With new iPods out in force, how do you judge if it’s time for you to upgrade your current model, buy new or which one to give as a gift this upcoming holiday season? Hopefully we’ll be able to help you with all of those questions.

The new iPods for 2009 were announced yesterday, and while there weren’t a tremendous amount of upgrades to the overall line, it can still be difficult to pick one out.  Our first recommendation would be to go back and read our post from last year, How To Choose An iPod, as all of the questions it asks are still relevant.  After you read that, come back here and we’ll get down to the nitty gritty of this year’s models and what we recommend for each.

-sips coffee while he waits for you to read the other article-

Done reading the other article?  Good, here we go!

iPod Shuffle

The iPod Shuffle is a bit of an odd duck in the iPod family of devices because it is the only one to feature actual buttons on the body of it. All the controls are operated from the headphones, and you have no way of seeing what songs are next and so on. While it is certainly the “kiddie” version of an iPod, it would be a good choice for someone who is rough on devices, young children, good for the gym due to potential accidents with weights and so on. For anyone over the age of 12, in general we would recommend a different model as the Shuffle is just too small for most people’s purposes.

Should I upgrade if I have an older model? I wouldn’t bother, nothing has really changed, and if you have a Shuffle with buttons, I would be reluctant to give it up.  If you have an older Shuffle, and you do have a hankering to buy a new player, I would highly recommend moving on to a completely different iPod unless you have really serious reasons to have a Shuffle.

iPod Nano

The iPod Nano got the most serious upgrades this year, and become a better all around solution for your casual music listner, and is also sure to be a hit with teens this year due to the addition of the camera.

Holding either 8GB or 16GB of media, the Nano is a great choice for those with a decent sized music collection of music, and the wherewithal to actually sort out what songs they want to take with them when they leave the house or office.

With the additions of the built-in video camera, pedometer, FM tuner, microphone & speaker and other new items, the Nano has quickly become a whole lot more than a music player.  Due to its small physical size, the Nano fits so many scenarios such as travelling, being carried in a purse, strapped to your arm in the gym, slipping in your pocket and a whole lore more.

Should I upgrade if I have an older model? I would say this would be tempting this year just due to the addition of the camera.  The size of the camera lens troubles me some, but if you just want to shoot party videos or the like, this thing is perfect!  You can entertain the party AND photograph it at the same time.  I would recommend to anyone who buys a Nano this year go for the 16GB version, though.  The 8GB version costs $149, and the 16GB is only $30 more at $179.  Not springing for the bigger one could be a decision you very, very quickly regret, especially with the video function in the mix now.

iPod Classic

The Classic is the work horse of the iPod family.  Sure it can play videos and display photos, it’s number one job is playing music, and lots of it.

The Classic is the only iPod to retain the original form factor of the popular device, and it hasn’t changed in quite a while now except to get thinner and bigger hard drive.  That is the other thing about the Classic, it is the only iPod to still run on a physical hard drive as opposed to flash memory like all of the other members of its little family.

While the Classic first had a 160GB hard drive in 2007, it fell back in size to 120GB in 2008 to keep its thickness down.  Well, this year it is back to 160GB while retaining the 120GB price of $249.

This iPod is only for people with giant music collections and no desire to sort what they take with them while on the go.  (-cough- guilty, party of one over here)

Should I upgrade if I have an older model? Only if you’re older one is broken, otherwise there is about zero reason to buy this year’s model.

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch was introduced in 2007, and since then it just hasn’t changed that much.

Introduced as a simpler version of the iPhone (or simply an iPhone for people who didn’t want to deal with AT&T), the fancy iPod just isn’t getting updated like other members of the family over the years.  In 2008 the Touch received an external speaker, a memory bump and physical volume buttons.  This year it received an increase in processor speed and an increase in the memory capacity.  Why it didn’t receive a camera is a mystery, but there was no sign of it in the newest information.  (some rumors say there were technical problems, but that has still yet to be confirmed, and doubtful it ever will be as Apple is a very secretive company.)

This particular iPod fits in perfectly with college students who have frequent access to Wi-Fi, and is also great dor business users who want some of the benefits of the iPhone while not giving up their current phone.

Should I upgrade if I have an older model? I wouldn’t.  If you have a first generation (2007), maybe consider it, but if you have a second generation (2008), it is really pointless to do so.  Here’s hoping something significant will happen next year with this product.

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, finally came back to the spotlight today after his medical leave that resulted in him receiving a live transplant.  Far be it from Steve to return empty handed though, as he also brought along a complete iPod line update for the 2009 holiday season.

iPod Shuffle

The iPod Shuffle is considered the entry level device, and as such, it rarely gets many updates. Last year it went to its current buttonless format, and nothing has changed about that this year.  The only difference is that there will be more headphone options available for it now that will include the built-in controls like those found on the currently included earbuds.

• $59 for 2GB
• $79 for a 4GB
• $99 for a a silver special edition 4GB
• Getting more headphone options this year

iPod Nano

The iPod Nano was the big surprise this year with it receiving the most updates by far.

While it has been heavily rumored that the iPod Touch would receive a camera this year, it was actually the Nano that was bestowed with that particular gift.  For a “mid-range” device, it was surprising to see it full video shooting capabilities.

• $149 for 8GB
• $179 for 16GB
• New video camera
• Now with an FM tuner
• Built-in pedometer
• Built-in microphone and speaker

iPod Classic

The Classic is the last iPod to still use a physical hard drive, and that had led many to believe that this particular model was doomed to not be produced this year.

Well, it still got produced, but the only thing to happen to it was that it increased from 120GB to 160GB, but retained the price of $249.

There is something to be said for the Classic and people that have enermous music collections (i.e. me).  Some of us don’t want to have to pick and choose what music we carry with us because it is such a subjective thing.  Your modds change, and with your moods, so does your choice in music.  I personally hope we will continue to see the Classic for some time, but my gut tells me that it is going away within the next 2 years for sure.

iPod Touch

This was probably the biggest let down of the day.

The iPod Touch had been heavily rumored to receive possible a camera and a microphone, but in the end it received neither of these things.  The only things that did end up happening with this particular model was that it received increases in processor speed and bumps to its memory capacity.

There have been some rumors that Apple had problems getting the cameras to work in the Touch, but that seems hard to believe since that would have meant a quick retooling of the bodies.

• $199 for 8GB
• $299 for 32GB
• $399 for 64GB
• Faster processor upping the speed by 50 percent

We’ll be back with our annual How To Choose An iPod guide tomorrow so you know which one, if any, is right for you this year!

What do you get when the biggest games company in the world teams up with the biggest Internet company? You get Monopoly City Streets.

Hasbro, one of the biggest toy manufacturers in the world, and Google have teamed up for a new version of the classic game of Monopoly.  Using Google Maps, you will be able to play Monopoly in a global version that merges the game with the world that Google has created with its mapping service.

What this means is that you will play Monopoly on an overlay of the actual planet Earth where you can purchase properties all across the planet and then start building various objects on them from houses to sports stadiums.  If someone beats you to a property you want, you can make an offer to buy it from them, and if they do not respond within seven days, the transaction will go through by default.

You can follow the development of the game on the official blog, and as a total Monopoly nut, you better believe I will be playin coming September 9th when the game launches!

Could it be time to say good-bye to the classic click wheel style iPod? At least one person thinks so.

The iPod Classic is the last iPod to retain the original form factor, and it is also the last one to use a physical hard drive. In 2007 the iPod Classic went up to a 160 GB at its highest capacity, but at the 2008 iPod event, the largest size dropped down to 120 GB, and that seemed to be the first indication that the hard drive based iPods were probably on their last legs.

Well, Marco.org is playing arm-chair quarterback leading up to the iPod event this coming Wednesday, and the article makes some compelling arguments for why the Classic is probably already dead.  Sadly the biggest argument is that there just aren’t enough people who need that much space on their iPod any more…

-cough-

As someone who carries a 160 GB iPod Classic, I would argue that point!

I do see their point, and they say the big push is now going to be towards the iPod Touch being the main part of the product line, but I see some real problems with that.  Ignoring the whole space issue, there is the navigation problem with the device.  The click wheel is simple and always ready for commands, but with the Touch you need to start it up, unlock the screen, navigate to where you need to be, etc.  This is going to be a lot tougher when using it in the gym, while walking or especially while driving.

The Classic may be on its way out, but there is something to be said for simple navigation devices, and for that reason I will miss the Classic.

If your blog gets hacked, who do you point the finger at as the culprit for this pain?

Yesterday we wrote up about how if your WordPress blog was not running version 2.8.4 that you needed to upgrade immediately to patch a security hole that was being exploited by hackers in all older versions of the software.  While most people headed the warning and did the upgrade, unless they had already done so as 2.8.4 had been out for a little while, there were still some holdouts who did not heed the warning.

Robert Scoble, a well-known blogger and video host, was one of those people who not only failed to upgrade, but decided to blame every one but himself for the hackers getting in.  In a blog post entitled “I don’t feel safe with WordPress, hackers broke in and took things“, Mr. Scoble admits that he had not updated his blog since one of the minor updates to version 2.7, and also admitted he had not backed up his blog data, so he lost two months worth of posts that the hackers deleted it.

Mr. Scoble goes on about how he no longer feels safe using his WordPress blog, but he will soldier on, but he feels violated like when his childhood home was broken in to.

I don’t normally use this site as a soap box, but this time I feel I must:

As you can see from the above image, WordPress makes it very obvious every time the software requires upgrading. While upgrading used to be a pain in the backside, the system is now fully automated and all you must due is click one button to have your software updated inside of just a few minutes.  There is really no excuse any more to have not updated, and especially if you hadn’t done since 2.7.x.  Notifications go out just about everywhere when it is a serious security fix, so those people who claim they didn’t know they needed to do it are also full of BS.

The rule here is always upgrade your blog and keep a backup on hand, and if you fail to do those things, then don’t cast disparaging remarks towards the software for not doing its job when you were the one who chose not to update.

If you are running a self-hosted copy of WordPress, and you have not yet upgraded to version 2.8.4 of the software, you need to do so immediately.

According to Lorelle on WordPress, a site dedicated to all things WordPress, it has been discovered that hackers have discovered a way to enter all versions of WordPress prior to version 2.8.4 and gain control of the site’s database and create a fake administrator account that will allow the hackers to totally take control of your site.

If you have a WordPress blog upgraded recently, there is an automatic way to upgrade your site right from within the admin section.  Older blogs will need to be updated via FTP file transfer, or by using SimpleScripts or Fantastico provided by your web host.  Some people hesitate to upgrade their copies of WordPress due to it potentially breaking their theme, or killing off a favorite plugin, but this attack is serious enough that all of those concerns should be ignored immediately.

Again, we can not stress this enough, do not delay doing this upgrade, this threat is serious enough that it should be your number one priority for today.

It’s been almost four years since the Xbox 360 first launched to the public, and yet there are still units out there failing.

Every owner of an Xbox 360 fears the well-known “Red Ring of Death” (RRoD) which leads to them having to ship their unit back.  While the number of failed units was once as high as 50 percent in the first two year’s of a system’s life-cycle.

Well, good news everyone, Information Week is reporting that the number of failed systems has dropped to a mere 23.7 percent of systems in first two years of life!  HUZZAH!

All kidding aside, this rate is still too high, and you have to wonder why it is that Microsoft still hasn’t come up with a way to solve this problem.  This statistic unfortunately makes the Xbox 360 the most unreliable of the current systems on the market, but that of course doesn’t stop it from still selling in huge numbers.

While it is unlikely that the high failure rate will deter anyone from buying one of these systems, it still wouldn’t hurt for you to make sure you are very familiar with your warranty information from Microsoft and keep it somewhere where you can get to it.

If Google gets its way, you may soon be watching recently released DVDs on YouTube … but it would be for a fee.

YouTube, the undisputed king of online video, is supposedly in talks with major Hollywood studios like Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Sony Corp., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Warner Bros. about streaming recently released DVDs on the Google owned site.

According to The Wall Street Journal (registration required), the talks with the studios are pretty far along, and, if finalized, you could see movies show up on YouTube the same day as they would appear on DVD and Blu-ray.  While YouTube is best known for being the home of free videos, the majority of the movies would be offered on a rental basis, but a small percentage of them could be shown with advertisement support to pay the royalties for the showing.  While Hulu, which is quickly climbing the video site rankings, has been showing full-length movies for some time now, they are not current releases.

Hollywood has seen DVD sale revenues going in to steep decline over the past few years, so the studios are desperate to find new revenue streams to make up for those lost sales.  While I’m not sure YouTube would be my first choice for a way to view a movie, it would certainly be better for most than having to have a monthly subscription to Netflix or going out and just purchasing a copy of the movie.

Currently it is expected that 10,000 Google employees will run the new service through its paces for a period of three months prior to it being released to the public.  The test had originally be scheduled for the beginning of September, but that date has now been pushed back due to the length of time the negotiations with the studios has taken.

It’s amazing how time flies! Here are the top stories from August that you may still find interesting.

Yes Virginia, Social Media Can Cost You Your Job – Complain about your boss on Facebook while he is a friend and can see it … good way to get yourself fired.

TomTom GPS Launches For The iPhone For Outrageous Price – One of the only posts ever on StarterTech to generate argumentative comments, but I still stand by what I said.

Now Is Not The Time To Buy An iPod – The day after I posted this, a follower on my personal Twitter account announced that he had just bought an iPod Touch … I got him to return it.

Yahoo Helps You Measure Your Twitter Mojo – For whatever reason, Yahoo wants to let you know how you stand up against other Twitter users, but it seemed to interest people.

Starbucks Embraces Its Wi-Fi Users – While other coffee shops are kicking out Wi-Fi users, Starbucks is embracing them.

Got some spare time? Why not make money running an errand for someone else?

While many other news sources have focused on how the RunMyErrand site will allow you to pay people to do your errands for you, what about those people who sign up to run the errands?

The basic concept is simple enough: You have dry cleaning to pick up, but no time to do it, so you hire a “runner” from RunMyErrand to do it for you.  It doesn’t get much simpler than that, and you get your errands accomplished for typically between $7 and $15.

Well the errand runners are where this gets interesting.  You set up your runner account telling them about yourself such as when you are available, which ways you would like to run the errands, how you would like to receive the notifications, if you would be willing to submit to a background check and more.  One nice thing is you will have the chance to negotiate the price if you feel the offer is too low before you accept the errand, so you aren’t necessarily locked in to a low offer.

So far the service is only available in Boston, but is expected to roll out to 14 major cities around the United States in the not too distant future.  Honestly, I just returned from a vacation in Boston, and I think this may be the perfect city to test this in.  If you are in Boston proper, you can walk or bike just about anywhere, so picking up a few extra dollars running an errand for someone else isn’t that bad of an idea.  And on the flip side, as someone who is always busy, I’d be sorely tempted to hire people to run some errands for me.