Apple iPod Nano Reviewer's Comments
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Ah the iPod, the symbol of the MP3 industry. It’s hard to find people that don’t already have one, but it’s not hard to understand why they are so popular. The iPod Nano’s list of features and compatibility with the iTunes Music Store are what pushed the Nano up to the number four slot in our ranking of flash MP3 players.
The Nano is so popular because it focuses on doing one thing and doing it well. Unfortunately, this means that the iPod Nano lacks several features that are commonly seen in other brands, such as an FM radio tuner, voice or radio recording and expandable memory. This is part of the reason that the Nano didn’t make one of the top three slots in our review.
But despite a few minor holes in the list of features, its popularity, seamless integration with the iTunes Music Store and ample sources for support and accessories has kept the iPod Nano near the top of our list.Apple iPod Nano Screenshots. Click to Enlarge
Features:
The iPod Nano has some great features that people will keep people happy. The player displays album art, can act as a data storage device and play videos seamlessly. One little-known, but important feature is the volume limit. The volume limit feature keeps songs from different genres or songs that start quiet and get loud from exceeding a certain volume. This doesn’t sound like much, but it prevents you from scrambling for the volume switch when your random shuffle goes from John Mayer to Flogging Molly.
The iPod Nano also includes a lot of useful extras, including clock, calendar, alarm and stopwatch functions. The Nano can even support games, which is uncommon in the flash mp3 player category.
And we can’t ignore the one feature that has helped make the Nano so popular: the iTunes Music Store. It makes buying music easy. iTunes is one of the largest digital music and video libraries on the internet. And it integrates seamlessly with the Nano.Music Formats:
The Nano can play MP3 and WAV files along with audiobooks from Audible.com. But the most common formats that the Nano uses are the AAC and AIFF files that are standard on Mac computers and in the iTunes Music Store. Not many other companies use the AAC format, but it doesn’t matter much because the iTunes Music Store has such a wide selection of music that it’s likely to have everything you want.
Photo and Video Formats:
The Nano displays an impressive selection of image formats, more than any other player in this category. It handles JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG and PSD files. Video compatibility is also good, with support for MP4, MOV and M4V (protected) files.
Physical Features:
The iPod Nano has taken a little flack for the new design that seems to make it look chunky, despite the fact that it is still the thinnest of any of the players we have reviewed. The screen size is good, though it’s only average when compared to many of the other players we reviewed. But the resolution is more than adequate.
The battery life is also good, rated at 24 hours of audio playback and 5 hours for video.
The best physical feature on the iPod Nano has to be the clickwheel interface. Nearly every mp3 player has tried to mimic it, though nobody seems to have been able to match its ease of use and versatility.Help/Support:
Apple has good resources available for tech support and troubleshooting. The website has access to a lot of details and information. Apple also has warranty and protection plans that are fairly comprehensive. And customers can also get help via phone and email support teams.
The greatest asset for Nano owners is the thousands of other people who also own one. There are hundreds of different forums and websites dedicated to the Nano and helping people with problems.Summary:
It may lack a few features that are common among other MP3 players, but the iPod Nano does what it does well. It is, as usual, one of the best choices when buying a flash MP3 player.
©2008 TopTenREVIEWS, Inc.
