Hi Kim! Well, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

The good news: yes, you should be able to transfer most—but, potentially, not all—of your iTunes music to your Android phone.

The bad news: nope, your old iPhone apps won’t play nice with Android.

First, let’s tackle your tunes—and specifically, why some of the tracks you bought on iTunes might not work on an Android phone.

Until just a few years ago, Apple only sold copy-protected music on iTunes, and those DRM-protected tunes (“DRM” stands for “digital rights management,” by the way) will only play on devices (like your Mac, PC, or iPhone) that are authorized by your iTunes Store account.

Starting in 2009, Apple reversed course and began selling “DRM-free” (or “iTunes Plus“) tracks on iTunes that will play on practically any digital music player—including, yes, Android phones.

What does that mean to you? Well, if you bought any music on iTunes prior to 2009, there’s a chance you still may have some copy-protected music in your iTunes library. You can spot them by looking for the telltale “M4P” extension at the end of the file name—for example, “In Your Eyes.m4p.”

So, what can you do if you’re stuck with copy-protected iTunes music? Well, two (legal) things.

• You can pay 30 cents a track to convert your copy-protected music to the Android-friendly iTunes Plus format. Click this link, and you’ll jump to a list of songs in your iTunes library that are eligible for conversion.
• Sign up for iTunes Match, a $25-a-year service that scans all your iTunes songs and quickly “matches” them with high-quality, copy-protection free music in iCloud. If iTunes Match manages to “match” any of your copy-protected M4P songs, you could just re-download them from iCloud to get a DRM-free version.

Now, let’s say you’ve dealt with any copy-protected songs in iTunes. How do you move them to an Android phone?

No, iTunes won’t sync your music to an Android phone, but there are other ways to transfer your songs.

• Connect your Android phone to your PC or Mac with a USB cable, then just drag and drop music files from your system’s hard drive to your phone’s Music directory. Then, launch the Google Music app on your Android phone, and voilà—your tunes will be there. (Note: Some Android phones, like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, won’t pop up on your Mac desktop when you connect the phone’s USB cable; luckily, Google offers a free utility that’ll help transfer songs and other files from your Mac.)
• If the Android phone you pick has a slot for those itty-bitty microSD memory cards, you could transfer your songs to the memory card and then snap the card into your phone. (Note: You may need an adapter to plug a microSD memory card into your PC or Mac.)
• Use a third-party program to sync your iTunes playlists. One of the most popular is called DoubleTwist, which has the added virtue of being free; there’s also a paid version, called AirTwist, that’ll wirelessly sync your iTunes music to your Android handset.
• Upload your songs to Google Play Music, a free digital music “locker” in the cloud. Once all your music is uploaded, you’ll be able to stream them to your Android phone using the Google Music app. Keep in mind, though, that uploading all your songs to Google Music could be a lengthy process—as in days or even weeks. Read more…
• Amazon has its own music locker, called Amazon Cloud Player, that will quickly “scan and match” your songs just like iTunes Match does. Once your music is all matched, you can stream or download your tunes to your Android phone using Amazon’s MP3 Android app. The catch? You’ll have to pay a $25-a-year fee to “scan and match” more than 250 tracks to Cloud Player.

Now then, what about your iPhone apps?

Like I said before, no—you can’t take your iPhone apps with you if you switch to Android.

Of course, there are plenty of Android versions of popular iPhone apps available in the Google Play app store, some of which you’ll find in my list of 15 must-have Android apps.

Unfortunately, TomTom’s iPhone navigation app isn’t one of them. That said, word is that an Android-friendly TomTom app is said to be coming soon.

Also, consider using Google Maps Navigation, a powerful—and free—GPS navigation app that offers turn-by-turn directions.

Hope that helps, Kim. Have more questions? Let me know!

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Hi Karen! I think I know what’s happening here. Do me a favor and tap Settings, Music; is “Show All Music” set to “On”? I’m guessing that it is.

So, here’s the deal.

Displaying every track in your iTunes Match library on your iPhone is a recipe for bad battery life, especially if you shuffling music over a 3G connection.

Your iPhone’s music player currently displays every single track in your iCloud-based iTunes Match music library, including those that aren’t saved “locally” on your iPhone.

That means when you shuffle your music and you hit a song that isn’t sitting on your handset, your iPhone will start downloading it from iCloud—and the more data you stream on your iPhone, the more you’ll drain the battery, particularly when it comes to using your carrier’s cellular 3G data network.

Also, the more songs you download over 3G, the closer you’ll creep to your monthly 3G data limit (that is, unless you have an unlimited 3G data plan through Sprint).

My recommendation? Avoid downloading music over iTunes Match when you’re connected to 3G, and there are two easy ways of ensuring you don’t:

1. Set your iPhone’s music player to show only the music that’s stored locally on your phone
This way, when you put your iPhone on shuffle, you won’t run into any tracks that must be downloaded from iCloud. To do so, tap Settings, Music, and switch “Show All Music” to “Off.” The only problem, of course, is that you won’t be able to see your entire iTunes Match collection on your iPhone anymore.

Switch "Use Cellular Data" to "Off" to keep your iPhone from trying to download iTunes Match songs over 3G.

2. Keep your iPhone from downloading iTunes Match music over 3G
This is what I do, and it means you can still see your entire iTunes Match library on your iPhone without having to worry about downloading tracks tracks over 3G, especially when you’re shuffling your tunes.

Tap Settings, store, then switch “Use Cellular Data” to “Off—and yes, you can now switch “Show All Music” back to “On” if you like.

Hope that helps!

Have more iTunes Match questions? Let me know!

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Not to be outdone, Google took the wraps off its online music store and threw open the doors to Google Music, another digital music “locker” that will store (you guessed it) up to 20,000 of your favorite tracks. Unlike iTunes Match, Google Music is free … but there’s a catch.

Also this week: hands-on with Amazon’s new, $200 Kindle Fire tablet; a field guide to the latest crop of feature-packed tablets, including the iPad 2, the Fire, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus; and how to share iCloud’s “Photo Stream” feature with your better half.

How to stream all your music from iCloud with iTunes Match
The $25-a-year service will scan your music library and “match” your songs with high-quality versions in iCloud, perfect for streaming from your iPhone or iPad. Read more…

Hands-on with the $200 Kindle Fire: You get what you pay for
The Fire lacks the silky-smooth performance of a pricier tablet like the iPad 2, but with its $200 price tag, you won’t have to empty your wallet, either. Read more…

Google launches music store, offers free online storage for 20,000 songs
The search giant unveiled its new music store Tuesday, as well as promising free storage of up to 20,000 tracks in your own, online music “locker.” Read more…

Podcast 004: The tablet show, starring the iPad 2, the Kindle Fire, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and more
This week, we poke and prod the iPad 2, the smaller but sexy Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the bargain-priced Kindle Fire, and the $79 Kindle e-reader. Read more…

How can I share Photo Stream pictures with my wife? (reader mail)
No, you don’t need the same iTunes Store account to share photos using Photo Stream—but you will need to share an iCloud account. Confused yet? Read more…

iPad, Nook, Tab or Fire? A field guide for first-time tablet shoppers
So, ready to buy a tablet, but not sure where to start? Read on for a bird-eye view of the entire tablet landscape, from the Apple iPad 2 to the Kindle Fire. Read more…

Try this: Split the iPad’s keyboard in two (iOS 5 tip)
Want to type on the iPad’s keyboard with your thumbs rather than your fingers? It’s a lot easier once you split the iPad’s on-screen keypad in half. Here’s how. Read more…

How to upload and stream your tunes with Google Music
Google Music will let you upload up to 20,000 songs to a digital “locker” and stream your tunes over the web or on an Android device. Here’s how to get started. Read more…

HP’s slim, light Folio 13 laptop promises 9 hours of battery life
HP’s svelte, 3.3-pound Windows laptop boasts a 13-inch display, a potpourri of ports, and nine hours of juice—supposedly, at least. Read more…

Why won’t Mission Control label my desktops? (Mac OS X Lion tip)
Yes, Mission Control will label at least some of your desktops, but requires a little action on your part—and not all your Mac apps will be up to the task. Read more…

Kindle Fire review roundup: “Not an iPad killer,” but still “terrific” at $200
At $200, the Fire is less than half the price of the iPad—and you get what you pay for, reviewers say, although you’re also getting a lot of bang for the buck. Read more…

Quick take: Wingstand keyboard clips for iPhone, iPad
Here’s a clever idea: a pair of plastic clips that snaps onto Apple’s wireless keyboard and holds your iDevice at just the right angle for typing. Read more…

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