The iPod is a deeply personal device. The music, contacts, calendars and notes you store on it reveal a lot about your personality. From playcounts to playlists, our iPods can tell others what we enjoy, how we think and even who we are. But if you truly want to transform your iPod into an engine of extreme personal expression, why not customise it?

Hacking your iPod - whether it’s modding the case, installing custom software, or tearing it up and doubling the memory - can transform the ubiquitous music and media player into something unique.

Note: You should be aware that trying any of these tricks carries the risk of ruining your device.

1. Penguin power

iPod Linux is the essential hack, table stakes for many of the other hacks you might want to try. It fully supports iPods in generations 1-3, and has been successfully installed on all others with a display. You should grab ‘Podzilla’, which will add a graphical interface to iPod Linux. There are multiple versions of Podzilla available from which to choose. Once installed, iPod Linux and Podzilla will let you boot your iPod to a barebones Linux mode. Furthermore, it will serve as the foundation for many other hacks.

2. Wikipedia on the go

Everyone loves Wikipedia. It’s free, user-built encyclopaedia with entries on more topics than Britannica. It’s a great information resource, but what if you’re away from your desk? Now, you can get it on your iPod and carry Wikipedia with you everywhere you go. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available for all models of iPods; nano and video users are left out for now, and since there’s no display on the iPod shuffle, there’s no point in installing Wikipedia. First, you will need to install iPod Linux.

3. Double your memory

Not content with the 4GB of memory on your iPod nano? Why not double it. First, you’ll need to buy a broken nano from eBay. Crack it open and remove the memory. Then open up your working nano, solder the memory chip from the broken nano to the empty pad in the working one, seal it back up, and perform a factory reset. You’ll now have a working nano with 7.2GB of space.

4. Mobile movies on the go

Transfer movies on DVDs to your iPod easily and free using a free software (HandBrake) available for both Mac and Windows. Be warned though: unless you use an analogue capture method, it’s illegal to rip DVDs you own onto your iPod.

For Mac (and Linux) users, get a free copy of HandBrake. Handbrake is already available as a Universal binary - good news for those who have a new MacBook, Mac mini, or imac - and can rip video from DVD directly to MPEG-4 video, the format you’ll need to watch it on your iPod. Windows users need to make a few extra steps. Get a DVD ripping program such as DVDFab Decrypter or DVD Decrypter. Convert your video to AVI using a decoding tool. Finally, convert the AVI file into MPEG-4 video that can play on your iPod using Videora iPod Converter.

5. iPod to TV

Want to watch content from your iPod on your TV? You can easily do so by purchasing a

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Podcasting — Radio on your MP3 player

Podcasting is the latest buzzword in the computer world. It refers to radio style MP3 recordings that are available for download from web sites. It seems like almost everybody is involved in podcasting. Radio wannabes have at last found their niche — there are podcasts on every subject under the sun.

Podcasts can be listened to using any kind of audio software that is installed on your computer, or they can be transferred to an MP3 player. There’s no need to use the Apple iPod MP3 player — the “pod” in podcasting refers to iPod but has no connection to that particular player.

The Apple iTunes software, though, can be used to synchronize your podcasts automatically. Simply plug your iPod into the USB port of the computer and any new podcasts will be transferred to the player.

But how do you find podcasts? How are they downloaded?

There are many websites that have directories of podcasts. You can search for podcasts by subject or region. After finding a few that look appealing you can subscribe to them using an RSS feed. RSS is a syndication format which allows you to automatically receive content that you have subscribed to. RSS is used on many types of web sites — you can subscribe to everything from the latest news and weather to shopping information.

Once you have subscribed to an RSS feed the content is downloaded automatically so that you can view it any time. The same thing with podcasting — new podcasts are downloaded to your computer so that you can listen to them at your convenience.

People have an Apple iPod MP3 player are not the only ones who can synchronize their podcasts. Software is available which allows you to synchronize content with any type of MP3 player. It works the same as Apple’s iTunes — just plug the MP3 player into the USB port and new content is automatically downloaded.

Want to get into podcasting yourself? All you need is a web site and a microphone. Simply record your radio shows and upload them to your web site in MP3 format. Add an RSS feed and you too can participate in the exciting world of podcasting!

Hans is a home entertainment enthusiast and author of the http://www.selected-audio-reviews.com/ and the Audio How To Section

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