With Apple releasing their latest addition to the iPod family you have it all in portable entertainment; music, photos and now video. With the combination of the iPod and iTunes Apple has changed the way we listen to and buy music, so will it be the same for video entertainment?

Now you can download music videos, and selected Cheap TVs shows; in addition to radio Podcasts, Audiobooks and your favourite music from the Apple website as well as adding your own photos and home movies, it’s brilliant! The makers point out it is 45% slimmer than the original iPod and it boosts a 6.35cm (2.5-inch) wide screen for video playback.

This thing is smaller than a fiver; the total size is 10.38cm high, 6.18cm wide and an amazing 1.1cm deep for the 30GB model and 1.4cm deep for the 60GB; which is incredible for that kind of storage capacity. The 30GB will give you storage for 7,500 songs; that’s 14 hours of playback, 3 hours of slideshow with music or 2 hours of video playback and the 60GB 15,000 of songs; that’s 20 hours of playback, 4 hours of slideshow or 3 hours of video playback; oh and your choice of colours are black or white folks.

The battery life has increased by 5 hours compared to last years model so you can listen to 20 hours of continuous music playback if you have the time spare and your 60 Gig iPod is stacked out with your entire record collection. You are able to navigate through your music, photo and video library with your thumb on the slick, touch-sensitive Click Wheel or use it to adjust the volume, play, pause, fast-forward and rewind, it’s that simple!

Additional features include Audiobooks; which gives you the option to download and enjoy over 11,000 audio book titles for the iTune Music Store, and Podcasts which are downloads of radio-style shows you can subscribe to. The iPod has the capacity to hold up to 25,000 photos, has Calendar and Contacts functions, World Clock; which gives you the facility to check the time anywhere on the planet; Sleep Timer and Alarm Clock facilities and of course games.

Some of the accessories available are the Universal Dock which holds the iPod while you charge and sync the device or connect to your stereo or TV (you’ll need to buy an AV cable to connect to your TV). The Apple Remote lets you operate your iPod from the comfort of your sofa or bed; the Camera Connector can transfer pictures from your digital camera straight to your iPod and if it takes you fancy Apple are offering iPod Socks, yes Socks, to protect and dress your fashion conscious iPod in a selection of six colours. The cost of getting your hands on the latest iPod is around £220 for the 30GB model and under £300 for the 60GB. Purchase and enjoy!

Overall Opinion

The Apple iPod Video is probably the best portable digital media  player we have seen in a long time. It’s stylish, very small to allow you to carry it where ever you go and it has a huge hard drive to store up to 15,000 songs so, what’s not to like? Everyone in the office wants one and we are sure you will want one when you see it.