Free iPodlounge Buyers� Guide 2004 debuts online

iPodlounge has announced the immediate global distribution of the first-ever holiday buyers’ guide to iPods and iPod accessories. The 80-plus page publication iPodlounge Buyers’ Guide 2004 is now available for free download by all of iPodlounge’s 1.2 million readers.

The iPodlounge Buyers’ Guide 2004 is an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) magazine version of the popular iPodlounge website, http://www.ipodlounge.com , the acclaimed iPod user community named one of Time Magazine’s 50 Best Websites earlier this year.

“The iPodlounge Buyers� Guide 2004 is the year�s definitive buying tool for iPod lovers and soon-to-be iPod lovers,” said Jeremy Horwitz, Senior Editor of iPodlounge.com and Editor-in-Chief of the Guide in the press release. “It includes the world’s first review of Apple’s new iPod Photo, and concise summaries of over 200 iPod reviews we�ve authored since the 2001 release of the iPod. In one fast download, our Buyers’ Guide gives readers everything they need to shop for the holidays with confidence.”

iPodlounge�s web site reaches 1.2 million readers from North America to the South Pole per month, all of whom will have immediate free access to the Buyers’ Guide 2004 through two distribution channels: direct download and peer-to-peer file sharing networks. Like the iPodlounge web site, the Buyers’ Guide is advertiser-supported. “We wanted to give our readers a gift,” said Dennis Lloyd, Publisher of iPodlounge.com and the iPodlounge Buyers’ Guide 2004. “Since we used the widely-adopted PDF format, no purchase or proprietary software is necessary to get a complete magazine from us. And by making the Guide available to the world for free, iPodlounge builds on its outstanding reputation for providing the global iPod community with timely reviews, news, and how-to’s without cost.”

iPodlounge has covered the iPod since its quiet release in 2001. “Three years ago, when I founded iPodlounge, I never could have imagined how huge our community would become,” said Lloyd. �I knew a great thing back then when I saw it, and even when there used to be naysayers and competitors, I dedicated the site and my time to only the iPod platform. That’s why iPodlounge today remains Google’s number one-ranked independent iPod site.”

The Buyers’ Guide, which features 77 editorial pages, includes over 40 pages spotlighting the spectacular array of iPods and accessories sold in 2004, and more than 30 pages of content relating to use and enjoyment of the iPodlounge.com web site. Among the Guide�s highlights are:

The world’s first review of Apple’s new color iPod, the iPod Photo, including definitive conclusions and buying tips from iPodlounge’s experts.

Exclusive photos and information from the launch event of Apple’s iPod U2 Special Edition, with on-the-scene reporting from iPodlounge staff.

The announcement of six iPodlounge awards to best-of-class iPods and accessories, including Car Accessory of the Year, Innovation of the Year, Best iPod Case, Best iPod Mini Case, Best iPod, and overall Accessory of the Year.

Easy one-page How-To guides (iPod 101 and iPod 201), helpful information, and free download links to enable new iPod owners to convert incompatible music files for iPod use, and by heavy reader demand, transfer files from their iPod back to their computers.

Breathtaking photos from iPodlounge’s world-renowned photo galleries, including iPods Around the World, which have been reprinted with permission in domestic and international publications including The Guardian (U.K.), Vogue Italy, Wired, and Japan�s Print Club.

An updated version of iPodlounge.com�s respected feature, “A Brief History of iPod,” including fascinating trivia and milestones. And the first results of two iPodlounge contests, co-sponsored with celebrity earphone designer Ultimate Ears: Create the Buyers� Guide 2004 Cover and Rhyme Your Way to New Earphones, with $2,000 in awarded prizes.

The iPodlounge Buyers� Guide 2004 is available now for download at http://www.ipodlounge.com/