1. Ye I wish mp3 conversion was enabled by default, without the need for a license... I mean I also rip my CD's to FLAC for listening on larger sound systems without the clutter of CD's, but for my iPod I love the idea of on-the-fly mp3 conversion...
After some thought...
Have a play with the iPod > Options > Conversion > Audio > External Encoder - Encoder Settings
Maybe you can sync in an external encoder. Like
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Lame_Encoder.htm, I have used 3.97 with
--alt-preset 256 command line in other apps. Appears to work using.... the below settings , A slightly unusual setup but it appears to work, cmd box pops up and stuff.
CBR-Preset?
%IN %OUT --alt-preset-extreme (320kbps)
%IN %OUT --alt-preset-standard (192kbps)
VBR-Preset?
%IN %OUT --alt-preset <<BIT RATE>>
(Settings are just from my testings.)
2. As with most CD Info programs I believe this is only possible when you insert the CD to the drive and perform a rip. It probably grabs an ID code from the CD or something.
Glad to help