Marching to the beat of her own drum with Apple iPod Shuffle 1GB in red....
Written: Oct 15 '07
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Pros: good price, durable, nice sound, easy to work
Cons: has to be charged with computer/can't connect it to car stereo.
The Bottom Line: I think this would be a good selection for kids, especially if you already have some Apple products.
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| bradshawcl's Full Review: Apple iPod Shuffle Red 1 GB MP3 Player |
I decided to get my oldest child an ipod, so at the Apple Store I bought the Apple ipod Shuffle 2nd Generation 1 GB, in red for $79 with free shipping and free engraving. I decided to go with the Apple Store instead of trying my luck on Ebay because they had free shipping and the engraving- which was a good deal considering my youngest is only 6, and it would be a way to keep up with her ipod by having it engraved.
She chose the red, which happened to be part of the Product Red program, where a portion of the ipod’s purchase price went towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. On the website the ipod looks to be a bright red, but it is really a nice deep cranberry color, and it is very pretty. They also have a few other color choices available as well. This Shuffle is 1GB, which holds up to 240 songs, but do note it does not have a radio function.
To me, this ipod is a touch thicker than my nano, which to me makes it feel as though it is a little tougher than a nano. The ipod measures 1.07 inches tall by 1.62 inches wide, and only weighs a mere 0.55 oz. It even comes with a belt clip that is made onto the back, so I haven’t even bought a case for extra protection or for a belt clip. This little thing is pretty durable, and even when it is dropped it won’t skip.
The operation dial is pretty simple, the center being the play/pause button, the top and bottom buttons being the volume control, and the left and right being the backwards/forwards track buttons. But, this is different from the nano in that it has a tiny on/off switch on the bottom of it, as well as a shuffle/play songs in order switch across from the on off switch.
The ipod comes with an included docking station, earbuds, and a quick start up guide. To work with this, you need to have at least Windows XP or higher, and a 2.0 USB port.
Setup:
Since we already had iTunes for our ipod nanos, we just plugged this in and it automatically detected the Shuffle, then we set it up from there, but if this is your first Apple product, you must download iTunes at www.apple.com/ipod/start. After that, you’ll need to import some songs from CDs, or buy some songs for 99 cents each from iTunes. Then, you will need to connect the ipod Shuffle to the computer via the USB port, and the end that goes into the Shuffle is a rather funny looking one, that has a tip that you pull in and out of the earbud jack. Of course, when you get your Shuffle, not only will you need to put songs on it, but it will need to charge a little while before using. The Shuffle does accept these formats: MP3, AIFF, WAV, Protected AAC, Audible, AAC, MP3 VBR, but once you get into iTunes, it converts all the stuff into ACC regardless, plus whatever you buy off iTunes is in ACC format as well, which is only accepted by Apple stuff, and can’t be converted into any other format.
Battery life/Charging:
You can only charge Shuffle on your computer through your USB port and the included cord, which is a bummer, because that means your computer has to be on while doing this- but I found the initial charge up took only 45 minutes or so (but the manual suggests charging 4 hours). The battery life is 12 hours. To charge the unit, put it in the charger and connect it to the computer. You will see a tiny little light by the on/off switch, and once it turns green in color (if it is orange is it still charging), that means it is fully charged- but even though the manual suggests 4 hours, I had an anxious 6 year old on my hands, so as soon as the light turned green after 45 minutes or so, I decided we were good to go.
Also, the little light serves as a battery indicator- green means it has a good charge, orange means it is low, red is very low, and if you can’t get it to come on, that means you should for sure charge it. As far as 12 hour battery life, I’d say that is pretty true- we haven’t run it consecutively for 12 hours, but every couple of days I find it needs charging, and she uses it probably 2 hours or so a day. This light will also blink orange when the Shuffle is syncing with the computer, it will turn green if the unit is on for 2 seconds, and if it is on pause it will blink for 1 minute. You also have the option of the hold feature like you do on ipod nano, you just press the play/pause button for 3 seconds, and if the light is green the hold is off, and if it is orange, it is on.
Uploading Songs:
The uploading process is a little different for the Shuffle than with then Nano, but equally as simple. Since I already had a playlist for my kids on my own Nano, I was ahead of the game a little bit. But, if you have several ipods in your household, you’ll want to have different playlists for each more than likely. But, it is easy to create one in iTunes, just go to file and hit create new playlist. Then, you move songs you want onto that playlist. Once you do that, you can set up the Shuffle to just play certain playlist(s).
When you come to the Shuffle’s main page in iTunes, you’ll see two tabs, the settings tab, and the contents tab. On the settings tab, you have the power to select settings such as opening iTunes when the Shuffle is connected, enable sound check, convert higher bit songs to ACC format, and to limit the maximum volume.
I especially like the setting where you can limit the maximum volume, that way I know my child isn’t cranking the rock and roll up too loud- I have it set to only go up halfway as the maximum volume level. It is set in iTunes via a password, which she does not know. I thought this was a good setting for those younger kids, because you have peace of mind knowing they are not blowing their eardrums.
On the contents tab, this is where you will be able to put the music on from. Down at the bottom, you see an autofill button, and there will be a little spot with a drop down menu where you can choose which playlist to autofill from- which I chose the one I had set up for my kid, and so all her songs went on her Shuffle.
Sound:
I must say even though this thing is small, it has a really good sound to it, equal to that of the Nano. It is really crisp and clear, and there is no trouble with skipping, even though it gets danced around with.
Overall:
Well, I feel like I got a pretty good deal from the Apple website, with free shipping and free engraving. Sure, I could have pressed my luck on EBay and gotten it cheaper, but I think I got a good deal just the same. This is a nice MP3 player that can grow with my kid, since it does hold up to 240 songs. I think she will be able to use it several years and then some. Also, it comes in a good selection of colors.
Not only would I suggest this for kids, but I think this would be great for those that jog, it’s not very big or bulky, and it holds enough music to get you through a run, and it is also to me a little less fragile than a Nano is, and like I mentioned earlier I don’t even feel the real need for a case for the Shuffle because it does come with its own built in clip, and it is pretty durable on its own. It would be good also for those that maybe work in a high risk area, such as at a factory, this would probably be a little less prone to breakage than a Nano would.
Using the Shuffle is easy, once I explained it once to my kid and told her to make sure to turn it on and off with the switch, she has done it every time, and she has no trouble working it. Also, since it doesn’t have a click wheel, there’s not as much fumbling with it.
Also, as I mentioned earlier about setting the volume limit- a great thing to have for kids, and she has her music on her ipod and I don’t have to listen to her stuff on mine anymore.
But, there is one complaint- I really don’t like the fact that you can only charge this via a computer, and of course, there is no way you could connect it via a car’s stereo system either. But, more than likely, a lot of the users of this can’t drive anyway- I think this is more for kids than anyone else- and I do like the nice quality of Apple for my kid. I’d recommend it- easy to use, good sounding, durable, not too expensive- worth having.
Thanks to symbiosis for adding!
Ipod nano review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_311201926788
Another MP3 player review- Sansa Shaker:
http://www.epinions.com/content_405357104772
For more about (Product) Red, go here:
www.joinred.com
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 79
Recommended for: Beginners - Easy Enough for Tech Newbies
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