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Library Navigation
Navigation (0.48)
Without a screen, navigation on the new Shuffle is pretty limited to what you can do with the VoiceOver feature and the in-line remote. In order to use VoiceOver, you must first enable this feature in iTunes on your computer when setting up the Shuffle. After it is loaded, pressing and holding the control button the headphone's remote will read a list of the available playlists to you, and you simply press the control button again after hearing the playlist you want to select. Pressing and holding the control button during music playback and then clicking twice or three times to skip forward and backward will allow you to hear song/audiobook information and navigate this way as well.
Using the in-line remote on the headphones is easy, though the combination of clicks required to get around is slightly more tricky than clicking a button to follow on-screen menus as you'd do on just about every other media player. We test how easy it is to navigate by playing a test song and them timing how quickly we can skip to a specific test song further down in the playlist. On the Shuffle, skipping to the next song requires a quick double-click on the remote button. Of course, skipping several songs requires several double clicks in a row and it's easy to lose track of where you are unless you've thoroughly memorized the order of the songs in your playlist. This is where VoiceOver comes in handy, though this slows down your navigation as you pause to do a single long press on the remote button to hear the name and artist of the current song.
Performing our navigation test on the Shuffle took a whopping 31.79 seconds - the lack of a screen to see where you are in a playlist really makes it hard to get to a specific song. VoiceOver helps you along, but it's still more time-consuming than having a display to give you more information as you navigate.
Sorting options (0.0)
The Shuffle offers no sorting options on the media player itself - you can only do this in iTunes before syncing your music to the Shuffle.
Search options (5.5)
The only Search function available on the Shuffle is the VoiceOver technology that recites the names of song/podcast/audio book titles, artists, and playlists, allowing you to choose from them with a click. Other than this, there is no other way to search through your music.
Playlists (0.0)
Playlists cannot be created directly on the Shuffle. You can only create them in iTunes on your computer and sync them to the Shuffle.
Equalizer & Filters (1.0)
Just like the previous version, the 3rd-generation Shuffle is as simple as it gets without any on-board equalizer or filter settings. You can choose 2 options in iTunes on your computer - Sound Check and choosing a maximum volume limit. Sound Check ensures all songs are played at the same volume level. Choosing a maximum volume limit is probably most useful for parents who want to make sure their children don't listen to music too loudly. Since both of these options can only be set in iTunes and not on the Shuffle itself, they earn less points here than they would otherwise.
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