There are more iPod books out there than you can shake a stick at, so authors really need to do something unique to set their work apart. That's exactly what Andy Ihnatko did by making his book iPod Fully Loaded appropriate for all iPods. Even better, this iPod book won't be obsolete when Apple updates its media player product line.

iPod Fully Loaded covers the basics from navigating through iPod features to loading up iTunes and your iPod with music. But it also goes well beyond the beginner topics to talk about ripping DVDs, and getting content from DVR devices, to viewing Web pages, reading email, and running business presentations on your iPod.

Since Mr. Ihnatko shows you how to get the most out of your iPod without relying on model-specific features, this book won't go out of style when Apple releases new products - whether that's a wide-screen touch interface model (hint, hint, Apple), a wireless neural interface model with a holographic display, or anything else the wizards in Cupertino can cook up.

As always, his writing style makes you feel more like you are sitting down with a friend that can show you how to do some really cool stuff with your iPod, not like you are reading a text book. That conversational tone goes a long way towards making iPod newcomers feel comfortable with their fancy new media player instead of intimidated.

The iPod is a cross platform device, and as such Mr. Ihnatko makes sure his book explains how things work for both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows users. Mac users, however, get an added bonus: The book includes an appendix that shows how to set up iPod and iTunes-related Automator workflows.

If you have Mac OS X Tiger and have any interest in automating the process of collecting content and adding it to your iPod, the book is worth the price of admission for this appendix alone.

The Bottom Line
Your iPod is simple enough to use that you can get by without ever buying a book that explains how to use it. On the other hand, there are so many things beyond playing music that the iPod is capable of - If you only know where to look.

Andy Ihnatko has done a superb job of taking a whole series of really cool iPod tricks and blending them together in one friendly and approachable package. If you want to check this book out, go get your own copy. I'm not giving mine up.