iPod Video review part 2

As a follow-up to my earlier review on the iPod video, I’ve now had nearly 2 months to run it through its paces and use it in many situations. I own a black 60 GB iPod video with Universal Dock. Overall, I’ve come to appreciate the attention to detail that was put into this device from people who are obviously obsessed with building the best mp3 player on the market.

I’ll start out with a few areas for improvement:

1. I use the ‘hold’ button a lot and it’s slippery to the touch. I wish it had a little bit more tactile feel to it. I use the plug end of my headphones to switch it on and off.

2. Maybe my dexterity isn’t as good as it used to be but I often scroll past the song or podcast I want when I only need to move down a just a few rows. The scroll wheel is great when you need to move through a long list but getting to that specific song takes some practice.

3. I still miss being able to create folders and drag files directly into them on my computer and have that mirrored on the iPod like I could do with my iRiver. I’d liked to be able to download a single mp3 file and have it show up with my other podcasts without have to go in and setup an iTunes subscription to that feed. What makes iTunes so intuitive can have drawbacks for those who like to customize.

4. For an expensive device the included case is really bad. I encountered a few minor scratches before buying a Speck Skintight case. The black iPod video definitely scratches easily outside of a good case.

5. It hasn’t happened often but a few of the videos I’ve watched won’t stop playing. I’ll try to exit out but they won’t stop and I’ve had to reset the iPod a when this has happened. Probably has something to do with the encoding as it’s not happened on any video I’ve downloaded from iTunes.

6. It took about half a dozen attempts but I finally got it syncing with my Outlook 2003 contacts and calendar. I know, probably “user error” but it should be easier.

7. The Universal Dock is a must have add-on in my opinion if you change content often. Would be nice if it were included.

Now to the things I like most about the iPod video:

1. I mentioned this before but subscribing and managing podcasts is so slick and intuitive. This has been the biggest area of improvement since trading my iRiver. iTunes makes it fun to discover new Podcasts. Just an excellent job by Apple in this area.

2. The included headphones are not as terrible as I’d been reading about. Sure, they are not fantastic but they are much better than most stock headphones. I bought the Sennheiser PX100 and have been very happy with this setup.

3. iTunes integration with Audible.com makes downloading audio books as easy as can be. It’s not so much a feature of the iPod but the smooth manner in which it works with iTunes is what sets it apart from the pretenders.

4. The sound quality is excellent and it’s LOUD. I expected excellent sound and the iPod delivers.

5. I really like being able to view the album art. I didn’t think this would matter at all, but now I must have this feature. I use Album Art Downloader with iTunes (Windows) for mp3s that need cover art.

6. I like how if you remove the plug from the headphone jack it automatically pauses the song. Nice touch.

7. I like how it marks which Podcasts I’ve yet to listen to with a tiny blue dot from the main list window.

8. A number of little things that tell me the creators had a fun time building this device. I love the green battery icon, the “Shuffle songs” symbol, and the blue gradient on the volume bar. It has personality!

9. During song playback I can zoom in on the album cover and even rate each song. During Podcast playback I can click to see more information about the Podcast in simple text.

A few of my friends who work for Microsoft have called me a “sellout” but that doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve used enough mp3 players to realize that the iPod is a quality device. Offerings from Creative and iRiver now look so pedestrian. They have their good qualities I’m sure, but until they are able to bridge the software gap, they are playing in the minor leagues. I highly recommend the latest iPod to novice and experience users alike.