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Within this age of portable music, the iPod has downloaded itself into the public consciousness where it won't be leaving any time soon. Not that we mind. Regardless of a huge pool of reputable competitors, such as Sony and Dell, who manufacture their own slick mp3 gizmos, the iPod is still the most well-liked and best-selling of the bunch. Just think of buying an mp3 player, and I bet your knee-jerk reaction will at least be to consider, if not choose, the iPod.

Within this age of portable music, the iPod has downloaded itself into the public consciousness where it won't be leaving any time soon. Not that we mind. Regardless of a huge pool of reputable competitors, such as Sony and Dell, who manufacture their own slick mp3 gizmos, the iPod is still the most well-liked and best-selling of the bunch. Just think of buying an mp3 player, and I bet your knee-jerk reaction will at least be to consider, if not choose, the iPod.

When Apple Computers' CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod Nano in San Francisco's Moscone Center, it right away became called the smallest member of the display-bearing iPod family line and successor to the iPod mini (the updated version of which was released a mere 7 months prior to the Nano). Compatible with both Mac and Windows-based computers, the iPod Nano comes in two colors, white and black. You also have your choice of a 2GB version ($199) or a 4GB version ($249), which is a bit steep given the fact that the iPod mini held the same price tag for the 4GB and 6GB models, respectively. The iPod Nano's storage drive is flashed-based, which indicates no moving parts inside (decreased wear-and-tear and breakage prospective), greater durability, and no sound skips while jogging, biking, or stumbling residence following pleased hour. Given the increasing capacities and capabilities of flash drives, I wouldn't be surprised if some day Apple starts implementing this technology into more of its key goods. But that is for yet another article.

The first thing 1 is likely to notice is that the Nano, as its name implies, is tiny. You've to actually hold one to see just how astonishingly small this device is, and my initial thought was that the little pocket of my jeans may well now lastly serve a higher purpose. The Nano measures three.5" long, 1.6" wide (smaller surface region than a credit card), and just .27" thick (thinner than a AAA battery). Sleek and serene, the Nano is characterized by the simple elegance familiar to Apple fans. Yes, it certainly is a gorgeous-looking small machine due in no small part to the shiny, thin layer of acrylic applied to its surface. But the downside to the finish is its susceptibility to scratching and/or fingerprints (particularly on the black version of the Nano). Weighing in at only 1.five ounces you could conceivably move the Nano across a flat surface by sneezing on it, although I do not advised this for well being factors.

The primary functions: Like all other iPods, the Nano is primarily developed to play digitized music for example mp3 files. And like its relatives, the Nano excels when performing what it does finest. According to my analysis, the Nano uses the very same sound chip as the Mini, and as mentioned prior to, overall quality is outstanding. The included earbuds do a decent job delivering the sound, though I would prefer higher-end headphones to take full benefit of the audio experience. Fiddling with the included equalizer settings also appears to make noticeable sound adjustments, so fickle sound connoisseurs may possibly have something to smile at here.

Owners of previous iPods shouldn't have a dilemma navigating the interface, as choosing songs, play-lists, and also the like using the touch-sensitive click-wheel is still as user-friendly as ever (but I hate leaving behind those darn fingerprints!). Setting up and connecting to iTunes on both Mac and Windows machines was smooth and straightforward also. According to info available at Apple's website, the 2GB iPod Nano holds 500 songs while the 4GB version stores about 1,000, assuming that the average song is 4 minutes lengthy and compressed at 128 kbps utilizing AAC encoding. And like the bigger iPods, the Nano recognizes songs encoded within the following formats: mp3, AAC (and protected AAC format from the iTunes Music Store), AIFF, and WAV.

Unlike the iPod mini, however, the Nano sports a color display along with the exact same photo capabilities as the top-of-the-line iPod Photo. This might have been a "just since we can" thought cooked up by the engineers over in Cupertino, as I received some strange looks whilst sharing my latest photos on a screen that's barely the size of a postage stamp. But I admit it's a fun feature to be included on such a little device. Complete with the usual organization choices, you might be able to create slideshows (with music and transition effects) and categorize your pictures any way you want. The Nano recognizes images in the following formats: JPEG, GIF, PSD (Mac only), TIFF, BMP, and PNG. I'll take this time to note that the camera connector for the iPod Photo, utilized for transferring pictures directly from a digital still camera to the iPod Photo, won't work with the iPod Nano. Also, other existing third party devices like voice recorders and FM transmitters aren't currently compatible with the Nano.

There are also features that exist exclusively on the iPod Nano, for example the World Clock function, which permits you to see the local time anywhere within the world. When you select a region (or main international city), a clock will appear on the display. The clock graphic will darken or lighten depending on what time of day it's at the other region, which is handy for frequent travelers. Feel like prank calling your friends in Egypt at 3AM local time? The iPod Nano can help! (Obviously, I don't condone this sort of behavior- use this feature to make sure you don't accidentally call your pals in Egypt at 3AM).

Other Nano-exclusive attributes include a screen lock and stopwatch. The screen lock allows you to produce a 4-digit combination to stop others from going via your music and photos. This would appear like an effective approach of deterring would-be thieves (or nosy exes), but because I already have so several passwords and codes in my life to remember I can do with out it. Besides, such a pricey gadget like the Nano should be kept in a secure place anyway. The stopwatch feature is fairly neat, and enables you to record your best lap times or to keep track of how long tech support puts you on hold.

Battery life: The iPod Nano claims 14 hours of music playback, though battery consumption increases when using the photo slideshow functions with music playing inside the background. Charging via the included USB 2.0 cable, which connects to the dock connector on its underside, it takes the Nano about an hour and a half to reach 80% capacity, and 3 hours to attain a full charge. At present, the iPod Nano just isn't firewire capable. In my research I've also learned that the Nano's battery appears to be permanently soldered into the unit, which leads me to question the feasibility (or even possibility) of future battery replacement. Information regarding this may be updated as it's discovered.

Included items: - USB 2.0 cable (backwards compatible with USB 1.1). This connects via the dock connector underneath the Nano. NOTE: Don't confuse the dock connector with the dock itself. The iPod Nano dock is an accessory that costs an extra $29. Over USB 2.0, the Nano transfers music at about 5 mb per second.

- iTunes software (Mac & PC)

- Earbud headpones: They're white, (even for the black iPod Nano).

PROS: Excellent sound quality, effortless to make use of, beautifully stylish, extremely lightweight, portable, and durable. Nice color display, handy extras like photo viewing and international clocks. Flash memory design prevents skipping, integrates easily with iTunes. Mac and Windows compatible.

CONS: High cost for comparatively small drive space (compared to other iPod models), lack of much more advanced iPod features/support, no present firewire capability, surface smudges and scratches simply if not protected.

OVERALL: In spite of the fairly hefty price tag for its storage capacity, the new iPod Nano by Apple is undoubtedly a cool device for most gotta-have-it gadget-philes and for those that just want a dependable, easy-to-use high quality mp3 player. If you wish to play your favorite songs whilst relaxing or running, the Nano and its few additional functions will make you pleased. Those who are huge on a lot more complicated functions may be disappointed with the present lack of attributes accessible (no support for FM transmitter, camera connector, firewire, etc.). But its ease-of-use, intuitive interface, style, and quality make this a really difficult gizmo to resist.

4 stars out of 5