Apple iPod Shuffle 1GB MP3 Player Review - Intro

The iPod Shuffle is an interesting study in extremes. First of all, the device is extremely small: it's a shirt clip with a media control buttons and a wee Gigabyte for storage. Secondly, the Shuffle only has two settings: randomly play a song that was, before hand, randomly placed on the device, or repeat one song for all eternity. Really, the Shuffle sounds more like the grounds for a philosophical discussion than a media player.

The Shuffle is not for the faint of heart. If you like your media player to give you information about what song is playing, or you like to be able to choose what you listen to, the Shuffle isn't for you. Also, since it doesn't have a screen, there isn't much option for the Shuffle to do anything but play your music. This is both limiting and utilitarian, which is refreshing in the age of modern media players.

The iPod Shuffle is available from Apple for $50.

Section	The Good	The Bad
Tour & Design	Very, very, very small.	No screen.
Hardware	Good buttons.	No screen.
Media Interface	N/A	N/A
Media Management	N/A	N/A
Other Media Software	N/A	N/A
Performance	Great frequency response, low noise, good overall.	Bad packed-in headphones, below average output power.
Internet & Wireless	N/A	N/A
Synchronization	iTunes gives you some good options to further enhance your shuffling.	As with all iPods, you can't just connect the device and use a file browser to drag & drop songs.
Other Software	N/A	N/A