New iPod design for iPod Lovers
Apple recently updated its popular iPod music players making
them thinner and adding great new features that make it worth
considering an upgrade for old iPod users.
There are three iPod models -- 10, 15 and 30GB. The 15 and 30GB
iPods $299 and include software for use with Windows or
Macintosh systems.
The new iPods are about half as thick as the older ones, and
there is a dock for the 15GB and 30GB models. Instead of
connecting via a Firewire cable to charge the battery or
download music, the new iPod slides easily into its rectangular
dock, which is connected to a power source or to the computer.
The new controls are backlit and touch sensitive, which means
there's no longer a spinning wheel that collects dirt. There's
also a great new feature called the On-The-Go playlist.
Previously, if you wanted to listen to a particular group of
songs on the iPod, you had to make a playlist in the MusicMatch
for Windows or iTunes for Macintosh software provided with the
device. With the new On-The-Go feature, you can click on a song
in the iPod and add it to the playlist without having to hook
the iPod to a computer. The playlist is cleared when the iPod is
connected to the computer.
The new iPod includes an alarm clock function, and new external
sound means the alarm sounds even if the iPod isn't hooked to a
stereo or headphones.
There are a lot of extras on the iPod. The equalizer is back
with more presets to bring out details of your music. A calendar
is available, and the notes feature lets you drag text notes and
messages to the iPod when it's used by the computer as a hard
drive. Contacts can also be added to the iPod using
vcard-formatted contact information. There are new games to
play, including solitaire.
The new iPod comes with features found on old iPods, such as
earbud headphones that offer great sound and a sliding button on
top that locks the controls. This keeps the iPod from
accidentally being turned on.
As for the battery, the built-in device charges quickly and
drains slowly. On average, I got about 6-7 hours of use out of
the device on a single charge.
To complement the iPod, Apple has introduced the Music Store.
The store offers songs for 99 cents each and some albums from
several music genres. The only downside to the Music Store is
its limited audience. For now, it's only available to Macintosh
users with iTunes 4.
While there's room for slight improvement, the new design is
impressive overall. The backlit control is great to have, even
the On-The-Go playlist. The device offers great sound, whether
through headphones or a full stereo system. The Music Store
complements the iPods nicely, though it would be nice if Windows
users could take advantage of the online song database. But at
least Windows users have iPods.