Exitlog | Leaving Impressions

TuneUp software for iTunes promises to clean up your tracks. As the ad says, Your music collection is a mess. TuneUp fixes it. Automagically.

Whether or not the software works is not really a consideration. This is not a review. Need a verdict? Try choosing from: not sure, don’t care or could be a consideration as most people’s iTunes libraries are a mess, especially those with a little torrent help. It is the unnecessary word-smithing, or mash-up, of automatically and magic is of interest and certainly gets a nod.

Word mash-ups (or portmanteau for the literati), were popularised by Lewis Carrol in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and the sequel Through the Looking-Glass (1871). Enjoy the opening of Jabberwocky, featured in the latter, for example of his craft and invention:

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

Brillig might not be so well known as say chortling, from the same work, but we all know Tarmac, Blaxploitation and Wikipedia.

Advertising historically has never been one to miss an opportunity to make-up a feature or phrase for the sake of sales. Today’s mash could easily be in tomorrow’s dictionary. TuneUp is in good company with this attempt. There is a certain charm and elegance to blending the right words. Automagically might not be of the same calibre as Carrol’s work but it is fun to say – good effort.

No need for fanboys… the touch is alright

Two months ago, and annoyingly before the newest release, I upgraded my ageing 20GB iPod 3G. The short Nano was a possibility and a lot of consideration went to the Classic for its massive storage. Against more reasoned judgement I opted for the 8GB iPod touch. The Apple Store Trafford Centre, Manchester, had quite few out on display, and, like many, I couldn’t get enough.

The transition from iPod 3G to iPod touch was almost easy. My old iPod had buttons so I wasn’t a scroll wheel die-hard. What really took time to get use to was rationing my music – 20GB does not divide easily to 8GB. When I finally got to grips with smart playlists my listening habits completely changed. Now I listen to a lot more tracks than I did; those lost, buried or overlooked songs are now more available using Genius, shuffle and random playlist placement.

What wasn’t so easy, and look a lot of time were movies. There is a big investment in ripping DVDs to mp4, luckily Handbrake is very helpful. Music might be the main staple of an iPod, but having a few video podcasts, movies and the odd bit of TV make a train journey much more pleasant.

The biggest transition came not from trading one iPod for another, but in the (declining) use of my MacBook. With WiFi access my touch time is spent checking my email, the latest points haul of my fantasy football team and applications from the App Store*. My MacBook is now relegated to meetings (away from the office) or writing documents.

Leaving impressions: the iPod touch is certainly worth attention. The interface and your interaction with it feels right, considered and useful. I don’t care about the virtual keyboard. Typing on the touch is as important as texting on a phone – occasionally useful, but not paramount to use. It might not be a phone (there are better phones on the market – those meant to be phone and nothing else) but it is a great media player, a lean email and web access device and not bad with games.