For no other reason than that “everyone deserves a treat now and then,” Aimee got me an iPod shuffle this week, and it’s about the best thing I’ve seen since, well, my other, beefier iPod. And to boot, she had those exact words printed on the side (about the treat, not the beefier iPod), just to remind me why it’s sitting in my pocket.

And I need something to remind me, because it sure doesn’t weigh very much. I’ve always kept the ‘Pod in the pocket of my coat, and reached in the pocket to hit the remote when I needed to change songs or pause it. And now that I’m using the shuffle, I realize why it’s so great, and why it’s a useful role-filler for Apple. The iPod shuffle is essentially the entire iPod in the space of the remote. OK, so it’s about twice as long as the regular iPod’s remote, but that size difference is negligible, as is the difference in weight. It’s got all of the buttons – play/pause, volume, next/previous, and hold – plus the addition of the shuffle and in order buttons. Still no Doves button, but everything you need and nothing you don’t – like the display – if all you’re doing is listening to your collection at random. I know it’s obvious, but it’s pretty great nonetheless. 200 songs with almost no weight, taking up almost no space. It’ll seem bulky in a year, but right now, it’s the best.