Wow! nice upgrade from my 2ndGen shuffle

Although I am a veteran geek as well as a musician, I had resisted the full-scale move to purchasing music without accompanying media, like CDs and their liner notes. However, that apparently inevitable move was accelerated for me in February, when I received a 2ndGen shuffle as an award from my job.

I took the plunge, downloaded iTunes, and bought some music, and I loaded several of my favorite CDs onto the 1 gigabyte shuffle. After using it for a short time, I realized I really did like the ability to carry a large music library around in my pocket. I found that it was very handy while travelling on business, and while working out, but I eventually came to realize that the lack of the ability to pick from among several playlists was starting to get tiresome.

So...I got an iPod nano 3rdGen. I have found that I use my nano even more than I used my shuffle, although I will be keeping the shuffle as well.

The screen on the shuffle is great, bright, crisp, easy to read. The menus are very easy to work, and very intuitive. And it was so nice that when I first synced my new nano with my existing iTunes library, it put EVERYTHING on my nano, so it was truly like having an instant jukebox. I particularly love the games, and the fact that you can listen to your own music while playing games. I have found playing games and listening to my nano the perfect way to spend time in waiting rooms and airports/airplanes.

It's not perfect, though. Here are a few things to consider:
- the iTunes store has no subscription service, unlike Napster, Rhapsody, ZuneMarketplace, and the BestBuy music download service; it charges you on a per-song basis only, 99 cents per song. However, you can easily rip songs using the itunes software, and the ipod will play some mp3s you got from other services, and ripped with other software, just not DRM-protected MP3s.
- Screen gets dirty very easily, and you may want to invest in some screen protectors when you buy one. I have seen others write that it scratches easily, but that hasn't happened to me yet.
- Chrome back scratches very easily. You may want to get a silicon case to protect it, and to make it less slippery. I found a 3-pack at walmart for $7, and that was a great investment. (I don't really care if the back is scratched, but I noticed mine was scratched within a couple of days.)
- Included headphones are a little uncomfortable for me; I think it depends on the size of your ears, and on your tolerance for things in your ears...
- Apple-branded accessories are VERY expensive. Replacement headphones run $29 at the apple store (or $39 for "in ear" headphones), replacement sync cables are $19, and a USB AC adapter is $29. And the USB AC adapter is NOT included in the package, so out of the box, you have to charge your iPod from the USB port on your computer. However, if you look online, you can find LOTS of aftermarket headphones, cables, and chargers for 1/5 the price, or even less.
- The iPod will not charge with just "any" USB car charger. In fact, I have not been able to get mine to charge with anything but the computer and my (aftermarket) wall charger.
- The 8 gigabyte nano contains a flash drive, which has no moving parts. I personally like this, but some people may not like the fact that this device will only hold about 2,000 songs (at an average size of 4 MB per song.) 2,000 songs is about 200 full albums. If you have a very large digital music library, and want to carry all of your music with you, you may be better served by an iPod Classic. The 80 GB model of the iPod Classic holds approximately 20,000 songs, or 2,000 albums, but uses a 1.8" laptop harddrive, which does have moving parts.
- earbuds and in-ear headphones (regardless of how cheap or expensive) seem to be plagued by a short lifespan, so I would suggest that you find some relatively inexpensive ones that you won't mind buying every 3 months or so. I personally can't justify spending $30 every 3 months for genuine apple earbuds, so I have found some inexpensive ones I like for about $2, and bought several pairs. I also invested in some inexpensive cable management gadges that are made of foam and called fishbones, which I think will extend the life of my earbuds.

Accessories I consider a must:
- screen protector
- case of some sort
- USB AC adapter
- extra ipod sync cable
- extra headphones
- some sort of cable management system (search for fisbone cord wrap at google)

Bottom line: this is a great device if you don't mind being tied to the itunes store for most of your digital music purchases. It sounds really good, it looks slick, and it just works.