buying more stuff: electronica

Do I want a solar-charging wireless keyboard?
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Solar-Keyboard-K750/dp/B004MF11MU

+ Logitech
- not illuminated like current Saitek Eclipse II (which is a stellar keyboard but needs replacing from user abuse, and I sometimes pull the keyboard off my desk when the wire catches my foot on the footrest, so the wireless aspect interests me.)

It looks like it will fit on the desk space allocated to the current keyboard, and with it being wireless, I could slot it into a napkin holder when I wasn't using it.

I'd never buy a wireless item that wasn't rechargeable (I have battery issues), but cordless charging is the way to go. I've really enjoyed the touchstone charger for my Palm Pre phone.

(Interestingly enough there are cradle-charging vibrators now, no cords and more importantly, no holes for the cords to dock, increasing the water resistance and decreasing hygiene issues dramatically.)

I'm also considering buying speakers. I found a set on sale which claim to play music directly from MP3 players, so they're not just computer speakers. That would allow me to have music on when I'm at home but don't want to use headphones. The concern is what kind of plugs they have. Maybe it would be better to get some that also charge the player? I don't really need computer speakers. The dinky ones built into the monitor are more than sufficient. I have them muted 98% of the time. Simon, however, might like some. So I could buy them during the sale and if I didn't like them, he might?

These speakers here:
http://www.amazon.com/Duet-Speaker-System-Portable-Music/dp/B0007XU370/

ps... are people irritated that I rarely change the icon I use?

pps. I didn't say this publicly, but I bought a new computer over the weekend. It's not here yet.

Dead Nano 3g: I thought it would live forever, what could possibly go wrong?

Can anyone recommend an excellent MP3 player (not software, a small device for bringing music to the gym)?

I have 5GB of music on my iPod. Which I did not buy for myself. It's a Nano 3G 8Gb. I find the volume controls to be quite irritating, but the battery life to be awesome. It's rechargeable. Or it was.

I don't care what brand it is, but it absolutely must be rechargeable and play for more than 4 hours on a single charge and retain charge through a week of non-use.

Having read the reviews and some of the discussion about other brands, I don't see that there is a real competitor to the iPod. And Apple's obvious intent is for users to buy the Touch. It seems like, once I get into that kind of device, that I might as well buy a tablet.

There are a lot of people who don't like the newest generation of Nano. I think the Shuffle has some detriments (especially people saying that breathing on it causes water damage and it's going to be totalled if you use it at the gym, which is my main use), but that's screen I need for music playing and it should, theoretically, increase the battery life.

I was using my phone at the gym, but my phone's headphone jack is dodgy. I couldn't use my phone to make calls after I'd plugged in headphones because the phone couldn't tell when they were removed... but I guess if I can live without an MP3 player until I replace my phone, I could use the phone as a music player. I paid less for my phone than the current generation of Shuffle costs.

Simon has one of those $10 cheapy MP3 players. It was originally mine, which he bought for me when I got envious of his. But he gave me the Nano and when his died, I gave him my cheapy one. The buttons were crappy, it used actual fucking batteries (which we never have, thus it requires a special trip to the store) and it was about the size of a box of travel size toothpaste. It's a dumb device, so there aren't initial setup issues. You plug it into the USB port, you copy just the songs you want to shuffle onto it (it doesn't know playlists) and it just does that.

I would like playlists. But honestly, I could cope without them as long as the device is rechargeable.

Any recommendations?

ps. I did order that keyboard.