iPod Shuffle

Chris informed me that the BestBuy near my house had a table full of iPod Shuffles for sale. I was surprised, since no stores seem to have them in stock. I picked one up. Now I’ll see if I can use it as motivation to exercise.

I’ve used a flash mp3 player, some little sd player from rio. However, here’s the rub. The rio music manager software just flat out sucks. You couldn’t even treat the device as a removable drive, which would have even been preferable to the software’s non-windows like folder interface. It was awful, putting music on it was a chore.

So, this is why Apple wins again. Being able to toss the songs on from iTunes, where they all already nicely reside, is the biggest benefit. Would I like a screen? Probably, though, the only thing I ever used it for when running was to tell the time. Since I carry my phone, that’s a non-issue.

Anyway, it’s pretty sweet. And if you live in Orange County and want one, check out the BestBuy in Tustin Marketplace.

—Jan 29, 2005