TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: ITUNES TO MP3 / PDA BUYING TIPS

Has iTunes chained you to your computer? Today's TOURBUS will show you how to convert iTunes tracks to MP3 so you can load up your music player and go. Also in this issue, tips on selecting a PDA and an illustrated guide to installing a new hard drive. Read on!

Converting iTunes to MP3

So you've purchased a bunch of music from iTunes and have enjoyed listening to them on your computer. But your portable music player is not an Apple iPod, so you can't take your songs on the go. That's because the iTunes tracks that you download are in a "protected" AAC audio format. The ability to make copies of copyrighted materials is seen by the recording industry as a threat, and perhaps rightly so. But it doesn't seem fair to restrict a consumer from doing perfectly valid and reasonable things with music they own.

Good news... there are ways to get around this unfair restriction and convert your Itunes tracks to good old MP3 format. Here's how:

http://www.askbobrankin.com/convert_itunes_to_mp3_format.html

Adding a Second Hard Drive

Music, movies, and photos can fill up your hard drive pretty fast. If you're running low on file space, adding a second hard drive to your computer is an easy way to solve storage problems. With the cost of hard drives dropping well below $1 per gigabyte, it makes good financial sense to add a second hard drive.

But what kind of drive, and how big? Should you go with IDE, the newer SATA technology, or an external drive? And are they easy to install? My illustrated guide to Adding a Second Hard Drive will demystify the geeky terminology, provide you with buying tips and show you how to install your new drive.

http://www.askbobrankin.com/add_a_second_hard_drive.html

Which PDA Should I Buy?

The proliferation of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) in the last several years has been staggering, and a wide range of products exists to satisfy the needs of everyone from the busy stay-at-home Mom to the power hungry Internet geek on the go. But with such a wide range of devices available, which one is right for you?

The first step is to determine what you want to do with the PDA. Do you want to store addresses and to-do lists? Play games on it? Access the Internet and e-mail? What about word processing and spreadsheets? Should it function as a phone and digital camera too?

Whether you're looking for a simple electronic address book that you can synchronize with your home computer, or an all-in-one cell phone and home office, there is a PDA to fit your needs. Research, compare options and find the best deal on the Internet to find the PDA that's best for you. Here are some tips & links to help you in the search:

http://www.askbobrankin.com/which_pda_should_i_buy.html

That's all for now, see you next time! -- Bob Rankin