By Jo Best, 20 March 2007 08:00
NEWS
You may be used to seeing people listen to iPods on the train. You may even use one yourself in the gym or while walking the dog. However, the rise of the iPod has prompted generations of developers - and creative end-users - to exploit possibilities other than simply listening to music or watching videos.
Here is a selection of the best, worst and oddest uses silicon.com has come across.
1. Record flight data
The little white box can also be used as black box. One airplane modification company, LoPresti Speed Merchants, has apparently added iPod integration to its Fury line of planes, with a view to using the MP3 player as an in-flight data recorder.
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According to LoPresti, the iPod can record more than 500 hours of flight time details as well as act as a voice recorder to capture cockpit conversations and clearances. The company's CEO is also hoping developers will come up with some new aviation applications using the iPod.
The cockpit isn't the only place Apple's MP3 players can be found on aircraft. Seats that connect iPods to aircraft entertainment systems are expected from a number of airlines from this year.
2. Cut medical billsUsing an iPod can be good for your health, it seems. Radiologists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a system to share images using open source software and the Apple MP3 players.
UCLA's Dr Osman Ratib, whose background is in medical imaging, wanted to find a way to sidestep the $100,000 workstations needed to view high-resolution images that required 3D rendering. So, with help from programmer and fellow radiologist Dr Antoine Rosset, he created OsiriX - an open source application to enable radiologists to teleconference with the images on Mac desktop systems.
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Comments
There are 10 comments. Join the discussion
1. Jeremy Wickins
I take it many of these uses relate equally to non-Apple MP3 players?
2. anonymous
iPODs like Sony's are NOT MP3 players, they can only store MP3 files. In order to play them they have to be converted to a proprietary format.
They are also not the only devices that will allow you to carry out all these functions.
How about a bootable USB drive?
3. Rob Nicholson
Strange how people think Apple invented this market whereas organisers and palms have been around for years doing it.
The power of marketing and image I guess...
4. anonymous
WOW, an mp3 player can be used as portable storage. I'm underwhelmed.
BTW Non-Apple players will normally be better at this than ipods as they don't require iTunes.
5. MusicFan
The best use i can think of for an IPod is............actually i cant think of one!
Coffee mat at best.
6. anonymous
I am amazed that propping up a wonky table by using one of the thin little iPod beasties hasn't made it to the top 10!
7. Rory Choudhuri
Ref Anonymous' comment>>iPODs like Sony's are NOT MP3 players, they can only store MP3 files. In order to play them they have to be converted to a proprietary format.
Not true. iPods can play mp3 files quite happily.
8. Ken Westin
THis is the anti-theft app mentioned in the article:
http://www.gadgettrak.com
9. anonymous
iPods do play MP3 files. No conversion necessary. They also play AAC (another open format) and many other formats. Only the protected form of AAC (FairPlay) is proprietary. From iPod tech specs:
Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV
Source: http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html
10. Colin English
Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but using an iPod as a flight data recorder? If the plane crashes, I can't imagine that the iPod is likely to survive, so what's the point? That's why black-box (actually orange) flight recorders are built so ruggedly.