This was going to be a nice, simple overview of a few neat programs from Avanquest designed to get more out of your iPod Video until I was immersed into the depths of "sharing violation" hell.

It seems my computer doesn't want to have anything to do with the handy, dandy device because another piece of hardware won't let go of a driver it needs to work. Damn stingy if you ask me.

According to folks who know, the only way to resolve this problem is to disconnect your devices, one-by-one, rebooting the computer each time until you find the culprit. But I had a much simpler solution. I connected the iPod to another computer and it worked perfectly. So, take that, sharing violations!

This allowed me to test several new programs that will allow you to use your Video iPod to share much more than just music videos.

All of them published by Avanquest, they include: DVD2Pod ($29.95 developed by BVRP Software), iExtend ($29.95 developed by Memeo), PodPresenter ($29.95 developed by Thinkfree), The iPocket Bible ($39.95 developed by Lardian Electronic Publishing) and WebPod Studio ($49.95 developed by Lionhardt Technologies).

All of these programs are very easy to use and are designed to make many tasks easier, whether it's transferring a PowerPoint presentation or developing your own podcast. I was especially impressed with how easy it was to transfer DVD video to the iPod, enabling me to carry several of my favorite videos with me.

Here's a breakdown:

DVD2Pod:

• One-step video conversion from DVD (MPEG2) and AVI (DivX/XviD+MP3) to MPEG4, XviD, 3GP and H264 formats.
• One-step audio conversion from AC3, MPA, AAC and MP3 to MP3 and AAC formats.
• Seamless integration with Apple iTunes.
• Click and drag videos from your iTunes library to your iPod.
• Every step is wizard-based, making it easy to transfer your favorite videos, movies or TV shows.
• It supports MPEG1, MPEG2, VCD, SVCD, DivX, XviD, MPEG4 and DV(v2) video formats.

iExtend:

• Backs up just about any file to the iPod so you always have it with you, including email, calendar items, contact lists, videos, music, pictures, text files, spreadsheets and presentations.
• SmartPick will track and backup files automatically.
• It keeps track of changes in documents and automatically archives those files when your iPod is reconnected to your computer.
• You can keep track of multiple versions of a file to show changes in spreadsheets, documents, etc.

PodPresenter:

• Quickly installs on the iPod so it can run any presentation.
• Files can be updated by attaching the iPod to any computer.
• Uses the same file format as Microsoft PowerPoint, so you can create slides in a familiar environment.
• Includes more than 130 PowerPoint compatible drawings and AutoShapes, 17 animation effects and 40 transitions.
• Built-in templates make the task of creating your presentations easier.
• It has a full-features drawing module.

iPocket Bible:

• You can click and drag any book or chapter from iTunes to the iPod.
• You can select and listen to the entire New Living Translation of the Bible narrated by Mike Kellogg and accompanied by original music. Just select what you want to hear in iTunes and drag and drop it onto the iPod.
• You can sync text with audio, so you can listen and read it at the same time.
• It includes the Old and New Testaments.

WebPod Studio:

• Just plug in a camera and a microphone and you're ready to go. A studio director wizard walks you through the process of setting up your own podcast.
• Read scripts directly from a built-in teleprompter.
• You can preview your podcasts before you send them into cyberspace for the world to see.
• Users can browse and find your feed right from the iTunes Music Store.
• An RSS management wizard allows you to view, edit add and delete all feeds.
• You can auto ping blognews services so that everyone knows you're out there.

Information on these and other products published by Avanquest can be found at www.avanquestusa.com.

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