4G iPod Picked as TIME’s Weekly Gadget

Last week, the Appleis AirPort Express. This week, Appleis fourth-generation iPod is TIME magazines "Gadget of the Week" and labeled by reviewer Wilson Rothman as a "modest hop forward and a complete overhaul."

"But you should know that internally the new iPod is a ground-up reconstruction, and its really compelling applications ? the ones that very well might get the goat of anyone unable or unwilling to upgrade ? are still secret. All that Apple is saying is that thereis more to this than whatis being publicized," he writes.

Mr. Rothman praises the new portable device for its improved, 12-hour battery life, new click-wheel, and multiple On-the-Go Playlists feature, but notes the drawback of the iPodis shuffle feature.

"I would prefer that the real Shuffle option, from Settings, be placed in the main menu," he suggests. "That way you could toggle between your shuffled and ordered experiences?? genres versus albums, for instance?? without seven extra button taps. (Also, the Shuffle algorithm is still less than satisfying: while shuffling through 1,643 songs, two of the first eight tracks it pulled were from the Beastie Boys.)"

In the end, Mr. Rothman wrote the new model is perfect for first timers, but not a imust havei for those considering an upgrade.