A couple of days ago we opened up the iPod mini that I mentioned winning earlier. Kim was going to start using it while running, since she lost her little radio on a business trip. I spent a little time the past couple days looking for cases that would protect it during runs. Through my research I realized that using the mini for running might not be the best idea.

Like the full size iPod, the mini actually has a hard drive inside of it. Although you aren’t likely to notice problems right away, continuous running actually could damage the moving parts of the hard drive. The hard drives are what allowed manufacturers to get large amounts of storage space in a small package.

Now they are capable of the large storage space using flash memory, which has no moving parts. Therefore, running should not have any affect on the device. The new iPod nano is one example of large flash memory storage.

I am now thinking that a flash based player would be best for us and am seriously considering selling the mini on eBay. I should have followed your advice before Andy! I hope the fact that it isn’t in a sealed box doesn’t hurt it, but I should be able to get over $175 for it. I’m still considering the nano as a replacement, but I’d love to hear any other suggestions that you might have.