MP3 Insider

The iAudio E2 from Cowon offers an interesting alternative to the iPod Shuffle. Hey, at least it has buttons.

(Credit: Cowon America)

Is the iPod Shuffle just a little too boring for you? If you like your MP3 players small, cheap, and stylish, but prefer actual buttons to Apple's odd headphone-clicker voice navigation, the iAudio E2 from Cowon may be just the thing--that is, once someone can explain to us how it works.

On sale for the first time today, the 4GB iAudio E2 is priced at $64.99 from Jetmall. The key-ring-shaped MP3 player is 1 inch wide by 2.5 inches tall by and 0.3 inch thick, and is meant to be worn on a necklace. Like the iPod Shuffle, the E2 is an audio-only device, but tackles a different range of audio formats (MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg, WAV).

Like most MP3 players out of Cowon, the real clincher is audio quality. A total of 8 JetEffect audio enhancement presets are included (BBE, BBE VIVA, BBE VIVA2, BBE Mach3Bass, BBE MP, BBE Headphone, BBE Headphone2, BBE Headphone3) to squeeze your music for all its worth. A built-in voice guide is used to browse and select from the sound enhancement presets.

It all sounds great in theory, but there's no telling how well the E2's navigation works until we get our hands on it. At least it looks like there are a few real buttons, which might make up for the confusing hieroglyphics on the front. Right off the bat, though, I have to say that 11.5 hours of battery life isn't exactly dazzling. Also, lack of AAC support is going to be hard to swallow for iPod expats.

(Credit: Apple)

Amid the flurry of iTunes and iPod announcements yesterday, Apple quietly retired the 1GB iPod Shuffle. You remember it: that one that actually had buttons on it. Instead, the company is putting full focus on the teeny, tiny buttonless model, which is now available in both 2GB ($59) and 4GB ($79) capacities. The third-generation Shuffle is also newly available with blue, green, or pink paint jobs along with the traditional black and silver. In addition, Apple is offering a special edition version that is encased in super shiny stainless steel, available in 4GB only for $99. Besides the pricing, new color options, and 2GB capacity option, the third-generation iPod Shuffle remains the same. Read the full review.

Apple's dropping bombs all over CNET in the form of brand-new iPods and a freshly updated iTunes. You know what that means: harried editors scrambling to get you all the freshest details. This week's podcast has all you want to know about iTunes 9 and the updates to the iPod Shuffle, Nano, Classic, and Touch. Plus, we have plenty of video demonstrating the fifth-generation Nano's many new features.

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The Iriver S10 was too dated to make the list this time, but it's truly impressive at 0.8-inch.

(Credit: CBS Interactive/Corinne Schulze)

Flash-based MP3 players are taking over the marketplace. Unlike their hard-drive-based counterparts, flash MP3 players have no moving parts, affording them entirely skip-free playback and, in most cases, a long battery life. Also, flash chips are tiny, meaning the players that use them can be small to the point of ridiculousness.

Luckily, most (but perhaps not all) manufacturers realize that there is such a thing as too small. We had no trouble finding a collection of manageable MP3 players that won't take up valuable space in a briefcase, a backpack, a purse, or a pocket. And although each measures less than 2 cubic inches, all of them offer at least 2GB of memory, which is enough to hold about 500 songs or 32 hours' worth of music.

Check out itty-bity MP3 players.

The third-gen Apple iPod Shuffle and the SanDisk Sansa Clip are two of the smallest, least expensive, and most-talked-about MP3 players on CNET. Both devices share a clip-on design, but otherwise, Apple and SanDisk take very different approaches to their MP3 players, demonstrating a tug of war between form and function.

You may already know which MP3 player you'd choose, but when push comes to shove, which of these minuscule MP3 players is preferred by our CNET editors? Find out in our iPod Shuffle vs. Sansa Clip CNET Prizefight.

The third-generation iPod Shuffle is the first MP3 player that can speak song titles to you in 13 different languages. Apple calls the feature VoiceOver, and it's more sophisticated than you might think.

Apple first dipped its toe in the "talking iPod" waters back in 2008, with the Spoken Menus accessibility feature built into the fourth-generation iPod Nano. Spoken Menus is a useful feature, but it's geared mostly toward menu navigation for the vision impaired; there's no easy way to call it up unless you want it running all the time, and the voice quality and language depended entirely on your computer system's built-in voice capabilities.

The Shuffle's VoiceOver feature is a different beast. For starters, iTunes now prompts users to download a multilanguage voice pack that provides the voicing for the feature, instead of relying on your operating system's limited voice capabilities. The second thing you'll notice is that the language used for VoiceOver can be adjusted in iTunes on a song-by-song basis. This means you can have the song titles of your Italian opera collection announced in Italian, your Bossa Nova announced in Portuguese, and your gangster rap announced in Japanese, if you'd like.

For a step-by-step guide to altering the language settings on your Shuffle's VoiceOver feature, check out the following slideshow or watch the Quick Tip video demonstration.

How to make the iPod Shuffle speak a different language

(Credit: CNET)

Donald and Jasmine pick apart the new third-generation Apple iPod Shuffle--the smallest iPod ever made, and the first to go completely without buttons. We also talk about iPhone OS 3.0 announcements, alternatives to the Shuffle, cheap headphones, and play some calls. Yes, someone actually called us!

CNET's official, rated review of the third-generation Apple iPod Shuffle is up and ready for your perusal. I never thought it would be tough to review an MP3 player without any buttons on it, but the experience wasn't as cut and dry as you'd expect. In some ways, Apple's new Shuffle may just be the most intriguing MP3 player I review all year, even if its design paradoxically bores me to tears. You have to admire the sleight of hand Apple pulled off by adding song ID and playlist navigation to the Shuffle, while at the same time removing its tried and true navigation pad. I'm not crazy about the result, but the concept is fascinating.

A shot before the Shuffle got lost in my desk clutter.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

The CNET review covers the nitty-gritty, but I'm here to offer a few of my own personal observations after spending a day with Apple's new Shuffle. Here's a list of ways the Shuffle surprised me.

Vanishing act. Over the course of just one day, I must have lost the Shuffle at least four times--just sitting at my desk. Nicole Lee can vouch for this. She heard all my screams from the other side of the cubicle. Now, I expected this thing would be easy to lose, but the surprising part is that the Shuffle's tiny size was only part of the problem.

The Shuffle's resemblance to a USB stick probably threw me the most. Since I typically have at least two or three thumb drives scattered on my desk at any given time, the addition of a nondescript black or silver $80 Shuffle is easy to dismiss.

Jasmine would actually wear it. If you've ever seen a First Look video from my MP3 cohort Jasmine France, you can get a sense of how much this girl likes fashion. I wouldn't have thought in a million years that she'd go for the new Shuffle's muted, stoic design, but it turned out to be her favorite feature. I guess there's something to be said for wearable tech that just blends in, and doesn't draw attention to itself. What's not surprising: I still don't understand women.

Pretty Pebbles galore.

(Credit: Samsung)

Rarely has a device so immediately inspired as much scorn as the latest Apple iPod Shuffle. Within 12 hours of its release, the third-generation of the littlest iPod had no shortage of complaints railed against it. It's too small, shuns compatibility with third-party headphones, and doesn't have a screen or even any buttons. At least one tech editor has even gone so far as to call it a disaster. Still, like most things, the iPod Shuffle undoubtedly has a few redeeming qualities, and some people have come to its defense.

Having spent some hands-on time with the teeny MP3 player, I can verify that it's not all bad. There is something impressive about the smallness of the device, and the design has a certain simple, understated appeal. However, operating it is not an intuitive exercise, and the lack of controls on the device itself borders on infuriating. Plus, not being able to swap in your own headphones out of the box is rather obnoxious. (And, frankly, I'll take a display over spoken menus any day.)

Luckily, the iPod Shuffle is not your only option if you're looking for a simple, ultracompact MP3 player. I've rounded up a selection of alternatives that offer at least a few benefits that the Shuffle does not, such as a lower price tag, a display, or--heck--even buttons on the device. To that end, I've been so bold as to include the previous generation Shuffle in a story dedicated to its successor's alternatives (now is the perfect time to start looking for deals on that device). Oh yeah...I went there.

Check out Apple iPod Shuffle alternatives.

Photos: The wee little Shuffle