Yup, it's been a year with my iPod, third generation, 20 GB'er. While this is far from being the first review out there on this product, I think that having this thing for so long qualifies me to talk about some battery life issues. Also, I'm just lazy.

Tom Delonge from Blink-182 says the "iPod will change your life." But then again, this is the guy who has a signature guitar with no controls but a volume knob. If you know anything about guitars or have any common sense you know how dumb that is. But, anywho, the iPod is far from a life-changing device. But it does make long drives a lot better, and bus rides on the somewhat unreliable Rutgers University transportation systems a little more bearable. Sometimes I have to force myself to leave my iPod in my dorm room so I can cram for my exam on the bus instead of bobbing my head to the Hives. So I guess it is life-altering in that way. Umm...yeah, so I hardly ever get on the G bus without it.

Surely you know what this is, but I guess I should tell you anyway. It plays digital music, which is found primarily in MP3 format, but also AAC format, WMA format, and of course Sony's late pathetic venture into the game...the ATRAC-3. An iPod, in this case holds 20 GB of music, and it's roughly the size of a pack of cards, weighs about as much too. 20 GB is enough to hold most people's entire music library, so it's just great for me to hold every song I own in my hand, at my disposal.

There are plenty of other such digital music players now with just as much space in as small of a package. There is a new iPod out now, but I think this third generation one looks the best, and maybe you can find a good deal on this one on ebay or something. Okay, to the meat of the review.

The Package
The box this comes in unfolds beautifully, but it's hard to open up. It's a mild nuisance that I tolerated because the box was so pretty. What do you expect, it's made by Apple.

This 20 GB iPod comes with...

A remote
A dock
A carrying case
A pair of earbuds
Extra pads for the earbuds
Software
Cables/adaptor/power plug

I got this 20 GB iPod for $400 at the time instead of the $300 10 GB iPod not just for the extra space, but because this 20 GB one comes with the remote, carrying case, and the dock. Priced separately, these extra accessories cost $120 total, so I thought it was a better deal.

What Do You Mean Cables Aren't Included?
The iPod comes with a iPod-to-Fire Wire cable and a 6 to 4 pin adaptor, but no USB cable. My computer at the time did not have Fire Wire, so I had to buy a USB Fire Wire cable separately (it connects the iPod to both USB and Fire Wire at the same time. The Fire Wire cable plugs into the power adaptor, so I can connect to my computer and charge at the same time with this combo wire. If you have a Fire Wire connection, save the $20 as a Fire Wire connection will charge from your computer while transferring files, thus leaving you with less cables to trip over.) USB 2.0 and Fire Wire have pretty similar transfer rates. I thought it was pretty lame that no USB cables were included.

Installation...The Hostile Takeover of iTunes

I found installation to be pretty hassle-free. It installed iTunes, which I think is much preferrable to Windows Media Player or the horrid Music Match Jukebox. Yes, iTunes is fully compatible with Windows and organizes all your music by Artist, Album, and stuff but also by your rating you can give each song on a 5-star basis. You can create regular playlists or smart playlists. For example, I have a "Top Rock" playlist that includes my top 25 most played songs that have "Rock" for genre, and have a five-star rating from me. Best of all, this updates automatically, meaning that I can easily look at my playlists and see that my 100th most played song is "Fascination Street" by the Cure. Plus, the iPod just automatically updates every time I plug it in. New music that I completely and 100%-ly and absolutely acquired by totally legal means on my hard drive get transferred to my iPod, and my iPod transfers its play counts to my computer so I can see what my new 100th most played song is.

Do you hate it when Big Boi and Andre talk for a minute after the track ends? Tired of always having to reach all the way in your pocket to skip to the next track? You can customize the exact moment your tracks are to start and end, right down to the thousandth of a second, so you can cut out any parts you don't like. Tired of choruses fading out for a whole minute at the end of the song? Cut it out.

My friend didn't like iTunes though, because it constantly started making itself the default player for music files against his will. While that may be a problem for some, iTunes is far superior to Windows Media Player, so unless you really really like those nifty visualizations, you shouldn't care.

WMA files are not compatible, but you can convert WMA to MP3. Every conversion is a kick to Microsoft's monopolizing balls. At least that's how I like to think of it.

Sound

The iPod sounds pretty good, but not totally awesome or anything. It's pretty low on bass, so hip-hop fans might not like it as much. You can set custom EQ's on iTunes and move them so you have pretty much a free range to shape the sound as you please. Pretty soon, you will come to see, as I did, that your iPod doesn't sound bassy enough because the included headphones suck. I know people love the white iPod earbuds, but sometimes good sound is more important than looking cool. Trash the iPod earbuds (or don't because they will deteriorate on their own anyways) and get good earbuds and you will see that the iPod can sound great! I recommend the Sony MDR-EX71's. They sound great, are comfy, and best of all...come in white! But they're Sony's and are supposed to go behind your neck and are really annoying. I asked my friend to rewire them and he broke them. Sigh.

Durability

Okay, just know this. The iPod is really a fragile device. It's got a hard drive spinnin' around in there and it will not survive many drops. It might not even survive your first drop. My friend dropped my iPod and it broke, just like that. Though it was on an outdoor basketball court, it's not like I dropped it on carpet or anything. It would show that it's playing songs but no sound will come out and it wouldn't update with my computer. After many trips to the iPod store, I got a new one. Not one week after I got my new one, my little brother dropped it on the church floor. Thankfully, it survived this time. I also spilled a little bit of Coke on it once, but it was okay...just a little sticky.

Bottom line is that you really got to take good care of the iPod. It's not rugged or anything, it's a little crybaby. It also gets scratched really easily and the back is a magnet for fingerprints. There are several cool cases you can get for the iPod, so taking care of it may be easier than you think. It's definitely not a Cal Ripken though. It's more a Vince Carter...a basketball player who gets injured every season and somehow always gets voted onto the All-Star team. Oh well...

Battery Life

Don't listen to the ads. Battery life of the iPod is at best 8 hours. After a year, it's somewhere around 5 hours. It's not great, and definitely the weakest point of the iPod but I can live with it. Also, the battery meter is the most horrendously inaccurate thing of all time. You'll charge your iPod until it says it's full. Then seconds later, it will show the battery meter at empty. Don't worry, your iPod's not defective. Just the battery meter. Give it a few minutes to warm up again and it'll be more accurate. Also, when the meter shows the battery to be empty, I found out it can run for another half hour or so.

Tips to improve battery life:

Avoid the backlight when you can. It kills battery.

Don't turn the clock on. You can use the iPod to display the time at the top of the menus. I found this is another battery-killer.

Turn EQ off if you're having real problems.

So battery life isn't great at all with this thing. However, I have to ask you...how often do you need the iPod to play for over 8 hours continuously? During a day of classes, I must have this on for maybe 2 hours or so. The battery is long enough to last most drives. If I use this during a workout or a jog, I find I only need the battery to run about 20 minutes because I'm really lazy. Maybe I just love my iPod too much and I am making excuses for it, but 5 hours really is enough for me. Just charge it whenever you're not using it, like I do. There's also an extra battery pack you can but it ruins the sleekness of the iPod. If you need more than 10 hours of continuous play, you should avoid this though...the battery is internal and you violate all warantee if you open the iPod up.

Stuff/Accessories

The dock costs $40? That's a laugh. It's a hunk of white plastic and must cost about $5 to make. It's convenient though and the iPod looks really nice docked into this. It just makes it easier...instead of plugging the iPod it, you can just stick it in the dock. This is by no means necessary, however, if you plan on connected the iPod to your stereo, it looks hella cooler with a dock. The dock is horribly overpriced.

So is the case. It has a reliable belt clip, which is nice, but you can feel the cardboard that makes the insides of this case, and the insides scratch the screen. But if you have an iPod, you know the battle is not to prevent your screen from getting scratched. The battle is to minimize casualties because your iPod screen WILL get scratched up. A lot. Anyway, I think a fair price for this would be $10, not $40.

The iPod headphones are terrible. See my review on them. The remote works nicely, but mine just died this week. The wires came apart.

There are a lot of cool things you can get for the iPod, like something that converts it so that you can use it to store digital photos. There's a flashlight and laser for it, and something to transmit it to FM radios. You can also use it to store contacts (which was handy for me until I got a cell phone), and as a external hard drive.

Conclusion

So what sets this apart from other MP3 players?

Looks
Other MP3 players now have the storage of the iPod and are just as small. However, none look have the minimalist beauty of the iPod. I think this all-white iPod is better looking than the newest one.

For people who must put a new faceplate on their cell phones every week, this iPod is a must. No other MP3 player has as many cool-looking carrying cases, from iPod Armor (which is a thick metal case that protects the iPod) to real leather cases. Ooh.

There are just more accessories (I'm talking both cosmetic and electronic) for the iPod than any other MP3 player. Having one is like participating in a nation-wide phenomenon. Seriously. All the cool people are doing it.

Touch Pads
No other MP3 players have no moving parts. Even the new iPod has moving plastic that can get stuck. This iPod (besides the hold switch) is purely touch-operated and it's just plain cool. No moving parts, and just touch the buttons and scroll wheel to navigate. Nice.

Deals
Now that there's a new iPod, you might be able to find a good on this one on the internet.

So, maybe it did change my life. Nahhhh. But the iPod is a cool thing to have, and it's sure a lot easier than burning endless mix CD's. Having your music library in your hand, being able to play any of your songs for any one of your moods is just...cool. Though organizing your iPod can be a drag. Mine thinks there are two different artists called "Guns 'N' Roses" and "Guns N' Roses."

If you have the cash, I don't think you can really spend it any better than picking up an iPod!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection