For the past few years it has felt like technology is going much to fast for me to possibly keep up with. I had given up for a while and ignored all parts of technology that I didn't immediately understand. I am getting sick of feeling like a dinosaur though and so am sticking my toes back in the water and trying to make head and tail of what is going on out there.

Music is one area I have pretty much abandoned. I have an iPod Nano bought despite my husband's grumblings about how much he hates Apple. Until last year I really only listened to music when in the car or using my iPod with headphones while exercising. The latter really doesn't happen very often I'm ashamed to say so the Ipod wasn't getting much use at all. Then last year for Christmas I got these speakers for the kitchen though which are a very cheap addition at only £14.67 and now I listen to my iPod every day.

Unfortunately my music selection is horribly out of date and after a year of listening to the same old stuff, even I am bored and wanting to expand my music collection. I occasionally get a song or 2 that I have heard on the radio from iTunes, but even I agree with my husband that this feels like a rip off as I can only listen to it in on my Ipod. I want to be able to listen to anything I buy in the lounge on the squeeze box (pictured left), occasionally on my telephone and sometimes in the car which means I need to be able to burn it onto a CD.

There have been a couple of places that have brought out DRM free music but every time I have tried them I have got into a pickle and lost the files I've downloaded. Today I realised Amazon have finally started selling downloads and I've given it a go! One thing already in it's favour over iTunes is that the song i decided to try it out with, Rockstar by Nickelback only cost me 59p whereas everything I have ever bought from iTunes has been at least 79p. The Amazon downloader puts the song straight into iTunes or Windows Media Player if you use it as set up but you can easily just choose where you want it saved. The payment is just like buying anything else from Amazon - you can use one-click or checkout your basket like you do normally and you get an email confirming dispatch. The prices seem to be the main thing that will swing it for me. The prices of the album downloads actually do seem to be cheaper than buying the CD. When I went to buy an album from I tunes last time, I checked Amazon and it was much cheaper for me to buy the CD.  I have only checked a few Cds on Amazon but I think they must have some system set up to ensure that buying the MP3 is the same or cheaper as buying the CD

All in all, I was pretty impressed with my first try and I will be trying it the next few times I hear a song on the radio and need to get it out of my system. Who knows? I may actually buy a new album one of these days!