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iTunes Sync On to the synchronization with iTunes. The Nano only sports a USB2 connector, which I am not crazy about. Up to now I have always used the FireWire port to sync my iPods and USB2 just does not cut it. I first connected up my new nano to my Mac via a USB2 hub made my D-Link. The Nano went straight into charging mode (the battery came pre-loaded, a nice touch), but iTunes did not detect the device. Plugging the nano directly into my PowerMac did the trick though; iTunes came up and showed the new device. It then goes through the registration process on the Apple website and steps you through the setup process. You can let iTunes set up a smart playlist to automatically sync with the nano or alternatively, you can configure things manually. I settled for choosing which playlists to sync and created two playlists: a "current audiobook" playlist and a smart playlist with 500 of my highest rated songs chosen at random. Synching the nano is a step backwards from synching the 3G iPod. It takes a while before the Mac recognizes the device and the transfer speed is adequate given the small disk size, but not what I have grown used to. In the end, it works well enough, but it's nothing to write home about. Life with the iPod nano It is in actual day-to-day use that the nano really beats the socks off the old 3G model. It is so light and small that you hardly notice it at all. It still holds an awful lot of music and it is much more comfortable to select songs, change settings, skip ahead or backwards than with the older thumbwheel design. I seriously doubt that I will be using my old 3G iPod a lot in future. On the other hand, the disk is too small to make it a real good "only" iPod. Sure, when you're around the house or the garden, go for a jog or just fancy a stroll around town, the 1000 songs and 20 hours of battery life will keep you humming all day. Things are different though, when you go on holiday or on a business trip, where you really don't want to limit yourself to a small subset of your music. For me, personally, the iPod nano makes more sense as a second iPod than as an only iPod. The choice is really not between the big iPod and the nano, but between the iPod shuffle Both make great "about town" and sports MP3 players, but I prefer a bit more control than the shuffle offers. I am of course also lucky enough that I don't have to lose any sleep over the extra $100; your mileage may vary. Surplus to requirements There are plenty of iPod nano features that I have not used and will not use. Photos on my iPod nano? Hardly. There is not enough room for my music, so why would I make space for tiny little photos? Ok, I can see that somebody might want to do this, but there are of course other ways of showing off your holiday snaps: burn a DVD, take the camera, empty those printer cartridges, etc.. I already have a cell phone and a PalmOne Tungsten T5 handheld One fairly cool feature is the ability to speed up or slow down audiobook playback. This actually works without distorting the voice of the reader too much and is a great feature for getting through the "boring bits" in your audiobooks. Old Steve obviously loves his audiobooks too.. Two thumbs up. There are plenty of other gimmicks, such as games, screen locks, lap timers, alarms,.. but I won't bore you with these. What's in the box? Well, not a lot:
This is clearly the bare-bones "make the real bucks on the accessories" strategy, but then again why pay for a dock if you don't want one? Accessorize My wife has bought the optional arm band holder which is a neat way of carrying your iPod nano around with you.
Again, I am not crazy about the design, but it does its job. You hardly notice the weight (or rather absence of it) on your arm and it is surprisingly comfortable and convenient to use. I though I might get the cables all tangled up, but in practice this does not happen. The only downside is that it is not that easy getting the armband over a long sleeved shirt or T-shirt. It seems pretty perfect for jogging though. All in all, I might have nicked it, but my wife chose the somewhat un-manly "eye-sore pink" color and I don't fancy being seen wearing that around town! I myself will wait for the lanyard earphones, and for now keeping the nano in my shirt pocket (at work) or in my jeans pocket (everywhere else) does the job just as well. I guess I can live without a dock, but the optional (!) USB power adapter
You can of course also "dress up" your iPod nano with the "colorful" nano tubes that bring back the iPod mini's colors and protect your brand-new nano from those now infamous scratches.
If you are a fan of in-ear headphones
Of course, if you are a real sucker for quality and price is not an issue, you may want to go for a much sassier Shure in-ear model, starting at a bargain $99 and dragging you kicking and screaming right up to $499!
Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure E4c Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure E5c Sound Isolating Earphones Hint: If anybody wants to send me a pair of these for reviewing please feel free! Conclusion Is this "the best iPod we've ever made" as Steve Jobs keeps repeating? Yes! It is the best second iPod Apple have ever made. If you already own a "big" grown-up iPod and you fancy something altogether smaller and lighter for the road, you will find happiness and contentment in this nifty little device. It is "impossibly" small. So light you really don't notice it. And, unlike the iPod shuffle, it does all the things its bigger brother does (forget about the video). What's more at $249.95 for the 4Gb model it is more than fairly priced, considering both the value it delivers (hey, it's a real iPod compressed into the size of a half dozen playing cards) and the high price of flash memory. On the other hand, unlike its big brother it won't allow you to carry around your entire music library and I can't honestly recommend the small 2Gb version to anybody. Oh, yes. I forgot. It is also hands-down the coolest gadget you will see this Xmas. And one more thing(tm) for the girls amongst us. Rumor has it that a new "Madonna" endorsed pink iPod nano is going to be out in time for Xmas. Don't say I did not warn you :-) |
Products mentioned in this review:
Apple 60 GB iPod with Video Playback Black
Apple 60 GB iPod with Video Playback White
Apple iPod Nano Lanyard Headphones
Apple Nano Tubes for iPod Nano (5-pack)
Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure E4c Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure E5c Sound Isolating Earphones |
and the 
for alarms, appointments, address books, photos (!), etc. so I don't really need these features on yet another device.
($29.00) seems pretty much mandatory, if you want to go on a trip without lugging your laptop around with you.
Apple is happy to oblige for another $39.00.
