XPlay 2.0

XPlay 2.0
By Ian Betteridge November 12, 2004	2 comments posted  Add your opinion
System requirements: Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98SE; FireWire or USB 2 port. Editor Rating:
For a brief period back in the dawn of iPod history, the product was effectively only for those happy few with Macs. iTunes, Apple's excellent music application and conduit to the iPod, was Mac-only, and iPod's could only be formatted as Mac-native HFS+ drives. Unsurprisingly, some companies saw this as an opportunity – and in prime position was Mediafour, which already made MacDrive, an excellent piece of software that allowed Windows users to work with Mac formatted drives. Hence, the creation of XPlay, a piece of software based on MacDrive which allowed users to copy songs direct to a Mac-formatted iPod from any Windows machine. The natural question is whether there is any need for XPlay, now Apple has created iTunes for Windows and iPods can be formatted in Windows-native formats. The answer, thanks to XPlay's evolution into XPlay 2.0, is definitely "yes". For example, if your primary computer is a Mac and you want the convenience of using a Mac-formatted iPod, yet occasionally need to use the player with a PC, XPlay is an ideal solution. And, if you use Windows 98 SE or Windows Me, you'll need a product like XPlay in order to use your iPod with your computer. What's more, the latest version of XPlay adds some convenient features, which will appeal to some. The product now converts unprotected Windows Media files on the fly into MP3s when you copy across to the iPod, although this requires that you have MP3 creation software installed. The interface under Windows XP is smooth, clean, and easy to use, integrating well with Windows Explorer. XPlay is an impressive piece of software, both for its power and more than anything for its simplicity. For Mac users who want to use their Mac-formatted iPod with a Windows machine, it's an ideal solution that just works – and at $29.95 it's easily affordable too.