Reviewed by: Casey

I was tired of having to carry around a portable CD player if I wanted music on the run. If I wanted a certain mix of music to fit a mood or a workout intensity, I had to find the songs I wanted in an extensive library, find a CD, then burn that mix, perhaps never to be used again. After that I had to deal with all the skip problems.

Not long ago I received a gift of an iPod Mini, and my life has never been the same. Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it really has made a part of my life easier.

The Mini’s slender design (3.6” tall by 2” wide by .5” thick) and slight weight (3.6 ounces) has made it almost unnoticeable to carry around. It boasts a large, backlit screen, 25 minutes of skip protection, and up to 18 hours of battery life on a rechargeable battery.

Another great feature is the click wheel you use to navigate through the many options such as music, audiobooks, games, contacts, calendar, notes and more. The wheel is, however, pretty sensitive, which takes some getting used to, but it doesn’t really affect its effectiveness.

The way the Mini works is by syncing with itunes, which you can get for your PC as well as your Mac. This is where the only problem I’ve had comes into play. You can’t edit your playlists on the iPod Mini. You have to edit your playlists and library in iTunes and then plug your Mini into your computer and only into your computer for the automatic update.

The Mini is linked to one iTunes library, so you can’t add music from a friend’s library without linking your iPod to it and losing all of your songs. Then the next time you want to connect to your own library, the songs that were on your iPod from your freind’s computer will be erased and your Mini will reflect your own iTunes library. Since you can also use the Mini as a portable harddrive for data, you can just save the songs you want from your friends computer on your Mini and import them onto your own computer.

There are also many different accessories that you can get for your iPod. You can get sleeves and armbands. There are bases that have speakers which you can snap the Mini onto to play your music out loud. You can even get an accessories that allow you to play your songs over your car’s radio.

Overall, I think this is an excellent product, and its accessories make it the most used thing I own. From data storage to music and game playback this makes the perfect gift for yourself or someone special. The price varies by reseller, but if you look around you can find a good deal somewhere.

Check Out the iPod Mini

What do you think of this product? Give us your comments.

Name:* Email:* Location:
Remember my personal information Notify me of follow-up comments?