iPod Shuffle offers latest whizbangs

Weighing in at 0.38 ounces and standing at a mere 1.8 inches tall, the newest Apple iPod Shuffle is one of the smallest music players on the market. The third generation Shuffle, offered in silver and black, ups the storage capacity to four gigabytes, relocates the controls to the earphones and offers new voice technology.

Despite being smaller than the average house key, the new shuffle can hold several playlists-or up to a 1000 songs-whereas past generations have been limited to just one. And with this addition, Apple introduces the new VoiceOver feature to help listeners identify, sort and choose between songs and playlists, available in 14 different languages. Utilizing the Text-to-Speech application of iTunes 8 (which is required), the new feature will announce the name of songs, playlists or even battery level with the press of the middle button on the earphone controls.

This takes us to the main drawback of the new model. Though at first the move of the buttons from the body to the right earbud cord seems more conducive for physical activities, the change takes a significant step away from the intuitively designed controls that fueled the popularity of iPods. In lieu of its trademark circular toggle, the controls consist of three buttons. One recessed button is sandwiched in between two elevated buttons that increase or decrease the volume. The unmarked recessed button controls the ability to pause a song, skip forward, skip backward, seek and activate the VoiceOver feature.

So how does one button accomplish all of that? The answer is actually kind of complicated. To pause, press the button once; to skip forward, click twice; to skip backwards, triple click and to seek and activate the VoiceOver feature, click-and-hold the button. Not only do listeners have to learn and master these new controls, they also need to be careful not to lose these earbuds-a regular Apple earphone replacement will leave you control-less.

But despite the control change, the new Shuffle features better sound quality, a greater song capacity, VoiceOver and the ability to clip-on without weighing listeners down. And at $79, the new model is still a good deal.