iPod and iTunes Hacks

Integrate the iPod Remote with Your Car

Sure, the new BMW/Apple integrated iPod/car solution is cool—if you have a BMW. If you don’t, you can still integrate your iPod into your car’s electronic system in no time.

When I’m driving, I want easy access to a wide variety of music that doesn’t take up a lot of space. The iPod is an almost perfect solution, and third-party vendors offer a wide range of accessories that make integrating an iPod into your vehicle easy.

Still, controlling the iPod while driving can be awkward and distracting. My car, like many others, has steering wheel buttons that can be used to control the factory-installed radio and CD player. With this hack, you will be able to use these buttons to control your iPod from your steering wheel. How? By hacking the iPod remote.

Anatomy of an iPod Remote

It’s always fun to take things apart, so let’s start with that. I have a generation 2 (G2) iPod, which means that it has a standard FireWire connector instead of a dock, and it uses a different connector for the remote than the latest iPods do. The shiny exterior that looks like metal really is metal—don’t try to bend it! Remove the white plastic portion (the clip and back of the remote) by using a small screwdriver to pry it out of the case, as in Figure 1-38. The best place to do this is on the same side as the hold switch, just past the green dot, by the b in the phrase “assembled ...