Short IPod Review

I love that the 120GB iPod can fit oodles of songs. I have a large CD collection and thought that I'd have to select which songs to download onto the iPod. Not so. This particular model with 120GB can probably store up to 2000 CDs worth of songs. That's HUGE! The iPod is easy to use and the more I use it the more adept I become at operating it. I get frustrated at times trying to dial in a specific artist from the long list of artists I have uploaded, but with such a simple operating wheel, it is a minor drawback compared to the simplicity of the user interface. The iPod has good quality of sound. I hook it up to my home stereo and as long as the volume is not 100%, I cannot detect any distortion. The distortion comes from any sub par recordings. Downfalls: the only way to charge the battery is to be connected to the computer. This is irritating having to use an active computer to charge it, though the battery is good for maybe 20+ hours of life. Maybe other sold-separately devices like iHome can charge the battery--dunno, I don't have one. Next, the owner is tied to iTunes and Apple software. The operator will have to download 100 megs worth of iPod operating system in order to even activate the iPod for the first time. The good thing is you do not have to pay for iTunes unless you wish to buy music off of them. Any music works--I use Rhapsody and Wal-Mart downloaded music (mpeg) and these songs work perfectly on it. As long as you have a computer and love music, this device is worth having. I use it for home use as well as in my car and at work. It only needs a cable to connect to other devices (Radio Shack can help--or an eBay auction for a iPod cable). I never thought about owning one of these gadgets but with the reasonable price offered by eBay, I thought, "what the hey." Now I'm addicted. It just will take days to load all of my CDs onto this handy little device. Needless to say this takes a lot of time to do. But once the music is on the iPod, you're set.Read full review