the real post: tiny and tinier

My real inspiration for returning to the blogoshpere lies in those tiny new gadgets that have been released by two of my favorite companies. Apple's iPod nano and Nintendo's GameBoy micro. (Okay, so the micro's not out yet. But it will be, very very soon. Or not soon enough...) After seeing the nano in person and reading about the micro online, I already know that, while I definitely want both gadgets, I will probably actually get the micro, but not the nano. Why? Because the sleekness factor of the nano doesn't outweigh the smaller disk space from my 20gig iPod, but the smaller micro makes up for a lot of the deficiencies in my SP (and even Jo's DS, in terms of design).

I love my audiobooks. They're my bedtime stories at night and boredom busters (ok, bad alliteration) during rush hour traffic in the middle of downtown L.A. They help me go back to epic series I swore I'd never slog through again. I've always loved my books, and audible lets me take a good chunk of them in my purse, without breaking my back. I didn't bring a single book with me to Mexico, but I never lost my place in the 800+ page book I was (am) reading. Six weeks away from my library (or any English library at all)? No problem. I have my trusty iPod with days (weeks, months?) of delightful Adams, Pratchett, Dahl, and even Rowling (Order of the Phoenix, with the beginning of Goblet of Fire, all before this officially sanctioned version thing came out. All bought legally one way or another, so there!). Only, even in their super compressed format, these files are very big. Especially when one has a subscription to audible and an aversion to deletion. So the (max) 4gig iPod nano? My 20gig is barely big enough, and it's still smaller than practically every book in my library. Oh, and sometimes I like to listen to music, too.

On the other hand, my SP has definitely seen better days. I have very sharp scissors. Early on in my SP's life, I took a chunk out of the shiny silver paint with my shiny sharp Fiskars. It was loved, and I still love it. But the screen is a bit dim outdoors during the day, and sometimes it is hard to fit into my purse (especially with the rebel taking up all the space, but that's a different story), so it usually stays at home. I have my iPod and black-and-white solitaire to keep me busy most of the time, and I haven't bought a game I just couldn't put down in a long time. I can't remember the last time I used sound, but that's never been a big deal for me. The design of the SP easily beat out the DS, even after playing and anticipating really fun games for the DS. I can steal Jo's DS when I want to play Kirby (and Nintendogs and Animal Crossing and Electroplankton if it ever comes out stateside and...). The concept of the DS is pretty cool. But the design is horrendous. When I want a portable game system, I want something that is actually portable. When they can make the DS into something that is actually portable, I will buy one. In the meantime, I'll save some advance games for when I get the micro. If they manage to shrink the DS before I get a micro, that would win, hands down. Otherwise, I have small hands.