Is Gates Palm Unfriendly?: An Update on Apple's iTunes
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about syncing a Palm and laptops vs. desktops. Plus, an iTunes update.
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Q: I am having trouble getting my old Palm V PDA to synchronize properly with my data under Windows XP, even with the USB kit Palm supplies. I figure that Bill Gates will probably make life tough for PDAs that don't use Microsoft software. Is now the time to switch from Palm to Pocket PC?
A: Not necessarily. Pocket PCs, which are based on Microsoft software, will indeed synchronize with computers running Windows XP. But, if you like the Palm-based PDAs, there's no need to give them up. There's no evidence that Bill Gates or anyone else at Microsoft has made it tough for Palm-based PDAs to work with Windows computers. Every current Palm-based PDA I have tested synchronizes just fine with Windows XP computers over the USB port. That includes all current models from PalmOne, the new name for Palm's hardware division. It also includes PDAs and smart phones from Sony, Samsung, Kyocera and others that use the Palm operating system, as well as the Treo smart phone that was developed by Handspring and is now produced by PalmOne. So, you shouldn't base a decision on the synchronization issue. You should only switch because you prefer the Pocket PC software or hardware from Hewlett-Packard, Dell and others, over the Palm software and the hardware that runs it.
Q: What are the pros and cons of desktops vs. laptops for college students? Should I lean toward a laptop for my son who is entering college on the grounds that it could be used to take notes in class?
A: It depends on your son's learning habits, on your budget and on the college facilities. In general, I prefer desktops over laptops for college students, because laptops are costlier and are much more likely to be stolen or lost, or to be damaged, requiring repairs that are often much more expensive than repairs on a desktop. If beer gets spilled on a desktop keyboard, the worst case scenario might involve buying an inexpensive new keyboard. With a laptop, you'd have to take the whole machine in for a pricey repair job. (Beer isn't always fatal to keyboards, but you have to assume that a student's computer may come into close proximity with that particular liquid.) As for taking notes, in my experience it sounds much better to parents than to students, at least once they get to campus. You have to be sure your son is willing to lug a heavy laptop from class to class, that he can type fast enough to take notes and that the college classrooms have power outlets at every seat, since laptop batteries won't last longer than a few hours, in most cases. Some laptops might allow him to capture an audio recording of a lecture, but that depends on where he sits and the acoustics of the room. In many cases, a desktop PC, with a PDA or tape recorder or -- gasp -- a paper pad, is a better combination, and is less susceptible to theft or damage.
UPDATE: Last week, I offered some suggestions for converting music files saved in Microsoft's WMA format into a format that can be played on Apple's iPod music players. A few days later, Apple came up with a much simpler solution. It introduced a new version of its iTunes music software, for both Windows and the Mac, that can convert WMA files to the AAC format, which the iPod supports. This only works with open, plain WMA files, not the encrypted version of WMA used in legal online music stores like Musicmatch and Napster. The new software, iTunes 4.5, also can convert CD tracks into a new, higher-quality "lossless" file type that audiophiles may appreciate. These files have none of the sound compromises audio hobbyists often complain about in compressed formats like MP3 or WMA or AAC. But they take up more space on the hard disk. They only save about half the space of the original file, while the standard compressed formats can save as much as 90% of the original's space. The new version of iTunes also has a "party shuffle" feature, which automatically creates a play list for parties; the ability to publish your favorite play lists to a new "iMix" section of the iTunes music store, where others can rate and replicate them; and the ability to print jewel case covers for your home-burned CDs. In addition, the new iTunes allows you to play any song purchased from the iTunes music store on as many as five computers, instead of just three, as in the past. But you can now only burn seven CDs with the identical play list of purchased music, down from 10 originally. Each song can still be burned an unlimited number of times, if you change the play lists. Apple's rules are more liberal than those of most other major legal online download sites, which limit you to three computers and five home-burned CDs containing the identical play list of purchased music.
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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
大学生用台式电脑为好
问：我有一个旧款的Palm V PDA，但上面数据不能与安装Windows XP操作系统的电脑同步，即使是用Palm提供的USB工具也不行。我想比尔?盖茨(Bill Gates)可能是故意对非微软(Microsoft)软件的PDA设置障碍吧。我是不是应该把Palm换成Pocket PC？
答：没必要。Pocket PC使用微软的软件，的确可以与安装Windows XP系统的电脑很好的兼容。但是如果你喜欢基于Palm操作系统的PDA，就没有必要更换。现在还没有证据证明比尔?盖茨或是其他人对Palm的PDA与Windows电脑的兼容设置障碍。我所测试的现有任何一款基于Palm的PDA通过USB端口都可以与Windows XP电脑兼容，其中包括PalmOne（Palm硬件部门的新名称）现有的全部款式，还包括索尼(Sony)、三星(Samsung)、京瓷(Kyocera)以及其他使用Palm操作系统的PDA和智能手机，此外由Handspring开发、现在由PalmOne生产的Treo智能手机也没有兼容问题。因此，你不应该因为同步问题做出这一决定，如果你更喜欢Pocket PC软件或惠普(Hewlett-Packard)、戴尔(Dell)等公司的硬件，则可以考虑更换。
问：对大学生来说，台式电脑和笔记本电脑孰优孰劣？我儿子即将走入大学校门，我是不是应该给他买个笔记本电脑，这样他就能在课堂上使用电脑做笔记了？ 答：这取决于你儿子的学习习惯、你的预算以及学校的设施。总体而言，我认为大学生使用台式电脑较好，因为笔记本电脑比较昂贵，并且更有可能被盗、丢失或损坏。一旦损坏，其修理费也远远高于台式电脑。如果啤酒不慎洒在台式电脑的键盘上，最多不过是再买一个并不算贵的新键盘。但笔记本电脑就不同了，你可能得拿著整个机器去修理，还要支付不菲的费用。（啤酒对键盘造成的损失不一定是致命的，但是你不得不得假设学生使用的电脑可能离化学物品很近。）至于用电脑记笔记，根据我的经验，可能是父母而不是学生更喜欢这个主意，至少在学生走入校园以后是这样的。你必须明确你儿子是否愿意拎著一个沉重的笔记本在教室之间奔波，而且他打字的速度是否快到足以边听课边记笔记，以及教室每个座位上是否都有电源插座，笔记本电脑的电池大多仅能用几个小时。有的笔记本电脑能将老师讲课的内容录下来，但这要取决于你儿子座位的位置以及教室的声响。在许多情况下，台式电脑，加上一个PDA或录音机或一个便笺簿，是更佳的组合方案，并且不容易被盗或受损。
新消息：在上一期栏目中，我对将WMA格式的音乐文件转换成苹果(Apple)iPod可播放格式提供了一些建议。文章发表不久，苹果带来了一个更简单的解决方案。苹果的iTunes音乐软件推出了新版本，能够将WMA文件转换成iPod支持的AAC格式，这个软件在Windows和Mac系统中都能运行。该软件只能转换开放的、普通的WMA文件，对Musicmatch和Napster等合法网上音乐商店的加密WMA文件则爱莫能助。这个名为iTunes 4.5的新软件还可以将CD音轨转为一种新的高质量、"无损失"的文件格式，音乐发烧友可能会喜欢它。这些文件没有音乐爱好者通常对MP3或WMA或AAC等压缩文件所抱怨的声音失真问题，但是转换后的文件将占据更多硬盘空间。
