By Jo Best, 20 March 2007 08:00
NEWS
3. Make your desktop ultra portable
Developers have already cottoned on to the potential of the vast storage the iPod packs in. One company has devised a service whereby users can almost carry their laptops inside their iPods.
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Once users of the service, which already include some police forces, plug their iPods into another PC, the iPod will present them with their 'home' desktop - files, folders, Outlook emails, preferences, cookies and the like. The system is apparently used by students and salespeople, who regularly use different PCs, as well as police and the military, who need secure access to their desktops.
4. Improve your tech knowledge
Aside from all the enterprise applications, it's worth remembering the iPod is first and foremost an entertainment device. If you fancy killing some time in between meetings, fill the iPod up with your favourite tunes, music videos or even a TV show or two.
However, one of the more interesting changes the iPod has wrought on broadcasting is the podcast - user-generated content of every stripe and on every subject. If you fancy genning up on tech in your lunch hour, there's a thousand and one podcasts to suit, available from the iTunes Store. However, if you fancy getting a more entertaining lowdown on the week's hottest tech news, may we recommend the silicon.com Weekly Round-Up podcast?
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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.