minig0d
08-28-2006, 05:27 PM
Ok so I've had a few mp3 players in my time and haven't really been impressed by many.... i know a few people with various iPODs and have mixed feelings about them... Mainly I don't really like the iPOD's controls... when I am listening to my music I really could care less about who the artist is or about making 100 different playlists for each ocassion... I don't need the iPOD for music in my car or in my house... my use is limited to while riding my bike and exersizing at the gym... so I finally decided on the iPOD shuffle...
http://digital-lifestyles.info/copy_images/apple-ipod-shuffle-lg.jpg
MY THOUGHTS AFTER TRYING IT OUT:
1) its very lightweight, compact, fairly durable feeling
2) the enclosed earbuds (just like any mp3 player you will buy) are decent sounding but are like craming hoover dam in your ear... I have a great pair of sony earphones that I got at Radio Shack for $10 that are much more comfortable, stay in your ear much better, etc. then the standard ones that come with it...
http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2326282w345.jpg
3) For just under $69 from Walmart the price can't really be beat
4) It is VERY loud... I love my music loud and many MP3 players I've tried in the past are just not loud enough to be heard over loud motorcycle exhausts... this one IS more then loud enough...
5) it includes a neck lanyard which is pretty handy...
6) you don't have to have docking stations to charge or sync it, it has a usb plug built in (you just remove the end cap)... if your computer has a front usb port (or a laptop on the side) it makes it very easy and fast to sync it without a lot of clutter
7) iTunes has got to be the worst software in history and restricts you to only keeping your mp3s on one computer and all kind of other BS... their interface is horrible... their software is really bloated and automatically installs a program that stays resident on your computer even when iTunes is not running (just what you need huh? another computer to lag your computer down...) but ahha there is a great solution... I found a great alternative to iTunes (a very compact one). check out http://agoraphobeus.free.fr/iShuffle/index.html its free software that basically you use by doing the following
1) do not install iTunes software (or if you have it completely remove it
2) download the program from the above site (it's completely FREE!)
3) plug your shuffle into your USB port... if you are using windows XP it will automatically be detected and installed... windows should then assign it a drive letter. Remove your shuffle, wait a few seconds and plug it in. Windows should then ask you what do you want to do when this drive is attached in the future. Select the option to simply open the folder.
4) unzip the program you downloaded into the main folder on the drive created above. You should see 4 files now in your main directory: a readme, a Music folder, a ipod_control folder, and the ishuffle.exe (program file)
5) copy whatever mp3's you want into the "music folder"
6) double click on the ishuffle.exe, it should say it was successful, close it by clicking the X in the upper right corner.
7) remove your ipod from the computer and you should be ready to listen
In the future if you want to modify the songs on your iPOD shuffle you just plug it into the computer, the folder should pop up automatically now, double click on the Music folder, add or remove songs as you want, then run the iShuffle program again and you are set.
8) My only complaint is that it has no screen... but hey if you want the screen you can always pay $80 more and buy the iPOD nano...
9) The thing doesn't have a huge amount of memory (512mb) but that is enough for around 70-120 songs realistically so it should be more than sufficient for most rides...
10) I'd of prefered the shuffle in black but it only comes in white... oh well...
11) The controls are pretty basic and can be manipulated by someone within seconds of looking at it... on the front it has volume up and down, a play/pause button, and a fastforward/rewind button (which either fast forwards through the song you are in or goes to the next song depending if you just press it or press and hold it, or rewinds or goes back to the previous song).... On the back side it has a switch that either turns it off, turns it on on loop mode where it just plays through a playlist in one order, or on mode where it plays everything randomly. There is also a button that solely gives the battery status... when you push it it either shows you green for fully charged, orange for running low, or red for dangerously low on charge...
12) It charges up very quickly just plugging it into your USB port, no separate charger or batteries needed... I haven't tested how long it stays charged yet but I've heard it lasts a fairly long while... (iPOD advertises 12 hours)...
13) one con I see for motorcyclists is that as is, it only charges via USB port, if you are on the road and don't have a laptop or computer to charge it with and are staying in a hotel room.... or trying to charge it on your bike... no go.... but apparently they have an accessory kit such as this one which will take care of that giving you a regular ac as well as a dc (cigarette lighter) plug for charging... http://www.110220volts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=F8Z009
OVERALL I give the iPOD shuffle a 9/10... excellent product... well worth it...
http://digital-lifestyles.info/copy_images/apple-ipod-shuffle-lg.jpg
MY THOUGHTS AFTER TRYING IT OUT:
1) its very lightweight, compact, fairly durable feeling
2) the enclosed earbuds (just like any mp3 player you will buy) are decent sounding but are like craming hoover dam in your ear... I have a great pair of sony earphones that I got at Radio Shack for $10 that are much more comfortable, stay in your ear much better, etc. then the standard ones that come with it...
http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2326282w345.jpg
3) For just under $69 from Walmart the price can't really be beat
4) It is VERY loud... I love my music loud and many MP3 players I've tried in the past are just not loud enough to be heard over loud motorcycle exhausts... this one IS more then loud enough...
5) it includes a neck lanyard which is pretty handy...
6) you don't have to have docking stations to charge or sync it, it has a usb plug built in (you just remove the end cap)... if your computer has a front usb port (or a laptop on the side) it makes it very easy and fast to sync it without a lot of clutter
7) iTunes has got to be the worst software in history and restricts you to only keeping your mp3s on one computer and all kind of other BS... their interface is horrible... their software is really bloated and automatically installs a program that stays resident on your computer even when iTunes is not running (just what you need huh? another computer to lag your computer down...) but ahha there is a great solution... I found a great alternative to iTunes (a very compact one). check out http://agoraphobeus.free.fr/iShuffle/index.html its free software that basically you use by doing the following
1) do not install iTunes software (or if you have it completely remove it
2) download the program from the above site (it's completely FREE!)
3) plug your shuffle into your USB port... if you are using windows XP it will automatically be detected and installed... windows should then assign it a drive letter. Remove your shuffle, wait a few seconds and plug it in. Windows should then ask you what do you want to do when this drive is attached in the future. Select the option to simply open the folder.
4) unzip the program you downloaded into the main folder on the drive created above. You should see 4 files now in your main directory: a readme, a Music folder, a ipod_control folder, and the ishuffle.exe (program file)
5) copy whatever mp3's you want into the "music folder"
6) double click on the ishuffle.exe, it should say it was successful, close it by clicking the X in the upper right corner.
7) remove your ipod from the computer and you should be ready to listen
In the future if you want to modify the songs on your iPOD shuffle you just plug it into the computer, the folder should pop up automatically now, double click on the Music folder, add or remove songs as you want, then run the iShuffle program again and you are set.
8) My only complaint is that it has no screen... but hey if you want the screen you can always pay $80 more and buy the iPOD nano...
9) The thing doesn't have a huge amount of memory (512mb) but that is enough for around 70-120 songs realistically so it should be more than sufficient for most rides...
10) I'd of prefered the shuffle in black but it only comes in white... oh well...
11) The controls are pretty basic and can be manipulated by someone within seconds of looking at it... on the front it has volume up and down, a play/pause button, and a fastforward/rewind button (which either fast forwards through the song you are in or goes to the next song depending if you just press it or press and hold it, or rewinds or goes back to the previous song).... On the back side it has a switch that either turns it off, turns it on on loop mode where it just plays through a playlist in one order, or on mode where it plays everything randomly. There is also a button that solely gives the battery status... when you push it it either shows you green for fully charged, orange for running low, or red for dangerously low on charge...
12) It charges up very quickly just plugging it into your USB port, no separate charger or batteries needed... I haven't tested how long it stays charged yet but I've heard it lasts a fairly long while... (iPOD advertises 12 hours)...
13) one con I see for motorcyclists is that as is, it only charges via USB port, if you are on the road and don't have a laptop or computer to charge it with and are staying in a hotel room.... or trying to charge it on your bike... no go.... but apparently they have an accessory kit such as this one which will take care of that giving you a regular ac as well as a dc (cigarette lighter) plug for charging... http://www.110220volts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=F8Z009
OVERALL I give the iPOD shuffle a 9/10... excellent product... well worth it...