Apple iPod mini (4GB; Windows; Mac)

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Poised at a model-slim 15.7mm, with a sensual wraparound anodized aluminum exterior that's scratch-resistant and an alluring collection of five different shades; the iPod Mini is certainly way ahead of the pack in the design stakes. However, we still have a few nits to pick with Apple's smallest hard drive-based player yet.

Design
Our unit was a lip-pouting pink that certainly drew eyeballs when we whipped it out in the middle of a crowded street. Despite the glances that could had been either mere green "pod-eyed" envy or simply that we had forgotten to zip up our jeans, we had quite a time jiving to the tunes emiting from our pint-sized player.

	iPod Minis strutting their stuff in all their kaleidoscopic glory

Sony brought us the original jog wheel, though it did not really take off probably because at 20 songs per CD then it was hardly worth scrolling through. However, Apple hit the goldmine with the circular scroll wheel which is so vital for speedy navigation through 5,000-strong songs. And as heralded by the Cupertino team, the new Click Wheel is the epitome of user interface design with its improved circular touch scroll function that tracks our finger movements with almost hairline precision. Yet all these touchy-feely stuff does include some collateral damage, with the pristine whiteness of the Click Wheel liable to get grubby after a bit.

Previous iPods have always included four function buttons above the Scroll Wheel which, while not an aesthetic flaw, have been improved upon and seamlessly integrated into the new Click Wheel design through the addition of four tactile feedback points. These fuse the Play, Fast Forward, Backward and Stop functions into four compass points on the Click Wheel itself, certainly saving real estate that four dedicated buttons would have otherwise occupied as in previous incarnations of the iPod.

	The ubercool Click Wheel

As a result, this translates into a far smaller sibling to iPod Senior. It also means that true one-hand operation is possible with the Mini, which leaves us with a free arm to bat away itchy fingers eager to carass our little pink player.

Unfortunately, the smaller dimensions also mean a tinier screen (1.67 inches), though the white backlight and high dot pitch (0.24mm) of the Mini compensate by allowing us to scroll through our extensive song list even in daylight. Opinion is also divided on the form factor of the iPod Mini, with some users cursing about jean pockets getting snagged by the Apple's corners and others treasuring the fact that this is the first hard drive-based player not to create the impression that they have an extraneous appendage in their Levi. We, on the other hand, appreciated the scratch-proof tenacity of the iPod Mini and the way it felt custom moulded to our palms.

Features
With a Hitachi 4GB hard drive, the iPod Mini can probably store most of your favorite songs, and than some. Apple also promised a 25-minute skip protection with a 32MB flash buffer, though sports buffs would be wise to keep their iPods in their gym bags rather than risk potential damage to their hard drives while treadmilling.

Shedding the "Mac head" syndrome, the iPod Mini breaks out of the elitist mode and welcomes Windows users with both FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity. And as testament to the company's disdain for any unnecessary wires, the FireWire cable also doubles as a power cord when connected to the included power adapter. However, since the iSync (Apple's propertiery system) and iCal (calendar function) for the iPod are still limited to Mac OS, Windows users will still have to do their own housekeeping and manually import their contact lists. Another gripe we had was that despite the vast storage space (4GB), we were limited to only 1,000 contacts, which was not unlike some high-end mobile phones.

If the user has an inkling for using their iPod Mini as recorders, they will surely be disappointed as it comes with no recording functionality along with the fact that third-party manufacturers like Belkin have yet to announce a recording add-on. The silver lining here is that most of the accessories made for the iPod can still be used with the Mini.

	The iPod and its mini sibling

If you have a preferance for creating unique playlists for different occasions, you are going to love the iPod Mini. Besides preset playlists from genre types to even smart playlist definitions that will auto add songs fitting user criteria, you can play the role of mobile music critic and assign ratings (one to five stars) to songs you particularly like, which will obviously be given higher priority during shuffle play or even be included as part of your smart playlist definitions. We also like the fact that we can even create playlists on the go without the need to connect to our laptop, an option that was not available on the older iPods.

For any digital music audiophile worth his byte, equalizer control must always be given priority consideration. The iPod Mini equalizer presets cover a comprehensive range of genre types from acid jazz to pop which, though adequately highlighting the sonic range, lacks the punch of a personally configured arrangement, especially if the user has a preference for speed metal music.

The iPod Mini also includes a fun pack of four games that run the mill of older classics like Brick and Solitaire, which frankly are quite mediocre if not old hat. The only redeeming game is the rather clever Music Quiz which randomly plays a tune from the hard drive while giving the gamer a choice of four song titles to choose from, awarding points for swiftness and accuracy. But aside from the Music Quiz, our quibble lies with the fact that the iPod Mini automatically shuts off all music while a game is in play, though there is an included option to play a song as the soundtrack. There is also a text viewer and alarm function on the Mini, although it is just garnishing on the dish.

Performance
On the sonic stage, although no information was available on the signal-to-noise ratio, the iPod did not do too shabbily as it turned out the tunes with steady treble and bass tones. Even when we tried to do the headbanger thing with The Stripes' Fell in Love with a Girl, the Mini rocked right along with us on the train with its 30mW-per-channel power. However, the entire audio setup was let down by the included earbuds which distorted uncomfortably when we cranked up the player to a higher volume. For the avowed audiophile, we heartily recommend either the Sony MDR-G74SL or the Etymotic ER-4P MicroPro earphones for better sonic articulation, though such power-hungry cans will undoubtedly reduce the already much-maligned battery life.

In our CNET Lab test, the iPod Mini managed to last the distance at 9 hours and 6 minutes, which is a tad more than Apple's claimed 8-hour-long battery life. However, too much scrolling around with the functions will no doubt deteriorate the playing time. The FireWire also did a speedy job of moving things around at 2.68MB per second and would be very useful especially when we need to do a speedy backup. Yet the fact that we had to enable the iPod Mini as an external hard drive via the iTunes software is a point to quibble with since we would be required to install iTunes on any computer we want to do a backup on.