Is it time to say farewell to a faithful friend?

There are bigger problems in the world, I know, than the music device that accompanies me during runs, gym workouts, dog walks and drives that last longer than an hour.

But, my original iPod is on the verge of becoming a paperweight.

The little white brick of music, which I received as a birthday present from my wife several years ago, no longer seems dependable. In the last few weeks, it has taken to "freezing" during workouts and dog walks. The music stops. The display gets funky. The screen freezes. I can't turn it off. I can't reboot. I just stand there, frustrated.

Now, I have other vehicles to store my music. I have an iPhone, but I carry only minimal tunes on that. I have a couple of Shuffles. There are probably eight or nine different iPods in my family of three.

But, the original "brick" is special. It holds 3,687 songs. I got me through a lot of long flights and equally long delays. It was a good companion.

But, now it might be time to move on. We're not talking "Marley and Me" here, but I'm a little too busy (read: lazy) to worry about transferring a bunch of music to a new device.

Anybody out there know how I can put the paddles to my trusty companion to squeeze a few more weeks out of her? Or is it best to move on? Use the Talkback feature to let me know.