PodUtil 3.0.2 review

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by rbytes.net on

PodUtil is an iPod accessory that enables you to copy the contents of your iPod to any Mac that has a FireWire port.

License: Shareware
OS: Mac OS X
File size: 6606K
Developer: KennettNet
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Price: $17.00
Updated: 19 May 2006
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PodUtil is an iPod accessory that enables you to copy the contents of your iPod to any Mac that has a FireWire port. Specifically, it is useful for managing music and contacts.

When copying music, PodUtil will sort the copied files by artist and/or by album and can associate copied files with iTunes or any number of other MP3 player applications. When used to manage iPod contacts.

PodUtil will scan the iPod you select for contacts and display them in a list. You can then edit or create contacts, which are saved automatically.

Here are some key features of "PodUtil":
iPod Scanning
Fast and automatic iPod scanning
Supports playlists
Detailed information about each song
Supports all formats iPod does (MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, Audible, etc.)
Song previews
Works with all iPods
File Copying
Organises copied music on your hard drive by artist, album, both or neither
Advanced mode allows customisable organisation and file renaming
iTunes Integration
Adds songs back to iTunes
Rebuilds your playlists.

Limitations:
PodUtil will not work in Advanced Mode until you register, and it will pop up annoying registration reminders while you are copying in Basic Mode. Registering completely removes these limitations.
d Podcasts.

What's New:
New Features
"Composer" is now included when building rules, in the "Get Info" window and as a tag in Copy Settings.
Added "Year" tag to Copy Settings.
New Preference: Startup -> Check for PodUtil updates. When this is checked, PodUtil will attempt to check for new versions on startup.
New Preference: General -> Remember Copy Destination. When checked, PodUtil will remember the last selected Copy Destination between uses. If the destination is moved or deleted between uses, the location will be forgotten.
New Preference: Copying -> Track Copy Order. This menu allows you to choose which order PodUtil copies the queue in.
New Preference: General -> Ignore "The" when sorting by Artist or Album. When this is checked, PodUtil will ignore "The" at the beginning or Artist and Album data when sorting. For example, "The Beatles" will come under 'B' rather than 'T' with this enabled.
PodUtil's sorting is now much smarter:
Sorting by Artist now takes into account Artist, Album, track number and disc number data.
Sorting by Album takes into account Album, track number and disc number data.
Sorting by iTunes Status now works.
Sorting by track length now works properly.
Sorting Podcasts now works correctly. Now the tracks are sorted rather than the Podcast titles.
Podcasts now keep their expanded status between playlist switches and when sorting.
Two new menu items in the Rules menu: Queue All and Unqueue All. They queue and unqueue all the tracks on the current iPod (rather than just the playlist/search results you're looking at).

Fixes/Changes
When a piece of track data is missing, it is now shown as 'Unknown' instead of being blank. This includes the browsing lists and rule matching.
If you have the "Queue" display of the Summary Pane showing, it now updates correctly when you apply a Quick Rule or Ruleset.
If PodUtil fails to identify an iPod correctly and the iPod type is set to "Automatic" in it's profile, PodUtil now shows a generic iPod picture instead of nothing where it draws iPod icons.
When building a rule, the first menu is now in alphabetical orrder. Note: This change may cause existing rules to become inaccurate. Please delete them and make new ones.
If PodUtil encounters a fatal error, the bug reporter now includes much more detail about the problem in the report that gets sent to us. This will let us fix any bugs much faster.
The browse lists no longer (wrongly) allow you to sort them by clicking their headers.
The playlists list no longer highlights it's header when you click it (because it's not sorting).
Selection pane of the Summary Panel no longer reports an incorrect iTunes Status in some situations.
Various minor improvements when searching/browsing/sorting.
Dismissing the browse lists is faster.
Album Art pane of the summary panel now draws "Nothing Selected" instead of nothing when nothing is selected.
Album Art pane of the summary panel's "No Image" display is no longer jagged.
Playlist rebuilding code rebuilt, which should eliminate the problems people have been having. If not, the improved bug reporter will help us nail it down.
When searching Podcasts, now only the titles of Podcasts that contain matching tracks are shown.
Preferences window layout improved.
Get Info window now shows "Unknown" where the data isn't feasible (i.e., "Year: 0" is now "Year: Unknown").
You can no longer attempt to sort the main iPod library or Podcasts by playlist order (the leftmost column).
If PodUtil encounters a problem when scanning an iTunes Library, it bails out gracefully rather than throwing a fatal error.
You can now right-click anywhere on a dynamic tag to bring up it's menu.

PodUtil 3.0.2 keywords