In what is arguably one of the smallest portable MP3 players ever made, Apple's iPod Shuffle is shorter than a house key standing upright. Yes, it's really that small.
But inside that diminutive iPod Shuffle frame is 4GB of storage capacity, which should be good enough to fit up to 1,000 songs. To slim the iPod Shuffle down even more, Apple did away with playback controls directly on the unit. Now, they can be found on the right earbud cord, where it might be simpler to navigate without even touching the Shuffle. The jury is still out though -- some users might still like the old way.
Having controls on the cord is made a little bit easier by the fact that this Shuffle now has a new feature called VoiceOver. This is how the "Talking iPod Shuffle" gets its nickname -- it literally speaks out the names of songs, artists and the playlists they belong to. So, for example, if you're going for a jog listening to music on your Shuffle, VoiceOver will tell you which song is next or as you're navigating the different playlists, it will announce those as well.
Having a voice feature should make it easier to sync over playlists you put together in iTunes for specific purposes. If you have one for the gym and another for just chilling out on the way to work, the Shuffle is supposed to keep you in the loop on where you're navigating to. VoiceOver is also highly useful for those who like different languages, as it can speak in 14 of them.
The only switch found on the Shuffle itself is the actual "shuffle" itself. Flipping it one way shuffles the playlist in a random order; while going to the middle keeps the playlist in the right order. Moving to the right turns the unit off. On the back is the small clip to keep the Shuffle nestled close to your body. After all, the new iPod Shuffle is so small that losing it is a very real possibility if you're not careful.
On a full battery charge, the Shuffle should get you 10 hours of playback. It's currently available in stores across the country for $79.99.