Apple’s latest iPod Shuffle Talks To You Like the Radio

Apple has come up with a new device to fight iPod fatigue. Many radio stations do the same thing that this new iPod does- It can announce songs, artist and a little bit more. What's next? A jingle, time and weather, or an ad between songs. Isn't it interesting that they have named the new technology feature "Voice Over"?

Miami Herald The 4-gigabyte device can carry 1,000 songs and Apple has come up with a way for people to identify the music they're listening to or find songs they want. A new feature called VoiceOver can, at the push of a button, speak the song and artist name or rattle off the list of custom mixes - called playlists - that the owner has loaded onto the device.

Here's how it works: As you synchronize a new Shuffle using an updated version of iTunes, your PC or Mac looks at each track and playlist and creates a small file of a computerized voice speaking the title, artist or playlist name.

When you tap a button on the headphones, the voice speaks the title and artist as the music plays. (If a song is in Spanish, Chinese or any one of 12 other languages, the software figures this out and speaks in the appropriate language.) When you hold down the headphone button, the device reads a list of your playlists, and you can pick one by tapping again. Read more>>