Simplify Media: 1-2-3 enjoy
August 16th 2008
I love my iPod touch--it's just enough computer to do email and social networking while still being the best portable media player iPod I've owned.
However, there's a fundamental conflict between the device's dual roles--storage. More apps and games means less space for tunes and videos. If you own the 8G version, like I do, the problem's more pronounced.
Simplify Media is a right step in the direction of solving the stuff vs software problem. Designed to share your iTunes music library with the iPhone / touch, as well as other computers (this is a Mac / PC / Linux solution), Simplify Media easily and elegantly puts all of your music within wireless reach. [Continue reading]
Get going
There are two things to download: 1.) the desktop application and 2.) iPhone / touch client (I strongly suggest you download it from within iTunes -> AppStore and then sync).
Then here are a few steps required to set up the desktop application and iPhone / touch client, but they're trivially easy.
Once you're set up and logged in remotely, your entire iTunes music library will be displayed in the familiar iPod hierarchical list form--navigate and play.
Tuning in...
Over my home 802.11g wireless network (anyone that's tried Simplify Media via EDGE or 3G please on the iPhone feel free to share), categories and lists displayed quickly on my iPod touch. Playback is as responsive too with no hick ups or unbearable pauses while data buffers; it's pretty slick.
However, at least on my touch, the volume slider was a bit balky and the displayed art work, which is provided via Last.fm, doesn't always match what's playing. For example, a NOVA Science Now podcast displayed artwork for a recent revival of South Pacific, which I'm pretty is nowhere to be found in my iTunes Library, anywhere.
Another shortcoming is the inability to scrub through a track to the exact spot you want--ie you either play the whole thing or nothing at all.
Interestingly, Simplify Media lists placeholders for "Movies" and "TV Shows." Tapping either takes you in, but no items are displayed. I guess that leaves hope that video playback support will be part of a future release, though you've gotta believe streamed over the air video is a feature that'll require a lot more effort and engineering than audio.
Nevertheless, right now, you can listen to your music and podcasts remotely, and you keep it all that content on your Mac where there's space--that's pretty cool. Still, audio files are generally small compared to TV shows and movies, so there's a bit of a disconnect between Simplify Media's function and form. After all the application's name has "media" in it, not just "music."
Pros: It's free, easy and generally robust--1.) download, 2.) set up and 3.) enjoy!
Cons: Man can not survive on audio alone; balky volume slider; can't scrub tracks
Also see: monkey_bites, CNet, MacNN
