Ok people here is out review of the new Apple iPod Nano. While yes it has been out for a little bit now, it is still fairly new and will sure be on some Xmas list this year, so why not have us weigh in on it and help you with some early Xmas shopping advice. After the click we will break down our thoughts from style to function, we’re going in!
Style
Come on, you know we have to talk about style first, and this thing has it. It is a slim as runway model from Milan and compared to the last generation “cookie/cracker” look, is as tall as those models are as well. The colors on it was vibrant. It has a good weight on it, light and will definitely be noticed. However we still wish Apple would stop putting the headphone jack on the bottom, it is awkward there, and we just would prefer it on top. Overall for style this Nano get a 5 out of 5.
General Features
Can’t too much be said here as these aren’t much core feature changes. However nice new additions would be Coverflow, Genius Playlist, and Shake to Shuffle. Beyond these features not much has change, so this is going to be a iPod you are use to, and it works. Overall for general features, this Nano gets a 4 out 5
CoverFlow
When you turn the Nano sideways, it goes into CoverFlow mode, a nice featured added to this generation Nano. One thing to be notes about CoverFlow on the Nano though, while this is a nice feature, we wish Apple would of put more thought into the buttons when in this mode. You see when you turn it sideway to do coverflow, the buttons on the click wheel remain the same, so while you can scroll on the wheel, when it comes to making selections and options, you have to remember to yourself that the buttons are in the face up mode. It would of been nice if the button arrangement could respond differently when you changed it sideways as well. Overall Coverflow on this Nano gets a 4 out 5.
Shake To Shuffle
This feature is cool, but not so much. The idea is that when you want to shuffle through your playlist, you just give your iPod a shake. Nice in concept, not nice in execution. Apple should of incorporated the option to adjust the sensitivity level of the shake. I guess in a effort to not have it shuffle while you doing things like running or working out, you have to really shake this thing for it to work. Not a light shake, but a “what the hell is that person waving his hand around for” noticing on the bus or train shake. I can just seen a bunch of New Yorkers on the subway now with this thing drawing attention when they try to shuffle. We like the feature though, and give it a 4 out 5.
Genius Playlist
I wasn’t actually able to get this to work, but not due in fault to the iPod, but because I’ve never actually used a iPod or iTunes for that matter, there was a slight learning curve lol. I must say this, I installed iTunes 8 to test out and work the new Nano, but I don’t see what all the hype is about. My iTunes experience was only ok, I was Wowed or thrill by it. I after using it, still prefer my Creative Zen when I can just drag and drop the songs I want, no sync time need.
In closing, this is a nice iPod to get, and a good MP3 player if Apple is what your into. Sure there are better MP3 players out there, but Apple has always been big on style and because of that we highly recommend them, while not for everyone body, they have style and functionality. This should definitely be on your shopping list this holiday season. This Nano comes in a bunch of great vibrant colors and goes for $149.00 for the 8GB model and $199.00 for the 16Gb (Great value there!) So check it now at www.apple.com or your local retailer!
