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The appearance of the new generation of iPod Nanos is subject to a wide spectrum of responses. Some are irked by the fact that it resembles cheaply-made MP3 player models, especially those in wilder colours such as orange or pink; others are immediately taken by the sleek shape of the player and what they see as a very well-finished shell. I belonged to the latter category; the first time I caught eyes of the iPod Nano 4th Generation, I was utterly sold. In fact, my original plans to try to save up for a 32GB iPod Touch were completely shelved after I beheld this gorgeous gizmo. What captivated me was the Now Playing Screen; while the Classic range of iPods features the usual titles on one side and the album art on the other, this range of Nanos has the album art take up virtually the entire screen, allowing for it to be displayed in its full glory. The crisp graphics certainly made the Now Playing Screen even juicier; it makes all the effort of setting album art for your songs absolutely worth it.
One cannot deny, of course, that the capability of the new iPod Nanos to detect its orientation is also a very fascinating and attractive feature. It allows one to watch videos in a fuller resolution, it makes it more convenient to watch videos or use the Cover Flow option since you can hold the Nano either way, and it’s cool to play games by tilting your iPod around. Not that the iPod Touch and iPhone don’t have these options, but the portability of the Nano is, of course, a plus. It is a pity that one can’t download applications onto the Nano, but I guess that is the trade-off for keeping the trademark click-wheel. In my opinion, however, it is not an entirely unreasonable trade-off; the fact is, many hardcore iPod fans (such as me) love the click-wheel to bits and cannot fathom not having it on their iPods. The fourth generation of iPod Nanos is hence perfect because while it maintains the use of the click-wheel, it manages to incorporate the full album art display of the iPod Touch and iPhone and still maintain its portability as a Nano as well.
The only real qualms I had about the new iPod Nano was the fact that when I dropped it on tarmac once, part of it was scratched off because of the jagged surface of the ground. The chipped-off bits were tiny but still suggested that the shell was somewhat less resistant to damage than one would expect from a chrome exterior. What this really means, however, is that you should take better care of your iPod Nano, keep it away from roads, and to buy a plastic cover if you are an utter klutz and need some iPod armour anyway.
I also had slight problems with the fact that it is rather hard to find good accessories for the new iPod Nano. I did find a handful of silicon cases and skins, but I am yet to find any leather holders or stick-on skins. Perhaps this will change with time, but if you must have these accessories you might want to hold your purchase until these frills actually get a more widespread release.
Click here to buy the 4th Generation iPod Nano
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(7 votes, average: 4.57 out of 5)
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December 5th, 2008 at 12:59 am
Check your sponsors. The Zagg Invisible Shield is amazing on the 4th gen iPod Nano. You have to take your time applying it, but it works beautifully. I have used Invisible Shields on my U2 Ipod and my first gen iPhone and not been entirely happy with them. On the Nano, though, it really works well. The difference is that on the other products the shield is 2 pieces and I had a harder time aligning the edges correctly. On the new Nano it’s a one piece wrap around and the edges are harder to lift up after application.
I have used every version of the iPod Apple has ever made (I used to work for them) and I’ve owned (and abused) most of them. If you use your iPod for music primarily (rather than touch-based apps) this is undoubtedly the best iPod Apple has ever made. This is particularly true if you evaluate on a price/versatility against portability scale, but even if the size/capacity were increased this would still be the best thought out and most usable iPod. I would not have purchased it had i not dropped my Gen 2 Nano in the tub one night, but now I’m actually kind of glad that I did toast the other one because this is head and shoulders above its predecessors. 5 stars!
December 5th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
The real problem, I guess, is that it’s tough to find a lot of accessories here in Singapore! I’ll look out for the Invisible Shield, but in any case, I’ll agree with you that this model is head and shoulders above the rest; the screen alone, I daresay, is worth all of my Nano l<3ve XD
December 15th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Love it! Thre only thing I hate is that it dosen’t come with the AC adaptor an dyou have to buy it seperatly.
5 stars though