And to no one's surprise ... the black iPod

The worst-kept secret is fully out ... U2 have got into bed with Apple (again) to endorse the U2 iPod, in natty black with a red scroll wheel and with the band's signatures engraved on the back. The black I can handle, the autographs are definitely naff.

Available in mid-November for about €390 (that's €50 more than the current and otherwise identical 20GB model), you won't, as predicted, get the new album thrown in for good measure. But, at least in the US, you will get a coupon for $50 off a new digital box set of U2's music, which will include at least some songs from the forthcoming How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Feast your eyes here.

If the BonoPod does not whet your appetite, there's always the new colour-screen version, the iPod Photo, which can display your photos as well as album art. The €550/€660 newbie comes in 40GB and 60GB flavours and, hallelejah, promises 15 hours' battery life. The extra juice is unquestionably down to a bigger battery, which explains why the units are a little thicker than standard iPods.