iPod with video - another step forwards

The latest iPod, called the iPod with video, is another step forward from earlier designs. With a range of new features and minor improvements the new player is sure to impress.

Features, features everywhere

The latest iPod gives you the choice of 30gb or 60gb of capacity, the ability to play videos, a larger screen and slimmer design, not to mention a raft of minor features. All of this makes the latest iPod more portable and functional, and, despite the small screen size compared to your television, the video quality is impressive and worth making use of.

With a battery life of 14 hours (the 30gb model) and 20 hours (the 60gb model), the iPod performs strongly, although this is substantially reduced (to 2 and 3 hours respectively) when video playback is utilised. On the topic of batteries, the latest iPod does not come with an AC adapter, instead it is to be charged through the USB port of your computer. This means that if you want to recharge from a wall socket you have to buy an adapter as an optional extra.

The latest iPod also saw the re-release of the U2-iPod, which features a colour scheme modelled on U2's latest album, and a voucher which can be used to purchase a 30 min U2 video, or other items for the iTunes store.

Does it deliver on its promises?

User response to the latest iPod has generally been positive. Battery life on the latest iPod has generally lived up to expectations, after the last few iPods performed weakly in this area. Alongside this, the video playback performs well and the features generally improving or maintain on iPod's earlier high standards. The latest iPod also generally works well with both Mac and Windows computers. Some users have struggled networking their video IPODs with their PC's and have turned to external computer support specialists to assist them.

One area where the latest iPod again falls short is the difficulties of changing its battery, which mean that battery replacement costs can be quite high. While some competitors use a similar system many have batteries that are much easier to replace.

All up, though, the iPod does deliver on its promises and it another step forward from the previous model.

So is it worth it?

In the end the iPod performs strongly and looks good with its new slimmer design, so if you are shopping for an MP3 player then it's definitely worth considering.