Video Ipod is here!

Here it is, official pics and specs of the new video-enabled iPod: it’s the same width and height as the current mode, but thinner. It has a 320 x 240 pixel, 2.5-inch, 260,000 color display, 20 hours of battery life, and supports playback of H.264 and MPEG4 at 30 fps. Has TV out and will come in both 30GB and 60GB versions, with the 30GB version being 31% thinner than the current 20GB iPod and the 60GB version being 12% thinner than the current 20GB iPod. The 30GB will hold up to 75 hours of video and retail for $299. The 60GB version will hold 150 hours of video and sell for $399.

Both will ship in one week. God helps us all.

The video iPod won’t disappoint. It feels slim and easy to hold even after two weeks spent with with a nano. Video playback is solid. They’re not kidding about 30 fps without sputtering. You can’t fast forward, but you can scroll back and forth on a progress bar—just as you do with music—to jump forward and back in the video. Oh, and the black model is going to be hot. Without the U2 model’s red wheel it’s less of an acquired taste.