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October 30, 2006

ipod

My green bundle of joy

Posted Oct. 30, ’06, 2:26 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | iPod

GreenipodnanoSome of you may remember from last week’s podcast that I recently sold my 60 GB iPod video and purchased a green 2nd gen iPod nano instead. I’ve owned the device for about a week now, and I thought I’d share some of my first impressions with you.

Design. The overall layout and construction of the device is very similar to the first iPod nano, but as this is my first nano, it took some getting used to. For example the click wheel is much smaller and because the iPod is narrow it’s sometimes difficult to scroll using my thumb. The 2nd gen nano also feels very fragile (although tests prove otherwise) due to its extremely thin design. Finally, I will comment on the new aluminum casing: amazing! It doesn’t have a scratch as of yet.

Screen. My initial reaction to the iPod nano screen was a negative one. Coming from the high(er) resolution iPod video, the nano’s screen looked pixelated and primitive. Now that I’ve had it for a week, though, I have gotten used to it and can’t tell the difference! The screen, like the aluminum body, seems very scratch resistant. It has been in my pocket/bag unprotected numerous times with no damage to the screen.

Headphones. As I’m sure you know, Apple redesigned their headphones with the introduction of the new nano. The sound quality of these is great—definitely an improvement over the old ones (I did some swap-compare tests). What I’m not so pleased with is their fit. The rounded edge of the new headphones is thicker than before and thus will not stay in my left ear. Perhaps this is a personal problem with the way my left ear is built, but I never had a problem with the fit of the old headphones.

Nike + iPod. Everyone obviously knows about this feature on the iPod nano, but I actually have it. I haven’t been able to use it as of yet (due to a combination of an injured knee and bad weather) but I will be soon. Some of the features look amazing and I’ll post back when I get a chance to try it out!

Summary. I love this little green nano. My favorite thing about it is it’s size and functionality. I’m listening to more music more frequently because it is much more portable and manageable than my old 60 GB iPod (I used to get lost in 60GB of music, but now, with a carefully chosen 4GB it’s much easier to shuffle and find new music I like). I’m still looking around for a nice case, which always take a few months to start surfacing upon the introduction of a new iPod.

Let me know if you’ve got any questions and I’d be happy to answer them. Also keep your eyes out for my Nike + iPod post, coming soon!


5 Comments

Maxwell Love said:

Could you do that and also post on the case you find. I would be very inerested to find a great case.

October 30, 2006 2:49 PM
Philippe Azimzadeh said:

This is kind of relevant to your post:
I am stuck between buying an 8Gb black nano or a 30Gb video iPod, which one do you think I should buy(same price)? Do the nano's have a good enough "cool factor" to compensate for 22Gb?

Tell me what you think...

October 30, 2006 4:12 PM
Scott Silverman Author Profile Page said:

Maxwell: I am certainly on the lookout for a good case, as that is something I desperately need. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of options out there yet, but keep your eyes peeled here and I'll post as they appear.

Philippe: I would definitely recommend the 8GB black nano. I'm not sure how you listen to music, but I tend to listen to a section of my music consistently based on the phase/mood I'm going through. For this reason I never need my full library (about 50GBs) with me. In fact I often find it limiting to have 50GBs of music on one portable device, as I can never discern what to listen to while I'm on-the-go. I'd rather select 20-30 (or more) albums that I'm currently interested in and have them on my nano. Then, as my moods/interests change, I can simply update the nano with new and different music.
Having the lesser capacity nano not only makes my music selection simpler, but it makes the music listening easier, as the nano is obviously smaller and more portable. I feel less restricted in taking it places and having it in my pocket. And as for the coolness factor, yes the iPod nano is sweet (especially with the aluminum enclosure), but remember in the end its a device for playing music. It does not have videos, games, or movies. I hope this helps a little with your decision.

October 30, 2006 5:05 PM
Dave R said:

another advantage of the 8GB nano over the 30GB iPod is battery life...24 hours for the nano versus 14 for the Ipod w/ video.

October 30, 2006 6:01 PM
Ward Author Profile Page said:

I recently picked up an 8 GB nano, which was a replacement for a 4 GB G1 nano, which was a replacement for a 1 GB shuffle, which was originally meant as a car player so I didn't have to carry my 20 GB 4G iPod around with me.

I'm contemplating ditching the 20 GB iPod. Never would have guessed that...

October 31, 2006 10:57 AM

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