Man, we’re so ahead of the times here. I mean, it was like years
ago that we were extolling the virtues of the iPod as a carry-along travel companion, a device that can help uplift
your spirits as you plug into the new Pearl Jam album, or, perhaps better yet, provide you with audio walking tours of
places you visit. I’ve sampled many different audio products since I got my fourth generation iPod about a year ago
(this, after handing over my bulky first generation iPod to my wife). And I have to say, the results are mixed. First
of all, as a subscriber to audible.com since the early days, I still download my monthly book and keep up my
subscription to the audio version of Charlie Rose. But I have also tried products like Soundwalk, who sells audio tours
of neighborhoods in Manhattan as well as other cities like Paris and, if you can believe it, Varanasi, India. So I’m a
big fan of these audio tours, and as I mentioned yesterday, looks like Rick Steves is getting into the game as well.
Everyone is
dong it. In fact, you should take a look at our podcasts, and
download a few for your listening pleasure. And if you want to learn even more than we just told you, go and check out
this article over at
National Geographic Traveler that Neil mentioned a while back, and that provides a quick rundown of ways travelers
can use their iPods or other MP3 players while on the road.