How to Choose the Right iPod

My iPod

Maybe you're shopping for tech gifts for the family-or just want a portable music player for yourself. In this How To I'll give you detailed descriptions and a price breakdown from least expensive to most expensive-to choose the iPod that is perfect for you.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. The iPod plays music, video, movies, audio books, TV shows, podcasts and games. Some of them connect to the Internet. As a tech gadget, they are way up there in terms of desirability. The basic question once you decide you want to give someone an iPod is which one to get.

2. Each model comes in several colors. If you buy from the Apple store you may get free engraving. Places like Amazon or your local Sam's Club may cost a bit less than what you'd pay at the Apple store, but don't offer the engraving free.

3. The iPod shuffle is the least expensive option. These start at $49 for a 1GB model that will hold 240 songs. The 2GB model holds 500 songs and goes for $69. The shuffle is small with no screen--just the controller or click wheel. You cannot pick the play order or the songs you want to hear; you can only reset the shuffle. There's a nice clip-on that makes it easy to hook to your clothing. The iPod shuffle might be a perfect choice for a younger person who hasn't yet built up a big music library. The iPod shuffle might also be perfect as a sort of single-use device. By that I mean you might load it with only upbeat music for the gym or classical baroque for writing-those situations where tempo matters more than choice and shuffle keeps things varied.

4. The slender iPod nano starts at $149 for an 8GB model that will hold 2,000 songs. The 16GB model holds 4,000 songs and costs $199. The iPod nano has a screen, which means you can select any song from your music list and you can watch music videos and movies. The upper part of the nano is a high resolution screen; the lower part is the click wheel controller. It can be flipped sideways to scroll through album covers using Apple's very cool Cover Flow. You give it a shake to make it shuffle to a different song. You have the advantage of choice with a nano. You can pick and choose your music and set up playlists for various situations such as the workout, kids songs for the car, thinking music for when you're working.

5. The iPod touch comes in three models. For $229 you get 8GB, for $299 you get 16GB and for $399 you get 32GB, which would hold 7,000 songs and 40 hours of video. That's enough video to fly to Singapore and back without having to repeat a single video. The iPod touch is all touch screen with no click wheel. It plays music, videos, movies and games. The games and the cool touch screen interface may put the iPod touch high up on your kids' wish lists. But the iPod touch also connects to the Internet and does email, surfs the Web, checks maps, plays YouTube and can be expanded with apps from the Apple App Store. It looks and acts very much like an iPhone, but without the phone. The email and Internet features may put it high up on a grownup's wish list (OK, the games too).

6. Finally we come to the whopper--the hold everything model. The iPod classic has a 120GB capacity that will hold 30,000 songs and 150 hours of video and costs $249. It is configured with the screen at the top and the click wheel under it. It comes with Cover Flow. My classic has thousands of songs, videos, podcasts, photographs and movies on it and it isn't even half full yet.

Tips & Warnings

• These prices and descriptions are good for the 2008 iPod models. Happy Holidays to the gift givers.