The plug-in, called ml_iPod, allows iPod users to bypass iTunes and manage music collections in Winamp instead. The iPod is supposed to work with iTunes only. A new version of the software was released Monday.

Justin Frankel, creator of Winamp and the open-source peer-to-peer software Gnutella, initially developed ml_iPod, but programming was taken over by Will Fisher, a computer science student in the U.K.

Fisher and other developers programmed a slew of features, including the ability to synch multiple iPods with Winamp, create smart playlists and — the most useful option — the ability to copy songs from an iPod onto a hard drive.

{ via Wired News }