Perhaps because it's so tiny (half the size of the previous model) you could lose it within minutes of opening the package, Apple's new iPod Shuffle has gained the gift of speech.

Actually, no, it can't cry out, "I'm here, under this chip packet," but it can tell you what band is playing what song when you hold down a button. And it can read out your playlists and tell you when to charge its battery.

Offering 4GB of storage for $155, the new Shuffle comes in just one colour, anodised aluminium, and has all its control buttons moved to the earbud cord. Not great if you don't like Apple's supplied earbuds and would prefer to use your own.