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Since the release of the iPod, the market has flooded with accessories ranging from the mundane to the radical. All are meant to further incorporate the tiny device into another aspect of daily life. Many of these add-ons are innovative solutions for common problems. Others are just gimmicks targeting consumers with a taste for silly novelty items. The iBreath, for example, is an accessory for the iPod that allows you to transmit your music on an FM radio frequency as well as test yourself or others for intoxication.

First eight-track players slid off into history. Then that unruly stack of cassette tapes disappeared from glove compartments. Now, car-stereo makers are marketing units that threaten to boot compact discs into the auto audio graveyard. Last Wednesday, Blaupunkt announced it's shipping a second-generation, $160 stereo and AM/FM radio that ditches the CD player in favor of ports for other digital music technologies including Apple iPods and other MP3 players, thumb drives or other USB devices or SD memory cards.

I have written a lot about the Apple TV. I've written about updates, I've pointed to stories and reviews, and I've discussed the compression issues related to getting HD content into the customer's Apple TV via the Internet. All along the way, I've resisted buying one for several reasons. I didn't think much of the content selection, I was trying to avoid another "buy the box then pay for the content" syndrome, and finally, I was using an iPod nano 3G to physically move content from my Mac to my HD TV system's A/V receiver input, and that seemed good enough.

Apple says it is taking its wireless technology up another notch with its unveiling of the next-generation AirPort Express. The updated AirPort Express -- which retails for $99 -- has 802.11n wireless technology and is five times more powerful than the previous model, the company says. The new AirPort Express also has Apple's AirTunes application, which enables users to stream iTunes music via computer from room to room. It has audio jacks for connection to a sound system or speakers. iTunes finds any remote speakers and helps the user select them from a pop-up list.

Apple says it is taking its wireless technology up another notch with its unveiling of the next-generation AirPort Express. The updated AirPort Express -- which retails for $99 -- has 802.11n wireless technology and is five times more powerful than the previous model, the company says. The new AirPort Express also has Apple's AirTunes application, which enables users to stream iTunes music via computer from room to room. It has audio jacks for connection to a sound system or speakers. iTunes finds any remote speakers and helps the user select them from a pop-up list.

Apple says it is taking its wireless technology up another notch with its unveiling of the next-generation AirPort Express. The updated AirPort Express -- which retails for $99 -- has 802.11n wireless technology and is five times more powerful than the previous model, the company says. The new AirPort Express also has Apple's AirTunes application, which enables users to stream iTunes music via computer from room to room. It has audio jacks for connection to a sound system or speakers. iTunes finds any remote speakers and helps the user select them from a pop-up list.

Back in August of 2006, I reported on Apple's upcoming OS X 10.5 or "Leopard" operating system and specifically wrote about its Time Machine backup feature. Time Machine automatically backs up everything on your hard drive. When I say "automatically," that means it backs up everything without you having to do anything at all. All you have to do is to plug in or assign a connected hard drive to be used as the receptacle into which all the backing up will be contained. At the recent Macworld convention, Apple introduced the Time Capsule.

As even Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs admits, the "digital living room" has been a tough nut to crack. "All of us have tried: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, TiVo, Vudu, Netflix, Blockbuster," Jobs said at the Macworld conference Jan. 15. "We've all missed. No one's succeeded yet." The notion is intriguing: finding a way to move video from the Web and from the PCs in consumers' home offices to the big-screen TVs and home entertainment centers in their living rooms.

Dock it, charge it and play it. That's the idea behind the endless number of iPod speaker systems on the market today. Who can say which is best? It depends on where you use it, how loud you want it and the kind of sound you like. Is it for the home or office? The iCube, for example, is a good choice for solo listening, though it wouldn't cut it at a party. Much larger speakers can be found at mStation, just make sure you have room. Then there are always the various iPod alarm clock selections, which will wake you to the song of your choice.