Apple’s new iPod Shuffle is definitely something to talk about, literally. This new flavour in mini-music players touts VoiceOver, something Apple is calling a “a world first”. The tiny 0.3″ thick device speaks the song title, artist and playlist to you.

Yeah, playlist. The Shuffle couldn’t include playlist capability  previously because the device had no real user interface. The new concept of Audio-UI will probably take some getting used to but I think it’s a feature worth having. To select a playlist, it reads out the names of all playlists in your audio library, and when you hear the one you want, click the main navigation button on the earphone cord to play it.

I haven’t made my mind up yet on whether or not I like the buttonless concept and having the controls on the earphones. I can definitely see myself using it at the gym, in which case it makes sense to have it on the earphone cord for easier reach. But… I also like playing music in my car through my car’s 3.5mm audio jack – something that this new device won’t do. But I guess that’s what custom third-party gadgets are for.

Tags: Apple, ipod, music, shuffle, voiceover