Apple - 8GB iPod Nano Chromatics Review

I've never really understood the "haters" - those people who just automatically hate the iPod because of its name and association.  Sure, from the moment you purchase that shiny iPod object, you sign your soul over to "the corporation" known as Apple who mandates the iTunes download so you can manage your iPod, and purchases have to be in specified format to even play on the device, and for some inane reason Apple decided to change some configuration between the 4th and 5th generation nano that requires an adapter for it to be played on any "older" equipment, and any malfunction of the device REQUIRES that it be shipped back to Apple or an approved service center because you yourself cannot even access the thing...but, I digress.  Despite the knowledge that Apple has taken quite a dictatorial role in the whole iPod approach, I simply adore this object.  I purchased the very first nano some years ago, and have willingly upgraded to the newest iteration without a whimper.  I currently possess the 5th generation, which professes to have the uniquely new ability to "shuffle" when shaken.  Well, I've immediately turned off that feature (while driving, the current song would suddenly shift when the nano fell to the floor, leaving me performing a very loud solo in a not-too-soundproof car with surrounding onlookers giving me strange stares...) so, to all intents and purposes, the upgrade for me was merely cosmetic.  However, shelling out the dollars for the device always seems justifiable to me because it is something I use everyday, carry with me wherever I go, and feel absolutely no buyer's remorse whenever I purchase it.  I can willingly concede, though, that there are probably other media players out there that provide equivalent features as the iPod at a lesser cost.  So here's my official recommendation:  if you feel you have to have the iPod over all competing media players, get it.  It's a high quality, useful and indulgent device that's more an emotional choice than a practical one.  But you won't regret the purchase, and you'll probably be hooked for life.  And I can relate to that.