The only version of the iPod which features a mechanical hard drive is the Classic which has been available for several years and hasn’t received an update for a very long time.
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Available only in a 16GB version, the iPod Classic can hold 40,000 4-minute songs so you get about 111 days of nonstop music. It is available in either a black or a white color finish and aside from play music, it can also show images and videos on the 2.5-inch color display.

The device is also capable of holding notes, calendars and contacts. It isn’t a very impressive media player but it offers a great storage capacity and is suitable for those who want to travel with a lot of music alongside. If capacity is not important, this isn’t the iPod to get, while some people will not like the user interface, especially those who are visually impaired. We move on to the best iPod available right now, the fourth-generation Touch which you can consider as an iPhone 4 without the phone department. Other than this, it has just about the same features, such as support for HD video recording, FaceTime, an A4 processor, built-in microphone, Retina display, along with front- and rear-facing cameras. Let’s not forget that the iPod Touch 4G does not have the Siri features and is not able to transfer data over 3G or EDGE. While the iPhone 4S has an 8 mpx camera, the one on the back of the Touch 4G has a much lower resolution 0.7 megapixels. In addition, the aforementioned Retina Display is not as good in terms of off-angles in comparison to the display of the 4S. The fourth generation of the iPod Touch is available in three storage configurations: 8GB ($199), 32GB ($299) and 64GB ($399). Even though the Touch is not able to provide the storage of the Classic, the 64GB iPod Touch is capable of holding 40 two-hour movies which will be more than enough for most people. One of the best features of the iPod Touch 4G is the 3.5-inch touchscreen display which manages to be very bright. You get support for Shake-to-Shuffle, Genius playlists, and it also has a built-in speaker plus it can also handle e-mail, web browsing, YouTube and iCloud synchronization. Let’s not forget that it offers support for iTunes Match so you have the possibility to access your vast music library over a Wi-Fi connection so whenever you want you can redownload purchased apps, music, TV shows as well as the ebooks that you have bought from the online stores.

We would like to recommend the iPod Touch 4G to those that want Wi-Fi access to the Internet, iTunes Stores, iBookstore, FaceTime, still & video camera, but can live without the phone capabilities. You should stick with simpler iPods if you want a music player while exercising since the Touch is quite bulky.

In this article we are going to have a look at the various types of iPods that you can buy, depending on what you need and what these audio players have to offer. The most affordable way to go would be to get the fourth generation of the iPod Shuffle which will set you back as low as $49. It looks just about the same as the 2G version, but with the latest model you have the possibility to navigate the device with the help of the VoiceOver Button or you can press the controller on the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic which will cost you an additional $29.
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After pressing the button, the iPod Shuffle is going to say the name and artist of the song that is currently playing. If you press and hold this button it will list all of the playlists.

Featuring an almost square shape, the iPod Shuffle 4G is available only in a 2GB storage capacity which is able to hold about 500 songs that last 4 minutes encoded as 128 kbps AAC. The Shuffle is available in various colors: green, blue, silver, pink and orange. Just like its predecessors, the fourth generation of the Shuffle features a clip so you can securely attach it to clothing, purse or a backpack. Instead of a display, it has the usual audio controls such as Next/Fast-forward, Volume Up, Volume Down, Play/Pause and Previous/Rewind. We would recommend the iPod Shuffle 4G for kids, athletes and for those of you that would like to play the music and then not think about the device anymore. You can also get it as a spare iPod. The Shuffle is not suitable for those who would prefer to carry a lot of music or for those people that are looking for an easy navigation of the music library. Needless to say, this isn’t the iPod to get if you want to watch videos.

Let’s move on to the iPod Nano which back in 2010 reached its sixth generation that instead of bringing more features, Apple decided to remove some of them. While the 5G model had a Click Wheel, a low-resolution video camera, and was able to play videos, display calendars, notes and contacts, the Nano 6G adopts a smaller screen, doesn’t have a camera and adopts a touch interface. In addition, it dispenses entirely with notes, calendars and contacts. You do get an FM radio which is capable of buffering up to 15 minutes of audio, just like its predecessor, and at the same time it can also display the still images you synchronize to it. You can also use the iPod Nano 6G as a watch as there are many stylish clock faces available. This sixth iteration of the Nano is available in 8GB and 16GB versions, which cost $129 and $149, respectively. You get to choose from one of the following seven colors: red, silver, blue, gray, pink, orange and green. You will play & navigate by using the onscreen touch controls. We would recommend the iPod Nano 6G for those of you who exercise and are familiar with the iPod. You can also get it for an older kid that you know will take care of it. Other suitable scenarios include transportation commuters as well as those who want to carry a decent amount of music wrapped around in a cool and stylish package. Avoid this model if you don’t like touch interfaces or if you want to watch videos.

The following guide can be followed only by those who have an iPod Touch 3G/4G that is running on iOS 5.0.1. Since Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d offers support only to a tethered jailbreak, this means that you will have to connect the Touch to the computer on every reboot. Don’t forget that if you jailbreak your iPod Touch you will most likely void the warranty so proceed with caution. Before you start the process it is highly recommended that you do a complete backup.
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The first step that has to be taken is to download the aforementioned Redsn0w 0.9.9b9d for Windows or Redsn0w 0.9.9b8 for Mac and then save the app in a folder on your desktop called “Redsn0w”. The second step is to double-click the zip file you have downloaded and extract all of the files to the Redsn0w folder. Now you will have to go to that folder and launch the application.

After you have launched Redsn0w you will have to click on the Jailbreak button. It is important to note that if you are using Windows 7 you should run the .exe file in Windows XP compatibility mode and also as an administrator. Once you do this you are going to be prompted to plug in your iPod Touch 3G or 4G device to the computer and switch the device OFF. Time has come to put the device into the DFU mode. In order to do so, Redsn0w is going to guide you through the process. First, you will have to hold the power button down for three seconds and then simultaneously hold the home button without letting go of the power button. Keep both buttons pressed until Redsn0w will detect your iPod Touch. Now, the device is going to reboot and you must remember to release the home button. The application will begin preparing the jailbreak data. The application is going to prompt you to select your preferred jailbreak option and you’ll have to make sure that Cydia is chosen. After that, click on “Next” to continue and the Touch is going to be rebooted once again and the application will start uploading the new RAM disk and kernel. Once the jailbreaking process will be completed you will be notified and you must hit on the “Finish” button in order to exit the app.

The iPod Touch is going to reboot once again and it should take about five seconds. After this reboot, your iPod Touch 3G/4G should be successfully jailbroken. On the home screen of the device you are going to notice a Cydia jailbreak app. Once the process has finished you will have to boot the device tethered so if time will come to reboot the Touch it is going to be stuck on the Apple logo. What you have to do is rerun Redsn0w and select extras and after that tap on just boot from the available options. If the aforementioned Cydia icon fails to launch and it has a white color, you have to complete these steps to solve the problem.

If you have a fourth-generation iPod Touch that’s running on iOS 5 and you want to install Siri on it, in this article you can find a step-by-step guide which you’ll need to follow in order to have your “personal assistant” on the Touch 4G. Before we begin to explain what has to be done keep in mind that you will proceed at your own risk as the following guide is shared only for educational purposes as Siri is not officially available for the Apple iPod Touch 4G.
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The first step that you need to take is to jailbreak your iPod Touch 4G running on iOS 5 using Sn0wbreeze or Redsn0w. Once you’re done with this you will have to download all of the files that are necessary for Siri. Obviously, we are not able to share these files with you so you’ll have to find them yourself.

You now have to get a file explorer which you’ll need for the Touch 4G to copy what you have downloaded over the AssistantServices.framework folder which you can find in Root > System > Library > PrivateFrameworks. Needless to say, you will have to connect your iPod Touch 4G with your computer via USB. All of the files from the Springboard folder that you downloaded earlier have to be transferred at the following address: Root > System > Library > Core Services > Springboard.app. Now, by using iFile which you are able to obtain from Cydia, you will have to open the .plist file from your Apple iPod Touch 4G from here: System > Library > CoreServices > springboard.app. If you have a Touch 4G it will have the name N81AP while if you own an iPhone 4 you will find it as N9x (the “x” can be 0, 1 or 2). Now that you have done this you will have to add a new property list which will wear the name “assistant” to the aforementioned .plist file and after that you must set its class as Boolean while its value has to be YES. The next step after this is to add this to the .plist file: <key>assistant</key><true/>.

The final step that you must take is to start your iPod Touch 4G or the iPhone 4. If you have managed to follow all of these steps correctly, the GUI of Siri is going to be installed on your iOS-running device. In order to activate Siri you’ll have to hold the Home button. It is important to mention that the voice commands are not going to work on an iPod Touch or an iPhone 4 due to the reason that Apple’s servers are not accepting voice command input from these devices so if you want the full Siri experience you will have to buy an iPhone 4S. If you don’t know how to jailbreak your iPod Touch 4G you should know that there are lots of guides on the Internet, including here on bindapple.com. The most popular software for doing this would have to be Sn0wbreeze or Redsn0w. It isn’t very hard to do it so you shouldn’t encounter any issues. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to install Siri on an iPod Touch 4G or an iPhone 4 if you don’t jailbreak the device. Remember that the guide we’ve talked about is available for the devices running on iOS 5.

Another app that you might want to use for transforming your iPod Touch into an iPhone would have to be Fring which was in fact the first-to-market application that came with several features such as video chat over 3G, VoIP calling as well as others. Probably the best feature of the app would have to be that it works great with all sorts of communication tools that you probably already have.
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You can use it with a GTalk account and it can also work if you are subscribed to a service that uses Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Even though it doesn’t offer SMS text messaging, you have the possibility to use various instant messaging services such as ICQ, MSN, AIM and others as well, such as social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The quality of the call is very good and if you’ve made a SIP account you will be able to use it as an application.

In the first part of the article we’ve mentioned Line2 which has been designed in order to be a complete phone application. You have the possibility to download and try it for free, but after 30 days you will have to pay a monthly fee. If you do decide to pay this you will have unlimited calling and text messages in the United States and Canada. When you are signing up for Line2 you will obtain a number in one of their available area codes. If the one that you want is not available at the moment when you sign up you will later on be able to switch when it is added. In addition, you also have the possibility to port an existing number. The app will let you forward calls to other numbers when you are not available or when you simply prefer to transfer the call somewhere else. When you get a phone call you can tap on the forward button.

If you plan on using your Apple iPod Touch as a home phone then your home Wi-Fi connection will suffice for handling all the calls, regardless of the chosen application. However, if you want to use it outside, you have two options to choose from. The first one would have to be that you accept you are at the free mercy of accessible Wi-Fi and the incoming calls will occur only when there is a Wi-Fi connection available. If you want to have constant connectivity, you will have to subscribe for one of the available data plans with a mobile hotspot. Keep in mind that when you are using a cellular data hotspot for making calls you need to be aware of these factors: battery life, how data performs and pocket-ability.

If you opt for Verzion’s MiFi, the data performance will be great as the speeds are excellent and consistent as well. However, the battery of your iPod Touch will have to suffer because with the MiFi connection on you will get about four hours of juice from the battery. If you do opt for MiFi keep in mind that you will have to carry around two devices which can be a bit of an issue for some people, but the good news is that the MiFi with its standard battery is extremely slim so it does not add a lot of bulk, while the iPod Touch is also very thin.