Apr 27 2009
Packing your Travel Pod
Your iPod is a vital travel companion. I know you grimace for the brief moments the luggage scanner parts you from your digital companion. The thought of surviving a flight without an iPod is scary.
But are you making the most of your iPod while traveling? Must-have accessories open possibilities, and a properly loaded iPod can be your guide as well as entertainer.
Keeping Connected on the Road
There are millions of accessories out there to hook your iPod up to your car’s stereo – which you are welcome to use on the road. But who says the music has to end when you get to the hotel (or grandma’s house)? Take along your AV cables to plug in to your hotel TV, or use a pod-powered FM adapter like this one from Griffin Technology to listen through your clock radio.
Power is a priority when you are away from your charging dock. Check out this inexpensive universal charger set or even this ultra-long-lasting external battery that will get you through 4 days without a charge.
And finally, hitting the road means taking pictures. Don’t wait till you get home to preview and back-up your snaps. Send them right to your iPod with Apple’s Camera Connector.
Travel Pod Reloaded
Before you leave you’ll want to update your contacts and calendar. If you don’t already sync your calendar, take advantage of this feature to track travel plans. Include confirmation numbers in your calendar details.
Of course I wouldn’t waste your time on things this obvious if I didn’t have something better for you. Since iPod Directions seems to be on the blink, you’ll be happy to know there are more ways to quickly get web info – like flight itinerary, driving directions and hotel info – onto your iPod.
If you have a video iPod and the latest firmware, your iPod can now display images in your notes folder. This means you can add jpg’s directly to your pod with no conversion and no messing with your existing synced photos. Add in a little Automator magic and with two actions you can take a web page’s text and images right to your iPod.
Check out Automator’s Safari actions to grab the text and download the images. There’s also an iTunes action that will turn the text into an iPod note. Video iPods with firmware 1.2 will display the jpg’s alongside notes. If found that smaller images tend to work better.
Don’t forget that Disk Mode turns your iPod into a huge portable drive. Pack it up with anything you might need on the road – presentations or your Black Friday shopping list. Avoid putting sensitive data on your iPod in case it gets stolen.
Properly prepared, there’s no reason to slow up the security line with your MacBook. Give your Mac a break and make your iPod your new travel companion.