iPod shuffle 2nd Generation Blue (1 GB) MP3 Player

1GB flash memory
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats: MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store, M4A, M4B, M4P), Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), WAV, and AIFF
Audio: 3.5mm stereo headphone minijack
Power: Rechargeable lithium polymer battery
Size: 1.07 x 1.62 x 0.41in
Weight: .55 oz.

Smaller than a match book, this new shuffle is the perfect size for carrying with you all the time. I don’t think there’s anyone that can’t find room to put this little player in a pocket, purse or gear bag.

The body of the player appears to be made of plastic, while the outside shell is a brushed aluminum. No case is needed, although I’ve already been seeing silicon skins on the market for it.

The style of the shuffle should be familiar to those of you that own or have seen the original shuffle. It has the same circular button configuration, that is your interface to the music stored within. There are controls to adjust the volume, play/pause, and go backwards and forwards through tracks. Some of the buttons have extra functions such as the play/pause button. If you hold this button down for 3 seconds, it puts the player into Hold mode. Hold mode will ignore button presses. Pressing and holding for 3 seconds will toggle it out of Hold mode. You can also press the play/pause button 3 times to go back to the first song in the playlist.

The top edge of the shuffle has two small metal switches and a tiny LED. The switch on the Left toggles between shuffle-play mode and play-in-order mode. The button on the Right is the power switch, and the small LED beside it, gives you status for battery, hold, pause, etc.

On the bottom you will find the 3.5mm earphone / sync / charge jack and the other side, the status LED. That’s right, the LED is duplicated on both sides of the player. Pretty nice as you can clip it in either orientation and still view the status.

Speaking of the clip, shuffle has a spring loaded metal clip built into the back side of the player. The spring isn’t super strong, but the two offset teeth allow it to keep a relatively good grip on things.

Most of the time, I keep the shuffle clipped on the neck of my sweater or my jeans. It’s so light weight that I don’t even notice it’s there. This would make a great player for use while working out, running, etc.

The good: The competitively priced iPod Shuffle has a dead-simple user interface with satisfying tactile controls, and its integrated belt clip provides a handy way to keep track of the player. The Shuffle is available in five, metallic colors, and the package includes a cute little syncing cradle.

The bad: The iPod Shuffle has no screen, so there's no way to navigate easily among artists, albums, or playlists. And it only offers so-so sound quality. The player might be too small for some users, and nonstandard USB syncing takes away from its plug-and-go appeal.

The bottom line: If you like your music playback simple and your device nearly invisible, the second-generation iPod Shuffle will suit you well. But absentminded users should steer clear of this easy-to-misplace player.

Size Matters!!! Easy and not too tiny!

I love my iPod 2nd generation Shuffle! The sturdy make up of the casing and clip is terrific for someone like me who tends to drop things. At the gym, when it is clipped to my arm, I appreciate being able to look down and see the buttons and switches I need to hit while in my euphoric endorphin induced state.

Sadly I am on a trip overseas for six months and left my beautiful back in the states. When I popped into a store to buy another iPod shuffle and was shown the "new generation" I recoiled... and said "Not THAT One!". It was way too tiny... where are my beloved buttons??? The salesperson laughed a bit as he explained that the one I like is no longer made... what????

I told him that I prefer the 2nd generation because the size isn't so tiny that I have to stop to look at it while exercising to know exactly what I'm doing, and that it is easy to hold and maneuver. In my opinion size DOES matter. Yes, I do think that some things (including mobile phones) can be too small to be friendly to a variety of ranges of dexterity. I marched out of the store and went directly online to find a used one, and thank goodness there are some out there.

In just a few days, I'll be clipping my new (old generation) iPod shuffle on and sweating away while easily operating a decently sized piece of musicware that in my opinion wasn't didn't need "fixing" in terms of aesthetic design or usability in terms of size and buttons. And this facts, folks, makes me smile.

The best mp3 player to date. Period.

The Apple iPod Shuffle 2nd edition is the most simple, easy to use and stylish mp3 player today. It works like a charm, it can hold hours and hours of music, the button layout is easy to control even when your not looking at the unit, it can go for days and days on 1 charge, and it's great for workouts. I have owned 2 of these in different colors and now I'm ordering a 3rd because it's that good of a product. The only downfall is that you have to use iTunes to manage the music, and most people HATE iTunes. Other than that, it's a near perfect item. In fact is was SUCH a great product that those idiots at Apple decided to release a completely butchered 3rd edition iPod Shuffle and now people hate it so much that they are looking for these old 2nd edition iPods, but alas they are discontinued. Go Apple.... -_-

I love the 2nd Gen IPOD Shuffle

Super durable, holds up great during strenuous workouts. Easy to use, button locations are easy to find blindly. Convenient small package with a sturdy clip to attach to clothing or belt. I wear it under my clothing all the time you can barely tell its there, earbuds are almost more obvious when tucked away. I never have go without my podcasts except when swimming or other water related activities. Much prefer to the new gen 3 version that required special headphones with the controllers on it. Only downside is that there is no screen to see whats playing. It does indicate in Itunes if selection has been played or not though, which I find very handy as I primarily use it to follow my podcasts and the news of the day.
I really wish Apple hadn't 'upgraded' to the new version.

Compact, affordable, & easy to use, The Ipod shuffle is the perfect value!

Being a lifelong buyer of Microsoft products, the 1 GB 2nd gen Ipod shuffle has been my first ever Apple purchase. Of course, being a loyal Microsoft customer, I was wary to say the least about buying an Apple product. I was on the fence about several items which included: Functionality, Ease of use, and Compatibility with Microsoft computers. After buying and using the wonderful little Ipod, I have been swayed. Let me clear up any uneasiness anyone is having.




Functionality: The 2nd gen 1 GB Ipod Shuffle looks and operates like a small tank. These little music players are ridiculously rugged. Since getting mine I have unintentionally tugged on it and dropped it several times. Nothing. This Ipod is built simply. It is little more than an MP3 player with a headphone jack. It also includes a power button, shuffle button, power/sync light, and your traditional play button setup. Being just over the size of a book of matches, it is also extremely small and portable. Apple has also included a clip on the back for you to attach the Ipod to a shirt pocket or pant pocket or a backpack for when you are using it. The only down side of this Ipod for some would be the storage size. 1 GB of storage space allots room for between 200 and 400 songs on this Ipod, not much in modern terms. For people like me who use it just walking to or from a class or event, or use it when they go to work out, this little guy is perfect. Plus, at a price point of between 10 and 30 dollars, you can't really go wrong. Battery life is also impressive. Listening to this Ipod for between 30-40 minutes a day, it held a charge for almost 3 weeks. That is an approximately battery life of about 14 hours. Also, it takes only between 2 and 4 hours to charge this Ipod from a depleted battery.




Ease of use: Could it get much easier?! To charge this Ipod all you have to do is plug it in to either a wall outlet or a USB port depending on which charger you have, and turn it on. That's it. The charge light tells you when the Ipod is done charging. As far as the user interface goes, it also could not get much easier. Plug your headphones in, turn the power on, and press the play button. You have the option to increase and decrease the volume, stop and start the song, skip a song or go back to a previous song, and also there is a button which allows you to shuffle your music library.




Compatibility: This was my big issue. Upon buying this Ipod, I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was to use. The first time you plug it into your computer, the driver installs and it runs you through the steps to download Itunes and any software updates needed. My computer almost instantly recognized the device, and Itunes synced with it very quickly. Also, importing my music library was very easy, as Itunes did it for me! Needless to say, any thought I had about incompatibility were gone by this point.




Final verdict on this little guy? I give it a 5 out of 5. This device is small, convenient, simple, inexpensive, user friendly, and well built. If you don't mind the limitation on storage space, this Ipod is the one for you.