Rating: 5
pick
Version tested: b29
Floola is a small, cross platform app that can copy music files, video files, and playlists to and from your Ipod on any computer without having iTunes installed.You can also use it to manage your audio collection straight on the Ipod, including editing or deleting files and or artist/album/genre information, as well as creating playlist and/or playing your Ipod-resident music files. It can also manage Motorolla phones that are supported by iTunes.
Here’s what you need to know about this software:
- Yes you read it correctly; finally a free iTunes replacement that can move video files to and from the Ipod
- Installation is a breeze, and involves simply moving the Floola executable into the Ipod from within the Windows file system. Note that you have to (a) enable the Ipod as a portable hard drive (Ipod will appear in ’My Computer’), and (b) switch off the Auto-sync option in iTunes (to prevent iTunes from erasing the files you independently copy to your Ipod with Floola). To uninstall, simply delete Floola from the Ipod.
- Installing Floola on the Ipod itself means that you could copy files to/from your Ipod on any PC; just plug it in, run Floola, and you’re on your way.
- Search functionality allows you to immediately find the songs, videos, artists, albums, and/or genres you’re looking for.
- Tag/information editing of your songs is possible, including adding Lyrics to your songs (you can upload these your type them in yourself inside Floola).
- Other services offered by Floola: finding duplicates and, managing notes on your Ipod .
- Can show song/album artwork; also supports loading artwork for your tracks/albums from the hard drive.
- Supports last.fm (not sure what this is about – an online music community).
- Ipod repair: the first thing Floola did once I got it installed and running was tell me that my Ipod needed repair and proceed to fix it. I must say, however, that I wasn’t aware of any problems before the fix, and did not notice any changes after.
I am ecstatic about this program, simply because of all of Windows’ free iTunes replacement programs, Floola is the only one that can move video files to/from the Ipod (neither Yamipod no’r Sharepod do this at the time of this writing). This also means that, unless you want iTunes’ online music store services, you can go ahead and uninstall it from your system (note that Floola and iTunes CAN coexist). If I could wish for anything it would just be the ability to download track/album artwork from an online resource.
Compared to iTunes, Floola is lightweight and much more straightforward. Its also fast, and offers a ’fast mode’ for very large libraries. Although it is still in beta and may contain some bugs, Floola is already my iTunes replacement of choice, and I highly recommend it.
Go to the download page to download the latest version. The program home page.
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Thank you for this review. I used Sharepod before, but Floola is sure better.
WOW
It is cool. I had to install it today because somehow my iTunes deleted all my playlists on it—not my files in my harddrive though, fortunately—but deleted all my playlists on my iTunes itself. So I’m accessing my iTunes-deleted playlists on FoolaiPod now . So far everything appears clean and neat.
Just one thing you might want to know. I had to press ctrl shift while iTunes was starting (I had to start iTunes in order to disallow it from syncing with my iPod when I connect the iPod to the computer). But I couldn’t do that without opening the iTunes and without connecting the iPod to iTunes. So you must press abovementioned keys together while iTunes is starting when you connect your iPod to it until you see the iPod icon on iTunes. That will automatically make the iPod to manual sync and also automatically enable iPod Harddrive use which is require to use Foola. Weird. That stopped my iPod from auto sync with iTunes. That would have also deleted my playlists from iPod.
I have one question to freewaregenius: Does Foola work when my iPod isn’t connected to the computer? Can it be used as a regular application to play music on the computer—say, like RealOne, WinAmp, etc?
Thank you very much for all the wonderful and free software information. You have saved my life, my computer, and my other gadgets many time already. You’re a true FreewareGenius.
thanks
A brief warning: it’s best not to use Floola on a 3rd Gen nano until version 2.3 comes out (rather, it doesn’t seem possible to use it yet).
Guys, you definitely need to beware of this floola, fool ya crap. I installed it, and not only did it NOT work, but now, all the music and videos on my iPod have vanished and iTunes won’t even recognize my iPod. It’s horrible, because it’s giving me such a hard time to reset it, and I still don’t know if it’s going to work. Think LONG and hard about whether you will risk having your 250 dollar investment crash on you.
One of the easiest apps. I’ve ever used. Make the playlist in Floola dont even bother with itunes. Thanks for the hook up. Works perfectly.
Remember (Bee) read the instructions before you use and there should be no problems at all.
Yeah Baby!
@Bee
How about you read the instructions before you install? It clearly states that you should back up your music/files before you try this. Like any piece of software it may or may not work with your stuff.
I’ve used floola for monnths. It has a few bugs, like it doesn’t like alt tabbing to other programs. I have to restart often when using it to play music in the background and then decide to go delete a song or move something. Also, if my ipod gets disconnected it looses my changes. The biggest bummer is that floola doesn’t allow music to be downloaded from the ipod to the computer. But itunes has its own annoyances, like it always runs in the background using needed memory, and constantly asks to be updated, so I’m glad to have floola instead.
how do you download foola from???????? pls gimme a link or sumfing!!!
June 2009
HOW TO DOWNLOAD FLOOLA
As of this writing, downloading Floola from its web site is an unnecessarily ridiculous nightmare. The main direct download link on the ZeroRC web site is completely broken and dysfunctional; and the torrent seems not to be working, either, (even though, at this writing, uTorrent thinks there are 84 available seeders… none of which will connect… and even if they did, bit torrent is a ridiculous method of primary delivery for any free software… bit torrent is way too “catch as catch can” to be a reliable delivery system for people who are busy and have lives and DON’T LIKE THEIR TIME BEING WASTED!).
Whenever I see a software developer do such inane things, it makes me afraid of the software itself. If he/she is that sloppy of a thinker when it comes to the delivery of his/her product, then what other sloppy thinking is he/she likely to have inflicted on his/her software (and, concomitantly, then, on its users)? Seems a reasonable thing, under the circumstances, to wonder, no?
At any rate, for those wondering, Floola is now available, thankgod, at SoftPedia…
http://www.softpedia.com/get/IPOD-TOOLS/Multimedia-IPOD-tools/Floola.shtml
It’s just a suggestion, but perhaps Freewaregenius should update the article in chief appropriately.
Oy.
@Harpguy – I downloaded Floola from their website last week with no problems at all.
@Harpgirl -
“Also, if my ipod gets disconnected it looses my changes. The biggest bummer is that floola doesn’t allow music to be downloaded from the ipod to the computer.”
If you disconnect your iPod without ejecting it you’ll have that problem no matter what program you use. Floola also supports file transfers back to the hard drive.
what do i do whe it says
new IMG type 40328
then just dies