Are you one of those people who have yet to invest in an Apple iPod Photo, a "Maxi," (i.e., High Capacity iPod), a Mini iPod or an iPod Shuffle? You should, today, because the makers of the iconic digital music player are giving you yet another life-changing reason to "bite" the bullet -- or "sweet spot" of the Apple, as we say.

The iPod has already revolutionized the music industry.

Now Apple is ready to take on radio by storm.

And radio stations are loving it as much as their dedicated listeners.

Listening to Radio Programming & Podcasts

On Tuesday, Apple's iTunes Music Store released a new version of their software and a podcast section -- self-published audio programming -- that offers more than 3,000 radio stations and hip audio programs.

On the more recognizable side of the fence, count in ABC News, BBC, Clear Channel and WGBH in Boston.

On the less recognizable, but up-and-coming avant garde side of the fence count in upstart programmers -- much like bloggers have been given a voice via text.

Now, those interested in covering a niche market or serving a targeted audience that is not just limited by region or national appeal can do so, as long as your audience uses Apple's free iTunes software.

Of course, if you don't own an iPod, you can always listen to the podcast content from your computer or you can burn a CD and listen to it in your car or home stereo. If I decided to go the "burn a CD route" I'd likely download at least a dozen podcast programs from one producer in order to make it worth my while. This is because most podcasts we listen to are only a few minutes in length.

While Apple didn't invent podcasting, the company will now bring it to the masses via the latest version of its iTunes software (Mac/PC).

Prior to the release of iTunes 4.9, users needed to download special software to subscribe to and download podcasts to their iPod. Now Apple has made it easy to listen to your favorite radio station or podcaster's program.

Think of it as TiVo for your radio.

Altec Lansing's InMotion Speaker System
$89.99 at Amazon/OfficeDepot

In today's Wall Street Journal, Walter Mossberg reports on the best accessories for your Apple iPod. Just this week, Apple and BMW announced the ultimate iPod accessory: a $50,000 BMW. Fortunately, Mossberg's suggestions are much less expensive!

The first accessory that Mossberg mentions is the Altec Lansing InMotion speaker system. This was interesting timing as our friend from Seattle, Julie Ann, was raving about this product on Sunday. Here's what Mossberg had to say:

This device integrates a pair of potent speakers and a mount for the iPod into an attractive unit that folds up for traveling. It can run on four AA batteries -- which the company says will keep the speakers playing for 24 hours straight -- or it can be plugged into the wall. Once plugged in, inMotion also serves as a charging cradle for the iPod.

For portability, the inMotion folds down into an 8-by-5-inch rectangle that weighs a light 19 ounces (with batteries), and fits into an included drawstring pouch.

...

Using inMotion is as simple as turning it on, dropping your iPod into the center cradle and pressing play. Even if you have one of the original iPods that doesn't charge in a cradle, Altec Lansing throws in a stereo cable that you can use to connect your iPod to the inMotion. IPod Minis fit onto the cradle by first setting a small plastic piece in so the Mini doesn't move around. The inMotion's speakers sounded great, more like a large stereo system than a set of portable speakers.

Another interesting iPod accessory that Mossberg mentioned was the Belkin Digital Camera Link, which moves photographs directly from a digital camera to an iPod or iPod mini.

Digital Camera Link, $91.95 at Amazon.com

The Digital Camera Link is a great solution for extended trips or vacations. Instead of lugging a laptop with you, you can now use the Digital Camera Link to offload photos from your camera to your iPod. Two things to keep in mind:

• For photos, the iPod simply acts as a storage device which means that you will not be able to view your photos on the iPod.

• A typical digital photo consumes about 1 MB of storage space, so 1,000 photos will take about 1GB of space. This means, of course, that you will have less room for your music. Keep in mind that the iPod mini comes with 4 GB of storage, while the low-end white iPod comes with 15 GB.

Here's Mossberg's review of the Digital Camera Link:

[The] Digital Camera Link also worked with our iPod Mini in our tests, though Belkin doesn't advertise that fact.

The white Digital Camera Link measures about the size of the larger iPod and has a USB port and small cord for connecting to the iPod that tucks into one side. Katie [Mossberg's assistant] pulled the cord out and plugged it into the iPod Mini, connected a Hewlett-Packard digital camera to the Digital Camera Link using a USB cord and pressed a button on the front of the Link. Running green lights raced across the front of the device, indicating that photos were being transferred from the camera to the Mini. When finished, the lights stopped moving and shone solid green.

Katie then plugged the Mini into her PC and opened and viewed the photos stored on the iPod on the PC's screen. And the photos all looked fine. We also tested the Digital Camera Link on our larger iPod, with an Apple iMac computer, and used iPhoto to view the images stored on the iPod.

The success of the iPod continues to inspire new and innovative products. Clearly that's a good thing for music (and photo) lovers everywhere.

-Tim

P.S. I've included links to other products that Mossberg reviewed in the "Buy Products Related To This Story" section.