Know thy iPod

There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of people will have a certain MP3 player device, which in certain places is an open invitation to a mugging, on their Christmas list this year. Oh yes, I’m talking about the iPod. According to a recent survey done by someone who I forgot the name of (I’ll find the link later) 60% of the high school crowd wants an iPod this Christmas. The device is so popular that when the survey was conducted, the iPod was not an option you could choose, showing that a write in can win some sort of popularity contest, but not if it’s the presidential election.

So, here I am writing a guide on what type of iPods there are. I know there are other “alternatives” to the iPod, and I’ll write a different buyer’s guide for that later because I want to focus on one product here.

Basically, the iPod family breaks down like this.

iPod, iPod mini, iPod Photo, and the U2 iPod.

The iPod is the first model of the bunch that’s up for review. It was introduced back in October of 2001, and has gone through several remodels and size changes leading up to now. The iPod comes in two different sizes, the 20GB ($299/5,000 songs) and 40GB ($399/10,000 songs), which is slightly bigger then the 20GB model. Both models boast a 12 hour battery, a click wheel for easy navigation, large hard drive space to hold thousands of songs, and a 2in black and white LCD screen. The package includes the signature, crappy sounding, white headphones, FireWire and USB 2 cables, and the 40GB comes with the dock.

I’ve actually owned a third generation, 10GB model and I enjoyed it, but I had a huge problem with it. The chrome backing. Oh, it looks really nice and expensive, but it scratches really easy, and it’s prone to fingerprint smudges, so the guys at CSI will have no problem finding out who you are. I did own a Jam Jacket protected it from a lot of scratches, but I was tired of polishing it everyday like a good solider does to his boots.

That is why I bought the iPod mini. It’s everything you love about the iPod but smaller.

The iPod mini comes in 5 cool colors (silver, gold, blue, pink, and green), 8 hour battery, and it’s sure to be a hit with the kids. The iPod mini is a lot smaller than its bigger brother because, well, it’s smaller, and it has a 4GB hard drive in it that they say only fits 1,000 songs, but I’ve crammed 1,152 songs on one before with 7MB left to spare. The iPod mini has the same click wheel as the iPod, in fact all iPods have it, and it lacks the chrome backing, so it is not prone to scratches and fingerprints because of its anodized aluminum case. Along with all the cables you need, it also comes with a stylish belt clip. Sure I only get to carry around half of my music collection, but I don’t have to clean the sucker everyday.

The iPod Photo is in everyway shape and form like the iPod except it comes with a color screen capable of displaying 65,536 colors to view photos. It comes in two sizes. 40GB ($499) and 60GB ($599). With the battery, you can listen to 15 hours of music or display a 5 hour picture slideshow with music. While your music plays, you have the capability to view the album art in full color if you wish. By using the special dock, you can hook the iPod Photo up to any TV and share you pictures with family. How sweet. The package comes with the dock, two carrying cases, cables, and headphones. Photo geeks will love it. It’s a great device, but I’ll wait for a price drop and for the thing to get a bit smaller.

Finally, the U2 iPod, which sports a black body, red click wheel, the bands signatures on the chrome backing, it comes with a poster, and a $50 off coupon to purchase the complete U2 collection off of the iTunes Music Store. If you know someone who is a U2 fan and they have expressed no interest in getting it, get it for them anyways. I’m holding out for the Britney Spears iPod. Did I just say that?

This post also appears at . . : : [ Brian DeWitt ] : : . .