Clipping iPod’s Shuffle
Filed under Reviews on April 16, 2008
Keywords: iPod Shuffle, MP3 players, ScanDisk Clip
I know I promised to share another lesson learned working on Eternal Warlords: Arena, but a technical difficulty arose with a surprise I wanted to share as part of the post, and I didn’t have time to resolve the issue. So, I’ll try again on Friday. In the meantime, I thought I’d make it up to you by posting some reviews today and tomorrow that I’ve been meaning to share.
If you’re between the ages of 10 and 65, like music and aren’t afraid of technology, the news that Apple recently released a second generation of iPod Shuffles
I bought my wife a Shuffle a couple Christmas’s ago to use while she worked out. I’ve been wanting one since I started training for Hood-to-Coast. I don’t like running as a form of exercise, and wanted the distraction and motivation music offers. I finally had the money to buy one after selling a bunch of my old D&D books on eBay. I went to Amazon, added the 2GB Purple Shuffle to my cart and went to check out.
That’s when I noticed they were actually out of stock.
The money burning a whole in my pocket was not to be stopped. I went back to check on the 1GB version. They had some in stock, but as I was scrolling down the page, I read through a featured review that mentioned some other MP3 players. One of these was the ScanDisk Clip by Sansa
I clicked over to the product page for the Clip and a couple of reviews (one by the same reviewer of the Shuffle). I was impressed by the additional memory (2 GB) for the same price as the 1GB Shuffle, the inclusion of a display window, no proprietary docking, and the fact that it doesn’t tie me down to a specific software suite (I’m looking at you, iTunes).
One of my coworkers had purchased an early Sansa MP3 player and had nothing but trouble with it. That testimonial was in the back of my mind, but I rationalized that away with the obvious argument of time-equals-improvement-in-technology. So I ordered it.
My Clip arrived on Monday. I’ve used it on the commute and during the workday, and love it. I drained half the battery by the time I got home last night. My only gripe is how quickly it seems to go into Sleep mode when paused, and the only way to get it to awaken is by hitting the power button.
If you’re looking for a small MP3 player, whether for working out or filtering out noise at the office, I’d highly recommend the ScanDisk Clip by Sansa over Apple’s iPod Shuffle.
April 16th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
That style of sleeping is exactly how the iPods work. Both my first gen iPod and my iPod Touch sleep the same way, and the only way to awaken it is to hit the power button (granted, the iPod touch only *has* one button…)
I would never purchase an iPod myself. Were the two I have not gifts I wouldn’t own one. I think there are better and cheaper solutions out there, just without the huge advertising juggernaught that Apple supplies. I’ve said it before, and I’ll continue saying it because it is true, Apple’s marketing team is the best in the business.
April 16th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I can understand the benefit to battery life, it just takes some getting used to. Good to know it’s not a mark against the Clip when comparing it to the iPod. I totally agree about the marketing. If I’d known about the Clip when I was shopping for my wife, I would have bought it instead, but the Shuffle was the only “small, workout” MP3 player I had heard of.