iPod Is A DJ

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The life of a superstar DJ sounds like one endless party. You get to travel the world, perform for thousands of scantily clad ravers, and earn a stack of money — all for playing other people's songs. But there are downsides. Have you ever felt the weight of a DJ's record box? The back pain from lifting those crates every night must be unbearable.

But thanks to Numark, a leading producer of DJ technology, those aches could soon be history. The company has launched the iDJ, a gadget that allows you to mix tracks from two iPods. So while a record box can carry around 100 pieces of vinyl, with two 60-GB iPods you can choose your set from a library of 30,000 songs. And you don't have to be a master of the dance floor like Fatboy Slim to use the iDJ. Simply slot your iPods into the two docking ports — which also act as chargers — and use the iDJ's controls to navigate your way through the iPods' menus. Once you've selected the tracks you want to play, you can use the system's cross fader to blend songs — although, as you're using MP3s, you won't be able to scratch like a hip-hop DJ.

The iDJ also comes with a recording output, which means you can copy your mix onto a computer and then upload it onto the Internet as a podcast. The console costs around $400 and is compatible with standard iPods, iPod Minis and, with an adapter, the Nano, the superslim new addition to the Apple family. Being a DJ suddenly doesn't sound so backbreaking. www.numark.com.