I checked out iPod the Missing Manual the other day from the library and it’s turned out to be a very helpful reference. I’ve learned several new things about my iPod Touch, Nano, and iTunes.

Apple isn’t too big into supplying physical user guides with their products so it’s up to the individual to seek out the info they need online. I’ve been pretty happy with the O’Reilly books in past and this one reinforces my opinion of them. The book is an easy read and I now know how to set the start and/or stop time of a particular song. For instance, Smash by The Offspring is a track that lasts over ten minutes but ends pretty much at 2:41. It then goes into dead silence for about six and a half minutes before a bit of instrumental in the last minute. I went into song info and options in iTunes and can easily set the stop time to 2:41. Now, when it is played, Smash will automatically advance to the next song in the queue at the end point I’ve established. You can do similar things for the start time, like in those live tracks from Twisted Sister when Dee Snider wants to talk to the audience for two minutes before the songs starts.

Other things I’ve learned include…

• Advancing to the next song by double-clicking the pause button on the headphones.
• Rotating the Nano screen by using two fingers and a twist motion.
• Quickly scrolling to the top of a long screen on the Touch by tapping the top status bar/time area.
• Adjusting the volume of an entire album in iTunes using the info and options screen.

The book also includes information on the Shuffle, but that’s such a simple device that there really weren’t any surprise features. There’s also a bit of info on the classic iPod which I skipped since I don’t have that device.