iPod Shuffle - Another Apple Hit
Written: Mar 17 '05 (Updated Oct 06 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Good price, portability, comparable sound quality vs full-size iPods, easy interface
Cons: This iPod, like all others, scratches easily if not in a case
The Bottom Line: The Shuffle is a unique blend of compact size, style, simplicity, and good design that its flash-based peers will find hard to beat.
|
|
|
| puppyoneb's Full Review: Nokia N73 Smartphone |
I purchased a 1GB iPod Shuffle as an addition to my stable of iPods. I also own a 30GB iPod Photo, and just recently (last week) sold my 4 GB iPod Mini. Taking a full sized iPod on workouts didn't sound like a good idea, and so the Shuffle came into the picture. Although it is "only" 1 GB in capacity, that is more than adequate for how I intended to use it. I took the plunge and bought one at the local Apple store. Of course I rushed home to open the box and get it charged for use.
In the Box:
The Shuffle comes packaged in a minimalistic green box with the bare necessities - a USB cap that comes with a lanyard so you can wear the shuffle, a spare USB cap without a lanyard, an installation disk, an instruction manual, two Apple stickers, the ubiquitous Apple earbuds, two sets of foam covers for the earbuds, and business card sized user guide that you can carry if needed. The card explains how to interpret the sequence and color of indicator lights on the Shuffle so that you can check the battery, etc. There is also an insert for the iTunes music store. New iPod owners can download a sample CD that contains 16 FREE songs. This is a nice touch for someone who is just starting out and hasn't put music on their computer or who wants to try out the online music store.
How it works:
The player is really a flash drive mp3 player that supports AAC (Apple proprietary encoder for digital music), mp3's, and a few other common formats. It connects to a computer via a built in USB plug on one end.
One simply removes the cap on the USB plug and inserts that into a computer (USB 1.0 or 2.0) to interface with iTunes and also charge the unit at the same time. Interestingly, the newer iPods (20GB - 60GB) ship with a USB A/C adapter. So if you have or get one of those you can plug the Shuffle into that directly without a cable. You can also buy the A/C adapter separately if you need.
Once you install the Shuffle with the enclosed CD, iTunes will recognize the unit and a special Shuffle menu opens in iTunes. The menu allows users to choose how they fill the Shuffle with ~120 song (512 KB) or ~240 songs (1 GB Shuffle). The program allows users to "autofill" from any iTunes playlist or from their entire library. You can also select higher rated songs more often and chose songs at random. When you click the Autofill button, iTunes selects songs to add and the rest happens automatically.
This is where the concept of shuffling comes into play. You can literally "control" what music ends up on the unit by creating a playlist and hand picking the songs that the shuffle will add. The real fun comes when you just let iTunes do everything automatically. In "full auto" mode, you have only some control of what ends up on the Shuffle. Every time you Autofill iTunes might potentially add or take away songs. This means that the experience can change each time you synch and playback - hence the name Shuffle. Some folks will view this as a weakness since you can't always play the songs you want all the time, you can't put ALL of your music on there, and you can't use a screen to choose the next song. Like I said, you can chose a playlist with only the songs you want to hear, but that somewhat defeats the purpose. However, if you need more control, then perhaps an iPod Mini might be an alternative (or another brand of flash player with a screen). It is about personal choices.
Using it:
Those of you who are familiar with the iPod click wheel will understand the interface of the Shuffle. It has a Pause/Play button in the middle and it is surrounded by a raised up ring that works as a rocker switch. That outer ring changes volume (press top or bottom edges) and also changes tracks (push on left or right edges of the ring). It is easy to use without looking, which is how some people will use it. During physical activity, it is definitely easier to find your way without looking at the Shuffle, especially compared to an iPod with the click wheel and traditional menus. The Shuffle has no menus so it is easy to do what you need to do and move on (keep exercising, etc.) Again, this is about personal preference, but the way you will use an iPod is an important consideration to determine which one works best for you.
When you use the shuffle there are two indicator lights that tell you the status of it. On the front, above the control buttons, there is an embedded LED under the plastic body. When a button on the Shuffle is clicked, it lights up green. This happens, for example, when you press the play/pause button, the volume buttons, or the forward and back buttons. If you click the play button while music is on, it will pause the Shuffle and the light blinks green for 30 seconds. If you press and hold the play button for 3 seconds, it will put the iPod on hold and buttons will not activate when pressed. The indicator light will blink orange 3 times and then lights up orange when a button is pressed. To take it back off of hold you just hold the play button for 3 seconds again and the light will blink orange 3 times and buttons work again. The Shuffle turns on via a slider switch on the back. You can turn it on and play your music in order, or slide it again and play in shuffle mode. There is also a tiny bar across the back that is the battery indicator. Pressing in on the bar lights up the LED on that indicator and the color (green, orange, red) indicates the battery status. Simple but effective.
Another option for how to use the Shuffle is literally as a flash drive to carry files. The iTunes interface allows users to enable disk use and reserve space for files as well as music. Enabling the disk use option lets you move a slider to change that setting. You can change from all music files, to all data files, and a number of combinations in between. That is a nice touch for someone who doesn't need a very large flash drive and wants to use this for a dual purpose. Full sized iPods can also be used as portable hard drives with an obvious increase in size and weight. Again, this goes back to selecting an iPod based on how you will use it.
The Sound:
The early adopters of the Shuffle reported some noise and hissing while switching tracks and during the brief pause in between tracks (as one song ends and the next one hasn't started). The latest iPod update (2-22-2005) seems to have addressed that issue. I have not had any problems with the quality of music reproduced by the iPod Shuffle. I did test the Shuffle against an iPod Mini and iPod Photo to see if there was a difference in sound. While at the same settings, I could not distinguish them in terms of their sound. I did use my 600W 6.1 home theater speakers, a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort Noise Cancelling Headphones, and PC speakers. Again, under all conditions the sound quality was the same for all of the iPods I used. I should point out that the Shuffle does not offer EQ settings. For people who want more control of the sounds and an Equalizer, a full sized iPod might be a better option.
The biggest complaint that most people will have is not related to the sound of the iPod, but rather then quality of sound from the Apple earbuds. They are compact and match the iPod line nicely. However, they do not have the full rich sounds that a pair of more expensive Bose or Shure headphones. People who are serious about their music will want to consider after market headphones regardless of which mp3 player they buy. So from that standpoint this is not really something that I'd consider a weakness.
It fits your digital lifestyle!
As a tech gadget lover, I like the idea of using the right iPod for the right activity. The iPod Shuffle is a go-everywhere compact little companion. It fills in the gap for those time when a full sized iPod is too cumbersome. Running, climbing hills or mountains, working out, or other high impact or intense activities could damage a normal sized hard drive based iPod. Because this is a flash player it will not skip or get damaged when bumped. When I got a 30GB iPod Photo it was out of the question to run or do anything too high intensity without fear of breaking it. For me, the shuffle fills that niche so that I can stay active and still enjoy the iPod experience while I'm on the go.
A host of Apple-branded and other after market accessories are already available for the Shuffle. I expect that trend to continue, especially as people get used to the idea of wearing your mp3 player. This is pretty normal in Asia and is becoming more common here in the States, especially with the advent of the iPod Mini and Zen Micro. There are lanyards, belt clips, gel covers, a water resistant Apple Sports Case, and even a custom aluminum cover for the shuffle. Because it is a wearable music player that can go wherever life takes you, it is nice that it can be customized and protected while still looking good in the process. Why go through so much trouble for such a little device? It is really about making a statement and keeping your Shuffle unique. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing wrong with that.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
puppyoneb
|
|
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.