For some model of iPods, like iPod Shuffle, iPod Mini, iPod Nano and so on, we can switch to “Disk Use” mode to turn it into a harddriver, then get songs off iPod (not the best way, we will talk about it later). But for iPod Touch (someone call it iTouch, but a lot of iPod funs hate to call it iTouch) and iPhone, have no “Disk Use” mode, then, how to get music off iPod Touch or iPhone?

Here I list three ways to get music off iPod Touch (also works for iPhone and iPhone 3G):
First way, also the most easy way, is using our program iPod to iTunes Transfer.

• 1. Download and install iPod to iTunes Transfer.
• 2. run it and connect your iPod Touch (or iPhone / iPhone 3G) to computer, the program will list all contents of you iPod Touch.
• 3. click “Copy to Folder” or “Copy to iTunes” button and waitting for all things done!

Good:
• Easy to use.
• Safety, it will auto disable iTunes to sync your iPod Touch, so you not to afraid to lost your music.
• Not only get music, but also videos and pictures, and the filename are in organized.
• Not only get files off iPod Touch, can also transfer playlists back to your iTunes library!

Bad:

• Only works unser Windows system now, can not run on Mac OS.
• You have to pay US$19.95 for it.

Second way, is use a free program called iphonebrowser.

• 1. Download and install Self-extracting Installation.
• 2. Connect your iPod Touch to computer, if iTunes starts you must hold down both the Shift + Ctrl keys to prevent iTunes from auto-syncing with your iPod. If you don’t do so, iTunes may automatically erase the contents of your iPod.
• 3. Launch iphonebrowser and navigate to “iTunes_Control/Music” then right click the Music folder and select “Save Folder In”, then specify a target directory.

Good:
• Easy to use too, but look not so better.
• Free!

Bad:

• Not so safety, you must disable iTunes to sync your iPod manually.
• The copyed files name should be asd234.mp3 and such things.
• Can only copy the music files.

Thrid way, the most powerful way, also the most complex way, the most danger way, yes, it is “jailbreak” your iPod Touch or iPhone. Many information on the Internet, I do not want talk it more detail, just Google it.

By default, when you transferring photos from computer to your iPod via  iTunes, iTunes will  optimize your photos while it sync to the iPod. This optimization results in a copy of the photo that is of less size and less quality than the original.  So when you transferring photos from iPod back to computer,  you will get small size photos. 

To bypass this process and keep the quality and resolution of your photos, do the following steps: 

1. Run iTunes and connect iPod to your computer.
2. Select the iPod in the iTunes Source list, confirm your iPod set to “Disk use” mode. (because iPod Touch and iPhone can not set to this mode, so this method will not working for iPod Touch and iPhone ).

Transfer full size photos - 1

3. Select the “Photos” tab in iTunes and check the “Include full-resolution photos” checkbox.
 

Transfer iPod full size photos - 2

Done!

If you have more than one iPods and want each iPod have different content, the only way that I found is managing your iPod content manually:
Step 1: Run iTunes, select main menu->Edit->Preferences, switch to Device tab, check Disable automatic syncing for iPhones and iPods.

Step 2: Connect one of your iPod or iPhone to computer, select iPod or iPhone in the iTunes’s Devices list, check Manually manage music and videos and press Apply button.

Step 3: Now you can managing your iPod and iPhone content manually. For add songs, videos, and playlists from iTunes to your iPod or iPhone, just drag the item to the iPod or iPhone icon in the Devices list on the left-hand side of the iTunes Window:

Repeat step 2 and step 3 for your other iPod or iPhone.

Assume that you lost your iTunes library because of a system crash or any other reason, you may ask very hurry: “How do i get music from my iPod onto my computer? I have thousand songs, videos and photos on my iPod, and I spend lot of time to organize them into many playlists!”
Now we using iPod Touch as an example, to show you how to get music from iPod onto computer!

You need:

1.Your iPod Touch (1st or 2nd generation) :)

2.A computer with Windows XP or Windows Vista system.

3.A little software: iPodRobot iPod to Computer Transfer

Steps:

1. Run iPodRobot iPod to Computer Transfer, it will prompt to connect your iPod Touch.

Run iPodRobot iPod to Computer Transfer

2. iPodRobot iPod to Computer Transfer will auto detect your iPod and show it information and contents, and it will prevent iTunes auto sync your iPod Touch.

Connect iPod Touch to PC

3. If you don’t wanna copy all content, you can click the check box before an item or select an item and press SPACE key to uncheck it, you can also select multiple items, then right click you mouse and select “Uncheck Selected” from popup menu to uncheck them.

Now you can click “Copy to Folder” button to transfer checked contents to a computer folder, except playlists.

Or you can click “Copy to iTunes” button to transfer checked contents to iTunes music folder and import them into iTunes library, include playlists. By this case, you can’t change target folder, iPodRobot iPod to Computer Transfer will set iTunes ‘s music folder as target folder.

Select target folder to transfer music to

4. Waiting for transfering done:)

Transfering from iPod Touch to iTunes

5. Run iTunes, you will found all of your songs, videos, pictures and playlist are all in there:)