Flash Fuels iPod Nano Media Player
New Generation Is 4 GB of Miniature Music and Video from Apple
Nano isn't dead. Apple's newest iPod is powerful, multi-media, slick as Olympic ice. Pack music, video, TV, and photos on this player, and slip it in your coin pocket.
Unusual as it might seem, it's tough to find much negative to say about iPod's latest Nano. iPod's newest, slickest Nano is tiny, shiny and easy to figure out, no matter your degree of expertise. At under 2 ounces (!), it measures 2.75" by 2.6" by about one quarter inch thick. Screen is 2" color LCD, backlit. You probably have larger credit cards.
This Nano handles video - over-40 folks won't like the small display. Nano is easy to load. It has the same turn-wheel control as the last few, and once you learn how to manipulate that, you can control it with one finger. Still, as with all iPods, you have to do a lot of scrolling through lists to get the tune you're looking for. Maybe Apple could re-think that interface?
The 4 GB, iPod says Apple, grabs 1,000 songs, and 5 hours of video. The 8 GB, twice that. If you use larger file sizes for your music Nano won't really hold 1,000. Battery life is about 3 hours, enough time to take a walk, workout, or fly to your vacation destination. Apple's website cautions that embedded rechargeable batteries can go toes up. Apple does offer a solution program of sorts.
The Down Side:
- No improvement in sound quality. Other players offer a more robust listening and visual experience. Creative Zen is way easier on the eyes - it also has better sound quality.
- Screen is too small to make it very useful for a photo album or even for TV or video viewing for most people. Face it, iPod is mostly about music and about feeling cool.
- Not surprisingly, you will need to buy several accessories to protect your iPod and its screen from scratching, breaking or frankly, getting lost. The gadget is durable, but not invincible.
- Pretty small capacity, considering the size of the media files it's meant to carry. It doesn't offer, as some do, the ability to expand storage space.
- Not much price break between it and the 20 Gig Pod, huge by comparison.
- No radio capability or recording function as with its nearest competitor, Creative Zen player.
- Nano only handles USB transfers - sorry Firewire people.
- Not backward compatible with accessories born before this iteration of Nano.
The Up Side:
- Sexy as all get out. Looks cool. Feels cool. It's fun to unpack it from its little designer pouch.
- Small but durable - can take some abuse without caving in. It picks up finger prints like a shiny refrigerator door in a house full of kids. Be careful tossing it around - scratches appear from no where. A protective sleeve is a must
- Decent battery performance.
- Clear images on the display, even though small.
- The 8 GB is priced online in a reasonable range from $149.99 (and as high as $300, oddly, so shop price!).
- Awesome toys onboard. The time keeper/stopwatch function and multiple clocks lets you track time zones worldwide.-- that's a neat plus.
- Lots of available colors.
The Bottom Line
There are other Flash-based players, and some dang good values. iPod, arguably, knows how to make these players perform reasonably well with a cool personality. It's glitzy enough for kids and sophisticated enough for the briefcase set. It does what it's meant to do. Does it well. It's a good first iPod for adults who don't want to get deeply into technology, just want to make their music portable.
