[mobilecrunch via cellphones etc]

[crunchgear via cellphones etc]

iTunes, for the most part, is a pretty decent software that allows you to easily manage and transfer all your media content to your iPod and iPhone, but there’s denying that there’s still room for improvement. So, instead of just waiting for the next major version of iTunes to become available, why don’t you try on for sides installing some add-ons to improve your iTunes user experience? Techradar has a rundown of what they consider as some great add-on apps that’ll bring out the best in iTunes.

[via techradar]

More after the break.

One of the add-ons that made it to the list is the Last.fm app. Similar to its iPhone app counterpart, it gives you FM radio capabilities through the internet and likewise furnishes you with a playlist of songs that you may like based on your music collection. Think of it as the basis from which Apple got its idea for the new Genius feature. They also recommend the Magnetosphere visualizer which basically is a better performing version of the new visualizer found in iTunes 8. Both are free, but not all of the add-ons in the list are free. Some are even restricted to just the PC or Mac.

Personally, I find that the Remote app to be the most useful add-on since it gives me the power to control the iTunes on my desktop using my iPod Touch. How about you guys, what add-ons have you come across that you find interesting and worth trying out?

While I have nothing against these enhancements, I do wish, however, they include flash support already and that the firmware won’t block sites that allow you to run mini-apps as well. The inclusion of cut/copy/past won’t be so bad either.

[wired, iphoneatlas via engadget]

[via tuaw]

Apple has just released iPhone 2.2 Beta 1 SDK for developers which could mean some added features aside fixing some leftover bugs that firmware 2.1 wasn’t able to address. Some of the new features we could probably expect from this new firmware when it does come out are push notifications and some added GPS features. Well that was fast. The Dev Team hasn’t even released the full pwnage tool for iPhone 2.1 jailbreak for Windows, and here comes a new firmware that could debut before the year ends. I guess now they’ll have to start working on iPhone 2.2 jailbreak as well. Anyway, I’m sure that whatever firmware Apple’s capable of dishing out, they can always provide a jailbreak for it.

[via engadget]

TuneWiki is one of the most anticipated apps from the Android OS. We’ve had a brief hands-on look-see before of TuneWiki, The Android team working on TuneWiki dub it a social media player. It has fancy stuff that other media players don’t have. t has lyrics support and synchronization with YouTube and a fun and useful feature called lyrics search (self-explanatory). It’s available now in the T-Mobile G1 and in the iPhone too if it’s jailbroken.

[via gmp3]

TuneWiki social media player

The iPhone Dev Team has just released a Windows version of their iPhone 2.1 jailbreak. It’s currently limited to the QuickPwn app so those looking for the complete Pwnage Tool might need to wait a little longer. However, if you’r already aching to jailbreak your iPhone running on firmware 2.1, then go ahead and download the QuickPwn 2.1 now. Just remember, this still doesn’t unlock the 3G iPhone and doesn’t support the 2G iPod Touch similar to the limitations of the 2.1 QuickPwn and Pwnage Tool jailbreak for the Mac OS X. So if jailbreaking is still you’re thing and you’re on Windows, try out this latest iPhone 3G jailbreak now and tell us what you think of it.

[via iphone-dev blog]

Not even a week has gone by when QuickPwn for iPod Touch 2.1 was released, the iPhone Dev Tem has followed suit and has come out with Pwnage Tool and QuickPwn for iPhone 2.1. With this new jailbreak, they’ve managed to find a way to bypass the problem in iTune 8 without having to create a separate patch for it. However, this iphone 2.1 jailbreak will only work with iPhones and 1G iPod Touches. Those who already got themselves a 2G iPod Touch will have to content themselves with the other previously released QuickPwn. The Mac OS X version is the only one currently available so Windows users will have to sit this one out.

So if you’re still up to the task of jailbreaking, this latest development will definitely bold well with you folks. I, on the other hand, have given up my old jailbreaking ways.

Check out our most popular iPhone 3G jailbreak.

[tuaw via gizmodo]

Aside from the 2G iPod Touch, 4G Nano and firmware 2.1, Apple has also recently launched iTunes 8. I’ve already upgraded to this latest version and I’m quite happy with it. Coupled with some new features and some major performance improvements, this iTunes is, by far, one of the best iTunes version I have used.

[images from apple]

More details after the break.

Let’s start things off with the most popular addition to iTunes, the Genius feature. This new function basically determines which songs go best together in your music collection and adds them in a Genius playlist. Activating, though, would require you to log-in to the iTunes Store because part of its function is to also recommend available related tracks in the store that you may want to purchase and download. Recommended songs and albums will be displayed in the Genius sidebar.

The most time-consuming part is when iTunes sends your music library information to Apple’s online server. However, after that, building a Genius playlist is as easy as playing a song and clicking the Genius button. As good as it works, it’s not perfect. Music tracks that are not found in the iTunes online database will result in a message informing you that Genius is unavailable for the selected song. Those who don’t find this feature necessary can simply turn off Genius.

The next major addition to iTunes 8 is the album art grid view. Of course, those who don’t bother to update the album art of their music collection will find this feature useless, but it is definitely a nice option to have especially if you’ve got a massive album art collection to match your music library.

Then there’s the new set of visualizations. While it is indeed more stunning than the classic iTunes visualization graphics, it still lacks the option to select which visualization to use for a particular track. iTunes still has the sole authority to select and partner which visualization it deems appropriate for the currently playing song.

The iTunes store now also gives you the privilege to download HD versions of TV shows for just $2.99, but of course, that is if your willing to pay the amount. If ever you do find the price reasonable, you’ll also get an iPod-ready version of the HD-quality TV show you’re purchasing.

Last, but not the least, my most appreciated improvement in iTunes 8 is that it loads much faster and syncs better with my iPod Touch. I have used iTunes 7.xx and its later version and so far, this is the fastest loading and best performing iTunes I’ve encountered to date.

Despite the fact that it currently prevents you from jailbreaking your iPod Touch, the added convenience and ease of use iTunes 8 has doesn’t make me miss jailbreaking that much. Besides, there’s already an iPod Touch 2.1 jailbreak out now which apparently works on iTunes 8 and is a positive indication that things are progressing on the jailbreak end of things.

How about you guys? How do you find iTunes 8 so far?