Shuffle -- Engadget

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXIV: Fake iPod shuffle offers most of the minimalism, none of the perks

by Paul Miller, posted May 28th 2009 at 2:45AM

The current generation iPod shuffle is a funny beast in its own right, but the "Clip-On Mp3 Shuffler Player" from Digital Rise really takes the form factor to new comic heights. There appear to be two physical buttons, a presumptive hold switch, and no headphone controls to speak of. At the same time, the player packs in FM radio, audio recording, an equalizer, a bevy of playback modes and even tempo adjustment. We're sure Digital Rise has solved the usability problems here with unwavering elegance.

[Via PMP Today]

$22 iPod Shuffle shocker: components tiny, inexpensive

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Apr 13th 2009 at 10:23AM

When iSuppli recently reported that the parts and packaging of the iPod Shuffle 3G cost only $21.77, a mere twenty-eight percent of the unit's retail price, PMP Today asked a most reasonable question: Where are the new Shuffle KIRFs? According to Business Week, Samsung is making a killing on these things, supplying not only the unit's ARM-based processor ($5.98), but the storage ($6) on at least a few of the units as well. The lithium ion battery, described by iSuppli as "the smallest we've ever seen," has an asking price of $1.20. As for things like capacitors and resistors, they're being described as "about the size of a grain of salt" and cost fractions of a penny each. Of course, none of this takes into account things like paying engineers and designers, and royalties paid to patents owned by other companies. Not that the KIRFsters of Shenzhen worry about these sorts of things. Maybe the wherewithal required to produce a phony Shuffle is (for the time being) beyond the capabilities of the pirates? Or maybe they're just having too much fun cranking out NOKLAs.

Read - iPod Shuffle 3G Costs $22 to Make: Where are the Clones?
Read - Deconstructing Apple's Tiny iPod Shuffle

Ask Engadget: Best tiny MP3 player for exercise enthusiasts?

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2009 at 1:03AM

No need to twist your dial -- you really have just stumbled upon this week's episode of Ask Engadget. You know, the place where you can send in your question to ask at engadget dawt com and hope to see it plastered for the world to have a think on. This week we've got one from J.S., so we'll let him take it from here:

"The new iPod shuffle is so small you can simply clip it onto your shirt while running or working out. However, I'd never buy it because of two reasons: iTunes and the fact that I'd have to get a new pair of headphones that has the Shuffle controls or use the subpar included ones. So, what's the best small (close to Shuffle-sized) MP3 player for a gym rat like me that doesn't require iTunes?"

We've no doubt that legions of you fitness freaks can chime in here, so next time you take a breather, drop some knowledge in comments below.

Dexim's Shu-Lip for your third-gen iPod shuffle spotted in the wilds of the internet

by Laura June, posted Apr 6th 2009 at 3:14PM

No, it's not the most terrifically exciting accessory we've ever come across -- but Dexim's Shu-Lip, which plugs into the end of your new iPod shuffle -- conveniently converting it into a thumb drive, is no longer just a render. We'll admit that something about the little guy kind of screams "super cute." It's a bit pricier than we'd first heard -- but $16 is still a really sweet deal, right? Right?

iPod shuffle 3G pumping up the jams a little too hard at the gym?

by Ross Miller, posted Apr 3rd 2009 at 3:01PM

Seeing as a good number of people pick up iPod shuffles for use while working out, this might be a bit of an issue. An Apple thread discussion has blossomed with reports that the 3rd gen unit's gone sentient and is maxing out the volume while users are doing cardio. The conjecture is that its volume control-equipped headphones might not be moisture resistant and is having averse reactions to sweat. Of course, we could take the "it's a feature, not a bug approach" and assume Apple's simply added a hidden sweat detector to crank it based on the workout intensity. This all may be much ado about nothing, but be sure to do your ears a favor and set the max volume via iTunes before you start your routine, just in case.

[Via iLounge]

Scammer shuffles Apple out of 9,000 iPods

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 22nd 2009 at 3:36AM

For whatever reason, Apple's iPod ends up in the middle of quite a few crimes. The latest story, however, is even more extreme than usual. Nicholas Arthur Woodhams, a 23 year old from Kalamazoo, Michigan, was recently slapped upside the gord with federal charges of fraud and money laundering after he managed to con Apple into shipping him around 9,000 iPod shuffles. As the story goes, he managed to somehow correctly guess thousands of valid shuffle serial numbers and have replacements shipped to him; once they arrived, he sold them for less than MSRP to excited buyers, all while giving Apple a prepaid VISA number that would reject the charges after he failed to send back the nonexistent "original" shuffle. It's rather amazing to us that he was able to pull this off for so long without being noticed, but even if it works for awhile, we've learned yet again that crime doesn't pay. In fact, the feds have already seized a half million bucks from one brokerage account, some real estate and a trio of vehicles. Tragic, yeah?

[Via Macworld, thanks Steve]

Third-party iPod shuffle headphones will require Apple-licensed authentication chip

by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 15th 2009 at 9:08PM

Sigh, it looks like Apple's habit of squeezing iPod accessory manufacturers for license fees has now extended to freaking headphones -- iLounge is reporting that the new iPod shuffle can only be controlled by headphones with a special hardware authentication chip. That means that third parties will have to pay Apple for the privilege of making shuffle-compatible accessories, and you can bet they'll just pass that cost right on to consumers -- we wouldn't expect any cheap headphone adapters or inexpensive replacement headphones for the littlest iPod. iLounge calls this a "nightmare scenario" for iPod fans, and we're inclined to agree -- it's one thing for Apple to require the Made For iPod certification for accessories that interface with the dock connector, but trying to lock down headphones is a sad new low, and it makes the lack of physical controls on the shuffle seem even more ridiculous. Anyone still planning on buying this thing?

Dexim's Shu-Lip turns your new iPod shuffle into the thumb drive it's dying to be

by Paul Miller, posted Mar 13th 2009 at 12:36PM

With the promising intro of "when a shuffle kisses a Mac..." we were hoping for something a bit more exciting, but we suppose Dexim's new Shu-Lip will have to do. In completely straightforward and boring fashion, the Shu-Lip is designed to plug into the end of the new iPod shuffle and transform it from miniscule DAP to completely run-of-the-mill thumb drive, replacing that clunky audio-jack-to-USB dongle that the shuffle comes with. Naturally, with such short notice from Apple, it seems like Dexim merely has the renders and a price locked down so far -- the Shu-Lip will ship for $10 whenever it's ready.

[Via iLounge]

So it begins: Klipsch, Scosche unveil VoiceOver-compatible iPod shuffle earbuds

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 12th 2009 at 9:52AM

We knew we'd be hearing more about all those third party VoiceOver-compatible headphones today, and sure enough, the flood has begun. In an admittedly cute attempt to be first out of the gate, Klipsch has pushed out a woefully underwhelming release that simply assures consumers that it is currently working up a set of earbuds for Apple's latest iPod shuffle, and that said 'buds will be available to purchase sometime this summer for $99.99. In other, more tangible news, Scosche has announced (full release is after the break) actual products that'll play nice with the aforementioned DAP: the IDR350M, IDR450M and IDR650M noise isolating earphones. All three of these also include a built-in microphone for recording voice memos, and if all goes well, they'll be shipping this Spring for $49.99 to $99.99.

Continue reading So it begins: Klipsch, Scosche unveil VoiceOver-compatible iPod shuffle earbuds

The new iPod shuffle, explained.

by Nilay Patel, posted Mar 11th 2009 at 5:22PM

Fiio's E5 headphone amplifier clearly admires Apple's iPod shuffle

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 11:19AM

Not that we haven't seen a headphone amp that's made for one of Apple's DAPs before, but Fiio's latest actually mimics the latest shuffle to sashay out of Cupertino's lair. The device reportedly puts out 150mW at 16-ohms with a rate distortion of <0.009% at 10mW. The rechargeable battery (which gets juiced via USB) is said to be good for around 20 hours of use, and while it's difficult to say exactly how awesome this thing is, the $20 price tag sure is tempting.

[Via SlashGear]

Luxpro finally countersues Apple over the Super Tangent iPod shuffle clone

by Nilay Patel, posted Oct 17th 2008 at 1:21PM

Hey, remember the Luxpro Super Shuffle / Super Tangent? That Taiwanese KIRF of the original iPod shuffle? Back in 2005 it ruffled some feathers in Cupertino with an appearance at CeBIT, went under a slight redesign, and was eventually brought to court by Apple's lawyers, prompting Luxpro to vow vengeance -- and nearly two years later, it's finally filed that promised countersuit against Apple. The suit alleges that Apple uses unfair tactics to squash competitors as part of its "unending aspiration" to maintain a monopoly in the PMP game, and throws in a dash of that never-works iTunes-tying argument for good measure. Luxpro also says the Super Tangent was "obviously" different than the original iPod shuffle (uh, sure) and that Apple was just being a bully when it tried to get the Super Shuffle removed from trade shows and importer lists. We'll see how this one plays out -- we've got a feeling it'll end pretty quickly.

[Thanks, Mark]

Poll: New iPods vs. new Zunes, what're you buying?

by Nilay Patel, posted Sep 10th 2008 at 12:00PM

It would have been juicier if Microsoft hadn't announced the fall Zune lineup a day early and gone directly head-to-head with Apple's newly refreshed iPod lineup, but the fact is that if you're in the market for a new player the past 48 hours have delivered a slew of new options. Microsoft concentrated on the software side of the equation with Zune 3.0, but Redmond's players themselves got a WiFi music store, some new games, and Buy From FM, while Apple added in new Genius playlists across the board and updated the iPod nano's form factor and UI. At the high end of the capacity scale, the Zune seems to have the win on paper -- both the Zune 120 and the iPod classic frustratingly top out at 120GB, but the classic's stagnated essentially at the level of the 5.5G video iPod while the Zune 120 carries all the features of its smaller siblings. On top of all that, you have the newly-thinner iPod touch, with all of its browsing, media, gaming, and third-party application features -- and the lost purity of purpose adding all features those entails. That's a ton of choices -- so c'mon, kids, what's it going to be?

One more thing: New iPod shuffle colors

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 9th 2008 at 2:06PM

Although not announced, the iPod shuffle also got turned out in four new colors in addition to the ol' standby, (PRODUCT) RED. Still 1GB and 2GB for $49 and $69, respectively. Hey, what more do you want, aluminum MacBooks? See what's been left behind after the break.

Continue reading One more thing: New iPod shuffle colors

Apple's 2GB iPod shuffle now shipping

by Paul Miller, posted Feb 26th 2008 at 10:07AM

Break out the champagne, that Apple spec bump you've been waiting for is finally here: the 2GB iPod shuffle is shipping as of today. It'll set you back a cool $69, but if you've decided to hold off on this round of lackluster MacBook updates, we're guessing you've got the cash. Go ahead, you've earned it.