The Ipod Mini: Why Its Not that Hot

I got my eyes set on a iPod mini, as it looked good for quite some reasons: it's small enough to put inside a pant's pocket, it has a lot of accessories to choose from and it obviously has enough hype you begin to wonder what all the fuss is about.

But you really have to see the cons of it and cut all the hype. It looked good from the start; it's small and simple, easy to use and has that nice Apple logo. But quickly the downsides surfaced, and they sure are annoying.

Firstly, the headphones are horrible: they are so uncomfortable they are totally unusable, and also they do not sound good at all. Well, any other $5 headphone will do, so that's not that bad. (It's also not advisable to use them, as the white color alerts any potential muggers you have an easy sellable item.)

The interface seems a good idea, with the scroll being able to be controlled with a circular motion. For scrolling fast it's great, but for selecting carefully one item, it's difficult. Also, for 'marking' a song for how many stars, it sometimes works, sometimes you spend a full minute twiddling it to get it right. Any other player with a sensible scroller works much better.

I was excited to know it had games to play, so when I'm bored waiting in line or on a bus, it could be a great way to pass the time; but even the breakout rip-off is only entertaining for about 5 minutes.

I even thought that maybe I could upload some text files to read some e-book, but the screen is not big enough for that, and reading is so cramped it's just not worth it.

The biggest gripe is that you cannot change the volume, unless you are on the 'Now Playing' menu! Any other player has dedicated buttons for this basic function, but in its decidedly minimalist point of view, it's a pain to go search for that specific menu just to adjust for a small change in a song. It supposedly was thought out carefully, but I see a lot of problems in the interface.

Also, there seems to be a big problem with the duration of its internal, non-replaceable battery. After 2 months of use, I did notice, it does not hold a charge for long now. After two house of continuous play, it just shuts down. Other reports on the web also say the battery fails, and has to be replaced.

I have also read on the web that the headphone connector is badly soldered and you eventually have to open it up and resolder it again.

I wouldn't buy it again. The iriver or the Creative seem to be a lot better options.

For more reviews, news and updates on the latest and best mp3 players, go to http://www.mp3playerguide.info

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Google News Updated : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:06:59 GMT Serena, Jankovic will duel in final - Boston Globe ESPN Serena, Jankovic will duel in final Boston Globe - 6 hours ago By Cindy Shmerler NEW YORK - Maybe someone put a Whoopie Cushion on Richard Williams's chair. Because there he was, jumping up and down after every point, high-fiving everyone around him. Video: Serena Williams Tries for 3rd US Open Title AssociatedPress Williams has edge in semis Washington Times Washington Post - Bob Larson Tennis News - Sports Network - Houston Chronicle all 4,138 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:34:34 GMT Palins on move The Palin story . . . - Chicago Sun-Times ABC News Palins on move The Palin story . . . Chicago Sun-Times - 4 hours ago Sarah Palin and her hubby, Todd, went separate ways Thursday night after John McCain's speech. • • To wit: While Sarah Palin headed with McCain to Cedarburg, Wisc. Poll on Palin: GOP likes her, Dems don't Houston Chronicle Sarah Palin will be missing from action Sunday am Los Angeles Times Lawrence Journal World - Austin American-Statesman - ABC News - San Francisco Chronicle all 1,406 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:07:37 GMT McCain pledges change, touts experience in convention address - Detroit Free Press Telegraph.co.uk McCain pledges change, touts experience in convention address Detroit Free Press - 3 hours ago ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Preaching a message of bipartisanship and insisting he's the man to throw the "me-first, country-second" crowd out of Washington, a buoyant John McCain steered his Straight Talk Express into its biggest berth ever Thursday night ... Video: McCain Vs. Obama: Got Change? AssociatedPress Reuters Politics Summary Washington Post BBC News - Financial Times - Christian Science Monitor - New York Daily News all 1,491 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:41:29 GMT Use of 'Barracuda' for Sarah Palin nets GOP a Heart attack - New York Daily News Use of 'Barracuda' for Sarah Palin nets GOP a Heart attack New York Daily News - 11 hours ago BY NANCY DILLON They put the "amp" in campaign and get voters tapping their toes to the ballot box - but hit songs can be tricky territory for political campaigns. Heart Wants To Be Ripped Out Of Republicans’ Campaign eFluxMedia Wilson sisters slam GOP's use of Heart's "Barracuda" Seattle Times E! Online - TMZ.com - San Francisco Chronicle - Boston Globe all 186 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:19:34 GMT MTV's VMAs: DOA? - E! Online MTV's VMAs: DOA? E! Online - 34 minutes ago MTV's Video Music Awards are this weekend, and we're lukewarm on the whole affair. Russell Brand as the host? We've only seen this Brit bloke once before, in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which feels like eons ago, and those VMA commercials costarring ... Kanye West to Close Video Music Awards New York Times Russell Brand looks to make big splash as VMA host Boston Herald eFluxMedia - ABC News - Singersroom News - Columbus Dispatch all 1,185 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:32:57 GMT Dell May Shrink Its Network of Factories - New York Times DailyTech Dell May Shrink Its Network of Factories New York Times - 11 hours ago By STEVE LOHR Dell, in a government filing this week, strongly suggested that it planned to shrink its network of factories as part of the computer company’s drive to reduce costs. Dell Trades Factories For Money Forbes WSJ: Dell could sell off Winston-Salem plants Bizjournals.com guardian.co.uk - Wall Street Journal - Seeking Alpha - Bloomberg all 239 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:57:22 GMT NetSuite Says Chrome-optimized Apps Are Flying - PC World eFluxMedia NetSuite Says Chrome-optimized Apps Are Flying PC World - 16 hours ago It was in line with the likelihood of summer following spring that somebody would declare an application optimized for Google's Chrome, the new web browser that has dominated the geekier end of technology news this week. Google Chrome Hit With Another Security Bug CRN NetSuite boasts of Google Chrome support CNET News eFluxMedia - Financial Times - Waukegan News Sun - Motley Fool all 206 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:39:42 GMT Datafeeds For Blogs Amazon RSS

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