Yes, it’s 2 months early. But I got my present already!
[Hubby](http://www.9to5andotherwise.com) read my post about [my Shuffle](http://www.momathome.com/viewfromhome/2005/10/i_love_my_shufflebut.php) and how I would prefer an iPod with larger capacity so it would sync automatically.
He says: Are you hinting that you want a new iPod for Chanukah?
Now, don’t tell him…but I honestly wasn’t hinting. Yeah, I do want one of those new iPods for all the reasons I mentioned in that entry but I wasn’t seriously expecting to get him to buy me one. I have been known to use my blog for [shameless hinting](http://www.momathome.com/viewfromhome/2004/07/hint_hint.php) but this wasn’t one of those. But, I know how to roll with a good thing when I see it, so I said, uh, yeah!
I’ve got two trips to DC coming up in November, so knowing that the next thing he says is, would you like it sooner rather than later for the traveling you’re doing now? I know how to roll with a good thing when I see it, so I said, uh, yeah!
So yesterday dear, sweet hubby comes home with a nice little black box from the Apple Store and I have me a new [30GB black iPod with video](http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html)!
First impressions:
* I can’t stand the little how-dare-you-even-call-it-that case that comes with it. It’s two pieces of felt stitched together. Yeah, it’s better than nothing given all the yelling and screaming about how easily these things can scratch. Unfortunately, there aren’t many cases out there yet that are designed for the fifth generation iPods. [Speck products](http://www.speckproducts.com/for-video.html) has some cases coming soon. As does [Tunewear](http://www.tunewear.com/english/product/ambassador_ipod_5g/index.html) and [Vaja](http://www.vajachoice.com/id/mkt/contacto.nsf/ipod_5g_form). I want a sturdy case that doesn’t need to be removed to use. I also want a compartment for the headphones.
* The screen is *gorgeous*. I never would have believed that you could watch video comfortably in a 2.5 in screen but wow, it’s incredible. [Here’s a tutorial](http://howto.diveintomark.org/ipod-dvd-ripping-guide/) to rip DVD movies to the iPod using free software. I might give it a try. My music library is currently at 11GB, so I have plenty of room. Catch is the battery life, which is only around 2 hours for video. I don’t think I’ll watch *Lord of the Rings* on my iPod, but an episode of *Buffy* that I already own on DVD? Sure, why not? I watched the beginning of the first episode of [Photoshop TV](http://www.photoshopguys.com/) and it’s unbelievable that you can watch a Photoshop demo on a screen this small and still read the menus!
* Would you believe that this is the first time that I have ever spent more than 30 seconds navigating in an iPod? As a result, I’m terrible with the click wheel. It’s very sensitive. I love how easy it is to scroll…but stopping at the right selection, lifting my thumb and then clicking in the center to select obviously takes a combination of skill and practice I don’t have yet. I’m constantly selecting the menu item just above or just below what I want.
* I would love a way to display remaining battery life in estimated time rather than just the green bar.
* The little black pads that come with the headphones make it much easier on the ears than the bare headphones of the Shuffle.
* I just ordered Apple’s [iPod USB Power Adapter](http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9837LL/A). I travel with my PC, not the Mac. The iPod software is formatted to work with the Mac. I can plug the iPod into the PC and it will charge, but the only way to safely dismount the iPod from the PC is to shut the PC down. Windows XP tries to be swap & play, it’s really not. Its Remove Hardware application never seems to work and always tells me that the connected device can’t be stopped. When I’m sitting on the Amtrak train next to a power outlet I might as well be charging my iPod.
Judi Sohn 