Now in they’re sixth year of existence, iPods can be seen virtually everywhere on college campuses. These portable music players come in a zillion colors with a variety of different memory capabilities. From the shuffle to the 5th generation iPod that can play videos along with your music, there is literally an iPod for every budget and every need. While we all like our music, iPods can also be a great convenience and study tool — yes, I did say study tool — for college students. Let’s look at why.

Although they started as basic music players, iPods today have many more capabilities that should be taken advantage of. The first feature that can be beneficial to students is the calendar feature. Sick of lugging your schedule book around with you to class? Your iPod might be the perfect solution. Along with synching your music play lists, you can also synch your calendar into your iPod. What could be easier than to look at your day while listening to music on your way to class? With this feature, you don’t have to stop what you’re doing to see where you’re supposed to be. Your schedule, literally, fits in your hand.

Another beneficial feature on iPods is the contacts feature. Like the schedule feature, you can upload your contacts directly into your iPod for easy access. Once again, having your contacts right at your fingertips saves you from having to stop what you’re doing to look through another device.

Another use of your iPod that can help you in college is uploading books on CD. Doing this allows you to listen to a book, be it for class or pleasure, while tromping around campus. To many, this probably seems like multi-tasking overload, but give it a try. You might be surprised at how much you absorb while walking between classes.

Now that we’ve looked at some beneficial features to the iPod, let’s look at some models:

1.The iPod Shuffle: There is no display on this model and it doesn’t have the contacts or scheduling features. You can, however, play books on CD. This model holds about 100 songs and retails for around $80.00 U.S.

2.The iPod Nano: This model has a color display and all the features talked about previously (contacts, calendar). It comes in a variety of colors and is super light weight. The battery life is long and you can get it with anywhere between 2 and 8 GB of storage (this translates to approximately 200 to 800 songs). This is the iPod I have and I absolutely love it. It retails for around $150.00 to $250.00 U.S.

3.The 5th Generation iPod: This model has a color display, can play videos, comes in a variety of colors, and has all the features listed above. This monster of an iPod can hold more than you can probably fill it with (60 GB memory) and retails for between $250.00 and $350.00 U.S.

iPods are more than a tool for recreation, they can also be used to make your life as a student easier. Try one out and see for yourself!