FitSugar

Use CoverHunt to Find Missing Album Artwork

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:00:47 -0700

One of the best jukeboxes I've ever experienced had an incredible selection of music, but one major drawback: instead of album covers designating each CD, the space where the art would be simply listed the available tracks. I'm not knocking it - burning CDs and then just writing down the information is far more cost-effective than buying hundreds of albums, but the jukebox lost a whole lot of ambiance without the artwork. Sadly, my iPod has become a little bit like that jukebox. Between downloading songs on the fly, receiving files from friends, and importing old CDs, I'm missing a whole lot of album art, which makes the visual album-scrolling feature a lot less exciting.

Luckily there's a solution. If you don't want to pay for a service like TuneUp, you can use CoverHunt, a search engine for album covers. Search the site by artist, album, or song to find the missing artwork to add into your iTunes library. Or, download TidySongs for Mac or PC, a free program that automatically finds missing art, duplicate songs, or missing information in your iTunes library. I'm excited to clean up my album covers - maybe it'll even help me to appreciate the uniqueness of the handwritten jukebox library next time I queue up some songs.

Ask a Geek Girl: Deleting Duplicate Songs in iTunes

GeekSugar — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:30:59 -0800

Today's question comes from reader glamourette142:

I purchased a new external hard drive to back up all my music on in case my laptop crashes. As I was transferring music I noticed that I have duplicates of the same songs; is there a way that I delete files that there are two of without going though my entire music collection artist by artist?

Good news! There is a simple way to find and delete duplicates in iTunes without going through your entire library. To find out how, just read more.

First, open iTunes. Then go to the File menu, and select "Show Duplicates." This will list all songs that iTunes has determined are duplicate versions - usually songs with the same title and artist. You'll still have to manually sift through this list, but think of it as a security measure to make sure you're not deleting wanted songs. For example, album and acoustic versions of the same song may show up on the duplicates list, even though they're different.

You can right click (or control+click) on any song title to find out more info about the track. Once you've determined the song is, indeed, a duplicate, you can manually delete it.

Do you have a tech question you'd like to ask us? Create a PopSugar Account or log in to your account. Then join the Ask a Geek Girl group where you can ask everything and anything related to technology. And you never know, it could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Which Song Was the 10 Billionth Download on iTunes?

GeekSugar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:30:03 -0800

Apple's iTunes store just recently surpassed 10 billion downloads since it opened in 2003! Which of these songs took home the title as the 10 billionth download?

Take the quiz

Apple Bans Sexy Apps From Store: Way to Go or Going Too Far?

GeekSugar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:00:05 -0800

We already know that Apple has a tough app approval system, so it should be no surprise that they don't allow porn apps in the iTunes store. But how far is too far when regulating the kinds of apps you can buy? Apple has recently been cleaning house, and clearing out all of the apps that contain boobs, skin, or that are "sexually suggestive" in nature. This even includes images of men and women in bikinis, athletes in figure skating tights, and "skin" in general. I'm a little surprised that Apple is taking this stance, especially with magazines preparing their moves onto the iPad when it hits stores next month. I suppose Sports Illustrated and GQ are out? What's your opinion on the matter?

Michael Thompson/GQ

Ask a Geek Girl: Two iPods, One Account

GeekSugar — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:00:50 -0800

Reader eicmarie recently posted this question in the Ask a Geek Girl group:

"I have two iPods on one account. I need to separate the iPods so that each one has its own account. Is there a way to do that so that none of the music on either is lost and can be played in a new account?"

Since iPods are designed to be synced to one computer with one iTunes account, the answer to this question is pretty straightforward. First, make sure all of the music from the iPod you'd like to switch is backed up on your computer. If you have music on your iPod that isn't on your computer, you'll have to use a special program - I like PodWorks ($8) - to move the files from your iPod into your iTunes account.

To find out how to reset your iPod and sync it with a new iTunes account, read more.

Once you're sure you have everything off of your iPod, plug it into the computer to reset it. When the computer recognizes your iPod, click the "Restore" button to delete your information. You should then be able to detach your iPod for use on a different computer; when you plug it into the new computer, create a new iTunes account for this iPod.

You're also able to toggle multiple iTunes accounts on the same computer; under the "Store" option on the menu bar, click "sign out" to sign out of an existing account. Then plug your newly wiped-clean iPod into the computer to create a new account. To switch back and forth, use the "sign in" and "sign out" options. For detailed instructions and troubleshooting, check out Apple's support page.

Source: Flickr User Zengame

How-To: Watch the Big Game If You Miss It on Sunday

GeekSugar — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:00:51 -0800

Not everyone has the luxury of having Super Bowl Sunday off from work. Or maybe you'll be on vacation, where there are no televisions or computers (lucky). So what to do if you miss the action of the big game? Besides setting your DVR, iTunes is offering its Super Bowl XLIV Season Pass ($8), which gets you access to the Pro Bowl now and the Super Bowl the morning after the game airs.

But, if you're aching for some sports action now, you can get all the season's highlights and past Super Bowl commercials on Hulu to tide you over. If all else fails, get yourself a Slingbox and SlingPlayer app ASAP and stream it over your phone on game day from anywhere!

Daily Tech: Google Charging Its Own ETFs For Nexus One

GeekSugar — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:15:12 -0800

Google is charging its own early termination fees on top of carrier ETFs for the Nexus One - MobileCrunch
Wal-Mart acquiring web on-demand video service Vudu in hopes of gaining a slice of iTunes' pie - Silicon Alley Insider
Zune HD gets a sweet "Pandora-like" firmware update - Dvice
Check out the trailer for Twilight: Modern Warfare 2 (warning: spoilers ahead) - MTV Multiplayer
Soon you can upload, share, and store 1GB worth of any 250MB file type to Google Docs for free - Download Squad
Submit your Cool Captures for your chance to win a CanvasPop print - GeekSugar

Geek Tip: Turn Off Your iTunes Before Closing Your Laptop

GeekSugar — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:45:55 -0800

I suppose this is more of a Geek PSA than a tip - but trust me, you want to know this one. Last night I was happily rocking out to my new favorite song - a MGMT/David Bowie mashup - when my dinner delivery arrived. I quickly shut my laptop computer before answering the door, and didn't open it again for the rest of the night.

This morning when I arrived at work, I opened my computer, and to my complete embarrassment, it started blasting the song from last night at full volume. You will never be aware of how long those few seconds it takes your laptop to register that it's been opened than those moments when you frantically push the "mute" button to no avail.

As my co-workers got a good laugh and I turned a deep shade of red, I vowed to always, always pause my iTunes before closing my computer. Besides knowing that it's much better for the care of my laptop to do this, it'll save me some serious embarrassment the next time I'm blasting music I'm not ready to share with everyone in listening range.

Daily Tech: Use Google Maps to Find H1N1 Vaccine Locations

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:40:58 -0800

Google already has data for locations of H1N1 flu vaccine programs from 20 states and counting - Gizmodo
Apple beefs up their HD movie selection in the iTunes store - TechCrunch
Cute! UK designer Kyle Bean has created this Russian Babushka doll style cell phone set - Popgadget
Staples shows off its extensive Black Friday ad - CrunchGear
Google has developed a new feature called SafeSearch, so you can easily filter out sexually explicit sites from your search results - The Google Blog
Blockbuster plans to start renting movies on SD cards - Gadgetell

How to Access iTunes' New Genius Mixes

GeekSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:45:54 -0700

Have you had some time to play around with iTunes 9? Notable features include home sharing, improved syncing and a redesign of your iTunes library and the store. But my favorite new feature is the Genius Mixes.

If you're already familiar with how the amazing music suggestion tool iTunes Genius works you can instantly get in on the Genius Mixes fun. Just click on the genius tab on the left pane of your iTunes window and under the usual Genius heading you should see Genius Mixes. Once you click on it, iTunes will automatically search your library and find songs that sound groovy together and whip out anywhere from one to 12 music mixes for your listening pleasure. Talk about such an easy way to get the party started!