Apple Launches iPod Shuffle VoiceOver Upgrade Comments

Does it know to call "Bojan Zulfikarpasic" "Bojan Z" like everybody else?

And how the hell's it gonna pronounce Prince when he was... damn ASCII.

Gordon, quick question. Will someone who buys a shuffle upgrade to 3rd party headphones?

Gordon, you really think someone paying £60 for a media player is going to pay more money for headphones?

Well, I've been using my new shuffle now for a month or so (free from Apple as an apology for the mess over my iMac with the infamous Radeon HD 4850) and I have to say that I'm impressed even with the odd niggle.

The good...
Battery life is HUGE for such a little device,getting around the 10hr mark as per spec.
Sound quality is better than you would expect from such a small device as well. Nothing to write home about but it is good (much better than my first gen shuffle).
The new earphones (electrocuting users aside) are a vast improvement over old ones, they are smaller and as a consequence, much more comfortable (IMO) - the older ones left me feeling like I'd had a smack round the lug holes.
Design - well it's typical 'Ives' - it's not just less is more it's almost 'nowt is all your getting and it's all you need'. Lovely none the less, a real stab at functional minimalism that works perfectly (if you accept the obvious limitations of not having a screen). Oddly enough though I am surprised there's no warning on it saying that small kids could choke on it, I mean, it's not until you have it in your hand that you actually realize how small this thing actually is -I've had bigger splinters.
Weight - not an issue, it's so small and light you forget you are wearing it (there's a thing - just like the last one it's at home on clothing far more than in your pockets).

The bad...
the only bad bits from my POV are the earphones BUT for the average joe they're fine (as long as you have a set that doesn't try to zap your ears). Want some non apple ones - they are available and I suspect that the new inline controls will become standard on apple kit in the future (if they have any sense).

Voice-Over - it's not really bad, ok so there will always be problems with obscure music (of which I have a good hundred or so albums) but that aside it's a good first effort and I'm sure it will continue to improve.

It's not an obvious choice if you're gonna buy an MP3 player (and there are better choices for your money) but as a stocking filler or a gift it is knockout.