Here is the complete article with a little bit more information...
the picture IPOD will have a video output so you can plug it into a
TV source and view the pics on a screen bigger than 2 inches...
there is no word whether the new IPOD's will be able to play video
or not but I can imagine that if it has a video output then there is
no reason why it couldn't (or shouldn't)... - tig
October 8, 2004 - After three years of being synonymous
with "digital music player," Apple's iPod will widen its horizons
and gain photo-viewing capabilities within the next 30 to 60 days,
highly reliable sources tell Think Secret.
The new iPod, which will sit at the top of Apple's fourth-generation
line-up, will pack Toshiba's new 60GB 1.8-inch hard drive, a 2-inch
color liquid crystal display, iPhoto synchronization, audio/video-
out capabilities, and will sell for $499.
The new iPod is currently in production in Asia after delays from
Toshiba in delivering its new 60GB drive hampered a planned early-
September ramp up. Sources confirm Toshiba started shipping the
drive to Apple in mid-September and iPod manufacturer Inventec began
building the new device in the last two weeks.
The new iPod's form factor will be identical to the existing 4G
iPods, sources report, but will be two millimeters thicker than the
current 40GB iPod and marginally heavier.
The 2-inch color screen is identical in size to other iPods, but
will sport a higher resolution for photo viewing. However, the new
device's real shining feature will be its video-out port, which will
enable users to tote their photo galleries with them, ready to be
plugged into any television for big-screen viewing.
The 60GB iPod will feature only rudimentary built-in software for
viewing photos, with no editing tools, sources say. Photo albums
will be navigated in a similar fashion to music playlists, and a
slideshow feature will provide transitions with user-specified
background music, similar to iPhoto. Synchronizing features similar
to iTunes will also be added to iPhoto.
The new iPod won't feature built-in flash memory stick slots for
downloading photos from digital cameras, although such a feature
will presumably be able to be employed through Belkin's $99 Media
Reader.
Sources indicate that Apple will market the new photo iPod as being
capable of storing 20,000 music tracks and 25,000 photos. As an
added bonus for music fans, album artwork will be displayed on
screen when it's available for a selected track.
Rumors of a 60GB iPod first surfaced in June, when Toshiba said that
it was in the process of developing a 60GB drive and, much to the
ire of Apple, confirmed that the iPod maker had already committed to
buying it in quantity.
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as you mentioned the compact flash memory, it is just starting to hold more and more storage with new technology... pretty soon you will be able to have 5, 10, 20GB flash memory sticks... the possibilities are endless... by taking bits of tech from several different gadgets it is a no brainer to be able to create a very credible karaoke storage and player in the palm of your hand... a few A/V input/outputs and you can rip, record and share without needing a PC of any kind... the rumor is that Apple is hoping to have the Picture Ipods out by christmas- and as Lonman pointed out these will be able to hook up to a TV and give a picture slideshow from data stored on the Ipod... the CDG file that goes along with the mp3 file to make an mp3+g track is not much more than a graphical data track and I would think the leap to playing these thru the same interface would not be rocket science... now since the software seems to already exists to play cdg files on pocket PC's it is even an easier jump to adding this function to a PVP or PMP... 60GB Ipods are around the corner and around the next corner will be 80GB PMP/PVP and around the next corner will be even larger storage abilities for PMP/PVP gadgets... man I love technology...-tig