When it comes to transferring music to my Ipod I personally can’t stand using itunes. I highly prefer the latest free version of Real Player for using my ipod and listening to my music library. Oh, and unlike the narrow minded itunes which only plays AAC, MP3 and Wav files, Real Player plays  several music file types and videos too. yeh and there’s that annoying thing Itunes won’t let you do – transferring files back from your ipod to your computer. Yes, this is exactly the kind of thing that causes Apple’s aggravation with Real Player Networks. I was reading T3 UK, my favorite gadget mag, and in the back they have a section with tips for using your gear. One of their tips/recommendations for transferring files from your ipod back onto your computer was to download a free program called Anapod Explorer. Anapod explorer also allows you to access the files on your ipod via windows explorer. The company behind Anapod also offers similar software programs for other popular hard drive music players. Definately worth checking out – Red Chair Software