Thursday, February 28, 2008

31341 - Which Version of OS X Am I Using?

How to find out what version of Mac OS X you have:

  1. Click on the Apple logo in the upper left-hand corner of the screen (the Apple menu).
  2. Click 'About This Mac' in the menu that appears.
  3. A new window will appear. Underneath the 'Mac OS X text, your version of the operating system will be displayed.
  4. From this window, you can also make sure your software is as up-to-date as possible. Just click on the 'Software Update...' button to ensure you're running OS X with the latest security updates and fixes.
  5. To exit the 'About This Mac' window, click on the round button furthest to the left, in the upper left-hand corner of the window.

51345 - What Does a USB Port Look Like?

What USB (Universal Serial Bus) Ports Look Like:

USB ports are small, rectangular receptacles. They can typically be found on the sides of laptops, or on the front and back of desktop computers.

They may also be identified by any of the symbols below:

51344 - Navigation Buttons

Fast Forward, Play/Pause, and Rewind

iofy navigation buttons are similar to those found on other audio players:

  • Rewind
    Click or press the rewind button (with two triangles pointing backward) once to go back to the last chapter, or press and hold to seek backward.
  • Play/Pause
    • For the iofy software player on Macs, Windows PCs, Palm devices, and Windows Mobile devices:
      • Click or press the Pause button (with two vertical lines on it) once to pause the audio.
      • Once the audio is paused, the iofy program will display a 'Play' symbol (a single arrow pointing forward) in place of the pause button. Click the play button to continue listening from where you left off.
    • For the hardware iofy chip player:
      • Press the Play/Pause button (with both the pause and play symbols on it, two vertical lines and a forward pointing arrow) once to pause playback. To resume listening from where you left off, press the play/pause button once again.
  • Fast Forward
    Click or press the fast forward button (with two triangles pointing forward) once to jump to the next chapter, or press and hold to seek forward.

51341 - The Info Button

The Info Button: Bookmarks and More

You can use the info button (the one with an 'i' on it) to navigate, bookmark, and find out more about your iofy content. Here's how:

  1. Click or press the info button once to hear details about the title.
  2. Click or press the button 2 times to navigate sections.
  3. Click or press the button 3 times to navigate your bookmarks.
  4. Click or press the button 4 times to add or delete bookmarks.

51340 - Using Your iofy Chips on Your Mac

You need:

  • A Mac running OS X 10.3 or higher, with an available USB port
  • An iofy chip reader
  • And, of course, your iofy chip.

Playing the audio on your chip:

  1. Insert your iofy chip into the iofy chip reader, and insert the reader into a USB port.
  2. Launch the iofy software.
    • Double-click the new drive that appears on your desktop (a new window will open).
    • Double-click 'Audiofy Mac' to launch the application
  3. The audio will start playing automatically.

To pause the audio, click the pause (||) button.
To quit the application, click the 'x' button in the upper right-hand corner of the player window.

Other Tips

  • You can also use iofy's Mac software to transfer audio content to your Apple iPod.
  • If you have an Airport Express, you can enjoy iofy audio content on a home stereo system with Amoeba Software's Airfoil program.

51342 - Which Version of Windows Am I Using?

How to find out what version of Windows you have:

  1. Click on the Start menu button in the lower-left corner.
  2. Click 'Run...' in the menu that appears.
  3. A new window will appear. In the text box, type "winver" (without the quotes).
  4. A window will pop up with your version information.
  5. To exit the 'About Windows' window, click 'OK'.

51339 - Using Your iofy Chips on Your Windows PC

You need:

  • A PC running Windows XP or Vista, with an available USB port
  • An iofy chip reader
  • And, of course, your iofy chip.

Playing the audio on your chip:

  1. Insert your iofy chip into the iofy chip reader, and insert the reader into a USB port.
  2. Launch the iofy software.
  3. The iofy player should automatically start. if it doesn't, just follow these steps:
    • Double-click 'My Computer' on your desktop (a new window will open).
    • Double-click the abbreviated name for your audiobook (for example, 'FRENCH_I' for 'Pimsleur Comprehensive French I'). The contents of your iofy chip will be displayed.
    • Double-click the icon labeled 'iofyPC' (and the iofy software will start).
  4. The audio will start playing automatically.

To pause the audio, click the pause (||) button.
To quit the application, select 'Quit iofy' from the 'iofy' program menu (at the top of your display).

Other Tips

  • You can also use iofy's Windows software to transfer audio content to your Apple iPod.
  • iofy's Windows software also includes a new Zip! feature for transferring audio content to Windows Media Player and PlaysForSure devices.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

51338 - iofy Chip User Guide

The iofy chip User Guide is available here: PDF Download

Can't read the file? Get Acrobat Reader here.

31347 - When I try to Zip! my audiobook, I get a message saying Zip! cannot launch iTunes -- what do I do?

Please upgrade to the latest version of iTunes. In many cases, this will be all you need to do.

If upgrading doesn't work, your iTunes install may be corrupt. Un-installing iTunes, then re-installing the latest version from Apple should fix the problem (don't forget to restart your machine after the uninstall/reinstall process).

31346 - I get "runtime error c00d2781" when attempting to run Zip! on my Windows XP computer. What do I do?

Please click here to update your system, following the instructions provided by Microsoft.

31345 - When I try to Zip! to Windows Media, I get an "I/O error." What do I do?

This is a problem with your iofy content -- it's our fault, and we're sorry for the inconvenience it may have caused you. Please contact our customer support department, so we can get your audiobook fixed as soon as possible. Thanks!

31344 - Will my iofy audiobook be added to my iTunes library, or my Windows Media Player library?

For Zip! to iPod: Zipped iofy content will not show up in your iTunes library. Although the files zip through iTunes, on their way to your iPod, they are not added to your computer's hard drive.

For Zip! to Windows Media Player: Zipped iofy content will appear in your Media Player library. These files will stay in your library as "Secure WMA" files, and can be played from within Windows Media Player (as well as on your PlaysForSure device).

31343 - Can I use my iPod Shuffle with Zip!?

No, although we wish it were possible. The firmware on both versions of the iPod Shuffle just doesn't support our titles.

31342 - Can I add music to my PlaysForSure player, after I Zip! my audiobooks to it?

Absolutely. Just make sure you use a machine running Windows to add music to PlaysForSure devices (unless your player is made by Creative Labs, which supports Mac OS X).

31341 - Can I Zip! audiobook content to a PlaysForSure device with Mac OS X?

Unfortunately, no. Zip! to PlaysForSure requires Windows Media Player, which is not available for Mac OS X.

However, if your Mac uses Parallels, VMware, or Boot Camp to run Windows, you can Zip! to Windows Media from an install of Windows XP or Vista. You can then use Windows Media Player to transfer your audiobook to a PlaysForSure device.

31340 - What software do I need to make this "Zip!" process work?

For PlaysForSure: In addition to the updated iofy software, you'll need Windows Media Player (version 10 or higher).

For iPods: You'll need iTunes version 7(or later).

31339 - Where do I get the ChipZip! software?

The Zip! to iPod feature is included on all recent iofy chips (and downloads). For Zip! to Windows Media (and PlaysForSure) features, download the software here:
http://chipzip.audiofy.com
This installation will update your current iofy Player program to one that supports Zip! to Windows Media.

31338 - How long does the Zip! process take?

There are a few things that might affect your Zip! speed, including your processor speed, how much RAM you have, what the running time of the title is, and whether you're Zipping to Windows Media or an iPod. Here are some general guidelines:

For PlaysForSure players: The title has to be transferred from the iofy format to Windows Media Player first (this can take a few hours). Then, the audiobook can be added to your PlaysForSure player using Windows Media Player's sync feature (syncing only takes about 10-15 minutes).

Our Q&A department suggests you watch a movie, go to the grocery store, or otherwise occupy yourself for a few hours after you start the Zip! process for Windows Media. Otherwise, watching the progress bar may bore you to tears.

For iPods: The Zip! process is much faster, taking only 20 minutes or so from start to finish. Unlike the PlaysForSure process, the conversion and syncing is done in one step.

If you don't want to sit and wait while the Zip! to iPod process takes place, you can always step away from the computer and enjoy a hot beverage of your choice (I prefer coffee, myself).

31337 - How much room does it take up on my device after transfer?

It really depends on the title. A good rule of thumb is to expect each hour of your audiobook to take up 14 MB once it's Zipped to your device. Here are a couple of examples:

  • Master & Commander - 13 hours - 182 MB
  • Scourby Old Testament - 55 hours - 770 MB

Pimsleur lessons (and other various language courses) are a bit of an exception, since they typically include long pauses. In this case, you can expect each hour of audio to fit within 12 MB (for example, a 16 hour Pimsleur Comprehensive title will comfortably fit within 190 MB).