Apple iPod shuffle 1 GB Silver (2nd Generation)

This is a great solution for when you want something small and have no need for 25,000 songs or video. It's perfect for people who like to listen to music while working out, because it has no moving parts and you won't mess it up by moving around a lot.

I use mine all the time, a lot more than I thought I would. Perfect for non-gym stuff also. So good, I've actually pretty much stopped using my other iPods entirely.

When I broke my original I-Pod (classic), I thought I would save money and buy this smaller one. It's really cute and perfect for the gym...for about a month until you realize 240 songs really is not enough. You can take off old songs and upload new ones, but this is a pain. My advice is to spend the extra money to get more memory storage.

I own a bunch of iPods, and like them all. The shuffle is perhaps my favorite because it is so small and simple. I used it whenever riding my bike, walking to the coffee shop, etc. Sadly, my first shuffle died after 18 months of use. It began acting flakey (only playing 1 song on the playlist over & over) and within a couple of days it was dead. It will charge, but can't play any music. It used to flash yellow "error" lights, but it won't flash any lights any more after the initial "green = power on" light is displayed.

Anyhow, I ordered another because it is an unbeatable companion during 6-hour bicycle rides, but I hope this one lasts at least a couple of years.

I give this a 5-star for the product design, 1-star for durability. Average = 3 stars.

My husband was wanting an mp3 that he could stick in his pocket and this one goes one better - he can clip in on the sleeve of his t-shirt while out and about. He loves it!

I've been buying mp3 players ever since my first player, an Intel audio player, back in 2002. I bought a first gen Ipod shuffle when they came out and hated it. The thing locked up and the firmware went dead within the first month. Not a good introduction to Apple ipods.

But I decided to give the Shuffle one more try after getting a Nano, so I picked up one. These second generation Shuffles are a big step up from the first ones released, and at a decent price.

Pros:
1 gig is at the lower end of storage, but you can still carry around a ton of songs with it.

Shuffle mix option should be a must for all players. Who wants to have to scroll through every song in the list every time?

Audio quality is improved from the first gen models.

Small and even more compact than most other mp3 players, plus the belt clip is a nice addition.

The price is great for a ipod model, even if it is only the size of a quarter.

Cons:
As with all Shuffles, there is no LCD screen, no way to SEE what song is listed or use volume meters. That also means no video, no photos, no games. But considering its size, it's too much to ask for a unit this small.

A few minor volume issues. It's difficult to set the volume properly before you plug in the headphones, so in case you somehow set the volume level really loud the last time you used it, you really won't know how loud it is the next time until you plug in the phones and listen, which can be disturbing when you're expecting a nice quiet tune and it comes blasting out into your ears.

Itunes. Period. My Nano was compatible with several 3rd party transfer programs, but for some reason Itunes is the only one that seems to work for the Shuffle. Itunes has horrible sync rates and I just don't like the settings or really anything about Itunes. But this is more a gripe about Apple's software rather than the player itself.

Overall the second gen Shuffles are a very decent entry into the ipod family. Good sound, good price, good size, and so far it's been very reliable with no firmware or hardware troubles. Very recommended for the casual user or even as a backup for the bigger, badder units.