As Electronista reports, handheld media players have seen a slump in sales over the holiday season unlike virtually every other type of consumer electronics device on the market. The one exception? Apple's iPod.

The Personal Digital Assistant - PDA for short. They're all over the place. Palm, Pocket PC, Zaurus, etc. Perhaps you use one. Calendaring, contacts, notes, and a little media here and there. They help keep one's life in order.

Apple and the iPod / iPhone were the tech cool of the cool as the sun rose over the oceanside Outer Banks vacation cottage in which I woke this morning. At 10 AM Pacific, they just shattered the ceiling of awesomeness. Sophomoric terms to describe the new iPod lineup, but more elegant verbiage somehow just doesn't seem to capture it.

Additionally, the new iPod nano, which we touched on a few weeks back, is expected to gain much of the functionality of the current 5G iPod, including the ability to playback video on a higher resolution 320x240 pixel display. While remaining a flash-based product, the nano's storage capacities are expected to increase to a maximum of 12GB or 16GB.

Apple has quietly released a 1.1.5 firmware upgrade for the iPod Touch. The 1.1.5 firmware remains a free upgrade path for firmware 1.1.4 users who chose not to upgrade to 2.0.

A recently published patent application discovered by MacRumors reveals that Apple is investigating the use of solar power in versions of their mobile devices -- both handheld devices and portable computers. Integrating solar power into a mobile device holds the enormous potential of extending battery life significantly. However, successfully integrating solar panels into these small devices is not without its challenges.

Early Canadian iPod Owners Get $45 Credit from Apple

App Store Downloads Top 25 Million

US technology giant Apple has seen profits beat forecasts, but warned that current quarter profits would fail to meet analysts forecasts.

Another benefit of searching for your iPod at a discount shopping mall is you can hunt for online bargains. You might be surprised at how affordable on-sale electronics can be when you're shopping online. It's like having your own discount electronic store at your fingertips. There are amazing online bargains on items such as iPods, iPod videos, iPods with LCD monitors, iPod Nanos, digital cameras, MP3 players and other great electronic products. Some discount shopping malls will include items such as headphones, cables, adaptors and helpful software with your iPod. You may have to dig deep to find the online bargains, but they're well worth the effort! The better news relating to the MicroMemo is its adaptability. For example, you can unplug the device’s mic extension and insert another mic with 3.5mm jack or connect the iPod to a computer or device via the line-in input and record straight to the iPod.