Aldoblog

I am frequently asked, “Which audio player should I buy to use with my audiobooks?” At first I would reply with a great deal of information, most of which is completely irrelevant to the question. I’ve come to realize that the answer is quite simple. You only have to make one hard decision:

What’s Your Favorite Color?
iPod Nano Silver, 4GB	iPod Nano Blue, 8GB	iPod Nano RED, 8GB	iPod Nano Green, 8GB	iPod Nano Black, 8GB	iPod Nano Pink, 8GB

If you’re the type that just wants the answer, you can stop reading now. But if you’re the type who wants to know why, well, we’ve got a lot to talk about.

But first, about these recommendations

There are lots of descriptions and reviews of digital audio players available on the Internet. Read those if you want to get a broad perspective of what they are and what they do. I’m focused here exclusively on using a digital audio player for listening to audiobooks. Not music, not other content. I almost never listen to music on my iPod, and that colors my perspective quite a bit.

Why an iPod?

There are two reasons. The first is simple, my instructions depend on using iTunes to do the importing from CD. iTunes only works well (syncing audio files automatically) with an iPod. So, if you want iTunes, you’ll want to use it with an iPod. (And if you want to use something besides iTunes, well, you should write a new set of instructions to tell people how to use your software!)

The second reason is more complicated. I’ve used only one non-iPod audio player, an Audible Otis. It was a terrible piece of hardware, not at all comparable to some of the almost OK players out there from Creative, etc. So I may be biased by that experience. But for me, the iPod Click Wheel is an essential part of listening to an audiobook, because it allows me to rapidly scroll backwards and forwards through a book, to repeat a section, to return to a section, etc. No other navigation tool works nearly as well, or is nearly as versatile. Being able to “scroll” through the audio track (by swirling your thumb or finger around the Click Wheel) is an amazing ability, and no other player has it.

If you really still need another reason to get an iPod, ask yourself, when was the last time you treated yourself to something that is the very best in its class? Don’t you deserve something that is the very best? The iPod is far and away the best experience in audio players for audiobooks. Buying a Lexus would cost many thousands of dollars — an iPod is comparatively cheap!

Isn’t an iPod more expensive?

If it is, it’s not by much; the digital audio player market is competitive, and Apple is very aggressive about pricing to stay on top. But if you’re going to be listening to a lot of audiobooks, you’re (a) going to be spending a lot of time with your player, and it’s definitely worth a little more up front to get the best player, and (b) you’re going to eventually spend more on the audiobooks than on the player, so the modest extra cost of an iPod is a lot smaller than you’d initially think. Don’t cheat yourself on a false economy here; you will eventually regret it.

If you really cannot spend $200 on a eight gigabyte iPod Nano, consider spending $150 on a four gigabyte Nano. It’s smaller in capacity, and you can only choose silver, but it’s still big enough to hold 15-20 audiobooks at a time, more than enough for most people, and it delivers the exact same experience as the larger capacity version. I was very happy with a four gigabyte Nano for almost a year.

Why an iPod Nano?

In a word, size. The iPod Nano has just about the perfect form factor, being wonderfully small in size, while still being big enough to have a good screen and the Click Wheel. It is pretty much as small as a true iPod can be, which means you can take it anywhere. I use mine in two places, the car and when I’m working out. Size isn’t a big deal in the car, but even our iPod mini was pretty heavy and bulky when using exercise equipment in a gym.

Size is also a fairly serious issue if you’re carrying the iPod with you everywhere. Sure, a full-size iPod can go in a coat pocket, and there’s a ton of belt clips and the like. But it is still comparatively bulky, and while some may profess that it’s not a bother, the size of my regular iPod certainly was irritating to me. If I wasn’t in my car, I would decide to take it or not based on whether I was wearing a jacket, because I needed a coat pocket to carry it. Good weather is a bad reason to leave your iPod at home!

The Nano is so small, you can strap it on or slip it into a pocket and barely notice it, so you’ll take it everywhere. But even though it’s tiny, it still delivers the full iPod Experience.

Isn’t the iPod Nano too small (in capacity)?

No. A four gigabyte iPod Nano holds 15-20 audiobooks at a time, depending on how long they are, when you only dedicate three gigabytes to audiobooks (the rest of the capacity is for podcasts, music, photos, and contacts). My four gigabyte Nano held nine and a half days of continous audiobook content. It wasn’t all of my audiobooks, but it was more than enough to keep me entertained, and when I got done with a book, I removed it and added a new one.

The only scenario where a Nano doesn’t have enough capacity is if you need to go weeks between syncing with your computer (think backpacking around the world). A four gigabyte iPod Nano is more than big enough for most people’s audiobook listening.

How much capacity should I get?

I think that a four gigabyte Nano is terrific for listening to audiobooks, with some capacity left over for podcasts, contacts, and a modest selection of music. It’s plenty big enough. But the eight gigabyte version makes some decisions a lot easier, lets you carry around more music and podcasts, and most importantly, it comes in the most colors:

Size	Price	# Books	Color Choices
4 gig	$149	15-20 audiobooks
8 gig	$199	30-40 audiobooks

What does the extra capacity get me?

To my mind, once you’re spending money on an iPod, it makes sense to increase the capacity when it’s cost-effective to do so. So while the four gigabyte Nano will work very well for audiobooks, for only $50 more, you can have an eight gigabyte Nano, and that makes some things a little easier.

For example, because I have over a dozen books on my Nano at any given time, I can usually find a new book that suits my mood, no matter what that mood is. I have had the experience of trying to pick out a new book for my commute, and as many as 10 books don’t sound good to me at that moment. “Nick Hornby? Feh. Michael Crichton? Double feh.” Some days you want 15+ books to choose from, even if you’re only going to listen to one.

Another area where the larger capacity is good for my usage is podcasts. I dedicate 75% of my iPod to audiobooks, and the rest goes mostly to podcasts (plus some music and photos). I am currently subscribed to way more podcasts than will fit on my iPod, and that’s after purging a lot of the older stuff. So I have to pick and choose what to transfer to my iPod. It can be done, but it’s more effort if your iPod is smaller.

Why is size so important?

If you aren’t sure you think physical size is that big a deal to you, think about where you want to listen to your audiobooks. If it’s 90% at home, 10% elsewhere, you’re right, size is not a big deal. Anything less than that, either you’re doomed to be one of those people with an iPod clipped to their waist everywhere they go, or you’ll be making decisions based on the size of the device. For me, form factor became a huge issue, and I gladly traded my full-size iPod for a Mini, and then gladly spent another $250 for my Nano, purely for the size reduction.

Look at the devices you’re already carrying. If you’ve already chosen to carry things that are bigger but have more functions (like a so-called “smart phone”), you might want a full size iPod. If you’ve already given up features so your tools will fit in your pockets (like a Motorola RAZR), you’re definitely a Nano kind of person. Ultimately this is a personal decision. Only you can decide what’s right for you.

Why not an iPod Shuffle?

So if form factor is such a big factor, why not consider an iPod Shuffle? Because the screen and a scroll wheel are essential for listening to audiobooks. Although the iPod shuffle is a nice device, its design as a random shuffle music jukebox makes it ill-suited for playing audiobooks, where linear structure is essential. The shuffle has minimal controls for fast forward or reverse, and no way to see where you are. So you will inevitably get into a position where you are in a random spot in the book, not know if that’s were you’re supposed to be or not, and have no good way to skim forward or backward to find the right place.

And that’s the issue in two words. The iPod shuffle was designed with the philosophy that there is no “right place” in your playlist, all that matters is where you are now. Terrific for music, not so good for audiobooks.

What about the other iPods? What about the iPhone?

I’ve recommended the 4GB Nano here because it does a great job with audiobooks, at the lowest price. And as I wrote at the beginning, I’ve considered only playing back audiobooks, which means that extras weren’t a significant part of the equation. But Apple has a broad range of audio playback devices, many of which are very good with audiobooks, and have other advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few thoughts about the other models:

iPod Classic and Audiobooks

An iPod Classic is a lot bigger than an iPod Nano. To me, that’s a big problem. I have repeatedly sacrificed features and capacity for a smaller size.

If you have determined that the size of your audiobook device is not that important, then the iPod Classic can be a fine choice. It’s pretty much identical to the Nano in terms of handling audiobooks. And it might be a better choice for you if:

• You want to carry a large collection of music, videos, or podcasts along with your audiobooks. The iPod Classic has 10-20 times the capacity of the largest iPod Nano.
• Your hands are very large, or you have dexterity problems in your hands. The larger size of the controls may be much easier for you to work with.
• Your near vision has problems with small type. The slightly larger screen of the iPod Classic may be easier to read.

iPod Touch and Audiobooks

The iPod Touch is also a lot bigger than the iPod Nano, but it also does a lot more. Much larger screen, a totally different set of touch screen-based controls, and more software functions (including, in the future, third-party applications). The iPod Touch represents the future of the iPod, and I predict that in the next two years the iPod Nano will look like a smaller version of today’s iPod Touch.

But for now, the iPod Touch is for people who want to have the latest and greatest. If you’re just looking for basic audiobook functionality, it does it quite well, but so does the Nano, at a lower price and in a smaller package.

I personally don’t find the iPod Touch compelling, but that’s because I already have an iPhone, which does even more. To me, the only reason to get an iPod Touch is if you simply cannot afford to have a mobile phone (a $75/month ongoing cost). I’m sure they’re out there, but I don’t know a lot of people who can afford an iPod Touch but cannot afford an iPhone + service plan.

(As for contracts or service providers, I switched from Verizon to AT&T, and I’m perfectly happy with it. All problems with contracts and coverage are short-term.)

iPhone and Audiobooks

I’ve had an iPhone since the day they went on sale, and at some point in the near future, I will write at length about listening to audiobooks on the iPhone. For now I will simply say that it’s a terrific audiobook playback device. (The iPod Touch is, I understand, identical in this regard.) It’s what I use most of the time.

But I will confess that I still use my iPod Nano when exercising, as the smaller, lighter device is much less awkward in gym clothes and on exercise equipment. Maybe the right case/arm band would address this, but for now, I just use both.

If the price of an iPhone + service contract doesn’t scare you, and having the phone and other extra features of an iPhone sounds exciting, then the iPhone is a great way to go. But for most people, I think the Nano represents a better deal, at least for now.