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.

I have recently been inundated with questions about using an iPod (or iPhone) with Linux. I have written about Rockbox and how to "Open Source" your iPod, but for the average user, that is not a viable option (Firmware? Do what????). So instead I am going to introduce you to an application that, in my opinion, is much better than the original (the original being iTunes.) Gtkpod is a GTK application that allows the user to sync their iPod with Linux. Gtkpod supports first through fifth generation iPods and does, pretty much, everything iTunes does. So let's first take a look at the features. Gtkpod can:

Apple has offered no official explanation as to why the 5G is left out; however, they did confirm that it is not compatible with iTunes video rentals.

The first iPod software update has just been released by Apple for the new iPod line. It tackles many of the performance-related issues that have been noted since its release.

A teardown analysis of the component costs by market research firm iSuppli indicates that these latest nanos boast the widest margins yet, despite the addition of a video screen.

For those iPod fans out there, a "complete revamp" of the iPod product line has been announced. After more than a week of intense industrial speculation, the details are finally out.

Combining the touch-screen interface coolness factor of the iPhone with the simplicity and convenience of the iPod Shuffle, the Apple iPod Touch gives you a dynamic combination in a mobile device - a music player that can surf the Internet using a standard WiFi connection.