If listening to music on the go is your thing, you're going to love the iPod.
This MP3 player is unlike any other. Using Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes software, you can 'rip' a song and listen to it on the iPod in less than a minute. And with the 10G-byte version, which we tested using a G4 Power Mac, you can put hundreds of songs on the device. Forget about having to carry around extra CDs when you're out and about -- everything is on the iPod.
The best thing about the iPod is that it is incredibly easy to use. For almost everything we did, it was simply a matter of drag and drop. If you want to download a CD to your iPod, it's five simple steps:
1. Plug in the iPod (iTunes opens automatically)
2. Insert CD into drive
3. Get song titles from online database
4. Drag and drop songs onto Playlist folder
5. Sync iPod to hard drive
Not only are there few steps, but each one takes only seconds to complete.
One of the coolest features of this process is how you instantly get the song titles off the Web. When you insert a CD, the track names are all blank. To get the titles, just connect to the Web and select 'Get CD Track Names' from the 'Advanced' menu. Your machine then searches the CD Database (CD DB) for the song titles, and within seconds you have all the information for the tracks -- title, artist, album, time.
And to get the songs from the Playlist folder on your hard drive to the iPod, simply connect the device using the FireWire cable. The iPod syncs automatically when you plug it in; however, you can change the preferences to do it manually.
You also use the FireWire cable to charge the iPod. You can connect to your hard drive or you may connect to an adapter and plug in to an electrical outlet. The iPod's battery provides up to 10 hours of continuous music.
The iPod can also be used as a PDA. It has a calendar, contact list and clock. In addition, it doubles as a portable hard drive, so you can carry applications and documents with you.
Keeping true to Apple's fantastic product designs, the iPod looks amazing. Its sleek design packs a powerful punch. The touch-sensitive scroll wheel, available on the 10G-byte and 20G-byte models, provides incredibly smooth fingertip scrolling. Playing a song or changing your preferences is as easy as a glide of your finger.
New this year is iPod's compatibility with Windows machines. IPod for Windows now works seamlessly with MUSICMATCH jukebox. According to Apple, it is the only MP3 player to provide Windows customers with the company's Auto-sync technology to keep their iPod automatically updated every time it is plugged in to their PC.
We loved the iPod, but if there were one thing we could change it would be the shape/size of the headphones. Apple says the 'earbuds' are smaller, but for small people they're still a bit too big. Despite that, the iPod has excellent sound quality, plenty of volume and a software-based EQ.
