iPods, smaller isn't always better
September 18th 2010 09:57
From: the Washington Post
The latest crop of iPods, introduced Sept. 1 at a media event in San Francisco, show that a miniaturization mind-set still rules at Apple. But they also show that gadgets can be too small.
Consider the most compact of the new lineup, the iPod Shuffle. It's a wafer of a device, less than an inch and a half on each- and unlike its immediate predecessor, this one includes a set of physical buttons to control playback.
But on this model, $49 for about two gigabytes of flash-memory storage, there's almost no room outside those controls to undo the clip without pressing the previous-track button. Using its clever "VoiceOver" spoken-word interface (which gets around the lack of a display by reading titles of songs and playlists to you) requires pressing a tiny, unlabeled button.
Like every Shuffle but the first version, the new Shuffle relies on a non-standard variant of Apple's already-proprietary iPod cable; try not to lose it.
Only the updated iPod touch represents a major advance. This WiFi-enabled gadget catches up to the new iPhone 4 in a variety of areas. Its screen offers the same absurdly high 960-by-640 pixel resolution; its faster processor and upgraded motion sensors let it play the same games as the iPhone 4; it includes video-capable cameras on the front and back; most importantly, it adds a microphone.
So if it's getting smaller the chances are it's not getting better.
techno tells ya even if someone else writes it
| 119 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
