There are also several ranges of the iPod - the iPod Classic, the iPod Nano (which is video capable), the iPod Shuffle and the new iPod Touch (which has been released in conjuction with the Apple iPhone.) We'll be looking at the new iPod touch in this article.



The iPod Classic makes use of an internal hard drive (offering storage capability up to 80GB) while the smaller iPod's, including the new Touch, make use of flash memory. The iPod's strength is its ease of use, ability to port over a wide range of platforms, and its mobility. But there are many other advantages too - video capable iPod's are able to connect straight to the TV with the purchase of some extra adaptors, and allow you to play video or view images from your iPod onto the TV (at a resolution of 640x480.)

Also, the iPod can be used as an external storage device, which is an added advantage, as this requires no extra software to set up, but a simple plug in and copy. As far as media mobility and synchronization is concerned, the iPod can synchronize music and playlists from and to the iTunes software which Apple supplies with the product, which can be installed on any Mac or Windows computer. Through iTunes, you are able to browse an online catalogue of music and video, and download at an affordable price.

The new iPod Touch has been released in September of 2007, and offers many of the features of the iPhone, but it differs to the iPhone in that the the Touch does not have phone capabilities. The iPod Touch is 8mm thin (smaller than the iPhone) and 4.3" tall. It has a 3.5 widescreen display with multitouch technology, where all the controls are activated by the touch screen. What sets the iPod Touch apart from the previous installments of iPod (other than multitouch technology) is the built in Internet Safari browser - which means you can surf the internet, including YouTube videos, directly from your iPod.

You can also purchase and download music and video straight from iTunes on-line onto your iPod, which is not the same as previous models (needing a PC or laptop to download music from, and synchronizing the music to your iPod.) For internet connectivity, the iPod Touch comes with built-in wireless, and has also entered into a program with participating Starbucks stores, where through wireless you can see the latest ten songs played within the store and download them straight away to your iPod. The iPod Touch also has auto-landscape viewing (if you turn it to its side, the screen automatically adjusts to the angle you are holding the device.)

The iPod Touch comes in 8GB and 16GB sizes respectfully, and provides about 22 hours of audio playback (5 hours of video playback.) It is a full portable media player - offering music, video and photo software, and promises to be a landmark product within the portable media player market.