Recently, I was finally was able to purchase a real iPod, so I got an Apple 80GB iPod Video in Black.

I never really thought 80GB of space was very large in an iPod but let me tell you, it is a lot of space. I was able to drop my entire CD music collection on the iPod and did not even hit 100MB. I have a long way to go.

One thing I have been really discovering is the world of video Podcasts. The first video Podcasts I downloaded was Photoshop TV. These guys are great and since I am a long time user of Photoshop, this topic is definitely relevant.

The other really cool thing was to allow me to store more audio Podcasts. So now, I can keep a better list of my favorite Podcasts, Shoemoney, Webmaster Radio, etc..

As my technical curiosity go the best of me, I when up to Apple and checked out the specs on my new device. I decided to post some of the more relevant specs here.

Size and weight (80GB)
Height: 4.1 inches
Width: 2.4 inches
Depth: 0.55 inch
Weight: 5.5 ounces

In the box
iPod
Earphones
USB 2.0 cable
Dock adapter for use with Universal Dock
Case
Quick Start guide

Capacity
30GB or 80GB hard drive1
Holds up to 20,000 songs (80GB) in 128-Kbps AAC format2
Holds up to 25,000 iPod-viewable photos3
Holds up to 100 hours (80GB) of video4
Stores data via USB hard drive

Display
2.5-inch (diagonal) QVGA transflective, over 65,000-color liquid crystal display with white LED backlight
320 by 240 pixel resolution, .156-mm dot pitch
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit

Video
Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Headphones
Earphones
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms

Windows system requirements
PC with USB 2.0
Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later, or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
iTunes 7 or later5

Environmental requirements
Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Input and output
iPod
Dock connector
3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack

iPod Universal Dock
Dock connector
Audio and composite video output
S-video output

Power and battery6
Built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery
Playback time (80GB model)
Music playback time: Up to 20 hours when fully charged
Photo slideshow with music viewing time: Up to 6 hours when fully charged
Video playback time: Up to 6.5 hours when fully charged
Charging via USB or FireWire to computer system or power adapter (sold separately)
Fast-charge time: about 2 hours (charges up to 80% of battery capacity)
Full-charge time: about 4 hours

I really love my new iPod. I would recommend this model to anyone who seriously demands a lot out of a media device.

Stay tuned, as with every new technical toy you need iPod accessories. I will post my reviews about the iPod accessories I have purchased.