Featured Freeware: iSquint

Want to watch AVIs, MPEGs, and other movie files on your iPod? iSquint is a free utility that can help you do just that, without the need for QuickTime Pro. From the makers of the more feature-packed VisualHub, iSquint has a simple, streamlined interface that's designed around the app's basic, hassle-free functionality.

You just drag all the files that you want converted into the iSquint window, choose whether you want to optimize for iPod or TV viewing, and you're off. iSquint can give you even faster and better compression than QuickTime, especially when you choose H.264 encoding, and it can also automatically add converted movies directly to your iTunes. Most conversion utilities don't do that.

Advanced iSquint settings for the more courageous let users batch process and adjust practically every aspect of the conversion process, including the aspect ratio, of course. Unfortunately, there's no way to save your settings between sessions. Add to that occasional funky problems with more esoteric conversions (like when converting YouTube .flv files), a lack of integrated help, and fairly consistent nagging to buy VisualHub, and power users may want to look elsewhere.