“This week, my assistant Katie Boehret and I tested a new software product… called iFill, allows you to fill your iPod with songs or other material recorded from Internet radio stations, free. iFill, which comes from iPod accessory maker Griffin Technology, runs on either a Windows or Macintosh computer,” Walter S. Mossberg reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“The software uses the computer to receive the Internet radio, and to send the radio output directly to an iPod, where it is stored as separate song files that can be played at any time. The music from the radio stations isn’t playable on the computer, and doesn’t show up in Apple’s iTunes software, which normally manages your music, and controls the iPod-to-PC link. It shows up only on the iPod itself,” Mossberg reports.
“You can try iFill free for up to 28 days, by downloading a trial version from http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/ifill/ . The company will email you a key code that allows free use of the software for seven days. Up to four free codes can be obtained for each email address before you have to pay the $20 software price, stretching the trial period to 28 days,” Mossberg reports. “How does iFill get around copyright restrictions, when it is allowing users to download free music that the record labels usually insist must be paid for? In the documentation, Griffin claims that ‘iFill’s main use is as a timeshift device, and as such it encourages private use of music within the legal limits of personal copies.’ The company adds: ‘If you like what iFill puts on your iPod, please support the artist by buying the song or the album. Stealing music is not fair.'”
Mossberg’s tests showed problems with the Windows version of iFill, but the latest Windows version seemed to work in his limited testing. “Things worked much better on the Macintosh platform. I used iFill, running on an Apple PowerBook, to record 58 songs in an hour, from three radio stations, onto my new full-size iPod. The songs played perfectly. Katie also tested a different iPod with an Apple iBook for about five minutes of recording, with success,” Mossberg reports. “Griffin’s Web site suggests that you ‘go to bed while charging your iPod, and wake up to an iPod full of new music.’ This is a great idea on the Mac. And, if the new Windows version is as stable as it appears to be, should work well on Windows as well… iFill could be a truly handy little piece of software for all iPod owners, assuming it now works on Windows as well as it does on the Mac.”
Full article with more information here.
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We’ve been using Griffin’s iFill for Macintosh since early October and our experiences mirrored Mossberg’s. The application works well and you may be tempted to buy it. It’s a great way to discover new music. Give it a try.
Related articles:
Griffin debuts iFill application: records thousands of free radio stations directly to iPod – October 07, 2005
A time-shift device. Cool. I guess we can start to call P2P software time-space shifting devices. That will make everyone happy.
It sucks. It changed every possible preference on my iPod and iTunes. Still recoverying.
WOW! Talk about resurrecting the “old ways” by using a “new” technology!
Didn’t many of us used to do this with our cassette decks that were hooked up to our stereo receivers? Recording “off the air”, with irritating DJ voiceovers and everything! What a waste of time.
“iFill” belongs in a LANDfill.
I wonder if you’ll be able to use something like Senuti to take the tracks off of the iPod?
Morons,
iFill changes the iTunes auto syncing to iPod to manual which is how you should be using your iPod with iTunes anyway, unless you’re a mongoloid. If you understand what iFill actually does, you know that this needs to be this way.
iFill breaks up the music into individual songs. It also names them well, depending on how well the source material identifies their content. That way, you don’t listen to the talk and the ads if there are any after it does it’s thing. You just dump them or skip over them.
People who actually use iFill understand. People who just read about it or keep iTunes on the default auto sync with iPod setting obviously don’t.
If you’re a beginner iPod/iTunes/computer ‘tard who doesn’t understand setting preferences and instead always relies upon default app prefs, don’t bother regaling us with your simpleton complaints. Learn how to use a computer first before you whine and moan.
I use RadioLover to record internet radio while I sleep.
I can play it on my iMac or copy it to my iPod.
Works great!
um, two words:
stream
ripper
Silliness Wrote:
Didn’t many of us used to do this with our cassette decks that were hooked up to our stereo receivers? Recording “off the air”, with irritating DJ voiceovers and everything! What a waste of time.
Lots of internet radio has solid music with no talking for hours on end.
I great some great dance music, I’m sure there’s other stuff too, just look around!
Don’t trust my software. It has alot of bugs that I can’t figure out cuz I’m stoopid and can’t afford colige. I’m getting a different job I’m a big noob.
dear iFilluser
You are a rude shit eating scumbag. Die
why cant Griffin just come up with a simple small little attachment to the ipod that just tunes into radio, how difficult can it be? and you wont need to waste valuable ipod space to store outdated radio.
I find it very interesting indeed that if one were to say that ripping from a friend’s CD were acceptable, one would be flamed like a little piggy on a BBQ and told to purchase his own copy of the album from the iTunes Music Store.
Yet, if one suggests that ripping from an Internet radio stream is acceptable, one is not treated like a criminal… how interesting.
I just buy a entire genre I’m interested in from iTMS.
Anyone want a torrent?
just kidding, support the artists.
MDN Word: “love” The feeling you feel towards most any Apple product.
Hey, iFill User –you sure you’re not a drug user? Cuz this is stupid technology. Especially in an age of 99 cent downloads.
What interesting… said is right –funny how ripping stuff from internet “radio” is okay, but downloading (read: stealing) it from other parts of the internet is a “bad, bad thing that’ll send you to the hot place really, really fast little Timmy”!
Yaah, right. Screw off, bunghole. Take this stupid idea and run with it, but it’s still just that: Stupid.
Umm, especially when you’re supposedly all supporting that little store by the name of, ohh, I don’t know, what was it? . . . Oh, yaah — iTunes!
Having a bad day, are we?
I remember when this first was announced and they were passing it off as a brand new thing.
I’ve been using Radiolover for YEARS, even back when it was called StreamRipperX. It’s much more featured and simply “better”. It breaks up shows and tags them perfectly, its customizable, you can schedule shows, etc. etc.
I recommend that anyone using iFill check it out.
Also check out their iRecordMusic ripping other audio content that these stream rippers don’t cover.
And no… I dont’ work for them
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Don’t forget, 99 cents = zero.
iFill user = Jerk
And if you are seasoned iTunes user who has used iTunes since it has come out and bought the first gen iPod and uses the default preferences because they work perfectly fine, then what?