Magnificent Miniature Gadget (Apple iPod shuffle (2G) 1 GB)

Member Name: Recon

Product:	Apple iPod shuffle (2G) 1 GB
Date:	11/03/08 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small, Clip, Lightweight, Easy to use

Disadvantages: Can't see what song is playing (reduces size of iPod)

After I bought my iPod mini, I figured it was a little on the large size. I found a very cheap second-hand iPod shuffle on eBay in the same colour as my iPod mini - silver. Available in a variety of colours, the iPod shuffle is an excellent little gadget for the price it comes at and can hold around 240 songs with 1GB memory. Unless you are really into all kinds of music, 240 songs are plenty. Especially considering that people tend to 'go off' songs, I feel 240 is more than satisfactory.

DIMENSIONS:

Height: 1.07 inches (27.3 mm)
Width: 1.62 inches (41.2 mm)
Depth: 0.41 inch (10.5 mm) (including clip)
Weight: 0.55 ounce (15.6 grams)

The iPod is pretty small and clips on your clothes anywhere! Whether it is on the side of your jacket, the inside of your pocket or on your belt, this iPod can clip on tightly and easily. It is available in the following basic metallic colours:

Blue
Silver
Green
Purple
Pink

The clip works very well and is easy to operate. You simply push on one side of the clip and the other side flips up enabling you to clip it on to whatever you wish. Although it is a good feature, you must be careful because there is a small chance it could fall off your clothes, so I like to keep it in my pocket or clip it to the inside of my pockets (the little slot in there).

This iPod has a similar circular wheel to the other iPods. The circular middle part is the same colour as the iPod, which provides contrast with the outer ring being in white. This centre circle has the play/pause button on it. The other circle is composed of four buttons. The top and bottom ones are used to adjust the volume and the left and right ones are used to switch songs. This is very easy to use and simple.

The great feature about this mini gadget is that you can still shuffle songs, despite the iPod lacking a screen (which is the whole point of this model - to reduce size). A small sliding button at the top of the iPod allows you to switch from 'shuffle' or to the order you synced them to your iPod from iTunes. A similar sliding button on top enables you to lock your iPod so pressing any buttons won't actually control your iPod. There is also a little light on the top that may come on. Green means you are pretty low on battery and red comes on when you are just about to run out. This is a good warning system, and works well. From here, you can connect it to your computer using the USB cable that comes with the iPod. From here you can add songs to your iPod and configure your playlist by removing songs or changing the order if you wish.

Downloading songs onto this iPod takes just around 5 seconds a song. You can put an album on your iTunes with each song taking no more than 30 seconds. This is the long part! Then, you can get them all onto your iPod within seconds, which is very quick! The iPod is said to have a 12-hour battery life, but mine seems to last not as long as that...more like around 7 hours, which is still good. Included with the iPod are also the official Apple earphones, which work pretty well but you can buy much better earphones if you want!

Overall, this is an excellent little MP3 player and does all you really need - plays music. This 1GB version can hold up to 250 songs (of average length) and still can play them in a shuffled order if chosen. Without a screen, it can be a bit annoying trying to find a song you want, but isn't this the whole point of the iPod? The incredible tiny size is more beneficial than having a screen, and at a weight of 15.6g, this is superb! It is very easy to carry around with you, and the clip makes it even easier.

The silver version I have is available at amazon.co.uk for £32.00. The other colours seem to go up in price with the lovely blue colour being £34.50. The pink one seems to be more popular as it currently is out of stock and only being sold by memnbers of the site from £34.99, which is more expensive for a start. However, for 30 odd quid, the price isn't bad at all! It can hold a good amount of songs and is small and lightweight - Great for on the way to work or relaxing elsewhere.

Thanks for reading,

- Recon -

Summary: A superb small iPod thta can hold a good number of songs at a miniature size and of light weight

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