All good things come in small packages (Apple iPod shuffle (2G) 1 GB)

Member Name: gargrave50

Product:	Apple iPod shuffle (2G) 1 GB
Date:	07/09/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Neat little design, super easy to use!

Disadvantages: Battery life max is around 2 hours

My son had been asking for an ipod forever! We bought this as he had been asking for an ipod and the others were simply too expensive. We paid £36 including postage from Amazon. It holds around 240 songs which is ample for his use, and its neat and compact as well as looking great. It comes in a variety of colours including silver, black, pink, blue and green, although some are becoming difficult to get as the models become superseded. We eventually managed to get a green one, but it was difficult. This model has been superseded a couple of times and therefore if you fancy a small cheap shuffle then your best bet would be to try Amazon rather than a retailer.

It comes with a usb charging cable like all ipods and a set of in-ear headphones, all presented in a neat little package. The packaging is as modern as the ipod - its clear on the front and white at the back hiding all the gubbings which come with it and just showcasing the tiny little ipod! The downloading process is straightforward and once you download itunes the process is easy to follow.

Like all ipods you operate by using the wheel to navigate through your song list. Unless you are happy to have the downloaded selection on "shuffle", then it can be a pain to go through all of the songs one by one until you get to the one you want. Holding down pause turns it off, although if it is paused for a reasonable length of time it will turn itself off. The battery life lasts around a couple of hours which is ample for our requirements but could be a pest for those looking for more. It takes around 2 hours to recharge the battery properly in our experience.

Having used a shuffle before, I have to say I was impressed. There is good quality sound and it is easy to use which is great given that we have bought this for a young boy. It is incredibly small measuring around 3cm across! It is really light, clips onto clothing for security and looks incredibly neat. I am unsure about how tough this little gadget is, however it looks sturdy and well made and I hope it will stand the tests of a 6 year old! Bear in mind this is a 2nd generation model and apple recently launched their 8th generation - but for value for money its difficult to beat this one as the new smallest version retails at £45 for 2GB. Try to source this at Amazon where brand news ones start at around £29 for some colours!

Summary: Stunning range of colours - great sound and easy to use!

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Features:
Sound quality:
Download speed: