iPods can carry much more than music.
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Everyone knows that the iPod plays music, but many models of the iPod can actually do much more. While the two smaller versions -- the nano and the shuffle -- are designed for audio playback alone, the iPod classic can also store videos and pictures and the iPod touch can do almost as much as a hand-held computer, from sending emails to unlocking a car door.
Organization
While the iPod touch can't pick up a gallon of milk for you, it can help you remember your to-do lists and keep your life a little more organized. The iPod comes with several basic apps for organization, and you can download many more from the iTunes Store. For example, you can enter all your upcoming events into the touch's calendar and set alarms to remind you up to two days in advance. You can also write to-do lists in the notes app or record voice memos reminding you of upcoming tasks. Many downloadable apps such as Evernote, Remember the Milk and Google Tasks offer more sophisticated note taking and calendar management that can be synced with your email account.
Fitness
Many iPod owners already take their iPod to the gym or on a jog, but they may not realize that their iPods can help them even more with their fitness goals. The iPod Nano doubles as a pedometer and the iPod touch offers several downloadable apps which can count calories, footsteps and miles run or biked. Some apps such as "Lose It!," "Nike Boom" and "Daily Burn" can also act as a personal trainer, design workouts based on your fitness needs and motivate you to meet your goals -- even sync your music to your workout rhythm.
Education
Students frequently use computers in education, whether they need to type a paper or make a slideshow for a presentation, but they don't tend to think of their iPods as an educational resource. However, an iPod touch has many educational apps that can help students learn and practice languages, look up the definition of a word, visualize scientific concepts and keep track of their homework. Even younger students can benefit from iPod apps, such as "Word Magic," which helps children learn to spell, and "Multiplication," which gives children fun math practice. The potential applications of the iPod in education are largely undervalued and unexplored.
Business
Whether you need to keep track of frequent flights or are constantly contacting new clients, the iPod touch offers multiple apps that can help you run a business or succeed in the workplace. On the iPod touch you can download a travel app such as Kayak or FlightTracker that lets you book and check into flights, keep track of delays and receive weather updates. You can also track packages with FedEx, store and share hundreds of contacts, write or print memos, documents and presentations, stay connected with social networking or read the latest news and stock market analysis.
References
Photo Credits
- Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
