Apple updates whenever one of their products, it seemed to create much buzz. At the third generation of the iPod Shuffle was announced a few weeks ago, the buzz was almost as sound as a hive of bees. Why so much attention for a sub 100 $ MP3 player that does not even have a screen? Well, we are talking about an Apple product, is not it? Buzz does not always mean that the product is good, then we will look more closely at this small digital audio player.

Hardware Specifications
Capacity: 4 GB
Audio formats: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV
Size and weight: 1.8 inches (45.2 mm) x 0.7 in. (17.5 mm) x 0.3 in. (7.8 mm), 0.38 ounces (10.7 grams)

Package Contents
iPod shuffle
Earbuds
USB Charging Cable
Quick Start Guide
Apple Mini stickers

It’s fun to see how the shuffle has evolved over the years. If I’m honest (wow, I like Simon Cowell of American Idol), I think I choose the 4 years, originally as my favorite shuffle. If only because it has a USB connector for loading. I also liked the second generation random due to the metal case. The latest iPod shuffle seems to be almost a merger of the two. He kept the body of metal, but returned to a vertical form. No USB connector but. Darn …

Available in black or silver, anodized aluminum shell has a brushed finish, with a simple facade. The sides are rounded and the whole system feels like a metal bar.

Flip the shuffle, and you will see the chrome pocket clip with an Apple logo frosted. Gah, I really wish Apple would fire the person or persons who are responsible for the use of chrome accents on their products. Yes, I have a personal problem with chrome … Excuse me a moment while I polish my smeary fingerprints on the clip for the billionth time.

There is only one switch and a connector on this drive, and both are located along the top edge. The stereo headphone jack 3.5 mm is a standard size, but you will not be able to use any headphones with the shuffle. More information about this in a minute.

The passage has three settings. Off, On with the reading sequence and mixed with the reading. Although you can not see in the picture above, there is a small battery status LED between the switch and the headphones.

How do you charge the shuffle? In the same way that you support the previous version, thanks to the 3.5 mm headphone jack. This time, it is not so small dock included.

Instead, you get a short USB cable. One end has a USB connector and the other has a 3.5 mm.

Plug it in and charge the internal battery and synchronizes the contents of iTunes. On a full charge, you can expect to 10hrs of play time. Short USB cable will not take up much space in your bag of gear, but the fact that you have to carry a charge cable property when you travel is a bit embarrassing.

If the charge / sync cable bothers you, then the fact that you can not use your own headphones with the fave shuffle will probably put you in a bad mood. Let me back but … You can use any headphones / earphones / headphones you want with this new iPod shuffle. But (and it’sa big but) if you do, you will not be able to adjust the volume, pause, skip songs, use the VoiceOver feature or just about anything, except to listen to music. Why? Because all user controls are integrated into a small controller on the headphones included.

The controller is a 1125 cm long piece of plastic that weighs about 4.5 inches from the end of the right Earbud. It has 3 integrated switches, one at each end and one in the middle. Each switch is activated by pressing it. The end switches to adjust the volume, and the center allows for navigation between songs and playlists. The center also provides the break and VoiceOver functionality.

If you choose to use VoiceOver functionality (it is a download option during the initial installation and must be downloaded through iTunes), will announce the name and artist of the current track. To activate, simply hold down the center of passage on the controller for a couple of seconds. If you continue pressing the center switch, you hear a male voice say the names of playlists, allowing you to move to the desired list. It is a kind of an interesting possibility, but I prefer to have just a small LCD screen …
(flv to creative zen)
(ogm t swf)
(youtube grabber)
(flv to zen_vision)
(mp4 to flash)
(download youtube)

Outside the box, the shuffle has 3.77GB of available space, without any option for storage expansion. The audio quality is not, unlike other digital audio players I tested. They are even beginning to sound after a while – especially with headphones stock. I have no complaints about the quality of his listening and find music through this player to be fun. I clip the player to my jeans pocket as I’m sitting at my desk or walking around and have not had problems with the shuffle in the time I have been tested. The switches all worked as described.