Apple iPod Shuffle (third generation, 4GB)

Friday, March 20, 2009, 9:27
Mp3 Players
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appleipodshuffle Priced at $79, the third generation of Apple iPod Shuffle is the smallest MP3 player in the market at the moment. The MP3 player boasts of small and unique size which you will not find with any other player.

Measuring 0.7 inch by 1.8 inches by 0.3 inch, the iPod Shuffle looks same a tie clip which is capable of playing MP3. This aluminum encased device is marginally thicker than a paper clip and you won’t find any hint of button controls, knob, or screen. The device houses the headphone jack along with button for playback mode and power on the top edge.

The music playback is controlled by earbud-style headphones which are included with Shuffle. A remote control is located on the headphone cable, just below the right ear. The remote consists of three controls: two buttons for volume control and a multi-functional central button. Pressing the center button once lets you pause music playback, pressing twice skips the songs forward, and pressing thrice skips the songs back. But there is one downside of this headphone remote control; if you somehow lose or damage the headphones, you will not be able to control the iPod. The replacement headphones for the Shuffle will cost you $29.

The Apple iPod Shuffle is nothing but a pure digital audio player as it doesn’t have FM radio, voice recording capabilities or photo or video playback. It supports MP3, AAC, Audible, WAV, AIF, and Apple Lossless audio formats but there no support for WMA or FLAC. The new version has lots of improvements over previous versions. The new Shuffle uses synthesized voice to tell you what you’re listening to. This feature has support for 14 languages. Another addition is the syncing capability of new Shuffle. The Shuffle can navigate through multiple playlists, audio podcasts, and audiobooks.

You can also use the Shuffle with your computer when the music player is in disk mode. You can transfer and store the files with affecting the audio content your iPod. But you have to use Apple’s iTunes to access the music files stored on the Shuffle.

The Shuffle comes with a 4-inch USB adapter for charging the device. The adapter connects iPod’s headphone output to the computer. The Apple iPod Shuffle has rated playback time of 10 hours, but this is less than the previous generation by 2 hours. A full recharge of the device takes nearly 3 hours.