Nerd Business Blog

How to watch movies on the iPad without needing iTunes

Schwabe — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:57:32 +0000

The scenario: with an impending 10 hour flight - you need to load up the iPad with entertainment.

The dilemma: you want to avoid using notoriously bloated iTunes.

Furthermore, you need an app that can play any format like DivX so you don't have to deal with converting files or compatibility issues.

On a recent trip to Japan, I faced this scenario - and was able to find the perfect solution just in time. Happily enjoyed a flight full of movies & TV shows (well, my girlfriend did - honestly I mostly just played Super Mario Bros on DS).

Anyway, I wanted to share the solution; to show how you can easily load your iPad with all the movies and TV shows you want - without needing to install big bloated iTunes on your computer.

GoodReader + CineXPlayer + AV Player HD = non iTunes movie playback solution

Step 1: Get the apps

You'll need just two apps to achieve this setup. The third one is optional and only needed if you encounter playback compatibility issues.

The app that makes it all possible is GoodReader. It's a handy little file management app for the iPad. And while the branding and app description may lead you to believe it only does PDFs, rest assured it can handle pretty much any file type - including video.

We'll be using GoodReader to transfer the video files to the iPad. Effectively skipping the need to use iTunes. Aside from the GoodReader app, you just need WiFi and a file browser to copy the files.

CineXPlayer is your actual playback solution. It should play most, if not all, of your videos. And if it doesn't - you can also download AVPlayerHD. Both apps are paid, so prepare to spend about $10 to get them installed. After installing the apps, follow the steps below.

Step 2: Use GoodReader Wifi to transfer movies

GoodReader is capable of turning your iPad into a shared network folder over Wifi. Which is the secret to subverting iTunes.

Open GoodReader and tap the little Wifi icon in the bottom shelf.

The WiFi-transfer menu will open. Provided you're connected to your household Wifi network, the iPad is now available as a network directory.

Feel free to make sure it works by typing the IP address into your internet browser bar. If it works, you should see a page like this:

You'll notice it tells you the web browser is not the best way to transfer files. Instead, create a network folder. Then access it directly using a file browser. On Windows, you can do this by opening Windows Explorer (or preferably Directory Opus), clicking Tools > Map Network drive... then enter the IP by itself (instead of http add two slashes \\ )

With that setup you are free to transfer files to the iPad as if it's an actual folder on your computer.

Step 3: Prepare the media library and enjoy

Now that you've got the files on your iPad, you'll need to open them. Problem is, CineXPlayer nor AVPlayerHD will know how to find them on your device. So once again, GoodReader is our solution.

In GoodReader, tap and hold any one of your newly transferred video files and then tap 'Open With'. This will bring up a list of multimedia apps capable of playing videos. You should see CineXPlayer and AVPlayerHD in your list of options. Proceed to open the file with either of the two video apps.

You'll want to give it up to 10 seconds while the file is read. The file will now be added to the app's library. So you can just pull up the video app next time you want to play the file. Repeat this step for each of the video files you want to add - or just use GoodReader each time you are ready to watch something new.

And that's it. With GoodReader as your media manager - and CineXPlayer / AVPlayerHD as your players - you have a powerful way to transfer & enjoy almost any video.

Optional Step: USB file transfer

Now, it should be noted that the GoodReader Wifi transfer is incredibly slow. You'll get much faster speeds if you hook up with USB and use iTunes' app file sharing feature. The point of this article was to show you how to do it without iTunes. But I'll briefly summarize the iTunes / USB route anyway.

In iTunes, click on your iPad from the Device menu. Then click on "Apps" sub section. And scroll down to the File Sharing section. It is here that you can tap on GoodReader and click & drag any movie or TV show. Then, access them in the same way as described in Step 3.

As with most iTunes operations, this method is a tad clunky. And quite linear, since iTunes doesn't let you create subfolders to help keep your files organized. But aside from that, it's pretty simple and you'll get the benefit of faster transfer rates over USB.

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iPad

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mobile

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How to watch movies on the iPad without needing iTunes

Schwabe — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:57:32 +0000

The scenario: with an impending 10 hour flight - you need to load up the iPad with entertainment.

The dilemma: you want to avoid using notoriously bloated iTunes.

Furthermore, you need an app that can play any format like DivX so you don't have to deal with converting files or compatibility issues.

Anyway, I wanted to share the solution; to show how you can easily load your iPad with all the movies and TV shows you want - without needing to install big bloated iTunes on your computer.

GoodReader + CineXPlayer + AV Player HD = non iTunes movie playback solution

Step 1: Get the apps

You'll need just two apps to achieve this setup. The third one is optional and only needed if you encounter playback compatibility issues.

We'll be using GoodReader to transfer the video files to the iPad. Effectively skipping the need to use iTunes. Aside from the GoodReader app, you just need WiFi and a file browser to copy the files.

Step 2: Use GoodReader Wifi to transfer movies

GoodReader is capable of turning your iPad into a shared network folder over Wifi. Which is the secret to subverting iTunes.

Open GoodReader and tap the little Wifi icon in the bottom shelf.

The WiFi-transfer menu will open. Provided you're connected to your household Wifi network, the iPad is now available as a network directory.

Feel free to make sure it works by typing the IP address into your internet browser bar. If it works, you should see a page like this:

With that setup you are free to transfer files to the iPad as if it's an actual folder on your computer.

Step 3: Prepare the media library and enjoy

Now that you've got the files on your iPad, you'll need to open them. Problem is, CineXPlayer nor AVPlayerHD will know how to find them on your device. So once again, GoodReader is our solution.

And that's it. With GoodReader as your media manager - and CineXPlayer / AVPlayerHD as your players - you have a powerful way to transfer & enjoy almost any video.

Optional Step: USB file transfer

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How to watch movies on the iPad without needing iTunes

Schwabe — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:57:32 +0000

The scenario: with an impending 10 hour flight - you need to load up the iPad with entertainment.

The dilemma: you want to avoid using notoriously bloated iTunes.

Furthermore, you need an app that can play any format like DivX so you don't have to deal with converting files or compatibility issues.

Anyway, I wanted to share the solution; to show how you can easily load your iPad with all the movies and TV shows you want - without needing to install big bloated iTunes on your computer.

GoodReader + CineXPlayer + AV Player HD = non iTunes movie playback solution

Step 1: Get the apps

You'll need just two apps to achieve this setup. The third one is optional and only needed if you encounter playback compatibility issues.

We'll be using GoodReader to transfer the video files to the iPad. Effectively skipping the need to use iTunes. Aside from the GoodReader app, you just need WiFi and a file browser to copy the files.

Step 2: Use GoodReader Wifi to transfer movies

GoodReader is capable of turning your iPad into a shared network folder over Wifi. Which is the secret to subverting iTunes.

Open GoodReader and tap the little Wifi icon in the bottom shelf.

The WiFi-transfer menu will open. Provided you're connected to your household Wifi network, the iPad is now available as a network directory.

Feel free to make sure it works by typing the IP address into your internet browser bar. If it works, you should see a page like this:

With that setup you are free to transfer files to the iPad as if it's an actual folder on your computer.

Step 3: Prepare the media library and enjoy

Now that you've got the files on your iPad, you'll need to open them. Problem is, CineXPlayer nor AVPlayerHD will know how to find them on your device. So once again, GoodReader is our solution.

And that's it. With GoodReader as your media manager - and CineXPlayer / AVPlayerHD as your players - you have a powerful way to transfer & enjoy almost any video.

Optional Step: USB file transfer

Tags:

Popular:

How to watch movies on the iPad without needing iTunes

Schwabe — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:57:32 +0000

The scenario: with an impending 10 hour flight - you need to load up the iPad with entertainment.

The dilemma: you want to avoid using notoriously bloated iTunes.

Furthermore, you need an app that can play any format like DivX so you don't have to deal with converting files or compatibility issues.

Anyway, I wanted to share the solution; to show how you can easily load your iPad with all the movies and TV shows you want - without needing to install big bloated iTunes on your computer.

GoodReader + CineXPlayer + AV Player HD = non iTunes movie playback solution

Step 1: Get the apps

You'll need just two apps to achieve this setup. The third one is optional and only needed if you encounter playback compatibility issues.

We'll be using GoodReader to transfer the video files to the iPad. Effectively skipping the need to use iTunes. Aside from the GoodReader app, you just need WiFi and a file browser to copy the files.

Step 2: Use GoodReader Wifi to transfer movies

GoodReader is capable of turning your iPad into a shared network folder over Wifi. Which is the secret to subverting iTunes.

Open GoodReader and tap the little Wifi icon in the bottom shelf.

The WiFi-transfer menu will open. Provided you're connected to your household Wifi network, the iPad is now available as a network directory.

Feel free to make sure it works by typing the IP address into your internet browser bar. If it works, you should see a page like this:

With that setup you are free to transfer files to the iPad as if it's an actual folder on your computer.

Step 3: Prepare the media library and enjoy

Now that you've got the files on your iPad, you'll need to open them. Problem is, CineXPlayer nor AVPlayerHD will know how to find them on your device. So once again, GoodReader is our solution.

And that's it. With GoodReader as your media manager - and CineXPlayer / AVPlayerHD as your players - you have a powerful way to transfer & enjoy almost any video.

Optional Step: USB file transfer

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How to Get Ubuntu Virtual Desktops on Windows 7

Schwabe — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:04:08 +0000

While Ubuntu runs on my laptop, my desktop system will remain a Windows machine for the foreseeable future.

For a while I had both systems running Ubuntu. As a long time Windows user, this was a pretty big nerd step for me. Booting up everyday for work into Linux instead of Windows took some getting used too. Of course, I still had Windows 7 within quick reach via a virtual machine. That allowed me to jump in and out of Windows when needed - particularly for the use of Adobe Creative Suite.

Yet, as I found out, given my time on the PC is spent mostly within Creative Suite there was not enough justification to deal with the performance hit when working through a VM. Though it was actually very snappy, for graphics design work you need perfection. So before long I was booting into Windows again.

Anyway, that's when I really started to miss Ubuntu. You see, Ubuntu has this incredibly useful interface utility called Virtual Desktops. Which basically allows you to have a 'virtual multi-monitor array'.

This feature is awesome, not just because of how it frees up brand new screen real estate. Or how it enables you to reserve screens for specific apps. Its the lightning fast, elegantly animated navigation system that makes it so cool. It's like the evolution of ALT-TAB, and infinitely better.

Above: 6x6 virtual desktops as featured in the Top 6 advantages Ubuntu has over OS X & Windows

Windows 7 has no such feature. Your stuck in a single desktop, for forever. Once your screen gets cluttered you can't just hotkey over to a different screen like in Ubuntu.

Or can you?

VirtuaWin for the win

This handy little program called VirtuaWin brings the virtual desktops concept to Windows. While it's not quite as impressive as the Ubuntu variety, it does the job.

Upon installation, you won't really notice much other than a tray icon containing a number. This number is an indication of what screen you're currently on. VirtuaWin supports up to 9 virtual screens. So as you navigate through them, this number will update correspondingly.

Personally, I keep the limit to just 3. My first screen is generally full of sticky notes (digital sticky notes, of course). The second screen is where I get most of my work done. And the third screen is like an overflow I can jump into for some more real estate if things start to get cluttered on screen 2.

As in Ubuntu, the big advantage of VirtuaWin is that both the desktop and your taskbar are isolated on each screen. Which means that if you have say Photoshop open on screen 1, when you goto screen 2 its as if Photoshop is not even open. Its nowhere in sight...

The programs on your other screens are only a quick hotkey away. Which, by the way - is the same as on Ubuntu. CTRL-ALT plus the left or right on your keyboard will swap through screens. And for you, this will quickly becomes second nature, just as ALT-TAB did back in the day.

Of course, its compatible with physical multi-monitor setups too. Which means if you've got a dual monitor setup, each 'virtual desktop' will consist of 2 screens.

Yet, I suspect that the people who can benefit the most from this program are the ones using only a single monitor. Or on a laptop. Cause virtual desktops, whether on Ubuntu or Windows (or Mac, via Mission Control), is basically like having multiple monitors - with the exception you can only see one at a time.

VirtuaWin is a lightweight, free and open source program that can bring one of the best features of Ubuntu to your Windows setup. If you're a nerd using Windows, there's no reason not to be using this.

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How to Get Ubuntu Virtual Desktops on Windows 7

Schwabe — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:04:08 +0000

While Ubuntu runs on my laptop, my desktop system will remain a Windows machine for the foreseeable future.

Above: 6x6 virtual desktops as featured in the Top 6 advantages Ubuntu has over OS X & Windows

Windows 7 has no such feature. Your stuck in a single desktop, for forever. Once your screen gets cluttered you can't just hotkey over to a different screen like in Ubuntu.

Or can you?

VirtuaWin for the win

This handy little program called VirtuaWin brings the virtual desktops concept to Windows. While it's not quite as impressive as the Ubuntu variety, it does the job.

Of course, its compatible with physical multi-monitor setups too. Which means if you've got a dual monitor setup, each 'virtual desktop' will consist of 2 screens.

Tags:

Popular:

How to Get Ubuntu Virtual Desktops on Windows 7

Schwabe — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:04:08 +0000

While Ubuntu runs on my laptop, my desktop system will remain a Windows machine for the foreseeable future.

Above: 6x6 virtual desktops as featured in the Top 6 advantages Ubuntu has over OS X & Windows

Windows 7 has no such feature. Your stuck in a single desktop, for forever. Once your screen gets cluttered you can't just hotkey over to a different screen like in Ubuntu.

Or can you?

VirtuaWin for the win

This handy little program called VirtuaWin brings the virtual desktops concept to Windows. While it's not quite as impressive as the Ubuntu variety, it does the job.

Of course, its compatible with physical multi-monitor setups too. Which means if you've got a dual monitor setup, each 'virtual desktop' will consist of 2 screens.

Tags:

Popular:

How to Get Ubuntu Virtual Desktops on Windows 7

Schwabe — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:04:08 +0000

While Ubuntu runs on my laptop, my desktop system will remain a Windows machine for the foreseeable future.

Above: 6x6 virtual desktops as featured in the Top 6 advantages Ubuntu has over OS X & Windows

Windows 7 has no such feature. Your stuck in a single desktop, for forever. Once your screen gets cluttered you can't just hotkey over to a different screen like in Ubuntu.

Or can you?

VirtuaWin for the win

This handy little program called VirtuaWin brings the virtual desktops concept to Windows. While it's not quite as impressive as the Ubuntu variety, it does the job.

Of course, its compatible with physical multi-monitor setups too. Which means if you've got a dual monitor setup, each 'virtual desktop' will consist of 2 screens.

Tags:

Popular:

Pomodoro technique is lame, but here’s a cool app

Schwabe — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:55:58 +0000

A friend recently gave me the headsup on the Pomodoro technique. It's a time management strategy. As you may know, I've been evolving a time management strategy of my own for some time now. So by the time I learned of Pomodoro - I had already been practicing the main gist of it. Which is that, our days should be broken down into small chunks to maximize focus. But other than that, my technique is quite different.

Though one thing I did find really useful from Pomodoro was the use of a timer. In fact, I'm now using the app below to help track time in my day - and it was designed specifically for Pomodoro technique.

Focus Booster v1.2 (Mac, Windows, Linux via Adobe AIR)

If you're going to use it the right way (my way) here is what to do. Download the app. And set the timer to 90 minutes. Not 25, as suggested by the Pomodoro technique.

Now choose a target area of focus. This target area is anything in your life that is pressing (such as a project that is due) or something you are aspiring towards (like building your dream business). With a target area defined, start the timer. For this next 90 minutes, you will do nothing but focus on this one specific thing. And the things you do during this 90 minutes will be directly related to making forward progress towards achieving or manifesting whatever it is you need to create to achieve harmony on this particular 'thing' in your life.

Before you know it, 90 minutes will have passed. And you'll be surprised of the what you have accomplished. At the very least, I can guarantee you'll have some extent of measurable improvement. It's impossible not to at least make some kind of forward progress during a 90 minute session focused on just one thing. And that's powerful because - if you just do this every day on the same target area - aggregated progress will occur and the results will surprise you. Inevitably you will achieve whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.

Plan tomorrow

The next step is to plan tomorrow. With my technique, you structure every day with 6 items. This is not a to-do list. In fact, these items are not "tasks" at all. They are, again, target areas of focus. During each 'focus session' you will exclusively think, do, and work at making forward progress in a specific area of your life.

The first session of your day is the 90 minute one. It is specifically for the most important thing in your life (project, responsibility, goal). You focus on this first thing in the morning, before anything else (but don't skip breakfast).

The other remaining 5 sessions will make use of the Focus Booster app's 90 minute timer as well, but for a slightly different purpose. Because that 90 minutes will now represent only a maximum duration. It's only there to prevent yourself from working too long. In fact, each of the remaining 5 sessions of your day need only consist of 15 minutes each. That's right, just 15 minutes. Of course, you can work longer if you have the energy for it - to a maximum of 90 minutes - but the bare minimum requirement is just 15 minutes.

Tricking your brain

The key is you only have to convince yourself to stay focused for 15 minutes. And that's sort of like playing a trick on your brain. It takes very little mental effort to say to yourself, "OK this project is huge and intimidating but all I have to do is just endure 15 minutes on it." And the funny thing is, you'll probably go a lot longer, even if you didn't plan on it - and without even knowing (or caring) that you did. And that there is quite possibly the biggest advantage of my technique. It gets you productive, even if you're lazy.

Once you've completed a 90 minute session to start the day, and 5 other 15 minute sessions throughout the remainder of the day - you can pat yourself on the back. There's some other pointers I should probably share, such as writing a list of your target areas of focus or planning days in advance just 3 items per day - but I'll save that for another post... cause today's Nerd Business session has almost used up 90 minutes ;)

Kaizen

The Japanese have a word called Kaizen. It basically means 'continuous improvement'. Software developers have a word like that too. It's called iteration. Whatever you want to call it, it's powerful. And you can apply the concept to time management. While you may not hit the mark perfectly every session - the very act of returning to that same topic of focus again, be it the next day or the next week, is a form of iteration. And it seems key to the manifestation process.

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time management

Pomodoro

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Pomodoro technique is lame, but here’s a cool app

Schwabe — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:55:58 +0000

Focus Booster v1.2 (Mac, Windows, Linux via Adobe AIR)

If you're going to use it the right way (my way) here is what to do. Download the app. And set the timer to 90 minutes. Not 25, as suggested by the Pomodoro technique.

Plan tomorrow

Tricking your brain

Kaizen

Tags:

time management

Pomodoro

Popular: