Apple's iPod will soon be able to wirelessly sync music with your desktop computer - thanks to a Norwegian ex-hacker.

In 1999 Jon Lech Johansen, then a teenager, broke the copy protection on DVDs sparking a flurry of legal action. He followed this by breaking the protection on Apple's music files, with similar results.

Now he has gone legit, and has launched a new firm, Doubletwist, to take on Apple once again.
The premise is simple - instead of having one piece of software for your iPod, one for your games console and another for your other mobiles, Doubletwist works with them all. It allows you to choose what music and films you want for each device, and automatically sync them when they are plugged in.

"People have a lot of gadgets, but have different software for each. We want to end that, and our software will work with almost all phones and MP3 players," said Mr Johansen.

"For instance, if you download video online, then if you use iTunes you won't be able to watch it on an iPod. With our software, we convert it automatically so you can."

It's a great idea, particularly if you've ever gone through the hassle of ripping a DVD and converting it to your iPod - something Doubletwist should make far easier.

However, the most interesting part of the firm's plans revolve around wireless. Mr Johansen also claims his firm can actually go one better than Apple and offer wireless syncing for the iPod, meaning you'll never have to plug into a PC to copy music.

"iTunes has become very popular, and works well if you only own an iPod, but we are working on being able to sync wirelessly.

"We are also developing a way to sell applications without having to go through Apple," said Mr Johansen. This would directly compete with Apple's own app store (built into its iTunes software), although what Apple's lawyers will think of the idea remains to be seen (Johansen says he had 'not heard a thing' from Apple over the plans).

Overall, the plans seem very impressive - as a gadget obsessive myself, getting music onto different devices is a nightmare, and video is even more complex.

However, Johansen does seem to be attempting to take on Apple on its home turf, something which historically has not ended well for Apple's competitors. And the fact is that Apple's iTunes software is very, very good - if you use an iPod.

But for those of us who simply can't make do with just an iPod or iPhone, this could be the answer to our prayers.