This How to miShare page is a work-in-progress. Below is a basic FAQ. Please check back for updates.
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miShare Basic FAQ
What is miShare?
miShare is a smart little handheld gadget for connecting iPods and sharing files. No computer or cable is needed, and it's super easy to use. It was developed by our start-up based in Brooklyn, New York, working closely with some great production partners in China. This is our first product.
How do I select files?
See it for yourself in this demo for the tech news site Gizmodo. We want miShare to be both simple and powerful. Just attach two iPods, slide miShare's on-switch to music, video or photo, and press miShare's only button. You decide whether you copy the song or video that was last played through to its end, or a pre-defined photo folder. Give the miShare button a longer press (three seconds) and it will copy a collection of files. miShare uses the On-The-Go playlist for multiple songs—simply create an On-The-Go playlist on the source iPod by selecting by song, artist, album, or even playlist.
How fast is miShare?
A typical song takes ten seconds to transfer once the iPods are attached, depending on the file sizes. A short home video in iPod format could be a half minute. (miShare runs USB 2.0 "Full-Speed," which is rated at more than one megabyte per second. Our real-world experience is about 500KB/second.)
Which iPods can miShare connect?
miShare works with all Mini, Nano, 3G, 4G, Video (5G), and Classic (6G) iPod models. (The "G" here refers to generation, and includes models of all storage capacity from 1GB -- "gigabyte" -- to 160GB. Here's the Apple list of iPod models to confirm yours.) miShare's own internal software can be updated with future downloads from mishare.com. miShare does not work with Shuffle models (or the original 1G and 2G iPods) since they lack the iPod's standardized 30-pin dock connector. miShare does not currently work with the iPhone or iPod Touch—we are working on a firmware update to accommodate the different disk storage in these models. miShare can handle iPods formatted for either Mac or Windows, and it can transfer between mixed formats. We also maintain a list of known issues and quirks.
I used miShare to copy files to an iPod. Where are they?
Check on the target iPod for a playlist called "miShare Playlist." This playlist will contain songs or videos that do not employ digital rights management (DRM). In some situations files are also copied to the target iPod's disk area.
| Source files | Location of files copied to iPod |
Song, video, or playlists of songs or videos
|
Available immediately in the Music or Video menus, and also in a music or video playlist called "miShare Playlist". (miShare playlists are numbered if there is more than one.) Notes: 1. If the target iPod is set to automatically synchronize with iTunes, the files are placed in folders called "miShare Music" or "miShare Videos" on the target iPod's disk area so you can add the files to your home iTunes at a later time. 2. If the target iPod cannot play videos, then any copied videos will only be copied to the disk area's "miShare Videos" folder. |
Photos or photo albums
|
Photos are copied to "miShare Session" folder inside the "miShare Photos Dropbox" on the target iPod's disk area. (The "miShare Session" folders are numbered.) |
| DRM files | Songs or videos with DRM (some iTunes purchases, for example) are copied to "miShare Music" or "miShare Video" folder on the target iPod's disk area. |
How does miShare handle DRM files, such as locked purchases from the iTunes Store?
miShare is a personal publishing device for sharing your own media, including videos and photos, any time and anywhere. miShare strictly honors all digital rights management (DRM), including purchases from Apple's iTunes. miShare does not unlock DRM. Locked DRM files are copied to the disk area of the target iPod, for fresh authorization with a valid password. iTunes purchases can be authorized for multiple computers and iPods.
What are some uses for miShare?
iPods are everywhere so there are infinite chances to connect with other people using miShare. Load up your iPod with vacation photos, family videos, and CC recordings, and then you can share your content directly to other iPods using miShare. Bands and video performers use miShare to distribute directly to fans at shows and other public places. Churches, synagogues, and mosques can use miShare to download directly to the faithful. We are working with museums so audio tours and even video art can be loaded by visitors on to their own iPods. Some of us like to share speeches from our favorite Presidential contenders.
miShare also goes beyond iTunes to help you manage music, photos, and videos across multiple iPods. We want to hear how you're using miShare, or, better yet, post videos to Youtube.
miShare strongly supports the rights of artists. This includes respect for copyright and other laws to safeguard intellectual property, as well as the creation of tools, such as the miShare device, for artists to distribute their works.
What are some other tools for iPod file-management?
Our first choice is miShare! Also we don't want to mystify the iPod or confuse people. Read here only if you promise not to hold any eye-glazing complexity against miShare. That said, there are many great computer utilities, too, that augment iTunes, whether you are backing up an iPod or working with one iPod on multiple computers (or multiple iPods on multiple computers). The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg wrote an excellent column about two years ago that is slightly outdated but still good general reading on the limitations of Apple's iTunes program. The two utilities we recommend most often are Senuti for the Mac and ephPod for Windows. Both programs, unlike iTunes, enable you to copy files from the iPod to a computer—a life-saver if you want to bring your iPod over to a new computer. There are also many good summaries of iPod utilities at excellent sites such as iLounge and Lifehacker. We expect to expand this section of the FAQ as a general service to people with iPod questions. Meanwhile, here's one final godsend of a tip: on iTunes, set your iPod to "manually manage music" and you will have a much easier time using the iPod with more than one computer.
Is miShare available outside of the U.S.?
You can order online. We are also working on retail distribution.
Is there more?
miShare reminds you to share responsibly. We'll be posting more videos of miShare in action soon. We read our email—ask questions or let us know what you think by emailing info@mishare.com.
Video below: Jacob & Theo use miShare to swap "Monkey Suit," an original song that they
created in Apple's GarageBand program.
