Apple iPod Shuffle 2011 (2GB

The iPod Shuffle returns to its big-button glory days, only this time around, it offers support for playlists, audiobooks, podcasts, Genius Mixes, and a multilingual VoiceOver feature that announces track information, battery status, and menu navigation.

In spite of the shrunken body, the main navigation has actually increased just slightly in size compared with the second-gen version it's modeled after, making it easier to make any adjustments to volume or track position.

The fourth-gen iPod Shuffle is noticeably smaller, slimmer, and more square, measuring 1.24 inches wide, 1.14 inches tall, and 0.34 inch thick.

Another design feature that distinguishes the fourth-gen Shuffle from the second-gen is that the majority of the physical features--the headphone jack, the power switch, the battery indicator, the playback mode control, and the VoiceOver button--have been consolidated to the top edge of the device.

Here, you can see the fourth-generation iPod Shuffle (left) next the the sixth-generation iPod Nano (middle) and the fifth-generation iPod Nano (right).

If we have just one complaint of the fourth-gen iPod Shuffle design, it's the difficulty using the clip without accidentally triggering the track skip control (specifically the back skip button).

Though the Shuffle's design may be a nod to the past, its features keep pushing forward. Everything that was good about the third-generation model (VoiceOver, playlists, audiobooks, and podcasts) has been retained for this version, along with support for Genius Mixes, expanded language support, and a longer 15-hour battery life.

In terms of features, design, sound quality, and price, the fourth-generation iPod Shuffle is the best version of the player we've seen yet.