Blog of Hamlesh

iTunes is not the best or even one of the faster music players out there but it is definitely one of the most popular ones. If you’re using iTunes as your primary music player then here are some addons to improve your iTunes experience. On the other hand, if your iPod is the only reason you keeping it then check out some equally good alternatives in our iPod Tools roundup.

(1) iTunes Sync - Sync iTunes with other MP3 players

Here is something for those who use iTunes but not an iPod. iTunes Sync is a Windows only program that lets you sync iTunes with any other MP3 player, regardless of what brand it is. For similar Mac alternative see iTuneMyWalkman.

(2) iTunes Library Updater - Synch iTunes with any Folder(s)

The iTunes Library Updater gives you the freedom to sync iTunes with music folders of your choice. Tell the app which folders you want to monitor and it will add them to iTunes library, and sync all the changes that you make to them. In other words, if you add a new file to one of the folders it will also appear in your iTunes library. Works both with music and video files.

(3) Nutsie - Access your iTunes Library remotely

Nutsie takes your iTunes library file and creates an online copy of it. At the end, you will be ble to access your music library from any web enabled PC or mobile phone.

(4) Foxy Tunes - Control iTunes from your Browser

Do you listen to music while browsing web? FoxyTunes allows you to control almost any media player (incl. iTunes) directly from the browser toolbar. Apart from standard buttons such as play, pause, volume controls etc, you also get one click access to lyrics search, artist bios, album art and so on. Works both with Fierfox and Internet Explorer.

(5) Moody - Organize your Music by Mood

This little iTunes addon lets you easily organize your music by mood. You can create shuffle mixes based purely on the “feel” rather than genre. Although it takes a little effort to tag your tracks it’s really worth it. See Moody video demo here.

(6) G Force - iTunes visualizer

G-Force is a really cool visualizer that works with most of the popular music players, including iTunes. I am not really sure about what you get with the paid version but the free one is pretty good as well. It starts with the GForce Premium ad but that disappears in about 5-10 seconds.

(7) Playlist Vault - Backup Playlists

Quick online backup and recovery service for your iTunes playlists. Playlist Vault will NOT backup music files but only your playlists so that you can recover them later in case they are accidentally erased.

(8) Bit-tunes (Top Albums) - Donwload ‘Top 100′ albums

Bit-tunes is a continuously updated source that lists torrents for ‘Top 100′ music albums from the iTunes Music Store.

(9) iGain (Windows)

iGain is one of a kind addon that computes the overall loudness for each track in your music library and then adjusts the track’s volume so that your tracks or albums appear to play at approximately the same volume. No need to constantly adjust the volume of your PC when switching from track to track.

(10) iSproggler (Windows) / iSproggler (Mac) - iTunes addons for Last.fm

In case you’re on Last.fm, these two lightweight addons can send iTunes playing information to your Last.fm account.

(11) TheFilter - Automatic Playlist Generator

If you have thousands of songs and need a smart app to generate playlists then try TheFilter. It’s quick and fully automated. In their own words : “Our Advanced Recommendation Technology makes great playlists quickly and easily from your music collection.”

(12) SimplifyMedia - Share iTunes Library

Conveniently share your music library with friends and let them stream your songs from wherever they are. You don’t have to be on the same network. Similarly you can access and stream music from friends.

(13) Other cool stuff

• The Top 25 Educational Podcasts on iTunes
• Foreign Language Lessons - Learn Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese etc.
• Stanford on iTunes Download courses, faculty lectures, interviews, music and sports.

That’s about it… As always, if there is something out there that I missed let me know in comments.

(1) BasicState - Free uptime monitoring service. BasicState checks your website every 15 minutes and alerts you via email or SMS in case the site goes down.

(2) BookletCreator - Turn any PDF document to a printable booklet. Basically it reorders the pages in such manner so that when the document is printed it can be easily folded into a small booklet.

(3) CircleUp - If you ever tried to discuss anything with more than 10 people via email you probably know how annoying and time consuming it is. CircleUp makes group email conversations easy. 

(4) FindABetterBank - Want to compare your bank against other banks in the area? FindABetterBank helps you find a better bank for your needs by comparing almost every major and local bank from the nearby area.

(5) LearnItLists - Learn foreign language by discovering 10 new words every day. To get started, simply complete quick sign up and choose one of the languages. 

(6) Maracal - Simple and comprehensive mortgage calculator.

(7) Pingg - Excellent event organizer that makes dealing with invitations an easy and painless process. Create stylish invitations, accept payments, see who can and can’t make it and more.

(8) SecondBrain - Import content from your social web accounts to one place. Store your Del.icio.us bookmarks, Digg stories (the ones you have dugg), Flickr photos, Youtube videos, Blogger articles, etc. - in one searchable web account.

(9) ServiceBeacon - Manage everything related to your cars online. See when it is time to do service, get notified about manufacturer recalls, book service appointments with a local service shop and more.

(10) VoxLite - Record and send video messages directly from your browser. It doesn’t require you to sign-up, but if you do you’ll be able to store video emails in your Voxlite mailbox.