This is a wonderful pod for working outdoors, exercise, anything where you need max freedom on movement. Headphones need earclips or Jabra eargels to keep them in.

I was a little reluctant because I didn't know if I was gonna get a good, working, and reliable I pod. So far so good ! Thank You very much!!!!!!

I bought two of these for my kids (7 & 10) -- they are the perfect size, they don't lose them because it hangs around their necks and it has PLENTY of room for their songs. I download audiobooks for my 7 year old and they both can share my music library (with my permission). No screen to break when they fall out of the car when the door opens and if somehow it does break, it didn't break the bank to buy in the first place!

I walk and lift weights for exercise. I can quickly go from walking music to weight lifting music. I can listen while I workout, or being a couch potato. If your not looking to spend alot and want to just listen to your music in an easy up to date fashion go with this unit or any other no frills(video etc.) version. Great sound easy to use.

I bought one of these and used it for about a year. Then we went to the beach and when we came back, I realized I had left some lucky cleaning person the best loaded iPod in America...now I am writing about my long lost friend, the first generation iPod Shuffle.

The whole point of simplicity is to keep it simple and not be distracted endlessly by poor quality add-on fluff. One reviewer called this a "dumbed down ipod"...I guess that person didn't have the money to buy the iPod they were actually wanting, the one that plays Bono videos so tiny that you can't even tell what you are seeing. That's too bad for them, but no need to trash this gem on account of a bad purchasing decision. I have had and played with many versions of the iPod, many by Apple, others not, and this original Shuffle is the best iPod I have ever come across. I can hang this Shuffle around my neck, lie back on my couch and just listen to audio books and talks. I don't have to read exclusively to get quality information during downtime any more, and it's simple and doesn't tempt me to play with it endlessly and distract myself from what I really want to be doing. Random/order, play/off. It's strange how some people can't appreciate a device that makes life simpler and more enjoyable. I LOVE this little thing more than all the video iPods with tiny incoherently distorted pixelly screens in the world put together! If you want to fiddle with play lists and try to decipher minuscule video, go ahead, but in a world full of crap media blitzes and pointless distractions, this iPod is as good as the iPod phenomenon is ever going to get in terms of enhancing the quality of living.