Travel any train or bus and you’ll see a variety of  Portable Media Players (PMPS) plugged into commuters ears. But which one is best to buy? Lasoo investigates ….

You guessed it … Apple comes out tops, as usual. But the Sony Walkman and Samsung Galaxy Player 50 are also worth a look at - especially if you value a high-quality sound!

Apple iPod touch $259.00 (8GB) Best combo of web, email, music and app store. Video calling is in full effect on iPod touch, friends can see what you’re up to, when you’re up to it. Wi-Fi capability lets you access the iTunes Store, where you choose from millions of DRM-free songs and thousands of movies, TV shows, audiobooks, free podcasts and iTunes U lectures.

Apple iPod nano $179.00 (8GB) Plenty of storage and FM radio, the iPod nano has been completely redesigned with the same touch technology that makes iPhone, iPad and iPod touch so amazing. Now it’s half the size and even easier to play than before.

Apple iPod Classic $299.00 Perfect for music lovers with plenty of storage for all your media (160GB). Good for up to 40,000 songs, 200 hours of video, 25,000 photos - 36 hours of battery life, so you can keep entertained for a long, long time.

Sony Walkman A845 $399.00 (16GB) Sound quality beats Apple any day,  look and feel of the Walkman is a winner. At just 7.7mm thick the A-Series’ metal body is both a tactile delight in shiny black. Menu system looks good and is simple to navigate.

Samsung Galaxy Player 50 around $250 (8GB) Affordable and effective with extra storage available via microSD slot. Has Android’s 2.1 OS so you simply drag-and-drop any video or audio file and press play—it’s that easy. It also packs a 2 megapixel camera.

Find  more Portable Media Players on Lasoo.

With all the hype surrounding the recent launch of the iPhone 4, it was easy to forget that a new version of the iPod Touch was also on the way.

In actual fact, the Apple iPod Touch 4G has a lot in common with its famous stablemate. Just like the iPhone 4, the new iPod Touch has both a front and rear camera and runs the FaceTime video conferencing app, so you can use the built-in microphone to chat with your contacts face-to-face (as long as they have the new iOS4.1 operating system installed on their Apple device). The camera can also be used to make Skype calls.

The rear camera lacks an LED flash and only takes photos at 0.7-megapixels, which is unfortunately inferior to the iPhone 4’s resolution. However it is capable of recording high-definition video at 720p resolution.

Another new feature is Game Center, which is bundled with the new operating system. This allows social multiplayer gaming between iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G users. A number of features from the previous Touch are also carried over to the 4G, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, the ambient light sensor and an accelerometer.

The new Touch also has some of the iPhone 4’s behind-the-scenes wizardry, including a Retina display (so everything on the 920×640 pixel screen looks amazing) and A4 processor, which means vastly improved performance.

The Apple iPod Touch 4G is available for $289 (8GB), $378 (32GB) and $499 (64GB).

Buy a cheap iPod on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

With all the hype surrounding the iPhone, it’s easy to forget that Apple makes other products, too.

But there was life before the iPhone - remember when the world fell in love with the iPod? And the latest generation Apple iPod Nano proves that the manufacturer can still wow us with its flagship MP3 player.

The most obvious difference comes in terms of appearance. The sixth-generation Nano is far more compact than its predecessors - in fact, on first sighting it, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an iPod Shuffle. It weighs in at just over 20g and can clip onto your clothing, which is handy for when you’re exercising.

Despite the smaller size, Apple has fitted out the new Nano with a 1.54-inch TFT screen with 240×240 pixel resolution. You can change the screen orientation by using the multi-touch controls.

However when you shrink a product this much, something has to give, so Apple has removed the video camera from the fifth generation Nano. Thankfully, other features such as FM radio, voice over and pedometer are all still there.

The sixth-generation Apple iPod Nano sells for $199 for the 8GB model and $229 for the 16GB model.

Buy cheap iPod on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

Apple has unveiled the latest updates to its iPod range, with the most significant change being the addition of a video camera to the iPod Nano.

iPod Nano

The new iPod Nano has a video camera, microphone and speaker so you can shoot video and view it on the 2.2-inch colour display then transfer it to YouTube. Also included is an FM radio with live pause and pedometer. It comes in nine colours - silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, red and pink.

Available now, the 8GB model sells in Australia for $199 and the 16GB for $249.

iPod Shuffle

The third-generation iPod Shuffle has experienced a price drop, with the 2GB Shuffle now costing $79 in Australia and the 4GB costing $109. Both models come in silver, black, pink, blue and green.

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch has also dropped in price - $269 for 8GB, $399 for 32GB and $549 for 64GB.

iTunes 9

iTunes 9 also launched today with several new features, including Home Sharing (easily transfer music, movies and TV shows among up to five computers in your home and view up to five iTunes libraries on your home network) and Genius Mixes (automatically generates up to 12 endless mixes of songs from your iTunes library based on the results of over 27 million music libraries).

Buy a cheap iPod on sale

By Caroline Warnes

There was some confusion in the Lasoo office this morning when we heard the details of Apple’s new iPod Shuffle.

Apparently the third-generation Shuffle can “speak” to you via the VoiceOver feature - song titles, artists and playlist names are spoken aloud to you.

The point of this function wasn’t exactly clear to any of us at first, but apparently it is useful when your Shuffle plays a song or artist you can’t remember - and with the press of a button you can find out.

Since the Shuffle can only hold around 1000 songs, the likelihood of having a song on there you don’t know that well is probably not that high.

The better selling point is the Shuffle’s size. It’s smaller than an AA battery yet holds up to 4GB - that’s double the size of the largest capacity second-generation Shuffle. It’s available now with an RRP of $129.

Click here to find offers on iPods from retailers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

Apple’s annual unveiling of its new iPods always creates some excitement, even when the changes were minimal.

Last year’s announcement saw the arrival of the iPod touch, however this year there are no new models - only updates to the existing iPods.

The new fourth generation nano is the most dramatically different of the bunch. First and foremost it has undergone a total redesign from the current generation model. Apple has abandoned the short, squat form factor and returned to the long, slim design of the second generation models. In fact, the fourth generation nano iPod is the slimmest iPod ever. Then there are the colours - nine of them in fact (silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, red and black).

The new nano now includes Cover Flow as well as Shuffle modes - you can switch between the two by lightly shaking the player. It also works with the brand new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing you to automatically create playlists on-the-go.

The iPod nano comes in either 8GB (RRP $199) or 16GB (RRP $279).

Also announced today was the second generation iPod touch. The new model comes with all the old functions plus built-in volume controls. The new version is slightly thicker than the old touch and will retail for $329 for the 8GB version.

Other updates to the iPod range were minimal: the shuffle comes in four new colours and retails for $65 and the classic is now available in one version only (120GB), which will retail for $339.

Click here to find offers on Apple iPod MP3 players from retailers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

The iPod touch proves for once and for all that Apple has all the marketing smarts we’ve long suspected it had.

At first glance, the latest top-of-the-line iPod boasts a design that is virtually identical to the much-hyped Apple iPhone (arriving in Australia this year), proving the old adage “when you’re onto a good thing, stick to it”.

But Apple hasn’t just jumped on the iPhone bandwagon. The iPod touch also incorporates a number of outstanding features which have quickly moved it to the top of many people’s wishlists. First and foremost, the touch has Wi-Fi built-in, and is the first iPod to have this feature.

You can surf the Web using the included Safari browser (though Wi-Fi connectivity is only 802.11b/g on the touch) and there’s also a a full version of the iTunes Music Store. This lets you buy songs when you’re out and about and load them straight onto your iPod.

I also love the YouTube application and the accelerometer, which moves the 3.5-inch widescreen from portrait to landscape, depending on what you’re viewing.

Click here to find offers on the iPod touch near you.

By Caroline Warnes

In the age of iPods and MP3 players, it’s a fair call to say that the humble radio has seen better days.

After all, if it’s continuous music play you’re after, the radio is sorely lacking, what with all the ads, chit-chat, not to mention poor music selection on many stations!

The Griffin iTrip is an excellent method of revamping your radio to play the music you want. It’s a wireless FM transmitter, which allows you to send the music from your iPod to the nearest radio or stereo and broadcast it to the world.

That means it can be used in your car, in your lounge room, even outside with a portable radio.

The wireless factor is a bonus too - there are other ways of connecting your iPod to a radio, however they often involve messy cables, which can be downright dangerous when you’re in the car.

Click here to find offers on the Griffin iTrip near you.

By Caroline Warnes

What’s in a name?

Well, for Apple it’s a very clever marketing exercise: the iPod classic is basically the fifth-generation iPod with a few small tweaks and a name that suggests it’s one for the ages.

The classic model comes in two sizes, 80GB and 160GB (the 30GB capacity of fifth-gen models is gone). Like its predecessor, each capacity comes in the two basic colours - black and silver - and the 80GB model is slightly slimmer than its big brother.

Aside from the capacity upgrade, other changes are minimal. Most obvious is the change from glossy to matte exterior, while in terms of features you’ll now find Cover Flow standard on all models, which allows you to “flick” through your record covers on-screen to select a track or album.

Apple also claims an upgraded battery life, rating it at 40 hours on the 160GB and 30 hours on the 80GB for audio playback.

Click here to find offers on Apple iPods near you.

By Caroline Warnes

The Belkin TuneCast 3 is a clever device known as an FM audio transmitter that allows you to listen to your iPod or MP3 player through any stereo.

It’s primarily intended to be used in cars - each Belkin TuneCast comes with a power adaptor for your car’s cigarette lighter and a special dock so you can mount the TuneCast 3 on your dashboard.

It’s not a complex device - it simply transmits your iPod or MP3 player through a set FM frequency. You can define two preset FM channels for your audio sources using the buttons on the front of the device.

The transmission range of the TuneCast 3 has improved over its previous iterations - you won’t find your signal dropping out as often. Belkin claims it has up to 20 hours of battery life, though in reality the figure is slightly less than that.

If you already own an FM transmitter and want to upgrade or want to bring your iPod into your car with a minimum fuss, the Belkin TuneCast 3 is one of the better options on the market.

Click here to find offers on Belkin products near you.

By Caroline Warnes