Classic Hack

Note: The download link has been temporarily removed while PC World attempts to locate the vendor, whose former site has disappeared.

If you love your iPod Video but feel a pang of jealousy every time you see those glam iPod Classic interface, there's an easy cure: Give your iPod an interface makeover. Thanks to a pair of firmware hacks, your 5G or 5.5G iPod Video can gussy-up with Classic menus and icons.

The iPod Classic to iPod Video hack, for instance, brings the former's split-screen interface to the latter, with menu selections on the left and a mini Now Playing pane on the right. It also updates the main Now Playing screen to be more Classic-like. The iPod Touch to iPod Video hack makes even more dramatic changes, with lovely a Touch-style Now Playing screen and menu icons. You don't get Cover Flow, but you do get a very cool (and reversible) overhaul.

Download and unzip the hack, and then download the free iPodWizard utility, which makes it possible to load third-party firmware onto your iPod. If things go wrong or you don�t like the new interface, you can return to iPodWizard and click the Downgrade Firmware button to restore your iPod�s original firmware.

Note: This link takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the version of the software that's appropriate for your iPod.

--Rick Broida