Numark launches iPod DJ

• The life of a superstar DJ sounds like one endless party.
• You get to travel the world, perform for thousands of scantily clad ravers, and earn a stack of money --- all for playing other people's songs.
• Have you ever felt the weight of a DJ's record box?
• The back pain from lifting those crates every night must be unbearable.
• But thanks to Numark, a leading producer of DJ technology, those aches could soon be history.
• The company has launched the iDJ, a gadget that allows you to mix tracks from two iPods.
• So while a record box can carry around 100 pieces of vinyl, with two 60-GB iPods you can choose your set from a library of 30,000 songs.
• And you don't have to be a master of the dance floor like Fatboy Slim to use the iDJ.
• Simply slot your iPods into the two docking ports --- which also act as chargers --- and use the iDJ's controls to navigate your way through the iPods' menus.
• Once you've selected the tracks you want to play, you can use the system's cross fader to blend songs --- although, as you're using MP3s, you won't be able to scratch like a hip-hop DJ.
• The iDJ also comes with a recording output, which means you can copy your mix onto a computer and then upload it onto the Internet as a podcast.
• The console costs around $400 and is compatible with standard iPods, iPod Minis and, with an adapter, the Nano, the superslim new addition to the Apple family.
• Being a DJ suddenly doesn't sound so backbreaking.