Cary Company Works On Other Uses For iPods

CARY, N.C. -- It's estimated Apple computers has sold 42 million Apple iPods. A local company is trying to capitalize on the craze by turning the hugely popular devices into a means of accessing the Internet, checking e-mail and much more.

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"We've come up with a simple way for people to use the disk space that's on their iPod to do other things," said Jeff LeRose, of Research Triangle Software.

For example, many people already use USB flash drives for portable storage of files and other personal information as an alternative to storing items on a computer's hard drive. Now, Research Triangle Software has tweaked its software designed for certain applications to run on the iPod.

"When you plug an iPod into a computer, it really looks like, to the computer, a removable disk drive," LeRose said.

The software allows users to carry a lot more than just their files on their iPods.

"So now, you have college students, that previously were using it just to carry their music will be able to carry around their e-mail, they'll be able to do Internet browsing using the iPod where all the cookies and favorites go to the iPods," LeRose said.

LeRose admits he probably is not the only one with the idea, but he hopes he has hit the jackpot.

"This could be very big. Obviously, hope springs eternal all the time," he said.

LeRose thinks it will also be a big hit with business executives since it allows for encrypting information stored on the iPod. If it is lost, no one else can see the information.

Reporter: Valonda Calloway
Photographer: Robert Meikle
Web Editor: Kamal Wallace

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