Does iPod Shuffle have a "resume" feature?

[focusabbey]

The iPod Shuffle looks like a dream-come-true to a minimilist like me, but there's one major selling point that I haven't found an answer to yet: Does it have a "resume" feature? That is, if I turn it off or recharge it, will it remember where I stopped? I listen primarily to audiobooks and old radio shows, so it's pretty important.

Does anyone happen to know?

[polycarbon]

look at what I found abbey :D

this should answer your question:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300558

if you don't feel like reading it, or anyone else is interested, apparently the shuffle bookmarks the section of the audiobook if it is paused or stopped. When the file is resumed, it will start from the section where you ended.

Also, bookmarks go from iTunes to the shuffle during syncing, so you can listen to 1/4 of a book on shuffle, sync with iTunes, listen to 1/2 more (so you're 3/4 done the book) and then leave with the shuffle at the place where you left off on iTunes. The file selects the farthest along bookmark when you play it again in iTunes or on the shuffle! It only works with files bought from audible in .aa format, and files bougth from iTunes Media Store with the .M4B extension.

There are some other features listed on the site that would interest audiobook listeners, but I won't take up anymore space here typing them.

[focusabbey]

Thanks for the info, Polycarbon. Good thinking, looking it up on Apple support like that.

Originally posted by polycarbon
It only works with files bought from audible in .aa format, and files bougth from iTunes Media Store with the .M4B extension.

That's the catch, though. What if I have a regular old MP3 that I have to stop halfway through? The last MP3 player I bought didn't turn out to have a working resume feature, which was extremely debilitating . Almost as debilitating as the fact that...uh...none of its buttons worked. I'm getting a little choked up just thinking about it.

So should I assume that since Apple--in my opinion--makes quality products, this little squirt of an iPod would kindly recall where I last stopped, or should the presence of bookmarks clue me in to the possibility that it won't? :confused:

[dcmacnut]

If you pause a song on an iPod, it stays paused on that song until you press the play button again, either right away or later on in the day. The same would be true for the iPod shufflle, though someone with one would need to confirm this. Is that what you are asking?

Otherwise, MP3s cannot be bookmarked -- the format doesn't support that feature. So if you listen to an MP3 halfway through, stop, listen to a second one, and then decide to go back to the first it will start over from the beginning. This would be true no matter what player you use.

[focusabbey]

Originally posted by dcmacnut
If you pause a song on an iPod, it stays paused on that song until you press the play button again, either right away or later on in the day. The same would be true for the iPod shufflle, though someone with one would need to confirm this. Is that what you are asking?

Yes, absolutely. For example, if I'm listening to a half-hour episode of "Jack Armstrong, The All American Boy" (with the full understanding that it makes me a total doof), but only get through half by the time I get to work. Can I put it on hold or turn it off, recharge it, and pick up again in the same spot for my ride home? And if not, will Jack realize that there's a killer snake in the cockpit before it's too late?

:eek:

[dcmacnut]

Originally posted by focusabbey
Yes, absolutely. For example, if I'm listening to a half-hour episode of "Jack Armstrong, The All American Boy" (with the full understanding that it makes me a total doof), but only get through half by the time I get to work. Can I put it on hold or turn it off, recharge it, and pick up again in the same spot for my ride home? And if not, will Jack realize that there's a killer snake in the cockpit before it's too late?

:eek:

Depends on the snake. :)

As long as you only press pause, and do not pick up or listen to anything else on the iPod or the rest of the day, it should still be paused when you pick it up for the trip home. I wouldn't turn it off, though. The shuffle is the only iPod with an off switch, and I would think turning it off cancels the pause.

[Starboard]

Originally posted by focusabbey
Yes, absolutely. For example, if I'm listening to a half-hour episode of "Jack Armstrong, The All American Boy" (with the full understanding that it makes me a total doof), but only get through half by the time I get to work. Can I put it on hold or turn it off, recharge it, and pick up again in the same spot for my ride home? And if not, will Jack realize that there's a killer snake in the cockpit before it's too late?

:eek:

I see what you mean. I assume your audio book is in mp3 format. That is not bookmarkable on any player. But you can convert it to be a bookmarkable aac file. it takes some work on your part, but you can have what you want. I know this for sure if you're a mac user. I assume the it's also possible on the PC, but it may be more work.

just follow this link (http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45967&highlight=bookmark+m4b)

if your file is already in one mp3 file or if you're okay with keeping them in separate files, you can skip section II (merging files)

and one more thing, it tells you to delete the mp3 file, but make sure you have it backed up somewhere else, in case you did something wrong.

[cmoney]

Just tested this out. It seems to work. I played a song into the middle, hit pause and turned it off. Turned it back on, hit play and it played from the same point of the song. Same thing if I just turned it off without hitting pause first. BTW, this is a regular old MP3 file.

[MartyMcPod]

If it's really working, which it doesn't sound like it is, converting it to an AAC and then an M4B file should add a permanent bookmark. You should be able to go listen to another song, then come back to that bookmark file, and it should start back up.

I don't think it matters about the turning it off, pausing it, etc.

[jraggio]

Originally posted by cmoney
Just tested this out. It seems to work. I played a song into the middle, hit pause and turned it off. Turned it back on, hit play and it played from the same point of the song. Same thing if I just turned it off without hitting pause first. BTW, this is a regular old MP3 file.

I'm not talking oabout books or bookmarks below, but have some questions about reuming a song.

I originally thought maybe this wasn't working for me, but then I I realized that I think that I had updated the ips after "pausing" it. I would think that it makes sense that all bets are off at that point as the playlist may have changed etc.

Have you all confirmed that it remembers where you are in a song (in shuffle or non-shuffle mode)?

Does it matter if you hit pause before turning it off?

Does it use extra battery if paused without turning it off?

Thanks,
John

[punk_r0x]

Mine seems to remember where it was until I sync it up with my computer. I can turn it off halfway through a song, walk away for a couple hours, and when I turn it back on it is right where I left it. No need to pause before turning off. The little green light blinks when it is paused, so that probably uses a little bit of power.. not much though, I'd imagine.

[Taki]

I received my Shuffle today, and filled it with OTR mp3s. After listening to a few minutes of one file, I paused and then turned it off. I turned it back on, played, and it resumed where I paused. So it works for me.:)

-Taki

[wyneken]

Originally posted by punk_r0x
Mine seems to remember where it was until I sync it up with my computer. I can turn it off halfway through a song, walk away for a couple hours, and when I turn it back on it is right where I left it. No need to pause before turning off. The little green light blinks when it is paused, so that probably uses a little bit of power.. not much though, I'd imagine.

This is my experience, too. I tend to listen for a while, then stop, usually for hours, but often overnight. At first, I left the shuffle turned on, but "paused," to be sure it would resume exactly where I left off. (I have only mp3s, no m4as, btw.) But I found that doing this, I suffered a lot of battery drain. So I just turn the shuffle off now. When I turn it back on, it resumes right where I left off. It also remembers the order that songs were played in on "random" mode, so that I can backtrack and hear the same tunes that were playing yesterday. I've been doing this a lot recently so as to compare different earphones playing the same music.

But as punk_r0x says, if you plug it into the computer and sync the files, it scrubs everything and starts fresh.