Portable Audio / Video Players

I'm always interested in staying at the forefront of technology--as long as it makes sense, is reasonably affordable, and fits somewhere into my life. This usually comes in the form of being the first in line for a new Apple tablet or perhaps adopting brand new gadgets far before they hit their prime, if ever.

One notable exception, however, is the world of MP3 players. Being a self-professed Apple guy and iDevice fan, you'd think my primary music player of choice would be an iPod--but you'd be thinking wrong.

It's a Sansa Clip.

Mentally, the local and iconic Woodfield Mall represents Apple, at least to me.  I bought my first Apple product there - an 800 MHz G3 iBook, which was my constant and never-failing companion for over four long, happy years.  I bought a 3G iPod there, too. 

I remember coming to the mall frequently, always stopping by the shiny, relatively new Apple Store and salivating over virtually everything, perusing and digging through the now-removed clearance and refurb section, hoping to find that great deal to make my credit card weep.

So I was there last weekend, after months and months of... well, not being there, and old memories flowed back to me of my first fond moments with Apple, like a first kiss or that one time I drove a BMW M3 and felt the rush of that many horses under my gas pedal.