Sad, sad iPod mini

This little trooper has worked tirelessly for me for the last 1.5 years, but alas, my 6 GB iPod mini took one too many falls. (Yes, he's hit the ground more than once.)

I couldn't help but like Apple's sad iPod icon though:


However, not all their icons tug at the heart as much:


As far as I can tell, the drive is the culprit. I tried substituting in a CompactFlash card, but as expected it didn't work.


Apparently, the Apple MicroDrives have a custom firmware so that Apple MicroDrives won't work in third party devices, and third party drives/flash cards generally won't work in iPods. It's too bad the flash cards don't work, because it wiould be great to have a completely solid state mini. I could buy a replacement Seagate or IBM MicroDrive (even up to 8 GB), but it looks like it's time to upgrade.

Now, what to buy... I would have bought a new widescreen iPod, but they don't exist. The 8 GB nano is a great little unit, but unfortunately, it only comes in black. The shuffle is a nice convenient little item given its size and built-in clip. However, I think I'll use my Sony Ericsson K790a phone for now, while I contemplate my options. Where is that Apple iPhone when you need it?