New OverDrive Media Console Now Available

As previously mentioned on The Tech Desk, OverDrive has released version 3.2 of their Media Console software for Windows. With this new upgrade, many audiobook titles in the WMA format that were previously not able to be transferred to iPods will now be iPod-compatible.

In the coming days, our OverDrive site will be updated to reflect these new changes. To access OverDrive and download the latest version of the Media Console, go to the Troy Library homepage and click "Downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks, and Videos" in the left side menu.

More Titles from OverDrive to be iPod Compatible

In mid-June, OverDrive, one of Troy Public Library's suppliers of downloadable eAudiobooks, is releasing a new version of its Media Console software. What makes this update newsworthy is that the majority of all downloadable OverDrive audiobook titles will become iPod compatible.

The issue of iPod compatibility with OverDrive eAudiobooks has been a concern for sometime. iPod users were told that downloaded materials couldn't be transferred, or would have to come up with various workarounds for the problem. Last year, to help solve the problem, OverDrive started releasing titles in the OverDrive MP3 format, that can be transferred to an iPod. The problem is the many bestsellers, such as Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, The 8th Confession by James Patterson, and Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards, are not available in the MP3 format. They can be downloaded and played on a computer, but are not iPod transferable.

OverDrive Media Console 3.2 should change that. According to the OverDrive press release, "once OverDrive Media Console version 3.2 is installed, most titles in a library's OverDrive WMA Audiobook collection will instantly become iPod-compatible for users with Windows PCs." It appears that the only drawback is that Mac users will not be able to take advantage of this update.

This news comes at an excellent time for the Troy Library. We have been seeing record numbers of checkouts this year of our OverDrive material. If you haven't used OverDrive because popular titles were not available to be transferred to your iPod, keep following The Tech Desk. We will let you know when OverDrive Media Console 3.2 is available.

In the meantime, if you still would like to check out OverDrive, go to the library homepage and click "Downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks, and Videos" in the left side menu.

For the complete text of the OverDrive press release, click here.

iPod-Compatible Audiobooks Now Available for Download from NetLibrary

NetLibrary, one of the downloadable services to which the Troy Public Library subscribes, now offers over 800 downloadable eAudiobooks in the MP3 format, which can be downloaded to iPods. Previously, all NetLibrary eAudiobooks were only available in the DRM-protected Windows Media Audio format. These titles could not be transferred to iPods.

Authors whose works are available in this new format include Cormac McCarthy, Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, Elizabeth Peters, and many more. Nonfiction items from Recorded Books' Modern Scholar series are also available.

To access NetLibrary, you will need to have a Troy Library card. You also need to come into the Library to register for a NetLibrary account.

After you register, you can access NetLibrary at home by clicking on the "Downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks, and Videos" link in the left-hand menu of the Library's website. Click here for a list of supported devices to which NetLibrary MP3 format eAudiobooks can be transferred.

Baby Boomers Are Adopting New Technology Faster than Others

A new Consumer Electronics Usage Survey from Accenture indicates that Baby Boomers (those over 45 years old) are adopting consumer technology nearly 20 times faster than younger generations. Meanwhile, use and adoption by Gen Y (18-28 years old) seems to have leveled off.

According to the report, Boomers:

• increased reading blogs and listening to podcasts by 67% year over the year; nearly 80 times faster than Gen Y (1%);
• posted a 59% increase in using social networking sites — more than 30 times faster than Gen Y (2%);
• increased watching/posting videos on the Internet by 35% — while Gen Y usage decreased slightly (-2%);
• accelerated playing video games on the go via mobile devices by 52% — 20 times faster than Gen Y (2%); and
• increased listening to music on an iPod or other portable music player by 49% — more than four times faster than Gen Y (12%).

[via iLibrarian]

Create Your Own NPR Podcasts

National Public Radio (NPR) is a daily source of information for many people. However, there are times where you may not be able to listen to stories that you wish to hear, or you may find yourself listening to stories that don't interest you. Now there is a way to create podcasts of only stories that interest you. Etan Horowitz of the Orlando Sentinel shows you how here.