iPod Shuffle Tips & Tricks

In the iPod family the Shuffle might not be the most glamerous or the most feature rich of the, but here's a few tips and tricks to help you make the most of your iPod shuffle.

* To fastforward a song or rewind a song, hold down the 'forward' or 'back' button. Keep it pressed until you've reached the part of the song you want to hear.

* Pressing the 'back' button while a song is currently playing will play the same song from the beginning. To go back a track, instead of pressing the 'back' button twice, press 'pause' and then hit the back button.

* To start your playlist from the beginning, press the play/pause button three times. This can also be useful if you want to hear the last song, simply by pressing the back button once you've reached the beginning.

* Pressing the oval button on the back of the iPod shuffle will tell you the status of your battery. Logically enough: green - charged, amber - low, and red - about to run out.

* When the iPod shuffle is paused the green light in the middle will flash green for a minute. If you leave the shuffle paused more than a minute the light will stop blinking but the Shuffle is still on draining your battery.

* To reset the shuffle turn it off for 5 seconds using the switch in the back for 5 seconds. Turn it back on and the reset is complete.

* The green and amber light blinking means there are no songs on the shuffle.

* The orange light means the iPod shuffle is locked. Hold the play button for 3 seconds and it will unlock.

* Always remember to ejecct the iPod Shuffle from iTunes or your system tray (or the eject option in Mac OS) before removing the shuffle from your USB port. Failure to to do so can result in your iPod shuffle being rendered useless.

* You do not have to use the autofill option in iTunes to load songs on your iPod shuffle. Simply drag and drop the songs you want on the Shuffle icon in iTunes.

* If you want the songs in a particular order you will have to rearrange them manually in your shuffle playlist from iTunes. Otherwise the songs will be sorted at random.

Despite the lack of a display the iPod shuffle is surprisingly easy to navigate once you know the tips and tricks. I hope these few tips and tricks will help you to appreciate your iPod shuffle a little more.