Comments on: iPod Docking Station Prototype http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/ Just another Walker Blogs weblog Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:41:08 -0600 walker_blogs hourly 1 By: Russ Homans http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Russ Homans Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:29:08 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-23 This is a great blog!! I was talking to my sister about iPods and when she discovered through our conversation you have to teather the iPod to a computer she basically abandoned the thought of getting one. I think a lot more people would buy iPods and music from iTunes if there was a way to get music, movies, podcast, and walking tours without the requirement of owning a computer. So I started thinking about the kiosk idea and actually setting these up in the Best Buy's, Walmart's, ...... I figured it would be somewhat complicated both for the would be purchaser of the music at the retail store and for the technical issues related to teathering. It seems like some kind of gateway product could be designed. The gateway product would have the driver's, memory, and intelligence to determine if the iPod is teathered to a Mac or PC. The "gateway" product would be between the kiosk computer and the iPod port. The complication with this could be when the iPod gets plugged into the master computer (If the user has one). What happens when iTunes synch's and there is new information on the iPod. I don't know how iTunes works in this case. This is a great blog!! I was talking to my sister about iPods and when she discovered through our conversation you have to teather the iPod to a computer she basically abandoned the thought of getting one. I think a lot more people would buy iPods and music from iTunes if there was a way to get music, movies, podcast, and walking tours without the requirement of owning a computer. So I started thinking about the kiosk idea and actually setting these up in the Best Buy’s, Walmart’s, ……

I figured it would be somewhat complicated both for the would be purchaser of the music at the retail store and for the technical issues related to teathering. It seems like some kind of gateway product could be designed. The gateway product would have the driver’s, memory, and intelligence to determine if the iPod is teathered to a Mac or PC. The “gateway” product would be between the kiosk computer and the iPod port.

The complication with this could be when the iPod gets plugged into the master computer (If the user has one). What happens when iTunes synch’s and there is new information on the iPod. I don’t know how iTunes works in this case.

]]> By: Ben parker http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Ben parker Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:25:23 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-22 Same here...got it for my wifes desk. It sounds surprisingly good, but even on dim the blue light is pretty damned bright. We have 2 iHomes, and this sounds at least as good as they do. Same here…got it for my wifes desk. It sounds surprisingly good, but even on dim the blue light is pretty damned bright. We have 2 iHomes, and this sounds at least as good as they do.

]]> By: David http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-24 David Fri, 25 May 2007 07:36:52 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-24 I wouldn't use iTunes. Check VersionTracker or MacUpdate for some applications that can let users choose from a set lsit of programs to downlaod onto their iPod. iTunes is essentially propietary software that is designed to be for one thing, and is very easy to operate, for that one thing: music, from computer to iPod. I know some free apps like Audion can manually transfer tracks from a computer to an iPod without iTunes, but still not muck up the file structure. I wouldn’t use iTunes. Check VersionTracker or MacUpdate for some applications that can let users choose from a set lsit of programs to downlaod onto their iPod. iTunes is essentially propietary software that is designed to be for one thing, and is very easy to operate, for that one thing: music, from computer to iPod. I know some free apps like Audion can manually transfer tracks from a computer to an iPod without iTunes, but still not muck up the file structure.

]]> By: dave http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-21 dave Fri, 28 Apr 2006 23:22:29 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-21 WOW, that is exactly what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to setup a kiosk at my church so people can download an audio introduction to the church and the podcast of the church right after the service. This article was a great help! and I'm glad to see someone doing interesting things like this. I love the audio tours stuff also. I am also the person behind http://www.soundseeingpodcasts.com so i know how cool this stuff is when it works. The Sony PSP now also does true podcasting and has a web browser built in. People could use that to connect and get more info. Hopefully a solution will come up soon. Thanks for the help and ill try to keep in contact if I find a solution. Thanks, -dave WOW, that is exactly what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to setup a kiosk at my church so people can download an audio introduction to the church and the podcast of the church right after the service. This article was a great help! and I’m glad to see someone doing interesting things like this. I love the audio tours stuff also. I am also the person behind http://www.soundseeingpodcasts.com so i know how cool this stuff is when it works. The Sony PSP now also does true podcasting and has a web browser built in. People could use that to connect and get more info. Hopefully a solution will come up soon. Thanks for the help and ill try to keep in contact if I find a solution.

Thanks,

-dave

]]> By: Brent Gustafson http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Brent Gustafson Mon, 27 Feb 2006 16:27:27 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-20 For what it's worth the DS browser will be a stand alone app you buy at the store, not bundled in. I also know it won't play Flash or view PDF's so I'd venture to guess it won't play audio either. However there may be some cool uses for it in other ways (or for anyone else with a PDA or phone w/ a web browser). For what it’s worth the DS browser will be a stand alone app you buy at the store, not bundled in. I also know it won’t play Flash or view PDF’s so I’d venture to guess it won’t play audio either. However there may be some cool uses for it in other ways (or for anyone else with a PDA or phone w/ a web browser).

]]> By: bryan kennedy http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-19 bryan kennedy Mon, 27 Feb 2006 16:19:47 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-19 If you are looking for truly great, full function kiosk software I would suggest <a href="http://www.sitekiosk.com/" title="Product website" rel="nofollow">SiteKiosk</a>. I was resistant to use it since I am a big Mac nerd and it is PC only. But I have been shown again and again that this is a super full function kiosk software leaps and bounds above the hacked browser soft. and even wKiosk. We are running into the same problems with iPods and kiosks over here in Saint Paul at the Science Museum. It does look like you would have to just use a PC and a Mac and set it up so that users who know what they are doing can get at the audio. We are really having to think about who this content is for and how we want to get it to them. One weirdo thing we are hoping for....Nintendo DS is supposed to start coming with a web browser soon. So maybe the game nerd kids who end up here can browse our web and audio content via their Nintendo DS. This is a hard nut to crack. If you are looking for truly great, full function kiosk software I would suggest SiteKiosk. I was resistant to use it since I am a big Mac nerd and it is PC only. But I have been shown again and again that this is a super full function kiosk software leaps and bounds above the hacked browser soft. and even wKiosk.

We are running into the same problems with iPods and kiosks over here in Saint Paul at the Science Museum. It does look like you would have to just use a PC and a Mac and set it up so that users who know what they are doing can get at the audio. We are really having to think about who this content is for and how we want to get it to them.

One weirdo thing we are hoping for….Nintendo DS is supposed to start coming with a web browser soon. So maybe the game nerd kids who end up here can browse our web and audio content via their Nintendo DS. This is a hard nut to crack.

]]> By: Brent Gustafson http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Brent Gustafson Fri, 10 Feb 2006 16:02:14 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-18 Shelley, yes, we have run into it, and the project is on standby for now because of it (I really should write another blog post about this). Long story short it's an issue that we couldn't seem to come up with a solution for. At least not one that wouldn't require more R&D than we could sink into it. Our first quick idea was to put both a PC and a Mac station in and let users pick the system they have, but given that typical users don't understand the limitations of the iPod, this would be confusing to them. And even if it did work without reformatting, we still have the overwriting of the MP3s on the users iPod (and in my tests even that was hit or miss, sometimes it wanted to erase the MP3s on the iPod, sometimes it just put extra ones on). It's clear Apple produced the iPod as a single user, single machine device to thwart piracy. What we're going to do in the meantime is buy some iPods that are preinstalled with audio tours and lend them out to visitors. We'r also talking about letting people bring in their own, and having our vistor service people do the audio tour transfers, but that's still in discussion because there are various logistical problems with that as well. I'd be curious to know more on how you're thinking of solving the issues here. I had heard on NPR recently that Starbucks is going to allow visitors to download songs to their iPods in some of their stores. I haven't been able to find any more info on this, but if that's true, they may have worked around the problem already (or not, it was unclear how the service would actually work). As for your kiosk, it's very nice! We did something similar for a show (How Latitudes Become Forms) a while back using Firefox (then called Phoenix). However, we switched all of our kiosks to iMacs and on OS X Mozilla and it's variants won't do true full screen, so we had to go with a different app (based on Safari). Unfortunately the same issues occured when I tested your kiosk browser out. True fullscreen has always been an issue on Macs because of how they implimented the menu bar in the OS. Thanks for your comments. Shelley, yes, we have run into it, and the project is on standby for now because of it (I really should write another blog post about this). Long story short it’s an issue that we couldn’t seem to come up with a solution for. At least not one that wouldn’t require more R&D than we could sink into it. Our first quick idea was to put both a PC and a Mac station in and let users pick the system they have, but given that typical users don’t understand the limitations of the iPod, this would be confusing to them. And even if it did work without reformatting, we still have the overwriting of the MP3s on the users iPod (and in my tests even that was hit or miss, sometimes it wanted to erase the MP3s on the iPod, sometimes it just put extra ones on).

It’s clear Apple produced the iPod as a single user, single machine device to thwart piracy. What we’re going to do in the meantime is buy some iPods that are preinstalled with audio tours and lend them out to visitors. We’r also talking about letting people bring in their own, and having our vistor service people do the audio tour transfers, but that’s still in discussion because there are various logistical problems with that as well.

I’d be curious to know more on how you’re thinking of solving the issues here. I had heard on NPR recently that Starbucks is going to allow visitors to download songs to their iPods in some of their stores. I haven’t been able to find any more info on this, but if that’s true, they may have worked around the problem already (or not, it was unclear how the service would actually work).

As for your kiosk, it’s very nice! We did something similar for a show (How Latitudes Become Forms) a while back using Firefox (then called Phoenix). However, we switched all of our kiosks to iMacs and on OS X Mozilla and it’s variants won’t do true full screen, so we had to go with a different app (based on Safari). Unfortunately the same issues occured when I tested your kiosk browser out. True fullscreen has always been an issue on Macs because of how they implimented the menu bar in the OS.

Thanks for your comments.

]]> By: Shelley Bernstein http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-17 Shelley Bernstein Thu, 09 Feb 2006 23:14:22 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-17 Have you hit the problem yet where you plug in an ipod formatted with a PC to a mac (or a Mac formatted ipod into a PC) and itunes can't read the device and wants you to reformat? I talked to a couple of developers about this problem (along with the idea of developing a ipod download kiosk app) -- it can be worked aroumd, but it is a real problem because of the way Apple implemented this. We may still do this for Brooklyn, so I will be watching this page and let me know if you are interested in splitting the cost of developed solution that we would open source and give to other institutions. BTW, if you are looking for some really great kiosk software, check this out. We developed this as open source and it will let you do practically anything you need to do on a kiosk: http://mozdevgroup.com/clients/bm/ Have you hit the problem yet where you plug in an ipod formatted with a PC to a mac (or a Mac formatted ipod into a PC) and itunes can’t read the device and wants you to reformat? I talked to a couple of developers about this problem (along with the idea of developing a ipod download kiosk app) — it can be worked aroumd, but it is a real problem because of the way Apple implemented this. We may still do this for Brooklyn, so I will be watching this page and let me know if you are interested in splitting the cost of developed solution that we would open source and give to other institutions.

BTW, if you are looking for some really great kiosk software, check this out. We developed this as open source and it will let you do practically anything you need to do on a kiosk:

http://mozdevgroup.com/clients/bm/

]]> By: Silly you http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Silly you Thu, 29 Dec 2005 20:31:20 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-16 You also need a way to erase an email once typed into the form above. Anyone could see my email when they access this page again. You also need a way to erase an email once typed into the form above. Anyone could see my email when they access this page again.

]]> By: CaptEnaj http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/2005/12/22/ipod-docking-station-prototype/comment-page-1/#comment-15 CaptEnaj Thu, 29 Dec 2005 20:29:51 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/newmedia/?p=114#comment-15 I would also worry about people uploading information to your system, either to crash your system or to corrupt other's iPods. I would also worry about people uploading information to your system, either to crash your system or to corrupt other’s iPods.

]]>