iPod Convert

The MIL bought M a used 30g video iPod a couple months' ago. The casing is pretty scratched up but it works, so she doesn't care. Anyway, her grades have slipped in Spanish so ABM confiscated the iPod. Guess who is using it until she gets it back in January?

I originally wanted an iPod when it was first released. When I couldn't get one, I told myself that I was earning my geek cred card by listening to music and podcasts on something other than an iPod. Now that I've had a chance to use M's iPod for the past week, I must admit that I am drawn to the ease of use. The iPod and iTunes were definitely made to work with each other. Even before this week, I recommended iPods to my non-techie friends and now I am even more confident in that recommendation. I had very little problem importing my CDs into the iTunes library and loading them on to the iPod. Also, the selection of podcasts in the iTunes store has improved since the first time I wrote about the subject.

This iPod experience pointed out once again that I don't buy a lot of music. I have loaded almost all my CDs and recent episodes of my favorite podcasts, yet I've barely used 5gb of the 30gb storage capacity. As much as podcasters love to tout the fact that terrestrial radio is dying, some of us are still a slave to it. I can't buy enough music to give me the experience I get when I flip the radio dial and hear a song I haven't heard since high school. I like the randomness of radio. I even like the way the ads and the DJ chatter give me a break between songs.

The perfect solution for me would be to stream my Yahoo! radio station through my Treo 700p. I've been fine-tuning that station for almost five years and it is just right now. I would even pay for it if Yahoo! supported my Treo, but the last time I checked they didn't. Ah, well -- I guess I'll be listening to a lot more podcasts :-).