The first iPod was released only 5,5 years ago but the difference between that one and the one released earlier in 2006 is really quite astounding as you will now see.1st Generation iPod

The 1st Generation iPod was launched at the end of October 2001 with dimensions to rival the established competition. It stood 4inches high and less than 3inches wide with a weight of around 6ounces. This initial iPod had a 5GB memory which could hold up to 1000 songs. It also had a high resolution screen and a revolutionary type of control system – the scroll or click wheel. However at $400 it was considered a major purchase and at this point the software needed to use the iPod was only available on the Mac.2nd Generation iPod

The 2nd Generation iPod had the advantage of being compatible with PCs through a FireWire cable. There was also now software for use with Windows which opened the iPod up to a lot more users. The actual iPod itself changed very little. The scroll wheel became a solid fixture as apposed to a spinning wheel and there was an extra port for the attachment of a FireWire cable.3rd Generation iPod

The spring of 2003 saw iPod sales really take off as the 3rd Generation was launched. One of the biggest changes to this new model was the ability to link it to a PC with a USB cable; the USB port was a lot more common on PCs than the FireWire port and so many more people could successfully use an iPod with their home computer. In addition the 3rd generation iPod had a bigger memory (20GB) and solid function buttons below the screen.

At the same time Apple launched the iTunes Music Store around the world which provided a legal source for 1000s of songs. iPod sales went through the roof and the brand became a household name.4th Generation iPod

However Apple continued to release newer and more advanced models and at the end of 2003 the first of the 4th Generation iPods was launched. The iPod mini took the iPod in a whole new direction – small is beautiful. It was only half the size of the original iPod and because of its compact size the face changed quite dramatically in that the function buttons were rendered obsolete and everything was controlled by the scroll wheel. It also had to have a smaller screen.

The next step was to make the screen colour and this emerged with the iPod photo. This model had a larger hard drive and a longer battery life in addition to the ability to display colour photos and album covers.

By now Apple had pretty much conquered the digital audio device market but their next release proved to be a step towards taking over the flash drive market as well. This happened in January 2005 and was named the iPod shuffle. The shuffle was the smallest model yet and didn’t include an LCD screen on the face. However it’s 512MB memory was at least twice the size of its nearest competitor and the fact that it actually shuffled the songs so that the user never knew what was coming next and its very low price of $99 meant that the little iPod sold just as well as every other model before it.

The last of the 4th Generation iPods entered the market in July 2005 and was the tiniest to date. The iPod nano made use of a high capacity flash memory chip which enabled it to have the considerable memory of 4GB but still be…well, nano! The nano had new features as well such as calendars, address books, world times and games.5th Generation iPod

The newest iPod is the 5th Generation iPod video. This has the capability of playing music videos, TV programmes and films downloaded from the iTunes Music Store. It has all of the features of the nano but as its full colour screen is bigger the overall dimensions are also slightly bigger (not too much though).

As you can see Apple has kept the changes coming and people have carried on buying and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence to say their latest release is their last.

The new video capable iPod has opened a new world of possibilities for people upgrading to the newest iPod model. However, for the most part, most do not know how to encode video to portable devices that require strict format requirements. For those who own a PSP, you might know a thing or two about encoding video.
The PSP and iPod can only play MPEG-4 encoded videos with AAC audio tracks. There are limits to resolution and bit rates of the videos you can use on your iPod. It may seem that this video iPod thing is too complicated for a normal person to figure out, but here are some simple instructions on how to create video for your new video iPod:
If you have QuickTime Pro 7, you can make your own videos that will allow you to play them on your iPod. With QuickTime, you can easily convert your home videos or any other video into a format that your iPod will recognize.
First, make sure that you are, in fact, running the newest version of QuickTime, 7 or later. After you have the latest version of QuickTime installed, go ahead and open it. Now, go ahead and choose the Open File.. option from the File menu at the top left corner of the QuickTime window. Select the video or movie that you would like to play on your iPod and then click on the Open button. Now choose the Export.. option from the File menu. You should see an option that says, Movie to iPod (320×240), click on the Save button. Now the Export progress bar will show you how far the export process has gone before being completed.
However, if your movie is longer, then it will take more time than if you had a shorter movie. Once the export has been completed, QuickTime Pro will put the new version of your movie on your desktop. This is the version that will be able to play on your video iPod. Go ahead and open up this new version of your movie and play it to make sure it looks the way it is supposed to.
To get the video to your iPod, you will have to launch iTunes version 6. If you do not have iTunes 6, you should download it at this time. Now drag the new movie file into your iTunes library. Put it into a folder or a playlist of your choice. Connect your iPod to your computer and synchronize it with your iTunes.
Now if you would like to play the movie, select the Videos and then the Movies option from your video iPod Main Menu. All available movies will be listed in alphabetical order. Go ahead and select the desired movie to play.
But what do you do if you want to watch episodes of your favorite television show from your iPod, on your TV? Do not worry; here are some quick and easy steps for you to be watching them in no time:
First, you will need some items, a video-capable iPod, and iPod-compatible video (like the one you just converted in QuickTime), an A/V cable (these can be bought off eBay if you do not have one for only five or six bucks). Now you can configure your iPod video options that will allow you to control how you export video. On the iPod Video Options screen, you can select how your video iPod will handle the video file playback.
In order to open these settings, first choose Videos / Video Settings on your main iPod menu. This screen will offer three different settings: TV Out, TV Signal and Widescreen. Adjust these setting to pick the video playback style that you need.
Whenever your iPod plays a video file, it will either play the video on the built-in screen or it will transmit the video signal out of the microphone jack. To control which one your iPod does, go to the TV Out option. If you choose No, the playback will remain on the iPod. If you select, Yes then a TV signal is produced. If you would like the iPod to ask you every time it plays a video file, select the Ask option.
Now that you know how to convert video files on your computer into iPod compatible video, and you know how to get movies or video on your iPod to play on your television set, you should be set to go with your new video iPod.

What should you do when your iPod freezes or you frequently see the Sad Face icon appearing on your screen? Do you run to the nearest computer guru or iPod geek and shell out cash that you don’t have? Why not learn how to fix some of these yourself!

There are several diagnostic tests you can do to see if your iPod has a hardware problem. It is nice to turn to the built-in Diagnostic Mode on your iPod to check for hardware problems. First, you need to restart your iPod and then put it in Diagnostic Mode. Make sure the hold switch has been turned off. You can do this by pushing the switch away from the headphone jack. Jiggle it on and off to be sure. To reset your iPod, you will need to press and hold a few buttons at the same time for about 10 seconds. Hold the “Menu” and “Play/Pause” buttons down if your iPod is 1G to 3G. If you have the iPod 4G, you will need to press and hold “Menu” and “Select”. If your iPod has been reset, you should see the Apple logo and feel the spinning of the hard drive. Now, press and hold these buttons: “REW”, “FFW” and “Select” for iPod 1G to 3G and “Back” and “Select” for the iPod 4G. If your model is a 3G or above, you should hear a bird chirp sound and the Apple logo should pop up backwards. You have now reached the mecca of Diagnostic Mode. Keep in mind that your scroll wheel will not work when you are in this mode. Using “REW” and “FFW”, you can look through the lists of tests to see which one you might need.

If your iPod is older, there are some tests you can run on 1G to 4G’s. The 5 in 1 will run five separate tests at one time that include the LCM, SDRAM, RTC, FLASH/CHECKSUM. AMD FOREWORE/FW ID. For 3G iPods, you will hear a jingle when the test has completed. RESET will tell you if your iPod can reset. The AUDIO test will check the iPod audio subsystem. If you have a remote, the REMOTE will test it. Make sure your iPod is plugged in or you will get “RMT FAIL” on your screen. FIREARE will check the FireWire port. You want to see “FW PASS”. SLEEP will give your iPod a rest but you will need to reset your system to revive it. To test your iPod’s power, you will need to run the A 2 D test. You will get different outcomes based on where your iPod is getting its power from a battery or wall outlet. If your scroll wheel is giving you fits, run the I.OTPO CNT test. To make sure the screen is functioning properly, run the LCM test. You will need to keep holding down the “Select” button to have it run through several patterns. The RTC test will test the real time clock in your iPod. To test the iPod RAM memory, run the SDRAM test. If you need to find out what firmware version you have on your iPod, simply run the FLASH test. The OTPO or Wheel A2D will test the analog to digital input of your iPod’s scroll wheel. After this test, you will need to reset your iPod. Want to know if you have a healthy hard drive? Do the HDD Scan. The RUN IN test will test the chip sets non-stop. After you have completed all necessary tests, you will need to reset your iPod to get it out of Diagnostic Mode.

The newer iPod test names are easier to understand and won’t leave you looking for your nerd dictionary. The MEMORY test will test the SDRAM, IRAM, and FLASH memory. The SDRAM is the RAM memory test, which may take a few moments. You will want to see “SDRAM OK”. The FLASH test will let you know where you iPod stands on flash memory. The Comms test will let you know how the ports are faring. You will know if your remote is not connected to your iPod if you get a NG, or no good result, for the HP, headphone-port. The Wheel test will test the key and wheel. The LCD test will test the colors, patterns, and gradients of your LCD. To test your hold switch, you will do the Headphone Detect test. When you own an iPod, you want to make sure that you have protected your investment. An iPod is not cheap, and neither are your music downloads. Keep your iPod in top working condition by learning a few things you can do at home instead of paying someone else to fix it.

Apple has proven with the iPod that, like cheese and wine, it just gets better over time. The iPod is currently available in three versions: iPod, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle. The iPod, available in 30 and 60GB storage capacities, can store up to 15,000 songs.
The iPod Nano, a smaller version of the iPod, is available in 1, 2 and 4GB storage capacities and can store up to 1,000 songs. Yet it is the iPod shuffle that stands out from the others. Available in 512MB and 1GB storage capacities, the iPod shuffle is proof that bigger is not always better.
One of the major things that sets iPod shuffle apart from other iPods is the element of surprise. People love a good mystery and they get exactly that with the iPod shuffle. Out of 120+ songs, you never know what you are going to hear next. Its like having your own personal radio station, only without the commercials.
With a regular iPod, you set the playlist you want to hear and the songs are played in that order every time. The iPod shuffle adds fun to the listening experience because the playlist is completely random.
Not only is the order of the songs random, the playlist can be random as well. Using the iTunes Autofill feature, the iPod shuffle can be randomly filled with up to 240 songs. The Autofill defaults to the entire iTunes library, but you can change the setting so that it chooses songs from a specific playlist.
So if one day you are in the mood for Classical you can fill using your Classical music playlist. If on the next day you want to hear some Rock, you can fill using your Rock playlist. Autofill can also completely replace the existing playlist on your iPod shuffle or replace only songs that you select for it to replace.
Another one of the things that makes the iPod shuffle unique from its sister devices is its design. The iPod measures 8.38 x 2.49 x 0.84 centimeters and weighs 22 grams. At less than an ounce, that makes the iPod shuffle lighter than some car keys. That makes the iPod shuffle ideal for physical activities. Since the new design uses flash memory rather than hard disk storage, skipping is no longer a concern. It comes with a lanyard so that it can be easily worn around the neck.
Since there is no menu to navigate through, there is not a touchpad in the shuffle like there is on other iPod versions. The buttons on the front of the shuffle perform similar operations to the touchpad on the regular iPod allowing you to play/pause, skip/reverse, fast forward/rewind, and adjust volume.
The backside of the shuffle includes a battery indicator light and a switch that allows you to power off, play songs in order, or play songs shuffled. The battery indicator light shows three battery stages: green indicates a good charge, yellow, for a low charge; and red for a very low charge. If the battery indicator light is not on at all, then your battery has no charge remaining.
The iPod shuffle can be connected directly into the USB port on your computer. This means there are no bulky cords and plugs needed to change the playlist or charge the battery. A fully charged battery lasts up to 12 hours between charges. The USB plug is neatly hidden beneath an attached cap. A traditional wall charger can be purchased for $29.
The iPod shuffle can be used for more than listening to music. You can also store documents and other data on it by using it as a USB flash drive. iTunes allows you to specify how much of the drive you want to use for files and how much you want to use for songs. File storage is possible on other versions of the iPod but it is much more difficult to configure the settings and transfer files.
Sometimes less is more. Plenty people would rather pay $69 for 120 songs that they will listen to rather than pay $399 for 15,000 songs that may never get heard. If there really is an iPod for everyone, then iPod shuffle is one for the masses.

Are you using iPhone or iPod? Then its about time you udate the software used by these hardware platforms, iTunes and QuickTime.

Security breaches have been found in the software associated and distributed worldwide with the iPod and iPhone from Apple. There are several security leaks of which some are pretty extensive. The most known security holes have been blocked in new patches of these two software applications. There are ten different security holes that can be tightened up through automatic update on both the Windows and Mac OS operating systems.

The errors utilized in QuickTime lies in the media player that is associated with the media software iTunes. Most of the iPod and iPhone users utilize iTunes to update their media player with new music, videos and podcasts. The software iTunes is needed to use the iPhone at all, and to restore, update or handle media files.

The security errors can in worst case make it possible for malicious hackers to install software on your computer that should not be there.

They disguise this destructive and malicious software as movie cuts that will make the users to open them and give access to the hackers. The malicious code will make QuickTime to crash and if possible to install other malicious software to work in batch on your computer without you knowing it at all.

It is really bad news that malicious code is hidden in media files and let users believe that its only a movie they open up and not a malicious code hidden in it. The internet transfers more and more media files, so it is of great concern this trend.

A security hole in iTunes will also be fixed now together with an upgrade patch that will make the software ready for the next version of iPhone operating system 3.0 which is expected within short time.

So my advise to you is to update your applications iTunes and QuickTime now, and make sure you are updating it on a regular basis to implement the latest versions with fixes that at least takes the most common and known security holes in these applications.