When talking about the history of the iPod, gadget freaks usually take you to their trophy room and start telling stories about each of the Apple items there. I know it may sound crazy, but I am sure there are plenty of collectors having the entire iPod line in their secret(or not) storage rooms, and usually using the latest one... or the one that holds the most pleasant memories. Speaking for myself, I only got to know one such guy until now, but his collection was absolutely amazing!

Obviously, after seeing his collection (that was happening a few years ago), I started having dreams. Tech dreams, to be more accurate. No, I am not talking about nightmares... I was simply dreaming about the perfect music player, the one that would combine features from most notorious ones on the market, and a few that I always had in my mind, but never saw in a real device. Anyway, I won't tell you anything else about my perfect media player - one day I may become rich with my ideas, so let's leave all this aside and move to our target - the history of the iPod - shall we?

Until the creation of the iPod, it was the idea, of course. The idea of a small hard drive-based player that was linked with a content delivery system, unlike the bulky flash-memory based players of the late 1990s belonged to Tony Fadell, former General Magic and Philips employee, and now Senior Vice President of the iPod Division at Apple.

Fadell had the idea, but no support to make it reality, so he tried to find a company interested in taking the portable media player concept one step further. RealNetworks and Philips refused, but Apple took the challenge seriously. Looking back, that was a brilliant move for Apple, and a very bad one for the others, especially for Real, caught off guard when the iTunes Music Store was opened...

Once Fadell got inside the Apple camp, Steve Jobs took a very active role in the project, and it took less than a year to finish the first iPod, the beauty you can enjoy in the image above. Now, let's see what was hidden inside that white case, shall we?

The original iPod, announced on October 23, 2001, used 5 GB Toshiba hard drives as large as a quarter, the same ARM processor as the one used in the Newton, an operating system from Pixo, <-336x280 Large Rectangle - right->a large high resolution display(for those days, of course), a lithium polymer battery, and the feature that's going to make it stand out of the crowd most of all - the scroll wheel.

Even more, instead of using skip buttons, like other MP3 players of those days, the iPod allowed its users to navigate through the playlist using the scroll wheel, making this much easier than the competitors from Compaq or Creative.

Despite all the above, the public reacted negatively to the device, despite being shocked by its features, most critics pointing their finger at the $400 price tag and lack of Windows compatibility.

Europe received the iPod one year later with enthusiasm, and it all started to roll - accessories and software products for the iPod slowly appeared, then the 10 GB version of the 1st generation iPod was introduced...

...followed by Apple's decision to make the iPod compatible with Windows through Musicmatch, and the smart move that came as a surprise to many - engraving iPods with text and graphics, just in time to license logos of bands and companies for Apple to create "special" iPods ready for the 2002 Christmas shopping spree. These iPods had Madonna’s, Tony Hawk’s, or Beck’s signature, as well as No Doubt's band logo engraved.

Of course we could talk about iPod engraving, cases and other cool accessories for ages, but let's stick to the history of the iPod, and not the history of iPod accessories, since first complete redesign of the iPod happened in early 2003...

... with the all-touch interface, dock connector, and slimmer case, while on the software side, and the drop of Musicmatch support, which got replaced by iTunes 4.1 for Windows. Capacities ranged between 10 GB and 40 GB, while audio autonomy went down from a previous 10 hours to only 8 hours. Probably the best part about the new version for PC users was the support for USB 2.0, making it much easier for them to connect the Apple iPod, since only a few Windows PCs had FireWire ports back then.

A bit earlier, I mentioned the iTunes Music Store, but it was only in the summer of 2003 when this became reality. Its purpose was obvious - help Apple cut the price of the iPod without feeling it, since the iTunes Music Store started to bring some serious revenue pretty soon.

Since 2003, the iPod got three new generations, but - if you ask me - none of them came up with something really new. Obviously, the screen got bigger, video and picture viewing were added to the feature list, the storage capacity went sky high, with 120 GB models being currently available, and the battery life was improved. As you can imagine, this is something that the competition has done, too, so let's leave the iPod aside and move to the smaller iPod mini!

The iPod Mini was a mid range model that came before the Nano. With only two generations, released in 2004 and 2005, and capacities of 4 GB and 6 GB available, it didn't quite turn the world upside down. In fact, I can say the Mini was a "Beta version" of Nano released to the public, and nothing more.

When we talk about the iPod Nano, things are looking more interesting. In the image that you can see above, the progress made by the design of this gadget from the first to the third generation becomes obvious, and the Nano became instantly a hit, with over a million units sold in the first 3 weeks since its release.

The first generation started at 1 GB in size, and a screen with a resolution of 176 x 132 pixels, and went up to 8 GB and 320X240 when the third generation arrived. While the 4th gen Nano looks great and added an accelerometer for some cool features, the capacities currently available for it range between 4 GB and 16 GB, while the screen size remained the same, as well as the battery life(even shorter than that of the 3G Nano, when talking about video autonomy - 4 hours, instead of 5).

The thing that should not be, the iPod Shuffle, arrived in January 2005, with sizes of 512 MB and 1 GB available, followed by a refresh in 2006, and one in 2008. This is a low end iPod, with poor sound quality when compared to the "serious" iPods, and no display. Apart from being for a while the smallest MP3 player in the world, I don't think this iPod deserves to have a place in the history of the iPod, but here it is, for your viewing enjoyment!

At last, let's talk a little about the "ultimate iPod," the iPod Touch. Basically, the iPod Touch is iPhone's child - you only get the music and video capabilities of the iPhone, without the phone and camera. The iPod Touch runs OS X, comes with 802.11n WiFi capability, and is only a bit smaller than its parent.

Since its release, on the 13th of September, 2007, the iPod Touch got a refresh already, featuring external volume control, an external speaker, a contoured back, as well as built-in Nike+ support. Currently, the first and second generation iPod Touches are both available only in Black, with 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB versions. The first generation has a rated battery life of 24 hours for audio, and 7 for video, while the second boosts these values to 36/6. Impressive!

Now, we're done here, but the history of the iPod is far from being over. I know I may have skipped a few minor models, various lawsuits involving iPods, and other less important facts, but be sure of this: we'll get back to the history of the iPod pretty soon, and that's a promise!

You know what? I am tired of hearing so often about cool iPod cases, and ending up with nothing special. Leather or not, pink or black, an iPod case needs a lot for me to consider it "cool." Even more, if I think a little about my generation, who grew up in the 1980s, having a case to remind us our teenage days is the most cool thing I can imagine, and one of the unforgettable memories of those days is the audio cassette...

These days, seeing people listen to audio cassettes is like watching a car from the 1930s on the highway, and I must confess my collection is lying nicely ordered in its place, without being touched for years. Even this way, sometimes I turn to it, grab some music, and play it in my old Panasonic walkman. It would be much easier to play the MP3 or the audio CD, but that would surely kill the feeling.<-180x150 Small Rectangle - right->

The feeling I mentioned earlier could not be brought back by any digital device, but you can get some cool iPod cases to help you remember, because I think the audio cassette should never be forgotten. These being said, let me introduce you the most awesome iPod case I have seen lately - Contexture Design's unique cassette cases!

Unfortunately, we're talking about unique cases, and for now there are only a few left, as you can see here. Being able to hold first- and second-generation iPod nano models, these cool iPod cases are priced at C$45 (≈US$38), with C$4 shipping.

Simply awesome! Just one final thought - I think this is something you could also manufacture by yourself with a little patience and the right tools, if you miss buying one from Contexture. Even more, you'll surely get out much cheaper, and have a lot of fun in the process!

Can you believe that the history of the iPod may be near its end? I know, we didn't talk much about what happened so far, but one of these days I'll take a look back and tell you all there is to know about the history of the iPod, but now, we have to talk about its end, as seen by one of those who founded Apple, namely Steve Wozniak. So...what did the "Wonderful Wizard of Woz" say?

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Steve Wozniak said "The iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one. Things like that, if you look back to transistor radios and Walkmans, they kind of die out after a while," and I fully agree with him, especially since the iPhone/iPod Touch are completely shadowing the other iPods, in my opinion.<-125x125 Button - right->

He continued by stating the obvious a lot of companies don't want to see, including Apple - virtually everyone has 1-2-3 media players, and they also got extremely cheap, and sales are not as good as in the early days of the iPod.

Regarding the iPhone, he said that the limitations imposed on developers are keeping innovation pinned down - "Consumers aren't getting all they want when companies are very proprietary and lock their products down. I would like to write some more powerful apps than what you're allowed."

Now, let's get back to the iPod, with a few final questions. Do you have an iPod? What's still missing from these players, and what can do Apple with a next generation to really crush the competition? And the last one - how many portable media players do you own? A few words about your experience with each one of them won't hurt at all, so feel free to share your experience in the gadget world with the rest of us!

When talking about portable media players, people usually like them small. Sometimes, players can get ridiculously small, like the iPod Shuffle or the EZAV Pebble, also sold as Datasafe oomi. While there are people out there calling these tiny music players "wearable," I can only call them "loseable," and I don't have to explain why. Going right into the other extreme, we have large MP3 players, and the one I'll tell you about today will surely make you go "WOW," believe me!

So...this is it! You saw it, and that's all. Oh, wait, you think this is some Photoshopped image? Well, no matter how hard to believe may be, it's not. The WowPod is one of its kind, and it was born from passion for technology and art. Unfortunately, you won't be able to buy one, but...<-125x125 Button - right->

...you can go and touch this "interactive media sculpture" and play with it(all controls working!), since this large-scale iPod is available at the Winzavod art center, in Moscow. Created by Aristarkh Chernyshev & Alexei Shulgin, the WowPod may look like a twisted large copy of the original, but those that have seen it claim it works well, and it sounds pretty cool.

All in all, this is one unique piece of "gadget art," if I can put it this way, and if you're going to visit Moscow, you surely need to see it! If you're not...there's the website, of course, and it's better than nothing, but I would really like to see the WowPod in action... Any of you able to help with this?

Don't tell me you don't like freebies, because I won't buy that in a thousand years! No matter how far would go some people in saying they don't want anything to fall from the sky, freebies aren't exactly like that, after all. Even when I have to speak for myself, I must tell you that I always enjoy things I worked for more than freebies, but let's get to the point - iPhone 3G cases for free!

I know some may think "Wow! For FREE!!! Where do I sign up?" and start looking for some text entry fields to drop their personal data and receive their Shades for iPhone 3G, but things are not that simple... you will pay, my friends, you will pay, but that's what we'll find out more about a bit later.<-125x125 Button - right-> Now, pay attention, will you?

In my opinion, there's a point where you start looking for the right case to protect your iPhone 3G, iPod, or other device - price! If it's free, that's even better, but I think price is the first thing to have in mind, because there are a lot of products doing basically the same thing, but for completely different prices. If you miss these free Shades, you don't have to worry - one is priced at $16.95, so you won't have to break the porcelain pig to get it!

Next, there are only a few things I need to get from my gadgets' cases, like easy access to the ports and controls, decent protection to shocks, and a nice color. For me, anything goes, as long as it's black! I don't need them to be washable, because I am not rolling in the dirt with my gadgets on, but for those of you that really need to take their gadgets in dirty places, here's what the Shades for iPhone 3G is offering:

- Light Polyurethane build, with only 0.4 mm in thickness
- For those green ones of you, it should be a pleasure to find out that the Shades cases are 100% recyclable
- Easy access to iPhone's ports, so you won't have to remove the case when docking
- A wide range of color schemes available - Clearly Original for full transparency, Aqua, Serene Green, Rosy Red, Sunrise Orange, Sunshine Yellow, Midnight Black, Cool Blue, Hot Pink, Ultra Violet, and Black & Clear.
- Easily washable with water and soap.

Of course you'll still be able to use the touchscreen after gently sliding your iPhone 3G into the protective cover of the Shades, and once you've done that, your beloved iPhone will be as secure as a child in his mother's womb, but be sure not to use it for playing darts or football! After all, this is just a case for your iPhone, not a safe!

Now, the final part of the October giveaway - to enter, be sure to drop a comment below and tell us what's your favorite color from the list above, and why. A little story about that color, true or fictional, could also help!

At last, you can also try your luck with the Shades giveaways from our friends at TechPin and CameraPhonesPlaza. These being said, I only have to add one thing: Good Luck!!!