The iPod just turned five. With 68 million of them out there, they’re without a doubt one of the most popular and defining devices of a generation. Yet many folks don’t know that iPods can do so much more than play music. Fortunately New York Times columnist J.D. Biersdofer reveals all their secret features, tips, and tricks in a handy new book - iPod: The Missing Manual.

An ardent iPod fan and power user, J.D. rarely heads out without her iPod. “If I’m away from home, I use my iPod as a pocket TiVo by wiring it up to the closest TV with the iPod AV cable to watch Battlestar Galactica and other shows I hate to miss. I’m also reading Boswell’s “Life of Johnson” on the iPod, thanks to a free download from Project Gutenberg,” she says.

“There’s pretty much an iPod for every listening lifestyle these days,” adds J.D. “Need some tunes for your cardio workout? The iPod Shuffle is your sturdy, no-muss, no-fuss model that can store more than 200 songs but doesn’t have a screen you have to worry about breaking, If you’re into running, fashion, or just want an iPod that can do a bunch of things besides music, there’s the lightweight Nano that displays photos, plays games, stores contacts, and even doubles as a stopwatch. Finally, if you want it ALL - or you have a really long commute - the iPod with video does everything the Nano can, and brings videogames, movies, TV shows, and music videos along for the ride, too.”

• In her new book, J.D. helps iPodders of all ages and skill levels squeeze more enjoyment from their new devices. She covers the basics - downloading and listening to music. She also shows readers how to download and watch Hollywood movies or TV shows, and download contact files, calendars, photo albums, audio books, text files, games, and more.
• This user-friendly, redesigned edition is sure to please readers. “It’s full of color illustrations and the text has been recast as short little ‘infonuggets’ that only take up one or two pages per topic,” says J.D. “There’s a simple explanation for every task and enough color graphics to show readers just what they need to do.”
• The book covers the tiny clip-on Shuffles, Nanos, and the new video iPods along with their best software friend, iTunes.

“My iPod, for better or for worse, is a mirror of my brain, all polished up from my CD collection, the iTunes Store, and things I’ve found around the Internet. Right now, it’s stuffed with bluegrass music, Broadway show tunes, lots of Steve Earle and Green Day, the Nellie McKay catalog, free downloads of Beethoven symphonies from the BBC Web site, a digitized recording of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech,’ Glenn Gould’s version of The Goldberg Variations, several episodes of Battlestar Galactica, PAC-MAN, and a shelf of electronic books that takes up much less room in a tiny New York apartment that paper ones.”

With wit and clear explanations, J.D. makes this fifth edition of iPod: The Missing Manual an up-to-the-minute must-have for first time users of iPods, Nanos, or Shuffles, upgraders, and gift givers. This handy reference as well as refresher makes it easy for everyone to get speedy answers to their questions and access the full power of every new member of the iPod family.