The iPod is a 5-, 10-, or 20- gigabyte mp3 player that can hold up to 4,000 songs, but what else is it good for? Besides giving you the option of staying up for eight days straight and not hearing the same song twice, the iPod has bunches of other cool features. For example, the iPod can hold contacts, calendars, alarms, and has a trés spiffy game for all those times you're not being über- organized.

"How can a simple Mp3 player do all that stuff?" you ask. The answer is simplicity. With its five buttons and scroll wheel the iPod's interface is so simple even a 40-year-old can use it. Navigating through 4,000 songs is simple too. Using the scroll wheel and the option to browse by name artist, genre, album or even composer, you can find any song quickly. The screen also has ample space to display all the information you would want to know about your songs, or to find the number of Mike's Pizza in your contacts.

How do you get all that contact and calendar information into the iPod with only five buttons? The answer there is even simpler. You don't. Every Mac comes with a suite of applications to keep track of all the same info the iPod can store. Whenever your iPod and Mac meet they just update the data, and you never have to think twice about it. Also, if you don't happen to be using the whole capacity, the leftover space can be used as a FireWire hard drive, which is the same fast connection used to add all that data to the iPod when it's connected to your Mac.

By the way, if you happen to use one of those other computing platforms (non- Mac) don't panic. Apple has a PC version of this once Mac-only toy. You don't have void your warranty if you want to enjoy the ample space and elegant design of the iPod. The only consideration is that iPod uses the super fast FireWire connection and most older PCs don't. Otherwise it's smooth sailing.

All these features make the iPod a very useful, simple, and versatile digital device, and did I mention it can hold 4,000 songs?

Overview:
iPod: 5 Gb 10 Gb 20 Gb
Cost: $299 $399 $499
Songs: 1,000 2,000 4,000

Features:
Up to 4,000 Songs
Contact Manger
Calendar
Game of Break out

Pros: feature full, tons of space for data/music, easy-to-use design
Cons: expensive, need FireWire on your computer