I have a genetic predilection for gadgets. Well, that's my excuse anyway - my dad likes gadgets and so do I. So it's come as no surprise to any of my friends when I've casually mentioned the Apple iPod I recently bought. Instead, the reaction is usually eye-rolling, with maybe a sigh or raised eyebrow. Then follows the question: 'What on earth is an iPod?'. The answer I give varies, depending on the technical knowledge/attention span of the enquirer. The iPod is, by all accounts, the ultimate in portable jukeboxes. The latest models come in three different memory capacities: 10GB, 20GB and 40GB. As all gadget freaks will know, if ...  Read the complete review

Opening the package when I got it home was a pleasurably experience. Everything was beautifully packaged, vacuum sealed in foil and clear plastic. A serious amount of time has gone into designing the box and its innards, and it shows - it's absolutely faultless. As they say, first impressions are everything and the iPod gives a good impression! Desperately scrambling through the box, I finally found across my new toy. I just could not wait to get this thing of beauty up and running! My model came with a cradle, which I immediately went to hook up to my PC that I'd fitted with a USB 2.0 card in preparation. First problem. This thing doesn't ship with ...  Read the complete review

I bought my ipod in January 2002 and I still find it hard to fault. My main point in writing this piece though is that it IS possible to use an ipod with Windows (98SE, XP or 2000) provided your PC has a firewire port. You do need more technical knowledge than when hooking up to a Mac, but I'd say that if you're familiar with how mp3s work it won't be a problem. In addition to an ipod you will need a software package called Xplay (www.mediafour.com) which costs approx £20 and has the same feature set as iTunes. A firewire card can be had for around £50, but a better bet is to buy a SoundBlaster Audigy sound card (available from www.dabs.com) which ...  Read the complete review

Theirs something really cool happening in this day and age of music. Technology and music have become closer and closer together and Apple has a lot of technology to bring to the party. They?ve got this really cool ethos about them and that?s what makes them so special. They know how to make these cool devices that fit into our lifestyle, streamlining it, making it more efficient. Cool and small doesn?t necessarily mean cheap and nasty. Apple knows how to make things beautiful and fun and bring them to you, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month but today. The Apple iPod is this amazing digital device that is small enough to fit in your pocket, light enough for  Read the complete review

I'll be honest. I bought two iPods at a very attractive price from a shop that was about to close down. They were cheap, but I didn't think I could justify the cost of keeping one to replace my Minidisc Walkman in day-to-day use. I put one up on eBay, but the other box sat in my room and taunted me. I just had to open it to have a play with it. Twiddle the scroll-wheel. See how the sound quality compared to Minidisc. Find out if it really does take ten seconds to transfer an album onto it. Well, I decided that I quite liked it, and I may as well take it for a longer test-drive, so took it away on a long train trip, and came back home ...  Read the complete review