iPod goes color, adds photos

I guess if you're going to add the ability to view photos on your iPod, you had better make sure that you add a color screen.

That's what Apple did this week when it announced the iPod Photo, the latest version in its army of iPods. The new models come in 40G-byte and 60G-byte versions, and sell for $499 and $599 respectively. The new version also have extended battery life that offers up to 15 hours of music playback time, or up to five hours of watching photo slide shows.

Downloading photos onto the device uses Apple's Auto-Sync technology -- When using a Mac users synchronize the iPod with pictures stored in their iPhoto directory. Windows users can synchronize to the iPod with photos stored in their Adobe Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Album or the Windows "My Pictures" folder. More information is available at the iPod Photo Web site.

Apple also announced the U2 iPod, a special edition model that was designed as part of a partnership with the band U2. The device features a black enclosure with a red Click Wheel and custom engraving of U2 band member signatures. The model has 20G-bytes of storage space, up to 12 hours of battery life, and works with both Macs and Windows PCs. The device is expected to ship in mid-November for about $350, Apple says. Go to the U2 iPod Web site for more information.

If you buy the U2 iPod, you'll also get a coupon for $50 off the purchase of "The Complete U2," a digital box set on iTunes that will include more than 400 tracks of U2 songs, including all of the band's albums and more than 25 rare and unreleased tracks. The box set will be available in late November, Apple says.