Apple's iPod line is huge. Humungous. So it's no surprise that when the ‘economy' version - the Shuffle, came out, I wanted it immediately. Took me a bit, two years to be precise, but I waited it out and got the generation 2 model of the iPod Shuffle.

Like the rest of us, you're probably sick of seeing and hearing the talking ads on every other website about how to get a free ipod, free ipod nano, or silly things like that. So, rather than fall for the hype, read below and find out just why it's okay for you to want to actually spend money on one!

Have you seen those USB connectable memory drives? That's what the generation 1 iPod shuffle looked like. This iPod version was released in 2005, came in 512Mb storage capacity, or 1Gb. The 1Gb shuffle boasted a 240 song repertoire, which based on my song list is about 16 hours of music. Generation 1 came with two caps, one cap sporting a dangly lanyard so you could wear the Shuffle around your neck.

The problem with Generation 1 iPod Shuffles is that they were bland, only available in white. Another problem is that unlike it's cousins in the iPod line, the Shuffle has no on-screen display. But, come February 2006 the 1Gb shuffle only cost $99 USD (that's American dollars) so who can REALLY complain?

Then came Gen2. This is the kind of iPod Shuffle that I have, in bright aqua. Wising up a bit, Apple released Gen2 in a slightly different shape, making it much smaller and giving it a dock. Incidentally, the dock's jack is the same size as a headphone jack, which makes it easy to swap out the two -- no adapter required. This iPod came with a free pair of headphones, the Shuffle itself, and a USB docking cord.

Where the Gen1 was boring, the Gen2 is bright, cheery, compact and still cheap. Available in 9 colors, including the RED line, Apple's ‘world's smallest mp3 player' retails for $49 USD, which is about 30 dollars cheaper than I got it for at Christmas. Boo!

Gen2 comes in 1Gb and 2Gb sizes, weighs just over half an ounce, and ONLY syncs up through iTunes. When you want to change songs on it, you have to clear your iPod Shuffle completely. It's a great little piece of technology, and seriously easy to use!

Gotta go, time to sync and bob my head to some tunes on my sweet iPod Shuffle. Later!