JDinPA's Full Review: Apple iPod nano chromatic Black (8 GB) MP3 Player
My son had been wanting an iPod for some time and I finally decided to plunk down $149 for an Apple iPod Nano 8 GB in a shiny black color. For $149 I expected a bigger box, but what I got was so small - I had a hard time believing that such a little box, with the iPod Nano weighing only 1.3 ounces could hold up to 2000 songs!
What comes in the box is the iPod Nano 8 GB, USB cable, earbuds, universal dock adapter, & Quick Start Guide. If you need more information you are directed to go on-line to: www.apple.com/support/manuals/ipod where you can find additional help in understanding how this iPod works.
I needed more time and help than my 15 year old son did - he had it up and running, downloading songs in no time. He just glanced at the guide, which is primarily set up in simple diagrams with minimal text directing you through the set up and use. He basically set his iPod Nano up intuitively. Oh, to be young and be growing up high-tech!
This Nano was released in September of 2008, so it is really very new to the scene. It is updated in a number of areas, one of which is it's size. It is small - very small. The iPod Nano 8 GB is only 1.5 inches wide, 3.6 inches high, and just 0.24 inches thick. The whole unit only weighs 1.3 ounces. Small and light and thin - easy to loose, but of an insignificant weight to carry around all day - it's great for those on the go, for exercise, or when you want to stick it in a pocket.
Another new update is that the Apple iPod Nano 8 GB comes in 9 metallic colors! You can choose from silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, or pink. I went with the Chromatic Black. I have not seen it, but there is also an aluminum and glass design available too.
The screen is a 2" diagonal color LCD with LED backlight. Resolution is 320 by 240 pixels at 204 ppi. You get crisp, clear color and picture for your downloaded pictures and video. The 2" screen is a great size when you consider the over-all size of the iPod - you get maximum viewing area with the lower portion of the iPod the control wheel.
Sounds good so far, but what can you put on it and how long does the battery last? The iPod Nano 8 GB holds up to 2000 songs, up to 7000 iPod viewable pictures, or up to 8 hours of video (or a lesser combination of all when you have all three times of memory/storage being used on your iPod). That's a heck of a lot of storage! More than enough for the average teenager, adult, music fanatic, well, you have the idea!
The battery is a built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery which will give you music playback time of up to 24 hours, and video playback time of up to 4 hours. Keep your battery full-charged so you will not run out during the middle of a song or video when you are away from home.
In order to made this iPod work, you will need internet connection on either a MAC or PC. You will also need an iTunes Account and iTunes 8 or later version. A USB 2.0 port is also needed for both types of computer systems. For the MAC you will need Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later; For the PC you will need Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3 or later). Make sure you have what you will need before spending the money!
A cool feature with this iPod Nano 8 GB is the "Shake to Shuffle" feature. If you are tired of what you are listening too you can just shake the Nano vertically and it automatically goes into the mode that will shuffle to a new song. You have the option to turn this feature off if you are a jogger or are exercising and do not want this feature taking effect when you do not want it to.
Another feature with this Nano is the new "Genius" feature. This feature automatically makes a playlist for you based on a song that you select. This playlist is based on other songs in your library that have a similar rhythm compared to the song you have just selected. The new Nano's genius feature also allows you to add songs to the playlist when you are not near your computer - you just hold down the center button when the song you want is playing - the genius menu pops up and you can add to your playlist right then. My son is able to access this feature without any problems and adds to his playlist all the time now.
What?! There's still more! Yes, there is!
The Apple iPod Nano 8 GB has a built-in accelerometer. If you are listening to music and turn your iPod sideways you can flip through album cover art with Cover Flow (this is automatically activated if music is playing and you rotate sideways). Besides Cover Flow, with the iPod turned horizontally, you can watch downloaded movies and TV shows in widescreen. You can also view your downloaded photo's in either portrait or landscape mode. Watching video's remember will eat deeply into your battery life -- be sure you are fully charged and ready to roll!
The menu wheel is fairly simple and easy to use. If you press the center button for a couple seconds on a song the menu will pop up and let you choose to make a genius playlist, a playlist for when you are on the go, browse the album or artist, or just cancel the whole action. You can browse forward or backward in your list, or just hit play to get "what's next," playing in random order.
The LCD window is in bright vibrant color and indicates what band is playing along with the song title and minutes played (along with total minutes of song). The data is kept small to allow for full screen exposure for the window.
The Warranty gives you a single-incident phone-call technical support within the first 90 days. The iPod, rechargeable battery, and all included accessories are covered against defects for one year from the original purchase date by a limited hardware warranty. You can also access on-line support 24 hours a day. There is an additional paid warranty, the AppleCare Protection Plan, which costs $39 and covers the unit for 2 years.
For those that would like more Spec's on this iPod they are listed below:
Audio: Skip-free playback Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV.
Video: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;
H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;
MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Input and Output: Dock connector 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
The Apple iPod Nano 8 GB Chromatic Black has been a great choice and has worked flawlessly for my son. He is enjoying browsing for new songs and videos and downloading them to his iPod. He is building his playlist and with the ability to load so many songs and video's onto this unit, he will have quite a playlist to listen to or view when he is done. For the cost, you get a lot for your money!
I recommend this 8 GB iPod Nano ~ Get yourself one and enjoy all the new features that make using one so easy and flexible.
Thanks for reading! Judy
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 149.00 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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