This review may help those folks who can’t decide between a Shuffle or an iPod. The mini is a great value with most of the bells and whistles that full size iPods offer. My writing includes nothing about my eBay transaction to purchase the iPod because it was a gift.

Now we have another iPod in our family that I can compare to the mini. We recently purchased a 2nd generation Shuffle for our daughter. The Shuffle is spectacular, but you will want more features soon. This mini is your answer!

Holds 4GB, 4x the shuffle G2 capacity and includes these features that the shuffle does not have:

1. LCD screen w/ backlight - scroll through menus and find song details
2. Playlist feature - allows you to play your own mixes of tunes (I enjoy the preset genres when I’m in the mood for jazz or blues!) or preset by artist, alpha by title

I’ve not compared the battery life yet between the two iPods but I love my mini. I listen to it on the way to and from work and during lunch. When I get home, I still have about 50% left but I charge it each night.

Small, like a cell phone. Invest in a case. I bought the hard case with a belt clip by Marware (it’s green to match the iPod). Keeps it safe in my bag. I also bought a set of Sony clip-on, noise cancelling headphones that cancel noise and make it easy to listen to on the bus. The case and new headphones cost about $50 total.

The iPod metal casing can easily be scratched. Would highly recommend a skin or a case to protect it, other than what Apple provides. This unit is great. I can’t compare value because I didn’t buy it, but it looks to be about 1/2 the cost of the larger iPods and weighs in at less than 4 oz.

I LOVE MY MINI…but already know my daughter will want this “hand-me-down” when she outgrows her new Shuffle. Then I’ll upgrade to the 30GB iPod! Just have to hit the lottery first!