I had stuck with the 1.4 series for a while because I needed it to sync music to my iPod touch, but seeing that I should be able to make it work with the 2.2 series, I'm excited to try it out. Unfortunately I can't get Amarok to acknowledge the existence of the iPod. Can someone tell me what I might be doing wrong?

I am running Kubuntu 9.10 with Amarok 2.2.0 (the latest in the repo at this time). I have a jailbroken Gen 1 iPod Touch with 2.x firmware, but have changed the DBVersion so it can sync using the 1.X firmware methods. I have googled quite a bit for instructions, but they all said something similar to this guide: http://amarok.kde.org/wiki/Media_Device ... and_iPhone

"Jailbroken iPhones and iPod Touchs (models introduced in 2007 only) with firmware revisions not newer than 1.1.5 with ssh installed work if their /var/root/Media directory is mounted via fuse/sshfs and if they are added manually as a media device."

The step I can't figure out is how to add the device manually. I can mount the iPod successfully using either sshfs or iFuse, which is how I could sync using Amarok 1.4. However, mounting it in this way does not trigger KDE's recognition of a media device being plugged in, and nothing happens automatically in Amarok. That would be fine except I can't find anywhere in the menus or settings to add a media device manually and specify the mount point.

Is there a way to do that in Amarok 2.2? Or is there another way to get an iPhone/Touch to work?

Thanks.

Nobody has any ideas? You don't need to have experience with an iPod Touch to be able to help me. I'm willing to spend time setting up some shell scripting to automate any workaround I can come up with, but I don't know enough about Amarok to start. For example:

Is Amarok 2.2 supposed to have any functionality at all for manually specifying a media device, or will it only work by auto-detection?

How does Amarok normally autodetect media devices being plugged in? Is there a DCOP call or anything similar that I can use to trick Amarok into thinking that a media player was just plugged in at a specified mount point? Or if it's KDE doing the real work, is there a way for me to trick KDE?

Can anyone think of any other workarounds that might help, given the point in the process that I'm stuck at?

If I can't get it to work, I'll have to downgrade to 1.4, since I don't know of any other KDE program that can sync to an iPod touch (and even if there is one, it'd be tough to beat the convenience of Amarok already being aware of my collection). I hope I don't have to do that.

It's very simple: if you have an iPod which is readable by libgpod, then it works with Amarok 2. If the device is of the newest generation, then please blame Apple, not the marvelous people at libgpod who do the best to reverse-engineer this proprietary stuff.
In Amarok 2.2.1 (don't remember previous versions, too old already) if you have a mounted media device it will show upin the Local Music section. Et voilà

Mamarok wrote:It's very simple: if you have an iPod which is readable by libgpod, then it works with Amarok 2.

It does work with libgpod, and I'm grateful for their efforts since it means I don't have to sync from a VirtualBox with a Windows iTunes installed. On my previous install of Kubuntu I was able to connect and transfer music onto the device using Amarok 1.4, and in my current install it works fine with gtkpod. I have to mount it using sshfs, made easy by the ipod-convenience scripts in the Ubuntu repository, but then gtkpod picks it up automatically, and I can transfer music to it.

I've upgraded to Amarok 2.2.1 from Kubuntu-updates, but no change: Amarok gives no indication that I have a media device. I've tried mounting the device either before or after opening Amarok. I've tried mounting it with iFuse instead of sshfs (via ipod-touch-mount from ipod-convenience). Do you think I should just use Amarok 1.4, or are there other steps I can take to try to debug and determine why 2.2.1 won't show the device?

Did you have a look in the Local Music section of Amarok? Any mounted media device, CD or USB device will appear there.

Maybe you can look at this screen shot to tell me if I'm looking in the right place in Amarok:

http://renevith.com/pics/snapshot1.png

(It also shows how I mounted the ipod and that gtkpod can access the music.)

Very strange, it really should appear in that list. Since I don't have an iPod I can't test, you will need to ask somebody else.
Also a bug report could be useful, this definitely should work with Amarok 2.2.1

Hi
same problem with my iPod touch (3.1.1 firmware not jailbroken)
the iPod is seen by gnome's gtkpod and rhythmbox using the latest usbmuxd & libgpod.
No way to mount it in amarok 2.2.1 though...
Where should we file a bug report ?
Thanx

@Manuw2009, bugreports are filed here:

http://bugs.kde.org

but please check the duplicates first.

Also, you should mount the iPod with libgpod first, Amarok uses that library to read it.

Thanks. I've created https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=219376.

Edit: The resolution is that the auto-detect is the only way Amarok intends to handle media devices, so until the Solid device framework can pick up sshfs or iFuse mount points as devices, it won't work.

I've gone back to using Amarok 1.4.10 as the only KDE app that can sync to an iPod Touch.

Hi again,

Could anyone think of a workaround through scripting or command line ?
I have heard of a "fake devices" that might be useful, but I don't know anything about programming/kde API.
Is there any way to force solid to see the ifuse ipod mountpoint as a media device ?
Some investigations have already been made but seem to have been left aside here :
http://osdir.com/ml/amarok/2009-04/msg00165.html

Cheers

If Solid doesn't see a device, it means its backend, usually HAL, isn't aware of the device.

If you can make HAL see your device, Solid will see it.

Hello,

Libiphone is installed?
It comes with an fdi file for HAL to detect the iPhone/iTouch.

Regards
m0nk

Hi Dieter,

Yes, libiphone is installed indeed.
I'm really clueless.
Rhythmbox is handling it properly through the gvfs backend & ifuse.
There's bound to be way to make it work for solid as well I guess !

Hey guys !

You ama-Rock !
The Touch is now properly recognized & mounted (using 2.3 beta1) !
No luck with the album covers though (which is strange as libgpod (as seen with gtkpod&rhythmbox) seem to do it properly natively).
Need to doublecheck on that one though.

Thanx again guys ! amarok is truly awesome (and it's getting better every day)
One question : any plan to add some cover-grid layout in the middle pane ?
like :
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1381198
This would look great. Any idea on how to do it through scripting maybe ?