I was all set to write a positive review of BitPim, an open source app for Mac, Windows and Linux to transfer data to and from many kinds of cell phones. After overcoming a bug in the phone auto-detection mechanism, I managed to get it to recognize my LG VX6100 from Verizon and transfer my phone-camera photos to my hard drive, something I've been meaning to do for a long time. To that end, successful.

However, I now realize that the auto-detection bug corrupted my iPod's hard drive. This was simply due to my iPod being plugged in when I started up BitPim for the first time. BitPim tried to find a phone, and I got several errors about disconnecting a device without properly ejecting it, followed by BitPim hanging and iTunes telling me my iPod was now called "IPOD". I don't believe iTunes or another app was using the iPod's hard drive at the time, but regardless, BitPim is obviously to blame in this case.

Alas, I'm not the type to keep my entire music collection on my hard drive and mirror it to the iPod. (I'm one of those laptop-is-my-main-computer and I-need-the-hard-drive-space people.) I have music backed up elsewhere, but it'll take some doing to put it all back together. At least the factory reset of the iPod succeeded.

I wouldn't warn against BitPim entirely, since I otherwise wouldn't have had any good way to get data off of my phone. But without knowing more about the circumstances of my accident, all I can say is be warned: Disconnect iPods and other USB storage devices before running BitPim.