“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