You got an iPod for Christmas, now you need to set aside some—ok, a lot—of time to fill it. Don’t quit your day job; get iLoad to do your dirty downloading work.

iLoad looks like a little hard drive, and loads CDs to your iPod without a computer, Web connection or iTunes. You still have to add your CDs one at a time, but it boasts a high-speed transfer.

The downside: It can’t help you for Web-bought transfers, the unit costs as much as an iPod—and you can’t watch (or transfer) “Lost” on it. It doesn’t work on video at all, although for you can do that with the iLoad+ for an extra $129.

The iLoad site has demos and commercials. What it doesn’t have is a release date. Apparently if you order now, you will receive the unit within 30 days. 

• $299
• Available in January
• Transfer time: 8 minutes per CD
• Recording rate: 128K (default)
• Includes 2.5mm audio output jack
• iLoad+ works on video ($129, available in February)

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.