My iPod Video 5.5G, which I got as a gift for Christmas a couple of years ago, has been good to me. It does what it was made to do — play music — very well, and it’s still playing videos and that nice game of Pong. However, there are times when I get bored with the relatively dull iPod UI, when I wish I had more games on it, or when I wish I could use my own equalizer settings to play my music the way I want to play it. The beauty of having a popular device, like the iPod Video 5.5G, is its community of dedicated hackers, working night and day to improve it. There are many alternatives to the original Apple firmware, but amongst the various ones, I believe that Rockbox is the most reputable and trusted, and also the one that appeals to me the most for its simplicity (sorry, iPod Linux).

Capabilities

Rockbox can do a boatload of things with the iPod that the original Apple firmware couldn’t — like using Windows Explorer to import music to your iPod (meaning you don’t have to go through iTunes to upload or download your music), more flexible customizability (you can tweak even the fonts you want to see), and a support for a huge variety of file formats (http://download.rockbox.org/manual/rockbox-h10_5gb/rockbox-buildap1.html). But amongst all these, I found the following to be the deciding factors for me:

1. Themes

There are 14 themes for the iPod Video in the Rockbox Themes Directory. Granted, a good portion of them don’t look too hot, but I think there at least one or two that are pretty eye-catching. It’s just a guess — since there used to be a lot more themes that looked a ton better — but I’m assuming that Rockbox developers removed them due to the lack of Album Art capabilities. Works fine for me. If themes are your major concern, then I’d consider using iPod Wizard to tweak the current iPod theme, and just leave Rockbox alone — but if you’re looking for more than just a theme change, read on.

2. Built-in Gameboy

What? You can play Gameboy on your iPod? Yes. For free. Rockbox can play Gameboy and Gameboy Color files by default (granted, Gameboy Color files might be a bit laggier if I’m not mistaken). All you have to do is a quick Google search for ‘Gameboy Color ROMs’ and a ton of results will pop up. I have two things to warn you about: these sites will be shady, and this is not legal if you didn’t already buy a version of the game. I’ve got a legitimate version of Pokemon Red, so I can play it on my iPod. By the way, always go with Charmander — I know it’s a pain in the ass to play against Brock and Misty, but it’ll pay off.

3. Equalizer

I think the factor that sealed the deal would be the built-in equalizer that Rockbox offers. Unlike the iPod default firmware, which only offers presets (such as ‘Bass Booster’), the Rockbox firmware offers pretty full equalizer that allows you to put more emphasis on different frequencies (I think that’s the word for it). A must-have feature for audiophiles or people that get really into their music (but if you were an audiophile, you’d already be ranting about the shortcomings of the iPod, so I can’t see why you’d have one — haha).

Installation

In the olden days, we had to drag and drop files that we downloaded and unzipped from our desktop to the iPod’s drive directory. Not anymore! With the release of Rockbox Utility, Rockbox is a lot simpler to install (not that it wasn’t simple before), so there’s really no need to write a tutorial (plus I don’t really enjoy writing tutorials that much — sorry folks, there are just too many pictures I have to create, then crop, then upload, and then link to — it’s a heck of a process just for a couple of graphics).

Take the Leap!

If you’re afraid because you haven’t done anything like this before, remember that you can always return to your old firmware via iTunes (the iPod System Restore comes in handy). It can be undone! Just remember — follow instructions to the word, don’t do anything stupid like pull out the iPod USB cord while transferring, and relax. But I’d like to say here that if you do manage to brick your iPod, I hold no responsibility for it.

Good luck.

Maybe it’s just me, but I find it nearly impossible to decide on a profile picture.  Nowadays, it’s important to convey just enough to give other people a sense of who you are, without overdoing it on those special effects.  I’m a big fan of Photoshop, but even I think that’s overkill — especially just for a profile picture.  So how do we make it interesting, yet personal, enough to capture other users — or at least make them double-take?

An important piece of the puzzle is personality.  These tools I offer are all free, and offer either a way to create your own character (I suggest creating them in your likeness), or tweak your photos to make them more interesting.

1. Simpsonize Me!

Originally designed as a promotional tool for The Simpsons Movie, Burger King launched Simpsonize Me as a tool to “Simpsonize” photos of yourself.  The process, theoretically, should be simple — just upload and modify, right?

…mostly.  I only got to finish the upload on my fourth try — on my first three attempts, I actually gave up (put the computer to Sleep) or had the connection time out on me.  So, I offer an alternative to Simpsonize me, which is called “The Simpsomaker“.  Not as simple as just uploading, but I would argue a whole bunch more fun.

2. South Park Studio

Out of all five of these tools, I would say that South Park Studio’s definitely been the most famous amongst my friends.  I don’t usually endorse South Park, but I felt obligated to mention South Park Studio for their own sakes.  Maybe I’m just too darn conservative for this world.

3. Face Your Manga

Face Your Manga was a shocker — because it wasn’t as fully based on manga as one would expect.  I actually enjoyed using Face Your Manga — of course, I am an avid fan of Naruto and Bleach — but I usually don’t tend to enjoy those “manga”-y drawings.  A pleasant surprise, Face Your Manga is definitely one to consider.  Er, might want to take a half-hour out of your day before you get started on this one.

…oh, and don’t get too hopeful about the apparel.  In fact, none of these really offer much apparel customization, sadly.

4. Joystiq Mii

Mii’s have been arguably one of the most interesting and amusing features of the Wii (I feel guilty making funny-looking Mii’s — I’m not superficial, really!).  I figured it was just a matter of time before either Nintendo or another company pushed its Mii capabilities online in an avatar form.  It’s pretty precise, too — the flash app actually mimics the Wii’s own customization of the Mii very realistically.  And it turns your cursor into a Wii hand.

…er, I’m not exactly sure how to download the file though.  Print Screen comes in handy, I suppose.

5. Photofunia

I’ve saved the best for last — Photofunia, as I discovered through Lifehacker, allows you to upload your photos and then substitute it into various hilarious or famous pictures, some even using face detection technology (Mona Lisa, anyone?).  A perfect blend of amusement, customization, while not taking up too much time, I would suggest using Photofunia for those looking for a quick upgrade from a bland picture into an eye-busting double-taker.

Be Creative!

That’s probably not all the customizers out there, but they’re the ones that require least baggage (no sign-ups, no fees, no downloads!).  I think that these will be timeless classics for any user out there that wants a unique, yet interesting profile picture — hopefully, you have as much fun with them as I did.

Never dreamed of the day you’d play a DVD on your Wii?  How about playing any N64 game on your Wii, not just the ones on the WiiShop?  And you don’t have to sell your soul for it?  Not a chance, right?  I was immediately interested.

Wii Homebrew and Visual Boy

Turns out there is a dedicated bunch of folks working on Homebrew firmware.  Give me a minute before you start scoffing.  Homebrew doesn’t necessarily mean crappy — I know that there aren’t too many great connotations associated with the word, but these people really know what they’re doing.  Sure, it might screw up your Wii if you don’t do it right.  I haven’t tried it yet either, but I’m planning on doing so once I get my hands on a copy of Twilight Princess (you need it to install the Homebrew).  Once you install the Homebrew firmware (it will appear as a channel), there will be all sorts of applications you can “install” onto your Wii that will allow you to play DVD’s and even Gameboy on the Wii.  Slick, right?

Once I get it up and running, I’ll be sure to introduce only the coolest apps.  But for now, just wanted to throw it out there and thank the developers for creating an alternative.  Thanks, guys!

The downloading and installation of a new operating system is definitely a major hill to overcome, mainly because of information overload.  All of a sudden, you have to know about .iso files, bootloaders, burning software, partitions, and a ton of other jargon.  With Ubuntu, you don’t need to worry about any of that. In fact, with a virtual CD/DVD drive, you don’t even need to worry about burning to a CD or DVD and choosing software. 

If you really want to, Canonical (the corporate force behind Ubuntu) will send you a free CD, but the wait is 6-10 weeks.  Don’t do it – rather, download Ubuntu from any server located near you.  I used the Michigan server, but I believe that they’re all pretty fast.  I was receiving speed rates peaking at around 700kb/s – the whole 600MB download finished in less than half an hour (I’d know, I was watching Fresh Prince of Bel-Air at the time).  If you don’t have speedy Internet, you can just leave the computer on while you go to work or sleep and have Ubuntu download while you spend time elsewhere.  That’s half the battle.  Onto the fortress of installation!

Usually, installation is an easy battle with Windows – click a few buttons, check the Terms & Conditions, wait a bit.  But with many distributions of Linux, there are text-based installers and command lines – and you don’t want to open the can of worms.  Ubuntu is different; it uses the Wubi installer, making installation no more difficult than a regular piece of software.  You can actually burn the Ubuntu .iso file you downloaded to a CD or DVD, and then stick it into your computer.  You don’t have to reboot or shut down, just stick it in like you would a normal CD, and run it.  Click a few buttons.  Wait a while.  Ubuntu will automatically begin installation and prompt a reboot – which will then continue the setup, provided you choose to boot into Ubuntu and not Windows XP or Vista by accident.

As the tech consumer’s blogger, I’m obligated to find an absolutely free method to installing Ubuntu – so put that Loonie or dollar bill away, folks – we won’t need a CD or DVD.  Simply navigate your way to the ocean of Daemon and pull out your Excalibur – Daemon Tools Lite.  Basically, what Daemon Tools does is mount the .iso file into a virtual CD or DVD drive.  For example, if you had a Starcraft .iso, you could run the game just on your computer – without the physical CD required (I’ll let you decide whether that’s legal or not).  Thus, following this principle, we can mount the Ubuntu .iso file and run it just like that.  Usually, this scenario would not have worked with other Ubuntu versions, as they need a rebooting which means deactivating Daemon Tools along with your computer.  But, because Ubuntu 8.04 allows for a simple installation within Windows, then you will be able to mount .iso file right from Windows.  Read on, because the battle’s almost won.

When prompted to reboot, please save any other work you might’ve been working on and do so.  After booting up, you will have the option of either loading Windows Vista/XP or Ubuntu (I used Windows Vista, but I’m not completely sure about XP – I’ll assume that they have similar booting options).  Boot into Ubuntu and allow the setup to continue.  Fifteen minutes later,  you will have Ubuntu 8.04 working right on your computer – the whole process will probably take an hour, so I’d suggest turning on the TV, grabbing a book or playing some video games – just make sure the computer’s close by, because there will be some buttons that still need to be clicked.

I started using a program called Launchy a couple of weeks ago, even though I first heard of it a couple of months ago. As you can imagine, I was a bit skeptical: how could a keyboard solution be better than the mouse I’ve been using this whole time? Let me show you how.

This post started with my calling Launchy a program, but I think it’d be better described as a process running in the background of Windows. It starts with the computer (that can be changed), and takes up around five megabytes of RAM – so by no means do you need an Alienware to run Launchy. When you hit two keys, Alt+Space by default, the Launchy box pops up. Key in the name of a program and hit Enter. The program will then launch.

For example, typing in “Windows Live Writer”, or just “Writer” will launch the program Windows Live Writer.

Launchy’s open-source and can be skinned. If you don’t like the default skin, don’t use it! DeviantArt’s got a great collection of Launchy skins. Launchy is free, so you can try it and see whether it works for you or not – I know that I personally love it and found it to be the best thing since sliced bread, but other people might not be so enthusiastic about it.

No more taking a minute in the Start menu to look for my programs, even though the time was reduced by using the Windows key. Now, I just call up Launchy. I hope it’s as useful for you, dear reader, as it was for me.

For more information about Launchy, visit their official website at http://launchy.net.

Looking to take advantage of the new Windows Presentation Foundation?  Hate iTunes?  I’ve got the alternative media player just for you today – a relatively new entry to the market, but one already gaining steam.  It’s called ViewOn, and it specializes in integrating WPF into playing music, radio, and video.

In my brief experience of using it, it’s been pretty cool.  It’s somewhat unique, and doesn’t take as long as iTunes to start up – I haven’t tried syncing my iPod with it yet though.  The only pain I’ve been having with it is with the album art – darn, seems like it can’t read the album art iTunes or WMP11 applied to my .mp3 files!  This really does take away from the overall look and feel of the media player, making it feel somewhat last-gen.

I’ll probably write a full-blown review on it later on, but right now I’ve got quite a stack on my plate right now so I’m trying not to bite off more than I can chew, while at the same time provide material for you loyal readers.  Pardon the briefness – hey, if you’re tech-savvy, I suggest you try this yourself!  Just remember, you have to have .Net framework 3.5, which took a while to download and install on my laptop.  I wish you all the best.

Visit:

http://viewon.tv/