Gear Review- iPod mini

The mini has been replaced with the iPod nano so this review is partially on the impact of the iPod family on training and how functional the components are to use in real world situations.

The iPod mini.
If you have the ability to buy a mini online, I would strongly reccommend the 6 gb version over the 4 gb. The mini is no longer in production by Apple, however I have been told by Apple that mini owners will still be able to purchase accessories and recieve adequate repair service. I will explain repair service later.

I perfer the mini over the nano for one simple reason, size. There comes a point were small is too small. The nano which is basically the size of a debit card folded in half, is so small and light I am afraid I will lose it. The mini has heft to it. It fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. The mini also come in a variety of colors. The nano, white and black. The black almost demands upgraded skin protection due to significant scratch awareness.

The second reason is storage. The highest capacity mini is 6gb, the nano is 4gb. Rumor has it that a 8 gb nano will come on line soon and that would be well worth the wait if true.

The mini is not as technologically as advanced as the nano, with its color screens and non-skip flash drive, but easily makes up for it in larger screen size and click wheel. This is especially important when considering that music selection changes, for athletes, usually happens with a body in motion, in my case mostly running. Thelarger grayscale screen makes it super easy to read the words. The nano also includes one more line of text on screen so not only is it a smaller screen, it packs more words on it, which are smaller.

Repair.
Apple has the best warranty I have ever seen. If you have a problem with your iPod, any version, take it too the closest Apple store and if they encounter a known warranty issue with your unit, like say a frozen screen, they will simple give you a brand new unit. If any songs or contacts are can be retrieved they will sinc the units. I have actually encountered a problem with my first mini, the details I will not get into, but it was a painless process to get a new unit. Your iPod will be replaced with the exact replica except for the original 20 gb units which are automatically upgraded to 30gb units. The mini's right now and the foreseeable future will get mini's as replacements. Apples finds it easier to simply replace than repair.

iTunes.
Each unit comes with iTunes software. It is also free online for everyone else. As a music browser it is great. Very simple to use. It also keys into the iMusic area for downloads. However I would steer everyone to this MP3 store for cheaper prices on purchased music.

Accessories.
The products you can buy for any iPod are staggering. Let me just go over the basics of what you should know going into an iPod purchase. First, ditch the provided earbuds, use them for backups and leave them in the junk box of your car. There are many other quality earbuds that come with rubber moldings that provide a custom fit for your ear canal. Expect to spend between $19 and $25. I have found that for running I need something that has an even greater grip in my ear and also to combat some of the rusting that occurs from sweating. So I purchased a pair of waterproof earbuds. The fit is not as good as say a pair of foam ear plugs or shooting plugs but do a great job of staying in the ear even during the most strenous of running, jumping and bending exercises.

I have purchased two different cases for carrying. The provided belt clip is junk, just toss it away. There is a huge market for leather cases and thin rubber shells in every color imaginable but instead I would opt for a clear hard plastic shell. Its no frills and actually protects your investments instead of dolls it up and hides it simplicity. Plus a hard plastic shell will save you tremendous heartache from say a drop from a moving bike. *cough*cough* The nice benefit of a hard plastic form fitting shell is that it slides in and out of your pocket very easily. The thicker leather cases or the silicon/rubber/neophryne skins are quite tacky which is good for the tactile grip but lousy when trying to get in and out of a pants pocket.

A good arm band is also important but ubiquitious so no further explaination needed.

Car charger/FM tuner.
Apple should just get this out of the way and include it as an item in the newly purchased iPod box. This should be in your basket when you buy your unit. The listed battery time is 18 hours on the mini yet I have never been able to get over ten. Battery power has a lot to do with the configuration of your personal settings but even on the most basic of functions it will take some real stretching to hit that number. The peice is much like a cell phone charger, a bell shaped adapter that inserts into a 'cigerette' socket or now called a power socket is attached to a long cord that has an adapter that fits your iPod unit. Unless you have a much older version of iPod any shelf unit should fit all iPods except the shuffle. Along the cord, usually at the power socket, is a switch or unit that allows you to tune your iPod into a FM radio channel and play your unit through your car stereo system. Which brings us too...

Podcasts.
Perhaps the greatest thing about any mp3 is the ability to download podcasts and listen to them when your driving around, or biking around, or running around, you get the point. A podcast is bascially someone recording a session of themselves talking about a subject then uploading it online. I of course listen to endurance related podcasts which are generally triathloncentric but there are literally thousands of different podcasts that can be listened too. I personally have over twelve hours of podcasts stored on my iPod and listen to them when I am tired of talk radio or when I am shopping.

Tip of the year.
This is my own little treat to you based on real life use of an iPod. The scenario is simple. Your computer crashes. All your music is wiped clean. It will take hours to reload all your CD's and then sort through the songs you just want to keep. All the songs you purchased online are gone and you have to repurchase them. If you have an iPod that stores videos, movies and digital pictures you might as well face it; life is over.

Well the tip is that your iPod is also a portable jumpdrive. By just going through a few steps, you can UPLOAD everything from your iPod to your pc. Imagine the scenario above, but now knowing that by using these instructions, every playlist and podcast can be copied from your unit back onto your computer in the exact order you had them. The exception being the music that was in iTunes but not sinc'd to the iPod. This is also a great tip if you decide to download a friends iTunes library to your iPod and then go back to your pc and upload it into your iTunes library.