By Christine Harrell

Owning an iPod has become as common as owning a cell phone in recent times. It is a regular occurrence to see people listening to music while walking down the street, in stores, at gyms, and with additional equipment, in cars. With the regular use of iPods, malfunctions can occur which can cause a disturbance in our regular routine. Tuning out is now harder.

Even though the iPod is just a relatively small device in the grand scheme of things the impact can cause some form of temporary loss of joy. So in case of emergency use the infamous five R’’s instead of panicking which is probably your first reaction. Apple has developed the five R’’s, which stand for: Reset, Retry, Restart, Reinstall and Restore. These simple words can mean the difference between sending your iPod away and fixing your iPod yourself in just minutes.

Just before you begin to perform these steps to fix your iPod you will need to toggle the Hold switch on and off to prepare your iPod. Then you will want to reset your iPod, which will clear out any cached instructions it has received from you that may have caused some form of minor system crash. If this doesn'’t seem to fix the problem they you will need to try something else.

If connectivity seems to be the issue, try to put the iPod in another USB port on your computer. Sometimes using another port will allow the iPod to interface with the itunes software. We call this step the “Retry” with a different USB port step.

If the last two steps haven'’t worked then do not get discouraged because we still have three more steps to try. If you haven'’t already tried this one then simply “reboot” your computer to clear out any data from the computers memory that may be conflicting with the iPod software. Usually by now the troubles are all fixed and your back to having balance in your life but if not we should proceed to the fourth step in self-repairing your iPod.

Locate the iTunes software that came with your iPod and re-install the application. There are times with any software application that you may have to re-install it in order for it to work properly because files are being modified all of the time within the computer and it can cause complications like this to develop.

Finally, we have come to the last and final step in repairing your iPod without having to call tech support or a repair facility. Before you let out a scream of frustration, if you haven'’t already, try to “Restore” your iPod to its original configuration. In this step you will lose any input you have downloaded into the iPod. This is a very unfortunate step to have to take, especially if you do not have a complete backup of your data. To begin the restore process you must start the iPod Updater program which will restore your iPod to the original condition it came in when you first opened the package.

If these five steps have not repaired your iPod then you are in need of professional help, but don'’t fret you have options. As opposed to Apple, other reputable companies provide iPod repair without loosing any of your stored data. Research various sites and find the company that works with your needs.

About The Author

The author is a freelance copywriter. For more information about ipod repairs and ipod parts, visit www.iPodMods.com.

By Mike Singh

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP services have become increasingly popular in the last few years. In case you aren'’t aware of VoIP, these services include full communication such as phone calls, videoconferencing and telephony services all of which can be completed over a high-speed internet connection. Most VoIp companies are worldwide as the only physical connection that you need to them is your high-speed internet connection. All contact and communication is competed online or by your VoIP phone.

The most popular VoIP companies out there are:

Vonage

Vonage has become one of the most recognized of the VoIP Companies. Who hasn'’t caught themselves humming that catchy jingle or smiling at the stunts in their commercials? Vonage has over 150 global markers in the USA, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. They were founded in January of 2001 and are based in Holmdel, New Jersey. As of December 2005 Vonage employs over 1400 people worldwide and completes over 35 million calls per week on over a million active lines.

Skype

Skype is a unique VoIP company in that it offers its download free to consumers. This allows people to make free calls worldwide using Skype peer-to-peer software. Charges are made for personalizing the Skype download by adding mobile phone services, voicemail, and access to worldwide hotspots. Skype service does require a PC platform at this time but efforts are being made to expand to mobile devices and handsets. Skype reports that over 221, 078,102 users have downloaded the Skype software.
Skype was founded by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, both who co-developed KaZaA, the world’’s most used peer-to-peer software. Skype has offices in Luxembourg, London and Tallinn.

BroadVoice

BroadVoice, another VoIP company that is located in the United States but offers services worldwide. They were founded in Billerica, MA in December of 2003, and now provide service to 120 plus countries. BroadVoice offers a package of twenty-five basic and advanced features that are billed at a monthly rate. The company allows users to make and receive calls anywhere in the world as long as a high-speed internet connection is available. BroadVoice reports over 600,000 plus users with numbers increasing monthly.

SunRocket

SunRocket is a VoIP provider established by Paul Erickson and Joyce Dorris in early 2004. These two former MCI executives were coworkers for over 10 years prior to founding SunRocket. Offices of this provider are found primarily in North Americas - the United States and Canada. This provider offers low costs, great voice calling clarity/quality and the option of adding a free additional phone number with no additional charge. With all these options available it comes as no surprise that SunRocket is quickly gaining ground on its closest competitors.

About The Author

Check out http://www.why-switch-to-voip.com/ for more articles on explanation of voip and advantages disadvantages of voip.