I'm officially an iPod cult follower

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

When mom passed away I inherited her iPod. It’s very nice, a 5th generation, does video and everything. It’s white and has the spinny thingy and if I plug head phones or speakers into it I hear music! They’re doing the darndest things with technology these days.

So I quickly moved into it, loading it up with my music and subscribing to podcasts. It’s been a constant companion and something I’ve really enjoyed. I listen to it when I drive, when I work, when I study, when I wait and when I workout. I watch my video podcasts and sing along sometimes.

Well, about a week ago the screen got cracked, I don’t know if it was me or not. I’m fairly certain it wasn’t and it was actually a victim of the Florida heat, though I’m not sure. The screen was cracked and the LCD was unusable, it was very sad and I was surprised how upset I was when it got broke.

In any case, Wednesday I get to the Apple store and manage to get a quick appointment to get a replacement. While I was there waiting for my Apple Genius to help me out, I enviously eyed the iPod Shuffle 2nd generation that this tourist was buying. She got the blue one, saying her husband had the green one and they loved it. It was so small it was rather shocking really. I knew it was small, but that was tiny! Like little chips. I had a vision of someone with too much money rummaging through a bowl of them, like he was grabbing peanuts at the bar.

I wanted one, I realized. I use my current iPod while working out, but it’s big and clunky and generally more than I need. It’s heavy and prone to problems if you run with it etc… Regardless I shelled out the green to get it replaced and headed home with a refurbished model. Once home I left it to sync as I went to work.

While at work that day I began really thinking it over. The shuffle is only $75 at NewEgg, I had the extra money, it was only a click away and it could be mine. I had visions of being Ivan Drago from Rocky but with my iPod shuffle. I forced myself to stop. I needed to sit on it for a while. I try not to make impulsive online purchases, otherwise you end up spending $150 a month on porn sites. Theoretically of course.

And so I waited two days, both days weighing the idea and if I could really make the case to own two iPods, one for life, one for working out. I’m working out more and more each week. I’ve got planned a backyard workout complete with burpees, pushups, crunches, and wind sprints, and I certainly can’t use my iPod for that workout. I doubt the neighbors would appreciate my blaring my stereo out my room window while I worked out in the yard. So I would need the shuffle there.

I sat on it another day, turning it over in my head. This morning I woke up and had a good morning. I did some work for my dad’s computer business and then I ran some errands, I went grocery shopping and I finally decided it was time I got it. I had waited two days, I still wanted one. So with 48 hours of contemplation behind the decision I headed down to the local Beast Buy (not Best Buy, well yea Best Buy but in truth Beast Buy is much more deserving of a title) and snagged one. I went in knowing what I wanted, I didn’t let myself splurge or look around, I went, I bought, I conquered.

At home, I plugged it in, and as with most things Apple - it just worked. No pain. All gain. That’s their current slogan, motto, subtitle, catch phrase. And it’s true. Their stuff just works 99% of the time.

So I loaded the shuffle up with my “Pumping it” playlist, songs from Nickelback, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Rammstein etc… good weighlifting and adrenaline pumping music.

I guess it’s official. I’m infected with the Apple virus. I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid. I’m addicted. I’m on the team.

What’s got two thumbs and loves his iPods? This guy!

Wow, that could be a switch ad. Except I still use PCs predominately.

– IG

2

You should really invest in protective cases for one or both of your iPods. I got a rubber sleeve for mine that fits over it like a condom, but it leaves the round dial uncovered, with a hole in the top to plug in your headphones. Still, it covers the screen (reducing a bit of brightness) and serves as a shock absorber and also a protector against scratches and scuffs. It only cost ONE DOLLAR, at Dollar Tree, of all places. Some cases are nicer and quite expensive, but do yourself a favor and get some cheapie cases at Dollar Tree in the meantime, just to protect your investment.

3

Actually, I’ve found that the silicone cases cause more scratches then they prevent, all it takes is a few pieces of grit to get inbetween the silicone “skin” and the body of the iPod, and it’ll stay there, rubbing and scratching away at the finish ad infinitum (or until you remove the skin to clean it)…

personally, i prefer the Contour “iSee” cases, the high-end clamshell cases, i have one for my 4th gen b/w Clickwheel 40 gigger and one for my 4 GB GenII Nano, yes the cases will get battlescars, but bear in mind that it’s the case that’s absorbing abrasions and scratches that your iPod would be getting instead, I see cases as consumable parts, it’s their job to get battlescarred to protect the iPod

my 40GB has an area of scuffing on the casing around the clickwheel, and scratches on te chromed back from it’s days in a silicone “skin” case, my Nano has been stored in a Contour case from the day i bought it and is still flawless, and the Nano sees far more use and pocket time

4

I use these, too, or at least a knockoff variant. It’s really really nice. It does add to the bulk of the iPod which can be a factor for some people, but when I tried using a different, thinner protector (a vinyl skin with screen cover), the iPod suddenly seemed overly fragile and ready to break at any time. The durability and protection the clamshells offer is amazing.

5

'Tis a thing of beauty; it’s like the skin the thing should have come with. Occasionally I drag my fingernail across the screen just to for the illicit thrill of doing so! (Plus I can still use my dock!)

6

Ah, it’s a nice cult, though.

I got my skin from BestSkinsEver.com. I think it’s the exact same stuff as Shieldzone’s only cheaper. Very happy with it on my black 5th generation video iPod.

I have a 2nd generation right next to me, with the silicon iSkin on it. I don’t particularly like it but there weren’t as many options back then. I am probably going to get one of the plastic adhesive skins for it if I can find one.

iPods are such well designed little buggers. I had a Diamond Rio way back in 2000, and I’m so impressed with Apple’s human engineering approach. It’s easy enough to use out of the box, but you can do so much with it. I actually did a podcast of my academic job talk and put it on my iPod, and would watch/listen working out, driving… Our house has a 1st gen nano as well, and I’ve bought Shuffles for my mom and my sister. (BTW, the Shuffle for Mom was $49 refurbished at the Apple Store - it’s the 1GB model. They occasionally get them back and sell them for practically nothing…)

7

Aren’t they cool? Mine is an oldie (3rd gen, 20 GB) I bought used on eBay for $75.00. I didn’t want to spend for a new one because I didn’t know if I’d use it enough to be worth it.

Well.

I just love the damned thing – I use it every single day. I use it almost exclusively for Podcasting (I only have 400 songs on it), but I just couldn’t get along without it. When this eBay special dies, I’ll buy a new one – probably a 4GB Nano, which is all the bigger I need.

I bought my son an 8GB Nano for Christmas, knowing that he was going overseas. He loves it too and is planning to upgrade his truck’s stereo so he can use it while driving.

My daughter has had a pink Mini for years. She just upgraded last month to an 80 GB Video, and handed the Mini down to her dad. He travels a lot for business, and taking it along on his last 2 trips has given him the iBug – although he was a little iffish about it being pink. I got him a black silicone cover for it, which helped. So when the Mini dies, I’ll have to buy him a Nano, too – probably an 8 GB, since he listens to music, not Podcasts.

They are mighty cool little gadgets, indeed.

8

I loves, loves, loves my iPod. 5th gen Video. Black. Sexy. Loaded with my entire music collection. I even have a music store subscription (not with iTunes) which nourishes my iPod with healthy doses of new tunes. It goes with me whenever I go out anywhere by myself. It gets me through the bus trips and walks to wherever it is I need to be. I even have a nice little speaker dock for it that sits on a shelf of my computer desk, where it sits, docked, waiting patiently for its next infusion when not in use.

I am very partial to leather cases myself. Leather absorbs and diffuses impact shock much more readily than hard plastic, metal, or even silicone, it’s more comfortable to hold than plastic or metal, and grit can’t get trapped under it like it can with silicone. All of my portable electronics have their own leather cases – I baby my stuff.

The Shuffle is definitely cute, but I don’t think I could do without a screen. When I get around to starting a workout regimen, I might seriously consider investing in a Nano. They’re still small and light and flash-based and would suit my needs quite handily.