Image by iBuffet via Flickr

Here’s how you can create playlists for your media files in iPhone:

1. The key for getting the most out of iTunes and music on your iPhone is to understand and utilize playlists. Playlists are created in iTunes on your Mac or PC, and accessible from the iPod application on your iPhone. Playlists give you flexible options for creating lists of songs that suite your mood, so you could create playlist to listen to while driving, or another for when you need to relax.
2. In iTunes on your Mac or PC, click the + button near the bottom left of the screen. This adds a new playlist. Give your playlist a name then click on Music in the Library list. Now drag songs from your music selection to your new playlist.
3. You can also create dynamically updated Smart Playlists by choosing New Smart Playlist from the File menu. So, for example, you could create a Smart Playlist of all the songs added in the last week, so they’re always easy to find.
4. To add more rules to your Smart Playlist criteria click the + button. You can add as many rules as you like. There’s a huge range of criteria to choose from. If you rate your songs, why not use the rating as a criteria to choose only your favourite songs?
5. If iTunes is set to automatically sync all songs and playlists with your iPhone, then all you need to do is connect your iPhone and sync. Alternatively, you can set iTunes to sync only selected playlists in the Music tab of your iPhone’s synching options.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

If you check your iPhone, you’ll find out that there’s an iPod app lies on the Home screen. Here goes the guide for using the iPod application:

1. Finding songs in the iPod app can be done in various ways, via Playlists, Artists, or Songs. Tap More to browse Albums, Audiobooks, Compilations, Composers, Genres, and Podcasts. Once you’ve found a song, simply tap its name to play it.
2. You’ll notice a Play/Pause button which is straightforward. Tap and hold the forward and back buttons to skim inside a song, while single tapping takes you to the next or previous song. The slider controls the volume, as do the volume button.
3. Tap the album cover to reveal some extra features when you’re playing a track. Tap rotate icon to repeat the selected track or song list, use the scrubber bar to skip to a particular point in a song, or you can shuffle through your songs with the button on the right. You can build a playlist of similar music by tapping the atom-like Genius button in the middle so long as you have enabled Genius in iTunes 8.
4. Cover Flow view in the iPod application is one of the coolest things about the iPhone. While a song is playing, simply turn your iPod on its side and you can browse through your albums via their artwork. To see the tracks on an album, just tap its cover.

Image via CrunchBase

Playing videos in the iPod app is just like playing YouTube videos, which we go into in more detail later, so let’s focused on playing songs for now. Here, though, you can play music videos, ripped movies, and content purchased from the iTunes Store, all synced to your iPhone using iTunes. It’s also possible to delete videos from your iPhone to save space. In the Videos list, just swipe your finger from left to right over a video and then tap the Delete button that appears.

One final tip with videos and songs: you can get your iPhone to power off after a certain time when playing videos or songs. From the Home screen, choose Clock > Timer. Choose a time, then set When Timer Ends to Sleep iPod and start watching your video. Nice huh?

Along with the ICF-CD3iP docking station, Sony Insider also reports that the company will soon release another iPod/iPhone docking station named ZS-S4iP. Comes with a cool retro look, the device offers an integrated 2W speakers, an AM/FM radio tuner with over 30 presets, CD player, and MP3 player. What makes this little baby stands from the crowd is the dock itself. As you can see from the picture, Sony treats iPod/iPhone like a tape on this machine, so in order to plug or unplug your iPhone or iPod, you have to push the Eject button first.

If you want one, you can buy it on October for just €100 or about $141.

Sony is going to release a cool iPod/iPhone dock combined with a handy alarm clock for waking you up in the morning. The ICF-CD3iP, according to Sony Insider, also acts as a CD player and MP3 player, so even if you don’t have iPod (or iPhone), you can still enjoy the music in your room. But that’s not all. This docking station also lets you plug other MP3 players onto its line-in port, as well as allows you to listen to your favourite AM/FM radio station. Nice.

Sony ICF-CD3iP iPod/iPhone Docking Station is scheduled to hit the store in October with a price tag of €70.

Remember the cute Mushabelly Furry Earphone? Well, here goes another cute, cuddly product from iFlops, the iFlops Penguin LED iPod Speaker. This stuffed penguin comes with a floppy legs, along with a shiny black expressive eyes, a bright orange beak, and a set of black faux leather headphones! Cute, isn’t it? The headphones themself are actually a speaker and once you connected this baby onto your iPod or MP3 player, you can start hearing the music right from the headphones.

The iFlops Penguin LED iPod Speaker uses 3 AA batteries for the amp and its LED light. Price is set at just $18. Definitely worth the money!

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Love the tasty fruit pillow, here’s the cool Cell Phone iPod Speaker Pillow! This mobile phone-shaped pillow can play Mozart while you sleep (if you connect it to your iPod or other DAP of course) or even let you tune in to your favourite radio station with its built-in FM tuner. Comes in a black color, the super soft pillow is equipped with a built-in stereo speaker, along with several playback controls. Wow!

Measures 17 x 9-inch, the Cell Phone iPod Speaker / Radio Pillow is available for just $24.99 at eBay (link below). Note that you have to prepare two AA batteries if you want to use the pillow’s radio capability.

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Here’s the world’s most comfortable iPod speaker! Available in yellow banana, red strawberry, green apple, and orange, these iPod Speaker Pillow is compatible with any generation of iPod, as well as other digital audio player with 3.5mm headphone jack (including your cell phone if they have one). Under the soft surface, there are squishy micro bead filling along with a built-in speaker in the middle. It measures 20 x 30 x 8cm, which is just enough to rest your head down (as seen on the picture below).

The Fruit Speaker Pillow is available for just $9.99.

See the object on the picture above? No, not the one on the right, but that shiny white thing on the middle. It’s called “Aqua Tune V2 Nano” and it is responsible to keep your iPod Nano safe from dust, water (down to 1 metres max for up to 30 minutes), accidental drop, and scratch. You’d love to have it on your party or during a nice summer trip to the beach as it comes with a build-in speaker, providing music to your happy hours. But of course, if you’re the type of person who prefer to do everything alone, you can always plug an earphone to Aqua Tune V2 Nano and listen to the music yourself…

CES 2008 event is due tomorrow (January 7), but we already have news about what products will make their apperance on the show. One of them is the cool-looking Ladybug iPod Speaker from Vestalife. In collaboration with Element Skateboards, this limited edition ipod dock offers a 1.5-inch dual stereo speaker, a 3-inch subwoofer, an auxiliary input, USB port, AV output, and an external power jack. Even better, the speaker will support any iPod model which come with dock connector.

Vestalife Ladybug Speaker Features

• Includes iPod universal dock. Compatible with any iPod with dock connector
• Charges most dockable iPod models
• Built-in subwoofer
• Digital amplifier technology
• Includes full function remote control and carrying tote bag
• AC or battery powered (4 AA batteries not included)
• Battery saving automatic shut-off
• Auxiliary-in jack to connect non-docking iPod, CD players, & other MP3 players
• AV out for video output
• USB connector for synchronizing with your computer
• Includes dock connectors for 5g, nano & iPod mini
• Charges iPod when connected to AC

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