I decided to take the plunge and purchase my first iPod. I was getting tired of my old Sandisk 256mb mp3 player that I purchased from woot for around $9 during a woot-off. The new Apple iPod shuffleseemed like the perfect replacement. The small size was the real selling point for me, because I am planning to use it while I work out.

I have had the experience of using the original iPod shuffle in the past. While it was a decent player, the new one is simply better because it is smaller. You can clip the iPod on your shirt, belt, pocket, where ever and take your tunes with you. It features 1gb of flash memory, which is small compare to other MP3 players (and the 80gb iPod Video). I have found that the 1gb of storage, which hold approximately 240 songs, is more than enough to keep me going through my entire workout.

Apple claims that the battery will last up to 15 hours. I have not tested this theory, but based on my usage I can estimate that the number is correct. The new docking station is a neat feature. It plugs into the USB port on your computer. You then plug your iPod into the docking station to charge the battery and transfer songs, all done through the headphone port. The amazing thing that is even though you charge and transfer through the port, it still accepts standard headphones for play back.

The interface on the shuffle will be familiar to iPod users. You can skip tracks and adjust the volume using the wheel interface. The shuffle has a dedicated power switch located on top of the device, along with the repeat/shuffle (or random playback) switch. The one thing lacking from the shuffle is an LCD screen. It takes longer to find a certain song, because you have to listen to the beginning of the song to figure out if it is the one you want. I screen would be a nice addition, but I don’t see how Apple could do that and keep the size so small. To be fair, Apple has never included a screen on a shuffle.

Transferring songs to the iPod requires using Apple’s iTunes. I am not a real big fan of iTunes. First you have to add all of your songs to the iTunes library (and downloaded the album art). When you connect the iPod to your computer, iTunes recognizes the device and installs. Transferring songs is pretty simple. Just drag and drop the songs on to your device. You can also have iTunes fill your iPod with random songs. A nice feature is that iTunes will update the firmware on your iPod as needed.

Overall I am impressed with Apple’s iPod Shuffle. If you are looking for a simplistic mp3 player, it will be perfect. While it’s $79 price tag is a little steep when it comes to 1gb players, you just can’t find one this small. With the iPod Shuffle you have a choice of a Silver, Pink, Green, Blue and Orange anodized aluminum case.

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