Originally published November 18 2005
Ups and downs for the video iPod
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Walter S. Mossberg says the new iPod is an excellent music player and a decent video player. The downside is that there is little video content, content cannot be burned and holding the iPod gets tiresome.
As always, Apple Computer's charismatic CEO Steve Jobs caused quite a stir last week when he introduced his latest product at a big media event -- in this case, a sleek new full-sized iPod that, for the first time, can play video as well as music.
We tested nearly every aspect of the gadget -- which works on both Windows and Macintosh computers, with Apple's iTunes software and its iTunes Music Store -- starting with its familiar music functions.
Our verdict is that this new iPod is an excellent music player.
Plus, it's a surprisingly decent video player, with crisp, smooth vivid playback of TV shows, music videos, short films, video podcasts and home videos.
Still, the 2�-inch screen is smaller than on most other portable video players, and it's much smaller than the screens on the most frequently used mobile video viewers -- laptops and portable DVD players.
In our tests, it rapidly transferred numerous songs from both a Windows and Macintosh computer, and played them back with great fidelity.
To test the video, we downloaded two episodes of "Desperate Housewives" from the iTunes Store, including the one that ran this past Sunday night.
Each download took a bit over 20 minutes using an average DSL connection.
Your experience may vary, depending on the speed of your connection.
We also downloaded a short film, Pixar's "Boundin'," and were surprised that it took more than five minutes to retrieve -- longer than the film itself.
And we also downloaded from iTunes a free video podcast called "Rocketboom," featuring a woman reading a homemade newscast.
This video format and conversion problem is a mess that will hold back the video iPod unless Apple fixes it by incorporating free, reliable, and easy video conversion in iTunes.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml