Love that Shuffle!
This review may seem terribly out of date, especially as many people are already thinking about the next generation of iPods. Lately, however, I am greatly enjoying my orange 2nd-gen iPod shuffle. It was presented to me on Valentine’s Day. In some ways, I think it’s the best iPod design ever. I love how it clips onto my belt or pocket. I’ve wished for such an unobtrusive, featherweight music player for as long as I’ve been listening to music. The iPod shuffle is ideal for listening to music and podcasts on runs, walks, while shoveling snow, and even while cleaning the house. The other iPods are also great, but when I’m going to listen to music while doing something physical, I always reach for the shuffle.
One of the iPod shuffle’s best features is its beveled clicky scrollwheel. It’s possible to easily click forward past a song (or rewind) with one hand, without having to unclip it from my pocket. I find that the shuffle’s 1GB capacity is enough for short jaunts or trips. Becuase the iPod nano is only $79, I don’t worry about trashing it as much as I would with the other models. Indeed, I’ve brought it camping, and on many other short trips. It’s possible to both shuffle music on the iPod, as well as simply play the music sequentially. I actually never shuffle the music – I prefer to play straight it though, just as I’ve arranged the playlist.
I do wish it was possible to move music onto the shuffle from more than one computer at a time. In order to use it with two or more computers, all the music has to be erased before more music is added. I don’t miss having a screen, though; it helps keep the device simple and tiny.
The iPod shuffle ships with a tiny little USB 2.0 dock to charge and sync it with a Mac or PC. I prefer to use the Marware TravelDock. It allows you to use your Shuffle just as you’d use a UBB flash drive. You can see that by clicking here.