TECHNOLOGY – The tool to really loving your iPod

LOADPOD COSTS

# of CDs Cost per CD Time Saved
50 to 99 $1.49 10 to 20 hours
100 to 199 $1.39 20 to 40 hours
200 or more $1.29 40 hours or more

Ever since the iPod exploded onto the consumer market, the world has not stop falling in love with its sleek lines, tiny headphones and incredible capability to carry music, hold games and organize photos. To add to the phenomenon is LoadPod, a company that will load a customer’s entire CD collection onto their iPod, if it will fit.

According to the specs, LoadPod will pick up your whole CD collection, transfer it to iPod readable format, load it onto your iPod and return your collection and your newly musically loaded Pod to you in five days. To add to the allure, all of the transferring and loading is done locally, so customers don’t have to worry about shipping or possibly having CDs, CD cases or even their precious iPod damaged by rough handling.

While other services are similar, most ask customers to ship CD collections to a specific location, often times across the country. Unlike any other service provider, LoadPod does all their services locally, no matter where you live. Once they receive a service request, customers are contacted within 48 hours and the process begins.

Top 50 albums downloaded from iTunes: Kenny Chesney, Be As You Are * Bright Eyes, I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning * Garden State, Garden State OST * The Game, The Documentary * Bright Eyes, Digital Ash in the Digital Urn * The Chemical Brothers, Push the Button * The Killers, Hot Fuss * Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Phantom of the Opera OST * Green Day, American Idiot * Ani Difranco, Knuckle Down * Erasure, Nightbird * Passion Band, Passion 05 (Live) * U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb * Kelly Clarkson, Breakaway * Eminem, Encore (Deluxe Version) * The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, OST * Coach Carter, OST * In Good Company, OST * Maroon 5, Songs About Jane * Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News * U2, The Complete U2 * And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead, Worlds Apart * Gwen Stefani, Love, Angel, Music, Baby * Keane, Hopes and Fears * The Shins, Oh, Inverted World * Arcade Fire, Funeral * Bright Eyes, LIFTED or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground * John Legend, Get Lifted * Snow Patrol, Final Straw * Damien Rice, O * Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand (Special Edition) * My Chemical Romance, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge * The Postal Service, Give Up * The O.C., Music from The O.C. – Mix 2 (OST) * John Mayer, Heavier Things * Louis XIV, Illegal Tender – EP * Usher, Confessions (Special Edition) * Ludacris, The Red Light District * Jet, Get Born * Seal, Seal Best Remixes 1991-2005 * M83, Before the Dawn Heals Us * Brazillian Girls, Brazillian Girls * The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow * Madeleine Peyroux, Careless Love * Snoop Dogg, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) – The Masterpiece * Ryan Cabrera, Take It All Away * Jack Johnson, iTunes Original – Jack Johnson * Ashlee Simpson, Autobiography * Spider-Man 2, OST * Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company

The downfalls to passing along the laborious task of loading music onto an iPod are cost and preparation. While LoadPod does the work for you, it’s for a price. Divided into three different categories, prices range by the amount of CDs in the collection. In addition, all CDs must be in a sleeve, a case or a wallet. Reading the fine print, customers are also told that any CDs that are unreadable will still be accountable, regardless if they are able to load the music onto the iPod or not. Word of advice, check all CDs for scratches.

For more information check out www.loadpod.com. On the website you can find the service request form, an online store, if you don’t already have the technological phenomenon, and additional contact information.

Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.