“Now in its third generation, Apple’s iPod Nano gets a substantial redesign to accommodate games and video playback. Despite its changes–and Apple made many–the iPod Nano is still one of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on the market. It’s also one of the most affordable, with a 4GB (silver) model offered for $149, and an 8GB (silver, black, red, green, or blue) model for $199. While the updated iPod Classic and the new iPod Touch are equally intriguing, the revamped Nano delivers the most bang for the buck,” Donald Bell reports for CNET.
“The 2-inch color screen packs a dense, crisp 320×240 video resolution that looks richer and brighter than that of any iPod to date. It’s not often that we deem a screen smaller than 2.5 inches worthy of video playback, but with a tightly packed 204 pixels per inch, the Nano looks incredibly sharp,” Bell reports.
“The Nano’s second-most impressive design improvement is its dramatically overhauled menu system. One of the most striking changes is a split-screen main menu that displays the menu on the right half of the screen and a picture related to the selection on the left,” Bell reports. “The third-generation Nano’s piece de resistance is its support for video playback. Like the Video iPod (now iPod Classic), the iPod Nano supports H.264 or MPEG4 video in either MOV, MP4, or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640×480 at as much as 30 frames per second.”
“At less than $200, the Nano offers one of the richest user experiences we’ve seen on an MP3 player,” Bell reports.
Full review, “Excellent” (8 out of 10), here.
just bought one!
Are they feeling OK over at CNet??
No they still whined about how wide it is. And a few other meaningless things.
I just bought one from the Apple Store yesterday, and it is great, but it’s got about 8 stuck pixels, so it’s a bit of a letdown in the screen department.
Well, they they claim the sound to be less than best. Of course, with 4GB only on board, this may be a moot point. Yet…
@MacAngus: Take it back! Exchange it! One stuck pixel is too many, 8 is ridiculous!
How can they praise the screen (size, etc.) then complain about the width of nano itself? Did they want to see a wraparound screen or something?
My 4gb iPhone has a stuck pixel.Can I get a new iPhone?
Now, which side is left and which side is right?
Yeah, I couldn’t figure out why so many people claimed this little guy was ugly. It looks just fine to me, and with the little screen and all it’s a highly functional sweet little device.
I’d wind up putting it through the laundry mind you, but my existing iPod nano has survived that twice.
Cnet:
You CAN play music from iTunes on any music device by simply burning a CD and then re-importing.
Why is this so hard to understand??
@Gil: I don’t know offhand what Apple’s policies are about stuck pixels. Some vendors say you must have over a certain number to return an item (usually 3 or 4 I think), but what it comes down to is: does it bother you? With one stuck pixel on an iPhone, maybe it’s not that bad, maybe it is… but 8 stuck pixels on a Nano? I would imagine that to be quite annoying.
“You should also be aware that most of the music and movies available for purchase on the iTunes online store will play only in iTunes or on an authorized iPod and cannot be transferred to a non-Apple MP3 player.”
Will they never stop with this FUD? You guys know what to do!
They could have made it narrower by rotating the screen … maybe made it a bit wider in the process. The one real problem there would be the added cost of making it a touch screen. For the wheel that the screen would cover.
Dave
They say the nano has an easily-scratched plastic screen. Way to guess without testing! It uses glass, according to appleinsider who tried to scratch it and couldnt.
They say the nano has no composite out. It does, you just plug into the dock connector instead of the headphone connector. Is that so terrible? Because it gives you a new option – component – so video out is actually better than ever.
Just settin’ the record straight!
“However, the Nano’s screen appears to have the same glass face of the iPhone. I could not scratch it using a headphone jack or a coin; that was easy to do with the softer plastic coating on the earlier iPods. It appears Apple has suitably nailed the complaints of scratched up iPod displays.”
Don’t ask me why CNET says you have to treat the new screen more carefully than the previous one:
“Existing Nano owners drawn to the previous Nano’s less-is-more appeal enjoyed not worrying about the tiny screen getting scratched if it took a tumble onto the floor and may be turned off by the need treat the device more carefully.”
WTF?
I won’t believe the article until they get left and right correct. How can you believe anything they say if they can’t get this elementry fact correct? CNET seems to have slanted reviews often.
MDW word – reason… a damn good reason to not pay attention or give credit to CNET.
LMAO – The Plastic thatis prone to scratching is the protective plastic that Apple wraps its goodies in – (I would love to own shares in that subcontractor!) Yes – that is very scratch prone… BUT if you remove it, you will discover a highly scratch resistant GLASS.
I am not sure I want to continue reading this article… I want my time back for what I have already read!
cheesh!
Where is Robbie the Robot when you need him?
“Attack!” “Attack!”
Oh god. It looks like a wafer-thin mint. < URP >
Thanks, but not thanks. I’m waiting for the iPod Touch. Better UI, larger screen, and Wi-Fi!
I just saw it in person today. I was apprehensive when I first saw the rumor pics, but I really like it now after seeing and handling it in person. Maybe I’ll put my $100 iPhone credit towards one of these little nanos.
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I am holding out for the iPod touch
Damn, wi-fi, Safari… and this is just the beginning!
In a few years it’ll be “Micro$oft? Who are they?”