My dad has started to blog on all the various gadgets he’s gotten into and I think I’m going to rob that idea from him.
I’ve inherited my gadget collecting habit from him anyways, so I might as well fess up and admit it.
Gadgets play an interesting role in life as it were. Different people like and dislike certain types of gadgets in their lives, and I think these items are more defining of who we are than we give credit.
For example, I have a friend who collects things he thinks are going to be collectable some day. It’s an odd sort of habit if you ask me. Some of these things have little value as of now (and I mean monetary not personal value) and I’m not convinced they are all sure bets in the future.
To make a point, he has every Maxim magazine almost to the beginning of the run. I’m sure, to a certain pedigree of male this collection is a bit of a tome. Despite my thoughts, he somehow found a wife with a similar inclination.
In fairness, some of these things are wonderful collections that are certainly worth a great deal (both money and personal sentiment… if not cool factor). And they share their collecting niche in gifts as well. At our baby shower, we were given some original early artwork for Winnie the Pooh.
I dig it.
What we collect distinctly says something about us.
I’ve been impressed with Apple, Inc lately and I’ve followed that up with several purchases and testimonies over the past few years. I am blogging this with my Powerbook (PowerPC – old school now) and I rallied the family together last year to get my sister a Mac mini for her computing needs with success.
Last I talked to her, she loves it. Of all the things I’ve heard her say about it, few have been about how it breaks down, doesn’t have software she needs or how many viruses it has been infected with lately. Probably because none of those have been a problem at all. (Well, I did have to find her some open source Document software, but that’s what OpenOffice.org is for).
Windows has lost my interest for everything except gaming platforms, which is only because gaming hasn’t come to Mac in a big way… yet.
I’ve recently upped my Apple technology with yet another device, but in a very conservative way. I’m sure you are guessing iPod and you are pretty much correct, but not a big fancy one.
In fact, I bought the littlest one. This thing is tiny and it does only one thing – play music.
Torrin was kind enough to model the product, it appears normal sized on him, but it’s about the size of a quarter.
Kerry and I decided to start using our Gym membership to Prairie Life more often this year, and I figured some music would help make all the “No Pain, No Gain” crap disappear in a pleasant noise of music. Some reviews of this product complained about a lack of options, but that’s just plain missing the point.
Dad bought a huge ol’ video iPod and it’s got all the capabilities in the world, but that’s not what I wanted. I wanted music, portability and durable form factor.
Kerry bought me a MP3 player a few years ago and I used it up to the day it died. I sat on it, and that was the end of that. It had features, good sound and a nice look to it as well. But when it came to durability, my hugeness of an ass was across the line. I’m betting the aluminum enclosure and sturdy design are going to be better for the wear.
The headphones to the iPod are not my favorite. I have a pair of E2c Shure headphones that just plain kick the iPod headphone’s butt. In Apple’s defense, or as a pitch for Shure, Shure manufactures some excellent headphones and the E2C’s are no exception.
The sound is surprisingly good. Just like the big boy iPod’s, you have an option to limit the maximum volume for your safety (albeit through iTunes instead of a menu on screen… but give me a break.. there is no screen).
I’m listening to the Shuffle now through my E2c’s and the stage is impressive for Mp3 encoding (nearly all my collection is MP3 and not Apple’s AAC encoding). I don’t like the way highs are compressed with MP3′s, and a good set of headphones will only accent this problem. Crisp cymbals that should sound as smooth as a placid stream of water come across as if being played through water instead.
In one review I had read, there was some complaint about a background hiss when you turned the Shuffle on. I didn’t notice this at all with the Apple headphones, but as soon as I plugged in the Shure’s, it was an obvious hiss. I don’t mind this too much, I’m going to be running with the darn thing, not criticizing the street noise audible in the background of Collective Soul’s first album.
The sound is sufficient, if not superb once you remind yourself you are plugged into a quarter sized piece of metal.
Just like Sniffles on the wind up for a sneeze, you’re expecting a pip and you get a tornado. It’s not bad at all.
What’s made iPod’s so successful, though, is more than just a sound. The intuitive use with iTunes makes the product a joy to use daily. I let iTunes populate my Shuffle with random selections from my Music collection and it has let me listen to songs I forgot I owned ( a problem more common when you’ve got over 80 gigs of music hanging around and you’ve been collecting since the late 90′s).
That highlights the downside to not having a screen. I’ve had about three or four songs come through where I really wanted to know the name of the band and I can’t find that out! I’ll have to take comfort in the fact I know I own it, I just don’t know where!
Still, it performed well at the gym, and that’s what I really wanted. I’ll probably take to using it for podcasts to listen to while I go to sleep or do some menial task at work. For now, I’ll just be happy it works for the purpose I bought it for.
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