Knew it would be soon, but am still caught by surprise.

Apple’s released iTunes 7.5 and Quicktime 7.3, which are mainly for minor fixes, and addresses security issues, as well as introduces better iPhone support, and is good for Mac and Windows. (Although only the specific Tiger version of the new Quicktime has been available so far, according to some reports.)

The new iTunes has a new game for specific iPod models. Version 7.5

features the ability to activate iPhone wherever service is offered and support for Phase, a new interactive music game designed exclusively for iPod nano (third generation), iPod classic, and iPod (fifth generation). This release also includes bug fixes to improve stability and performance.”

Get iTunes here and Quicktime here, or alternately, just use Software Update. On Windows, just manually update the apps.

(No word yet if the new iTunes will mess up jailbroken and unlocked iPhones - anyone who tries, please chime in so we all know?)

The rumor mill (the more reliable one) is abuzz with talk about iTunes 7.5 coming out anytime within November; it could be out as soon as this week, AppleInsider says.

One of the main problems with the current version deals with iTunes Plus upgrades at the iTunes Store that end up causing iTunes to hang. The new version would address this, and will also provide better management of duplicate audio and video entries, as well as increased stability. It will be available for Windows XP and Vista as well, and would incorporate support for UK and German versions of the iPhone. Otherwise, there won’t be any major overhauls or new features, according to sources.

Which begs an even more important question - would there be an incorporated mess-up targeted at unlocked iPhones as well? Hmm.

Wouldn’t it be great to walk into someone’s house or office and get his Mac to play the songs on your iPhone or iPod Touch remotely on his big speakers?

TUAW reports that it’s possible. All you need do is install an app called Firefly on your iPhone or iPod Touch, let it build your mobile music database and you’re good to go.

Here’s how it’s done:

Navigate to http://home.mike.tl/iphone using Safari on your device. This installs a new app source onto Installer.app. Alternately, run Installer and add the url to the Sources tab.

This makes Firefly appear on your list of installables. Install and run Firefly, and give it anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to build your database (the length of time depends on how many songs you got).

That’s basically it.

Make sure the iTunes you intend to play from has enabled Library Sharing and has wifi, and that the firewall of the Mac allows communication. Your gadget’s playlist will appear on any iTunes you come within range of, and there you go - if it asks for a password, just say “dottie”, by the way.

You learn something new everyday.

Here’s a first-person recounting (mine) of an iPod Touch being liberated via iJailbreak:

1. Download the app. (See link in previous post)
2. Put the download into your Applications folder. (Make an iJailbreak folder there and dump the app and Resources folder in it.)
3. Run the app. There’ll be two buttons: Jailbreak and Install iPhone Apps. Choose Jailbreak. As of now the other one doesn’t work.
4. Get your iPod onto the net and use Safari to go to http://jailbreak.toc2rta.com. Safari will crash - that’s ok. Connect it to your computer. iTunes will then declare that your iPod now has a capacity of 265mb. It will contain 240.7mb of “Other” files, and just have 24.4mb free. Do not panic. This is part of it.
5. Click on OK in the iJailbreak window. It will take anywhere from 10 to 15 mins to run, and then it will tell you to physically turn the iPod off by holding the Sleep/Wake button down and using the red slider to turn it off.
6. Turn it on again by pressing the Sleep/Wake button.
7. After it completely restarts, turn it off again. Then on again. During this process it installs Springboard.
8. Then turn it off again. Then on again.
9. Tired of you doing it, it will turn off and on by itself a couple of times more.
10. Voila! Prison break.
11. There will now be an Installer icon on the main menu. Touch it.
12. A set of downloadable and directly installable apps will show up. Pick what you like and install them - it’s all just at the touch of the Install button. (Your iPod has to be on wifi to get the files, but they’re small and quick to load and install.)
13. After getting your fill, press the hardware button and go back to the main menu. The iPod will do a quick sleep/wake sequence and the installed apps will show up on the main screen. If you don’t like what you put in, it’s a matter of running Installer again, pressing the Uninstall tab and selecting what you want to kick out.

* If you want more apps, run Community Sources and you’ll have more apps than you know what to do with. (I counted over fifty additional apps after I did this.)

Notes:

• If you fill up the first page of the main menu screen, the iPod will just add more menu pages you can access with a sideways swipe.
• Some of the apps are for the iPhone alone, so see which will work and which won’t.
• Some have prerequisite apps before they can install, like MobileFinder needs the BSD Subsystem, which is a 6.6mb download. Most apps are just a few kb in size.
• There are a lot of utilities for advanced users, Summerboard themes and sound packs, and a few books, among other things in the package.
• Installing other iPhone apps will have to be done the hard way for now, as the automated portion for this on iJailbreak is still under construction.

I now have a couple of menu pages of apps, including a Notes app, an encyclopedia/ dictionary/thesaurus, an eBook reader, the King James Bible, a ToDo app, chat clients, a Finder app, the ability to add Calendar entries on the fly, games galore - including my new favorite, Tap Tap Revolution.

Who needs an iPhone?

If you use an AirTunes network (that’s the unwired version of iTunes done through an Airport Express - click here for more), you can use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote control instead of running through the house to change your iTunes settings.

This is possible by a piece of shareware called Signal from Alleysoft, which basically enables your wified new thingamabob as a remote control. Signal has versions for Phones/Touches and Pocket PCs and costs US$24.95. The downloadable trial is full-featured and has no time limits, but displays registration reminders for a third of your content until you up and pay.

Signal lets you:

Play, pause, and stop your music
Move between songs in the playlist
Adjust the volume
Rate songs
See the current album art
Browse and search your media library
Add songs to the queue
Remove songs from the queue

Check out a detailed and illustrated step by step here, courtesy of SiPedia.