Anapod Explorer
Anapod Explorer is a proprietary application for content management on Apple iPods, made by Red Chair Software. It is designed to be streamlined along the Windows interface, allowing users to bypass iTunes by presenting the Windows-formatted iPod as a special drive icon on "My Computer." Besides the management features that it shares with iTunes, it also offers the possibility to transfer to the iPod audio files in formats other than those supported by it by transcoding them before they are copied, as well as retrieving them back from the iPod to a hard drive in an easy manner.
Other features include Anapod Xtreamer, which is a streaming network server for files on the iPod, and advanced search capabilities such as SQL support.
The software is sold in a range of prices and features which depend on the version of the iPod it is going to be used with. The version designed to manage the iPod shuffle costs $20. The universal version, intended to support any kind of iPod and thus feature-complete, costs $30. There is also a feature-limited trial version available. Paying users are entitled to free updates of the package they acquired as well as some complementary software.
Device support
Anapod supports the following iPod devices:
- Apple iPod nano: First Generation
- Apple iPod nano: Second Generation
- Apple iPod shuffle: First Generation
- Apple iPod shuffle: Second Generation
- Apple iPod mini: First Generation
- Apple iPod mini: Second Generation
- Apple iPod: First Generation (mechanical wheel)
- Apple iPod: Second Generation (touch wheel)
- Apple iPod: Third Generation (touch wheel)
- Apple iPod: Fourth Generation (click wheel)
- Apple iPod: Fifth Generation (video display)
- Apple iPod photo
- Apple iPod U2 Special EDition
- iPod+HP (same as 4th Gen Apple iPod)
And also claims to "support all iPod models available in the market". However it should be noted that the Apple iPod nano: Third Generation does not Appear to be supported at version 9.0.3 of Anapod, and no versions support the 160Gb Classic (files are copied but are not recognised by the iPod).
Customer support
People who have had problems with the software have complained AbOUT poor support from Red Chair, the software's developer. Many claim that repeated attempts via email, the only way of contacting tech support, have gone completely ignored.