“I’ve been testing [Apple's] diminutive new [3G iPod shuffle] for just shy of a week. I like it despite a few downsides such as the lack of a display and the fact that for now you can’t use your own headphones,” Edward C. Baig reports for USA Today.

“It’s hard not to be seduced by a player so tantalizingly tiny. Apple’s claim for this latest Shuffle is the same as the last — that it’s the smallest music player in the world. This time around, it is nearly half the size of its predecessor,” Baig reports. “Apple is keeping the prior generation 1-GB Shuffle, now $49, in the lineup; a 2-GB $69 version goes away.”

“It’s amazing how often I have no idea what I’m listening to even from my own collection. But a ballyhooed new VoiceOver feature that reads aloud the names of tracks, artists and playlists helps compensate, even if it’s in a cadence-challenged robotic voice. The voice feature is available in 14 languages. It also tells you when battery levels are low,” Baig reports

“I’ve never gotten comfortable with the earphones Apple supplies with its iPods, which I have trouble keeping in my ears. Alas, for now you cannot use your own headphones with the new Shuffle, at least if you also want to adjust the volume, skip tracks and so on. Apple says third-party headphones that will work with the new player are coming. Also in the works are adapters that will let you use your current headphones,” Baig reports. “Apple says the battery on the new Shuffle will last 10 hours, down from 12 hours in earlier models. I exceeded 11 hours in my tests.”

Ed Baig reviews Apple’s new 3G iPod shuffle:

Direct link to video here.

Full review here.