iTunes App Trick

The latest update to iTunes is such a drastic change that many users are scratching their heads trying to figure out where everything is and how to work it. Sure, if you just want to hit Play, you’re good to go, but if you’re looking for the alleged ringtones Steve was talking about, or how to share your music via Twitter and Facebook, it’s not that cut and dry.
We jumped right into iTunes and hopefully, this list of tips will help you get back to enjoying your music while basking comfortably in the new features of iTunes 9.

Arrange Your iPhone Apps

You can now arrange your iPhone apps from within iTunes. Woo-hoo! Not so fast there, buddy, It’s still a bit of a pain. You can’t drag apps from, lets say, Screen 2 to Screen 10. The navigation doesn’t scroll automatically as you attempt to drag and drop. The best method to move items from Screen 2 to Screen 10 is to click on Screen 2. Then scroll to Screen 10.

Drag and drop your app from Screen 2 to Screen 10. You’ll have to navigate back to Screen 2 in order to grab other apps, unless you Command-click to select more than one in the first place.

UPDATE: Move more than one app at a time. Command-Click on a second, or third, app and you can move them all at once to a new screen.

UPDATE: Commenter woolyninja points out that you can indeed drag apps to screens and have the screen list scroll as your drag. My two test machines with iTunes 9 wouldn’t allow this, no matter how hard I tried. I just tried it on a third machine and it works like a charm.

Thanks catching this Mr. woolyninja, may all your throwing stars hit their mark.

Navigate the iTunes Store

All categories now have a menubar item at the top of the store window, and those menubar items have contextual menus. To move forward and back, you use the arrows in the upper-left corner. This may seem like “duh!” but a few folks have missed the drop-down menus entirely while navigating the new store layout.

Hold Me Closer, Tiny Player

Clicking the green radio button no longer shrinks your iTunes window to the Mini Player we’ve come to know and love. To do that, press Command-Shift-M, or choose View > Show Mini Player. Once the Mini Player is on your screen, you can click its green radio button to go back to a regular-sized window.

UPDATE: Option-Clicking on the green button will minimize the iTunes window to the Mini Player.

Where are Genius Mixes?

To get the Genius Mixes feature to appear, you have to update Genius.

Navigate to Store > Update Genius. Genius Mixes will appear under the regular Genius playlist option.

On the iPhone and iPod touch, you need to have Genius Mixes turned on within iTunes. Plug your iPhone or iPod touch into your computer. Select your iPhone in the left panel and then navigate to the Music tab. There you can check the Genius Mixes under playlists. Those mixes will be synced to your iPhone. Careful, since you can’t tell how many songs are in the Genius Mixes, the mix could be more than your device can handle if you have a large music library.

Once you’ve found the Genius Mixes, it can be a let-down. Genius Mixes doesn’t allow you to see what songs are in the mix. You just have to trust it.

Genius Apps

You have to turn on Genius Recommendations via your iPhone. Launch the App Store app, go to Featured, and tap the Genius tab at the top of the screen. Turn on Genius. You’re going to have to type in your password and agree to the terms before the system goes live.

Genius Shows you what apps Apple thinks you’ll like based on what you have on your iPhone.

Automatically Fill Free Space with Songs

No one mentioned this super-cool feature at the event. You can turn it on under the Music tab when you plug in your iPhone/iPod.

Where Are the Ringtones?

Looking around the iTunes Store on your computer for some dope ringtones? Well, stop. You need to fire up your iPhone to find the ringtones of your dreams. Launch the iTunes app, tap More, and you’ll see the option for ringtones.

You can preview the ringtones from the app and when you buy a ringtone (we bought “Jump” by Van Halen, RAD!) you can assign it as your default tone or to a contact. At press time, there wasn’t a top-10 list of ringtones, probably because no one could find them.

You Can Still Roll Your Own Ringtones with Participating Songs

You can still create your own ringtones in iTunes with participating songs for 99¢. You save 30¢, and you get to pick which part of the song you want to become your ringtone. Or you can do it for free in GarageBand.

To add items to your wish list, click the arrow next to the item’s price. A contextual menu will appear, and you can add items from there. Once you’ve found the items you want, return to the iTunes Store home page and click on your wish list in upper-right corner. From there, you can click Buy All to purchase your carefully selected items.

iTunes LP a Good Deal for Fans

The artist choices are pretty slim right now, but the iTunes LP is a great deal for superfans of artists. For an extra $3 you get videos, artwork, lyrics, and more depending upon the artist. We enjoyed having the lyrics for The Doors, because frankly Jim got a little mumbly a few times. Our only problem is the inability to set the artwork to full screen when listening to an album using iTunes LP.

Facebook and Twitter

When we heard that there would be Facebook and Twitter integration in the new iTunes, we admit it, we groaned. We imagined a world full of tweets of people’s playlists. In reality, Twitter and Facebook integration is only to share items from the iTunes Store. If you really like an album, and think your friends or followers will enjoy it, click the arrow to the right of the price and choose Share On Facebook or Share On Twitter. Then you’ll get a chance to tell the word how great the new Jonas Brothers album is.

Column Browser FTW

Column browser is our new best friend when it comes to navigating iTunes. To turn it on navigate to the menubar View > Show Column Browser (Command-B). To add or subtract columns back up to the menubar View > Column Browser to select how you want to navigate and if you want the Column Browser on the top or left of your music library.

Use Faces to Put Your Favorite People on Your iPhone.

Plug your iPhone in, navigate to the Photos tab, and from there you can use the Faces feature in iPhoto ’09 to choose which of your family or friends you want on your iPhone. Great for people with kids, or if you married or are dating a 10 and you’re only a five, you now have proof.

Home Sharing

Beyond the regular sharing setup, you can now copy albums between up to five computers that have been authorized for a particular account. If you tend to buy music on multiple computers like some of the Mac|Life staff, you know how helpful this is.

After authorizing all the computers in your home, you can select files from another Mac and click Import to add them to your Mac.

Also, Home Sharing will look for new purchases you make and automatically transfer music, apps, movies, TV shows and audiobooks.  Click on Settings button in the lower-right corner and select what you want transferred going forward.

iTunes U Course Syncing

iTunes U is agreat way for students to learn about new subjects and to allow non-students to study subjects that interest them. Now you can subscribe to subjects and easily sync them to your iPod or iPhone. Plug your iPod/iPhone in. Navigate to the iTunes U tab in iTunes, and select Sync iTunes U and choose which classes you would like to add to your device. Knowledge is power.

iTunes Rewind reveals the hottest games of 2009, which are divided into two groups, highest rated and top sellers.

I’m glad Apple made this distinction between highest rated and top sellers. With such a strong focus on the top 10 listings, which tracks number of sells as opposed to rating, games like Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor would have gone relatively unnoticed despite the overwhelming number of positive user reviews, nearly three thousand.

Without further ado, I give you this year’s hottest App Store games of 2009.

Top 10 Rated

1. Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor

You are a spider. One afternoon, you discover an abandoned mansion. Where is the family who lived here? What happened, and why did they leave? Search for clues as you adventure from room to room on the hunt for your next meal. Build webs of your own design: in the corners, under the furniture, and in the forgotten places too small for humans. Are you a shrewd enough sleuth to decode the mystery and uncover the Bryce family secret?

2. Real Racing

Race the way you want to, with 5 different game modes. Challenge friends in local multiplayer and leave them in your dust! Work your way up from rookie to world champion in Career mode. Slice off another split second in Time Trial and upload your personal best. Join an online league and battle your way through ranks of players from all over the world to advance to the next division. Only got a minute? Get behind the wheel for a Quick Race. Firemint Real Racing provides authentic pack racing action like no other iPhone(TM) game. Take to the circuit in a six car grid and jostle your way to the lead.

3. ZENONIA

Extensive playing time of over 40 hours to conquer the main and side quests. Choose your hero from 3 different classes; warrior, paladin and assassin. Customize your attributes accordingly. Collect items from 5 different classes(normal, magic, rare, unique and epic) to enchant or combine them for upgrades. Anime style characters and graphics, along with various stylish skill effects. Day/night cycle, hunger/weight system and good/evil storyline path to choose from.

4. Ravensword: The Fallen King

Enter the world of Ravensword: The Fallen King; a massive, sandbox-style adventure for the iPhone and iPod touch. Combining 3D action with RPG elements, Ravensword features rich and interactive environments that bring you a gaming experience unlike anything you’ve seen on the iPhone platform. Take on quests to earn money and experience. Wield powerful weapons and magical runes. Battle fearsome enemies such as Orcs, Trolls, Ogres and Demons. Test your skills with a variety of games and side quests.

5. Earth Vs Moon Ep.2-Enter the Perk Shop

Earth finds itself confronted by a previously unknown and totally baffling enemy – the nefarious Moon Army. Equipped with advanced alien technology, the Moon Army hurls its deadly Moon weaponry at vulnerable Earth citizens. Its mission? To enslave Earth-kind, plunder our natural resources and make a mockery of humans! Who will protect Earth now?!

6. Sally’s Spa

Sally’s back and ready for a relaxing rush in luxury spa locations around the world. Refresh your customers with saunas, manicures, bath bombs, massages, hot stones and more. Enhance the experience of your clients with upgrades for your rapidly growing business. Melt away the stress from a wide variety of customers and personalities including blushing brides, demanding fashionistas, calm couples, and many others! As you build your Spas, earn money to shop for over 65 items including employees to help your Spa business grow!

7. Ragdoll Blaster – A Physics Puzzler

Ragdoll Blaster combines the fun of firing ragdolls from cannons with the challenge of a puzzle game . . . while simulating real physics. It is fun, fast paced and addictive – requiring both agile fingers and an active mind. You simply touch the screen to aim and fire your ragdoll at increasingly more difficult targets. The object is to complete the levels using as few ragdolls as possible . . . easier said than done.

8. Canabalt

The one-button parkour phenomenon can now be played while you’re on the crapper. A new update features global leaderboards, new epitaphs, new music, and (finally) a pause button.

9. Blades of Fury

Prove your bravery & establish your own fighting style through epic duels to cast your name among the greatest heroes, and be remembered in history. Alone against the computer or against your friends in multiplayer gaming sessions, experience an explosive and accessible fighting experience thanks to an arcade-style gameplay. Blades of Fury is the ultimate one-on-one fighting game, offering numerous game modes, and a wide array of playable fighters and fighting combinations.

10. DOOM Classic

Welcome to Hell! Prepare to relive the First Person Shooter that defined a generation with the legendary original DOOM – now on the iPhone. As a space marine stationed on the planet Mars, you are all that stands between the armies of Hell and their invasion of planet Earth! DOOM Classic includes the original three episodes as well as Episode Four, Thy Flesh Consumed, spread across 36 levels of non-stop carnage and action.

Top 10 Sellers

1. The Sims 3

The Sims are highly customizable in terms of looks and even personality. The controls are working better than I had imagined, single finger swipes to pan, multi touch to rotate the camera and tapping on objects to interact with them. This is actually the first Sims game I’ve ever played, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I was delighted to see so much detail put into this game.

2. The Oregon Trail

Westward, Ho! Your favorite pioneering adventure game is back and takes you to an exciting, historical side-scrolling adventure entirely rethought to fit the Touch experience of your iPhone / iPod touch. All of the decision-making and problem-solving fun of the original game, plus additional parameters to take the Oregon Trail experience even further than you’ve played before.

3. Need For Speed Undercover

Drive 20 of the world’s fastest, hottest cars like the Porsche Carrera GT. Each one boasts its own style & performance output. Power through Head-to-Head Action, Highway Battle, and Cop Takeout. Race undercover in 24 covert missions. Push your car to the limit as you burn through exhilarating cityscapes, snaking countrysides, and gritty seaside docks. Trick your ride with aftermarket spoilers, multiple wheel options, cool body kits & paint schemes.

4. MADDEN NFL 10

Match up all 32 NFL teams on 32 unique fields around the league, from landmark Lambeau to the new Cowboys Stadium. Run nearly 300 plays as you dominate with your own dives, spins, jukes, and sprints. Use Action Control Time to slo-mo the play and choose your best move. Exclusive to MADDEN NFL 10, use intuitive touchscreen controls to draw up your very own passing routes on screen!

5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour

Play as or against Tiger Woods or a great line-up of other pro golfers like Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh, Natalie Gulbis & Retief Goosen! Golf over 120 holes across 7 of the most famous courses in the world including Pebble Beach & St. Andrews. Hear the crack of the club and the roar of the crowd as each fairway comes to life with realistic sounds, 3D graphics, and dynamic camera angles. Master the exclusive Swing Meter and get visual feedback on your moves. Manipulate the direction of your ball spin & watch it soar through the air!

6. Assassin’s Creed

Jerusalem, 1191 AD. The Third Crusade between the Crusaders and Saracens is tearing the Holy Land apart. You are Altaïr, a Master Assassin sent by the Order of the Assassins on a quest to find “The Chalice”, an object of such power that it can end the Crusades, depending on which camp owns it. Steal The Chalice from the Templars before someone offers them the right price for it. The fate of the Holy Land depends on you…

7. Flight Control

Flight Control is the incredibly simple, yet insanely addictive worldwide #1 game from Firemint that everyone is talking about. Air traffic control is the world’s most stressful job, but not for you. You don’t need heading angles, flight rules or meteorological reports, you’re a natural! A prodigy! A born controller! Just touch and drag the planes to their runway.

8. Cooking Mama

This edition features a generous helping of dishes from the home console series as well as plenty of never-before-seen cuisine! The “Cooking Mama” controls have also been optimized for use with the iPhone and iPod touch, ensuring a fresh play experience for even veterans of the home console releases! ”Cooking Mama” includes two fun game modes: “Let’s Cook,” where players make meals with Mama, and “Cooking Contest,” where players can freely practice a variety of recipes and techniques.

9. Civilization Revolution

Lead your civilization from the dawn of man to the modern age and beyond in Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution. Go head to head with history’s greatest leaders as you wage war, conduct diplomacy, discover new technologies, inspire your nation and build the most powerful empire the world has ever known.

10. Wheel of Fortune

Spin the Wheel, pick a letter or buy a vowel, and solve the puzzle! In the iPhone and iPod Touch version of America’s most popular game show, use the touch screen to spin the Wheel and choose letters!  If you are lucky, you may even land on the $1,000,000 wedge!  Includes over 1000 different puzzles written by the TV Show’s producers for hours of entertainment.  Go on, give Wheel Of Fortune a spin today!

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