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"Hissing noise with in ear headphones" on by TAFB
Pros: Small, nice design
Cons: Hissing noise
Summary: I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new shuffle. However, I had read some reviews about a low level, constant noise. When I first tried the shuffle with with my earbud headphones, I did not hear any hissing noise. When I tried the shuffle with my in ear headphones (Shure E2C), I heard a relatively loud fluttering electronic hissing noise. I have a nano (1st Gen) and a 5G ipod; this noise is not present on those ipods. The noise was constant, with or without the music playing. While playing music, the hiss was apparent in the quiet parts of songs or any pause in singing or playing an instrument. Very annoying. I then tried the earbuds again and, having now heard the hiss, could still hear it in the background but not to the same degree as with the in ear headphones. The hiss is barely audible with the earbuds...but still clearly present. So, I returned the shuffle and will rely on the nano for my ultra portable music needs. If Apple could find a way to eliminate the hissing noise, I would rate this product an 8/9 out of 10. As it is, I would not recommend the new shuffle.
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"Just what I wanted!" on by DavHow71
Pros: Clean Design, No unwanted functions
Cons: Just personal ones. The Earbuds don't fit my ears well, and I wish I didn't have to use the iTunes interface, but they are small complaints.
Summary: I am surprised at how many people feel this is some sort of "compromise" purchase. This player has the features I want, and more importantly, it has none of the features that I have no use for. I can't possibly be the only one. This product will have definate appeal to the "form and function" crowd.
I don't want a storage device, my pc has over 100 gigs of mp3's on it. THAT is my storage device. I have no need to carry every piece of music on my person at all times. I have over a 2000 albums tapes and cd's, but if I was going on a road trip, I would just grab a dozen or so, that I was in the mood for at that time, and leave the rest at home... same concept here.
The 1gig capacity is perfect. It is precisely this relatively small storage capacity that makes the screen unnecessary. As far as I'm concerned, I don't even need the "shuffle" option...it's 500 song mix tape to me.
It's by no means a compromise purchase. I have a home theatre system for movies, and a PC for data storage and games, and primarily for home music listening. I'm going to use this less than 2 hours a day... even at only 1 gig, I won't change the playlist more than once a month.
NO Screen is a good thing.
Small is a good thing.
Aluminum case is a good thing.
Ease of use is a good thing.
Less than $80 is a nice bonus, I can afford to buy what I want... and I DID.
I rated it a 9 because I don't like the earbuds that come with it... and I wish I could load from Winamp instead of itunes. -
"Simple. Pretty. Subpar." on by nanoalpha
Pros: It clips! Brushed aluminum, so mostly scratch-proof. Tiny. Easy to use, better switch.
Cons: Hit-or-miss design, so-so sound, still no LCD, now requires a dock.
Summary: Who would have ever thought? This is the smallest thing ever! It looks great, although the clip somehow looks not very secure. This could be used as a clothing accessory, albeit with mixed reviews--I have heard of a chick who thought it was "too small and wimpy for me." If you heard this from a girly girl, we have a problem. It does, however, clip on perfectly on a bag strap and belt loop securely. Plus, it's clad in aluminum; it's pretty tough. Just don't dunk it in the water and expect it to survive.
There are some of the design flaws that cross over from the old iPod Shuffle: it's still got a rather slow sync rate, there is no LCD, and it does freeze which would require some maneuvers. Some flaws, though, are new: the "play" button feels like the center of a strawberry jam cap, and you can no longer plug in the Shuffle directly to the computer via attached USB port. Oh, the pursuit of form over function. It's okay, though, as the dock is pretty small and slick.
My grudge, however, lies in the sound quality. I have certainly expected better out of Shuffle--it sounds mediocre on my personal headphone. It sounds even worse on the stock earbuds. The bass lacks sustain, and the treble is rather weak. Midtone also disappoints--sound wise, it's one step down from original Shuffle. Think, say, first generation iPod Mini; those sounded pretty bad.
So, want something chic and head-turning maybe? Get this. Want something with decent sound quality? Look elsewhere.
On a side note, it can do podcast pretty well--but only if the podcast is played in loop order. Play in random, and it gets confused and only plays songs. -
"Fantastic work out Player" on by MonkeyChamp
Pros: Size, weight, look
Cons: No LED at all
Summary: I am not an Apple person and did not want to buy an Apple product, BUT, the iPod Shuffle is great for the gym. My previous player was an iRiver N10 that I used a ton, but got tired of the size and weight.
If you are not a serious gym person, disregard my review, honestly.
The iPod shuffle is a feather weight and it comes with a good clip you can attach to a collar or waistband. Arm bands suck if you lift weights, and a heavier player worn necklace style can be annoying when running or doing more intense Cardio.
I can move the clip, skip songs with the controls, etc, all while running at a good pace. If it does unclip, it hangs on my ear phones and I can re-clip quickly. (I hate ear buds and only use small clip on ear phones)
Get the 2GB model. I wish it had a small LED with a digital clock, but other than it Rules. -
"A WASTE OF MONEY" on by 3lax40
Pros: can't think of one
Cons: won't stay on
Summary: the shuffle worked for a few months but i can't get it to stay on. very frustrating at the gym
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