limited, allowing you only to enable and disable the client and choose where the iTunes library is located. It would have been nice to be able to specify which albums or songs you want to upload to your phone — especially considering that some users may have more music than their phones can store.

We had problems getting the app to work at first — Airbind couldn’t find the iTunes library on our ASUS Zenbook UX31E using the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. We experienced similar problems using the app on the Motorola Droid RAZR. The need for a robust options menu quickly became apparent, as it was impossible to either diagnose the problem or find solutions to remedy it using the tools available. Thankfully, the Droid RAZR was eventually able to locate our iTunes, but we don’t know what we did to make that happen.

Once set up, Airbind gives users the option to back up their music, photos and video. Users also have the option to automatically sync their iTunes files with their Android phone. When the app is ready to sync your phone with iTunes, the button in the middle of the screen changes from grey to blue. Press the button, and the syncing begins.

Once launched, it took 2 hours and 22 minutes to wirelessly transfer 2.55GB of music from our iTunes to the Droid RAZR. Although this is slow compared to transfer speeds using a USB cable, it may be due to the wireless connection in our office.

Despite a sluggish transfer speed, Airbind offers a sorely-needed service to Android owners. Gone are the days of manually transferring music from your notebook to your smartphone or futzing around with Android’s finicky music database. As the instructions say: Just download Airbind for your Mac or PC, download the app for your Android phone, sync and you’re done. It really is that simple.

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