by Robert Wilson

Created on: October 02, 2010   Last Updated: October 03, 2010

I have an ipod touch which I absolutely love but it is a bit bulky for everyday use so I bought myself a brand new ipod shuffle from amazon. It is the newest version which is 4th gen I think.  Even though I know shuffles are tiny it still amazed me when I received the package the next day and I opened it up to see a really small clear box that contained my

shuffle, earphones, data cable and booklet. How they manage to fit everything in such a small box is a mystery to me.

The newest incarnation of the ipod shuffle has moved on from the last shape and is now more reminiscent of the 2nd generation one which was also square. Also unlike the last version this one now contains external controls with a circular control panel which allows you the basic controls of skip forward, back, and volume controls. In the middle of the circle is the switch for pausing and playing.  On the top of the shuffle is a switch which can be moved to one of three positions which are shuffle songs, play in order or switch the ipod off.  The last button is next to the three way switch and this is for the voiceover feature.  There seems to have been a lot of thought gone into the placement and size of the buttons as they are the perfect size to not only compliment the shuffle but they are also extremely easy to use even for someone like me who has big clumsy fingers.

Voiceover is an annoying but really useful feature on the shuffle. As there is no external display on the shuffle to see what songs you are playing, by pressing this is will tell you the name and artist which isn’t really very helpful as surely if you have added the songs you will already know what they are but where it does come in handy is that by holding it down it will go through your playlists allowing you to choose which one you want. By pressing it twice the creepy computerized voice will tell you the status of your battery and how long you have left before it needs charged again.

I found this incredibly helpful and although it is a little weird getting used to it I had mastered it within a few tries and hardly notice I am doing it anymore. You will need to download the voiceover app from itunes but it is definitely worth doing and it will install itself when downloaded so is very easy to do.

I basically decided on the shuffle for using when exercising as it is so small and light and one of the features this new version comes with is a built in clip for attaching it to your clothes. Now this

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