iPods, the 2009 Versions

I've talked a few times about how much I enjoy music. Last year I got my first iPod. I had owned other MP3 players and each one had pros and cons. I give the iPod credit for having a very easy to use user interface. I can't say I love iTunes, but it does make it easy to create playlists and transfer music to the iPod.

Last week Apple held one of their much-hyped press conferences to announce the latest members of the iPod family. The model getting the most new features was the iPod nano. Of note was the addition of video recording. Of course it can play back video from the recordings as well as video transferred from your computer. Music is supported in a number of different formats. Seven colors are available and you can pick either 8 GB or 16 GB of storage. If you prefer a smaller sized player with a lot of features at a good price, you'll want to check out the nano.

For those who want something that does more than music and movies, the iPod Touch is the model you'll want. It does nearly everything you can do with the iPhone with the exception of using it as a mobile phone. That includes using almost any of the thousands of apps available in Apple's App Store. Connect using WiFi, surf the Web, check e-mail and you can listen to music and watch movies. The latest version has very few changes from the previous version other than a software upgrade. If you have the 2nd Generation iPod Touch, there probably isn't a huge need to upgrade. The smallest size available is an 8 GB model and the size jumps to 32 GB and 64 GB for those who need more space.

I'm not sure if an iPod will help you get your artwork created any faster, but I think you'll have a lot more fun if you can listen to music while working.