Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT)'s April 14 deadline for providing free support for Windows XP is fast approaching, but according to solution providers, that's apparently not enough to convince companies running large numbers of XP machines that now is the time to upgrade to Windows Vista.
April 14 is when Microsoft will stop offering what it calls mainstream support for XP, which includes free security updates and bug fixes for those running retail versions of the eight-year-old operating system. After that date, XP users will have to pay for support on a per-incident basis for bug fixes, although Microsoft will still deliver XP security updates for free until 2014.
Microsoft, for its part, says it's well aware that XP is still popular.
"Hundreds of millions of Windows XP users are fans of the operating system, and many depend on Windows XP to run legacy applications and hardware not yet compatible with Windows Vista. Even though we're retiring Windows XP, we won't leave you hanging," the company says in a Web site called "Windows XP: The Facts About The Future."
While Microsoft's volume licensing customers won't have to pay extra for support, the deadline will eventually affect a significant number of companies that use XP. Solution providers say it's unclear at this point whether all third party hardware and software vendors will continue to develop products that work with the large base of XP users.
But despite the risks associated with using a non-supported OS, many VARs are telling customers that staying with XP is preferable to moving to Vista, especially given the strong early returns on the Windows 7 beta, and the high likelihood that Microsoft will release Windows 7 sometime this year.
"It really comes down to what meets the client's needs now, and in the immediate future," says Bob Nitrio, president of system builder Ranvest Associates, an Orangevale, Calif.-based solution provider. "Windows 7 gives them a compelling reason to upgrade when the time is right, and I think the support Microsoft is providing with XP will be enough to get them to that point."
The fact that Microsoft plans to charge for XP support presents an opportunity for the channel, because XP users, by and large, would much rather pay VARs to handle this task, according to Tyler Dikman, president and CEO of solution provider Cooltronics, a Tampa, Fla.-based solution provider. VARs can also take advantage of the handful of free support calls that Microsoft gives to partners, he added.
However, Dikman says the majority of issues that XP users encounter can be resolved without having to resort to paid support, because most XP bugs have already been experienced by other users. Likewise, most of Vista's issues post-Service Pack 1 have been worked out, Dikman says.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Apple sued over 'exploding' iPod Touch
Apple has been sued by the mother of a 15-year-old boy who said his 16GB iPod Touch exploded in his pants pocket, burning his leg.
Ars Technica spotted the case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Apparently one day in class the boy "heard a loud pop and immediately felt a burning sensation in his leg," according to a copy of the complaint. (Click here for a PDF copy.)
According to the complaint, the boy "realized his Apple iTouch (sic) had exploded and caught on fire in his pocket. ....Plaintiff A. V. immediately ran to the bathroom and took off his burning pants with the assistance of a friend. The Apple iTouch had burned through Plaintiff A. V.'s pants pocket and melted through his Nylon/Spandex underwear, burning his leg."
The plaintiff suffered second-degree burns as a result of the explosion, according to the complaint, and is seeking in excess of $225,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. An Apple representative said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Mobile device explosions causing injuries are unfortunately an old story, but in many cases those explosions can be traced to faulty mobile phone batteries that are often cheap knock-offs added by the user. The battery on the iPod Touch, however, is not replaceable by the user.
There are an awful lot of facts that must come to the surface before we know exactly what happened with this particular iPod Touch, but the case bears watching.
Ars Technica spotted the case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Apparently one day in class the boy "heard a loud pop and immediately felt a burning sensation in his leg," according to a copy of the complaint. (Click here for a PDF copy.)
According to the complaint, the boy "realized his Apple iTouch (sic) had exploded and caught on fire in his pocket. ....Plaintiff A. V. immediately ran to the bathroom and took off his burning pants with the assistance of a friend. The Apple iTouch had burned through Plaintiff A. V.'s pants pocket and melted through his Nylon/Spandex underwear, burning his leg."
The plaintiff suffered second-degree burns as a result of the explosion, according to the complaint, and is seeking in excess of $225,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. An Apple representative said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Mobile device explosions causing injuries are unfortunately an old story, but in many cases those explosions can be traced to faulty mobile phone batteries that are often cheap knock-offs added by the user. The battery on the iPod Touch, however, is not replaceable by the user.
There are an awful lot of facts that must come to the surface before we know exactly what happened with this particular iPod Touch, but the case bears watching.
Batteries recharging in a matter of seconds
Researchers at MIT discovered a way to speed up the process
"Oh well guys we will have to continue our lab report later because my laptop is running out of juice."
Did such a situation ever happen to you? If you use any battery-powered device, then the answer is most probably yes.
Researchers at MIT have discovered a way to speed up the recharging of Li-ion batteries - something that could change the lifestyle of people. The potential of this breakthrough is very large; it can go from electronic devices to electric cars. Imagine driving far away in an electric car and never running out of power, because each time you stop at a red traffic light, the car batteries have time to recharge. That would be awesome.
Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder worked on how lithium ions travelled from the cathode back to the anode. They achieved their goal by changing the structure of the standard Li-ion battery, making use of nanoparticles and some other elements such as carbon.
However there is still a limit, which is dictated by the principle of conservation of energy. A battery can only store a given amount and the charger plugged in the outlet is limited on the power it can provide. (Power is a measure of energy per time). For example, consider a battery that can store 1 MJ and a charger plugged on a US household electric grid. This means 115V*15A(which is the limit of a standard outlet), gives 1725W = 1725 J/sec. Therefore, 1 MJ / 1725J/sec = 580 seconds, which is 9min 40 sec. Therefore, the battery cannot be charged quicker than that because it would use energy out of nowhere.
"Oh well guys we will have to continue our lab report later because my laptop is running out of juice."
Did such a situation ever happen to you? If you use any battery-powered device, then the answer is most probably yes.
Researchers at MIT have discovered a way to speed up the recharging of Li-ion batteries - something that could change the lifestyle of people. The potential of this breakthrough is very large; it can go from electronic devices to electric cars. Imagine driving far away in an electric car and never running out of power, because each time you stop at a red traffic light, the car batteries have time to recharge. That would be awesome.
Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder worked on how lithium ions travelled from the cathode back to the anode. They achieved their goal by changing the structure of the standard Li-ion battery, making use of nanoparticles and some other elements such as carbon.
However there is still a limit, which is dictated by the principle of conservation of energy. A battery can only store a given amount and the charger plugged in the outlet is limited on the power it can provide. (Power is a measure of energy per time). For example, consider a battery that can store 1 MJ and a charger plugged on a US household electric grid. This means 115V*15A(which is the limit of a standard outlet), gives 1725W = 1725 J/sec. Therefore, 1 MJ / 1725J/sec = 580 seconds, which is 9min 40 sec. Therefore, the battery cannot be charged quicker than that because it would use energy out of nowhere.
Hulu Adds Social Networking
Hulu is celebrating its first year on the Web, and everybody is invited. A new feature on Hulu's Web site was launched yesterday -- brilliantly named Hulu Friends -- that integrates social networking tools alongside the site's expansive video content.
You can now invite friends through your Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo Mail accounts, or tap into the vast friend resources of MySpace and Facebook to lure buddies onto couches for quality TV viewing. You can share videos and leave notes on other user accounts. Using a newsfeed similar to Facebook's, Hulu Friends can broadcast what you and your friends have been watching and who you've befriended. This feature can be turned off as well (so no worries about watching Hulu at work).
Those familiar with Boxee and TV.com may find something oddly familiar about this, as both sites already have socialization features. Perhaps Hulu's addition of the same is one of the reasons Hulu, Boxee, and TV.com continue to duke it out for streaming rights.
Hulu has done extremely well during its first 365 of post-beta existence. In such a short period of time, the site has rocketed to the number two video streaming site on the Internet, offering roughly 309 million streams and 9.4 million unique visitors, according to February 2009 Nielsen data. YouTube boasted more than sixteen times that amount -- about 5.1 billion streams and 88 million unique visitors. Hulu still has a lot of ground to gain, but with more than 40,000 videos on its site, and an uprising of popularity, Hulu stands to become a household name.
While some may be tired of social networking capabilities popping up on every single site, it's an undeniably effective -- and cheap -- way to connect customers with products. And given the social nature of television viewing, it just makes sense.
You can now invite friends through your Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo Mail accounts, or tap into the vast friend resources of MySpace and Facebook to lure buddies onto couches for quality TV viewing. You can share videos and leave notes on other user accounts. Using a newsfeed similar to Facebook's, Hulu Friends can broadcast what you and your friends have been watching and who you've befriended. This feature can be turned off as well (so no worries about watching Hulu at work).
Those familiar with Boxee and TV.com may find something oddly familiar about this, as both sites already have socialization features. Perhaps Hulu's addition of the same is one of the reasons Hulu, Boxee, and TV.com continue to duke it out for streaming rights.
Hulu has done extremely well during its first 365 of post-beta existence. In such a short period of time, the site has rocketed to the number two video streaming site on the Internet, offering roughly 309 million streams and 9.4 million unique visitors, according to February 2009 Nielsen data. YouTube boasted more than sixteen times that amount -- about 5.1 billion streams and 88 million unique visitors. Hulu still has a lot of ground to gain, but with more than 40,000 videos on its site, and an uprising of popularity, Hulu stands to become a household name.
While some may be tired of social networking capabilities popping up on every single site, it's an undeniably effective -- and cheap -- way to connect customers with products. And given the social nature of television viewing, it just makes sense.
Mozilla Firefox 3.1 Beta Arrives, 3.5 Not Far Behind
Mozilla on Thursday officially released the third beta version of Firefox 3.1. Confirmed in a posting to the Mozilla Developer Center blog, Mozilla is continuing to inch the new Firefox (codenamed Shiretoko) forward after several delays.
Bugs in the JavaScript engine TraceMonkey have been just some of the reasons for the holdup.
But according to Mozilla, Firefox 3.1 beta 3 promises improvements to the new Private Browsing Mode (including a "forget this site" function in the history sidebar), improvements to its Gecko layout engine, new native JSON parsing support (to protect Firefox against code execution), better stability in TraceMonkey and also support for video and audio functions like W3C Geolocation API, JavaScript query selectors, CSS 2.1 and 3 properties, SVG transforms and offline applications.
Mozilla has also confirmed that the Firefox 3.1 name may already be a thing of the past.
Mozilla's previously mentioned decision to release a fourth beta of the browser -- scheduled for April 14 -- will also see Firefox 3.1 renamed to Firefox 3.5. The name change, according to Mozilla, is meant to reflect how much has changed about the browser since the original, 10-month-old Firefox 3.0.
"The increase in version number is proposed due to the sheer volume of work which makes Shiretoko feel like much more than a small, incremental improvement over Firefox 3," said Mike Beltzer, Mozilla's Firefox director, in a March 5 posting to the Mozilla developer blog. "Bugs will be filled to ensure that systems like addons.mozilla.org, bugzilla.mozilla.org, tinderbox.mozilla.org [and] crash-stats.mozilla.org will continue to work with minimal disruption, and we will coordinate with those systems' administrators to coordinate the work."
Firefox 3.1 was originally scheduled for release in December 2008. The third beta version of Firefox 3.1 is arriving just one week before the scheduled final release of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8.
Bugs in the JavaScript engine TraceMonkey have been just some of the reasons for the holdup.
But according to Mozilla, Firefox 3.1 beta 3 promises improvements to the new Private Browsing Mode (including a "forget this site" function in the history sidebar), improvements to its Gecko layout engine, new native JSON parsing support (to protect Firefox against code execution), better stability in TraceMonkey and also support for video and audio functions like W3C Geolocation API, JavaScript query selectors, CSS 2.1 and 3 properties, SVG transforms and offline applications.
Mozilla has also confirmed that the Firefox 3.1 name may already be a thing of the past.
Mozilla's previously mentioned decision to release a fourth beta of the browser -- scheduled for April 14 -- will also see Firefox 3.1 renamed to Firefox 3.5. The name change, according to Mozilla, is meant to reflect how much has changed about the browser since the original, 10-month-old Firefox 3.0.
"The increase in version number is proposed due to the sheer volume of work which makes Shiretoko feel like much more than a small, incremental improvement over Firefox 3," said Mike Beltzer, Mozilla's Firefox director, in a March 5 posting to the Mozilla developer blog. "Bugs will be filled to ensure that systems like addons.mozilla.org, bugzilla.mozilla.org, tinderbox.mozilla.org [and] crash-stats.mozilla.org will continue to work with minimal disruption, and we will coordinate with those systems' administrators to coordinate the work."
Firefox 3.1 was originally scheduled for release in December 2008. The third beta version of Firefox 3.1 is arriving just one week before the scheduled final release of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8.
Google Voice
Google's new Google Voice has a few rough edges but for many users, it could be a life-changing experience.
The service, a relaunch of GrandCentral, which Google bought in 2007, allows you to choose a local number, which will simultaneously ring up to six phones such as your cell phone, home phone, office phone, and the phone at that vacation home that most of us can only dream about.
In addition to forwarding your calls, it also takes voice messages that you can listen to on the Web, from a phone, or read, thanks to a new feature that transcribes voice messages and sends them as e-mail and text messages.
If you have multiple phones, having a single number to reach them all can make you and your callers' lives a bit easier, and it can save space on your business card by not having to list separate numbers. The concept is simple: people are trying to reach you--not one of your phones--and Google Voice lets you decide how to route the calls.
The simultaneous ring feature can also be used by groups. Team HOPE, a support network for families of missing children, gives callers a GrandCentral number that rings the phones of several staff members to ensure that calls are always answered.
I've been using a very similar "simulring" feature on Vonage for several years and like the fact that I get to control where my calls are forwarded. Both Google and Vonage let you configure forwarding from the Web, but Google also allows you to assign a temporary forwarding number directly from the phone. That could come in handy, if you suddenly find your cell phone out of range but have access to another number where you can be reached.
The call-recording feature is very cool. At any time during an incoming call, you can press 4 to start the recorder and 4 again to stop it. That can be handy if you're driving and someone is about to give you a phone number, address, or something else that you can't write down.
The recording feature can also be used by podcasters to record phone calls that can be exported as MP3 files. And yes, there is an announcement to inform the other party that you're recording the call.
You also get free conference calls. Up to four people can dial your phone number and can be patched into the call.
Cheap international calls
People who make occasional international calls from a cell phone will get incredible savings, compared to what the carriers charge. Using Google Voice to call a landline in London, for example, costs 2 cents a minute, compared to the whopping $1.49 that Verizon Wireless and AT&T charge, if you don't purchase an international calling plan.
Even with a calling plan, the carrier rates, though much cheaper, are still higher than what Google charges. Making calls could be easier. You dial your Google number, press 2, and then punch in 011 plus the country code and phone number.
Bugs and rough edges
I have encountered a few annoying bugs in my day 1 experience with the service. For one, I'm not able to delete voice mail from my cell phone, despite following the instructions to press 7 to "archive" messages. Every time I call my voice mail, those messages are still there, as if they were new. Although the voice mail transcription service works, the message isn't always delivered promptly. Sometimes it arrives in a few minutes, but at other times, it's taken up to 20 minutes.
Although not a bug and not Google's fault, it's unfortunate that you can't use your Google number as your outgoing caller ID when you dial directly from a cell phone. Although there are ways to spoof that, for security reasons, phone companies don't allow it.
The problem is that people are in the habit of you calling back on your caller ID, which makes it harder to train them to dial your Google number. Your Google caller ID will show up correctly, however, if you initiate the call from your Google Voice Web page or if you dial your own Google number and then press 2 to dial out and type in the number. This process, I suspect, is more of a hassle than it's worth.
There also isn't yet a way to transfer an existing phone number to Google, so you're stuck having to give out the new Google number. The service works only with U.S. phone numbers; you can't forward calls overseas.
Because it's an incoming service only, you can't record outbound calls, and you can't use Google Voice to add people to a call. They have to call you.
The service is currently available only to people who had previously signed up for GrandCentral. Google hasn't announced when others can sign up.
Still, despite some flaws and limitations, this could turn out to be one of Google's most beloved services. Being able to read your voice mail and having one number that rings all your phones is terrific, especially at the amazingly low price of free.
The service, a relaunch of GrandCentral, which Google bought in 2007, allows you to choose a local number, which will simultaneously ring up to six phones such as your cell phone, home phone, office phone, and the phone at that vacation home that most of us can only dream about.
In addition to forwarding your calls, it also takes voice messages that you can listen to on the Web, from a phone, or read, thanks to a new feature that transcribes voice messages and sends them as e-mail and text messages.
If you have multiple phones, having a single number to reach them all can make you and your callers' lives a bit easier, and it can save space on your business card by not having to list separate numbers. The concept is simple: people are trying to reach you--not one of your phones--and Google Voice lets you decide how to route the calls.
The simultaneous ring feature can also be used by groups. Team HOPE, a support network for families of missing children, gives callers a GrandCentral number that rings the phones of several staff members to ensure that calls are always answered.
I've been using a very similar "simulring" feature on Vonage for several years and like the fact that I get to control where my calls are forwarded. Both Google and Vonage let you configure forwarding from the Web, but Google also allows you to assign a temporary forwarding number directly from the phone. That could come in handy, if you suddenly find your cell phone out of range but have access to another number where you can be reached.
The call-recording feature is very cool. At any time during an incoming call, you can press 4 to start the recorder and 4 again to stop it. That can be handy if you're driving and someone is about to give you a phone number, address, or something else that you can't write down.
The recording feature can also be used by podcasters to record phone calls that can be exported as MP3 files. And yes, there is an announcement to inform the other party that you're recording the call.
You also get free conference calls. Up to four people can dial your phone number and can be patched into the call.
Cheap international calls
People who make occasional international calls from a cell phone will get incredible savings, compared to what the carriers charge. Using Google Voice to call a landline in London, for example, costs 2 cents a minute, compared to the whopping $1.49 that Verizon Wireless and AT&T charge, if you don't purchase an international calling plan.
Even with a calling plan, the carrier rates, though much cheaper, are still higher than what Google charges. Making calls could be easier. You dial your Google number, press 2, and then punch in 011 plus the country code and phone number.
Bugs and rough edges
I have encountered a few annoying bugs in my day 1 experience with the service. For one, I'm not able to delete voice mail from my cell phone, despite following the instructions to press 7 to "archive" messages. Every time I call my voice mail, those messages are still there, as if they were new. Although the voice mail transcription service works, the message isn't always delivered promptly. Sometimes it arrives in a few minutes, but at other times, it's taken up to 20 minutes.
Although not a bug and not Google's fault, it's unfortunate that you can't use your Google number as your outgoing caller ID when you dial directly from a cell phone. Although there are ways to spoof that, for security reasons, phone companies don't allow it.
The problem is that people are in the habit of you calling back on your caller ID, which makes it harder to train them to dial your Google number. Your Google caller ID will show up correctly, however, if you initiate the call from your Google Voice Web page or if you dial your own Google number and then press 2 to dial out and type in the number. This process, I suspect, is more of a hassle than it's worth.
There also isn't yet a way to transfer an existing phone number to Google, so you're stuck having to give out the new Google number. The service works only with U.S. phone numbers; you can't forward calls overseas.
Because it's an incoming service only, you can't record outbound calls, and you can't use Google Voice to add people to a call. They have to call you.
The service is currently available only to people who had previously signed up for GrandCentral. Google hasn't announced when others can sign up.
Still, despite some flaws and limitations, this could turn out to be one of Google's most beloved services. Being able to read your voice mail and having one number that rings all your phones is terrific, especially at the amazingly low price of free.
Apple iPod Shuffle (Third Generation) Audio Player
Ginny Mies, PC World
PC World
Saturday, March 14, 2009; 12:19 AM
Apple's third-generation iPod Shuffle ($80) will please minimalist-design enthusiasts: Smaller than a USB thumb drive, it is completely devoid of buttons, knobs, and a screen. While it is attractive, the Shuffle's earbud controls and VoiceOver feature might not be for everyone.
The latest Shuffle looks like no other MP3 player--or even iPod--out there. Aside from the earbuds, the only indicator that it does something other than accessorize your outfit is the Apple logo on the backside clip. Measuring 0.7 by 1.8 by 0.3 inches and weighing a scant 0.38 ounce, this minuscule device could easily get lost in your pocket or bag if you're not careful. At the top of the device, next to the headphone jack, resides a switch for Shuffle, Play in Order, or Power Off. Between the switch and the jack is a status light that indicates how much life is left in the battery.
The controls for the Shuffle are located on the included earbuds, housed in a tiny remote on a cable below the right ear. This earbud design debuted last fall alongside the newest versions of the Touch, Nano, and Classic. The controls are pretty basic: Volume up/down buttons sit on either side of a multifunction center button. Using the multifunction button for playback isn't difficult, but it might take some time getting used to. Pressing the button once plays or pauses a song; twice skips forward and three times skips back.
Though the earbud controls are quite small, they're very easy to press. My main issue with the design is the placement of the controls. I had a lot of difficulty trying to skip songs and adjust volume while I was jogging or working out. Since the controls are too close to the right ear, I had to move my neck in an awkward way to grasp them. And unsurprisingly, the earbuds fell out of my ears very easily. I imagine that a lot of people use their Shuffles while working out, so I was disappointed when I learned that the controls were located on the bundled earbuds. Luckily, a few third-party manufacturers such as Eytmotic Research and Klipsch have headphones compatible with the new Shuffle. Apple has also said that third-party adapters will be available, as well.
Admittedly, I've always been reluctant to buy a Shuffle due to the lack of a screen--I like to be able to see what I'm listening to. The Shuffle's new VoiceOver feature solves that issue: Hold the headphone's center button while a song is playing, and a synthesized voice (female, if you're on a PC) will announce the artist's name and song title. iTunes automatically downloads and installs the software and uses its own text-to-speech engine to generate the voices.
VoiceOver supports 14 languages, so if you have a large collection of French pop, for example, it will pronounce the song and artist with the correct accent. VoiceOver also makes sorting through your playlists a breeze. If you hold down the center button and keep holding it after the voice says the name and artist, you'll hear a beep. When you let go, the Shuffle will start naming your playlists. You press the center button again to select the playlist you'd like to hear. Audiobooks get their own playlists, and podcasts sort into one single playlist.
VoiceOver is a welcome feature. Though I love my Sansa Clip, I sometimes find it a pain, especially while working out, to stop and check the screen to see what's playing. On the other hand, the robotic voice is a bit creepy, and it seems disruptive when it pops up in the middle of a song.
The new Shuffle's audio quality was good. Older-generation Shuffles have sounded a bit tinny, in my experience, but the third generation was an improvement: It sounded fuller, and the bass was deeper and stronger. It had no audible hiss, either. In our PC World Lab audio tests, the Shuffle had a signal-to-noise ratio of 75dB (where the higher the number indicates a cleaner sound). Our top ranked players generally score in the 80s.
The diminutive Shuffle packs a generous 4GB of storage. While added storage is always appreciated, I would have liked to see some 2GB Shuffles available at a lower price. For one thing, 4GB might be too much for people expecting to use their Shuffles only at the gym or while running errands. And other than VoiceOver, features are pretty sparse on the Shuffle, so I'm not sure whether it warrants the $80 price tag. It also has no FM radio, no voice recording, and no support for the WMA or FLAC file formats.
If you're looking strictly for an audio player that doesn't take up a lot of space, the third-generation Shuffle is ideal. But if you're unwilling to drop $80 for a feature-scarce MP3 player, you might want to consider some less expensive alternatives. The 4GB Sansa Clip ($45), for example, has a screen, an FM radio, and a built-in microphone--and it doesn't tie you to the bundled earphones.
PC World
Saturday, March 14, 2009; 12:19 AM
Apple's third-generation iPod Shuffle ($80) will please minimalist-design enthusiasts: Smaller than a USB thumb drive, it is completely devoid of buttons, knobs, and a screen. While it is attractive, the Shuffle's earbud controls and VoiceOver feature might not be for everyone.
The latest Shuffle looks like no other MP3 player--or even iPod--out there. Aside from the earbuds, the only indicator that it does something other than accessorize your outfit is the Apple logo on the backside clip. Measuring 0.7 by 1.8 by 0.3 inches and weighing a scant 0.38 ounce, this minuscule device could easily get lost in your pocket or bag if you're not careful. At the top of the device, next to the headphone jack, resides a switch for Shuffle, Play in Order, or Power Off. Between the switch and the jack is a status light that indicates how much life is left in the battery.
The controls for the Shuffle are located on the included earbuds, housed in a tiny remote on a cable below the right ear. This earbud design debuted last fall alongside the newest versions of the Touch, Nano, and Classic. The controls are pretty basic: Volume up/down buttons sit on either side of a multifunction center button. Using the multifunction button for playback isn't difficult, but it might take some time getting used to. Pressing the button once plays or pauses a song; twice skips forward and three times skips back.
Though the earbud controls are quite small, they're very easy to press. My main issue with the design is the placement of the controls. I had a lot of difficulty trying to skip songs and adjust volume while I was jogging or working out. Since the controls are too close to the right ear, I had to move my neck in an awkward way to grasp them. And unsurprisingly, the earbuds fell out of my ears very easily. I imagine that a lot of people use their Shuffles while working out, so I was disappointed when I learned that the controls were located on the bundled earbuds. Luckily, a few third-party manufacturers such as Eytmotic Research and Klipsch have headphones compatible with the new Shuffle. Apple has also said that third-party adapters will be available, as well.
Admittedly, I've always been reluctant to buy a Shuffle due to the lack of a screen--I like to be able to see what I'm listening to. The Shuffle's new VoiceOver feature solves that issue: Hold the headphone's center button while a song is playing, and a synthesized voice (female, if you're on a PC) will announce the artist's name and song title. iTunes automatically downloads and installs the software and uses its own text-to-speech engine to generate the voices.
VoiceOver supports 14 languages, so if you have a large collection of French pop, for example, it will pronounce the song and artist with the correct accent. VoiceOver also makes sorting through your playlists a breeze. If you hold down the center button and keep holding it after the voice says the name and artist, you'll hear a beep. When you let go, the Shuffle will start naming your playlists. You press the center button again to select the playlist you'd like to hear. Audiobooks get their own playlists, and podcasts sort into one single playlist.
VoiceOver is a welcome feature. Though I love my Sansa Clip, I sometimes find it a pain, especially while working out, to stop and check the screen to see what's playing. On the other hand, the robotic voice is a bit creepy, and it seems disruptive when it pops up in the middle of a song.
The new Shuffle's audio quality was good. Older-generation Shuffles have sounded a bit tinny, in my experience, but the third generation was an improvement: It sounded fuller, and the bass was deeper and stronger. It had no audible hiss, either. In our PC World Lab audio tests, the Shuffle had a signal-to-noise ratio of 75dB (where the higher the number indicates a cleaner sound). Our top ranked players generally score in the 80s.
The diminutive Shuffle packs a generous 4GB of storage. While added storage is always appreciated, I would have liked to see some 2GB Shuffles available at a lower price. For one thing, 4GB might be too much for people expecting to use their Shuffles only at the gym or while running errands. And other than VoiceOver, features are pretty sparse on the Shuffle, so I'm not sure whether it warrants the $80 price tag. It also has no FM radio, no voice recording, and no support for the WMA or FLAC file formats.
If you're looking strictly for an audio player that doesn't take up a lot of space, the third-generation Shuffle is ideal. But if you're unwilling to drop $80 for a feature-scarce MP3 player, you might want to consider some less expensive alternatives. The 4GB Sansa Clip ($45), for example, has a screen, an FM radio, and a built-in microphone--and it doesn't tie you to the bundled earphones.
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