Apple iPod nano 4 GB Silver (3rd Generation)

Technical Details

Now the world’s most popular music player lets you enjoy up to 5 hours of TV shows, movies, video podcasts, and more
An enhanced interface offers a whole new way to browse and view your music and video
iPod nano sports a larger, 320-by-240-resolution display that’s 65 percent brighter than before
In anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel, iPod nano is now 6.5 mm thin and even more beautiful
Measures 2.75 x 2.06 x 0.26 inches (H x W x D), weighs 1.74 ounces

-  If ‘TV out’ isn’t important to you, or you don’t care about playing podcasts back to back without fiddling with the ipod, then I’m sure you’ll still love the new 3g nano. I like the video feature, the size (great for commuting), style, and colors of the new nano 3g, and iPods have the easiest/best way of selecting and sorting through music of any MP3 player out there. (I’ve tried a couple other brands.) But….

…in my case, one of the key reasons I bought the 3g was so that I could display photos or video on a TV. Unfortunately, that feature requires the purchase of a new cable which costs 50 bucks(the old AV cables don’t work. The new cables connect through the docking port, not through the headphone input.) Of course this is something most people won’t find out till they buy the product and the old AV cable. Not only do you need a new cable, but I went to many stores to get the new cable and none of them had it in stock. I finally had to order it directly from the iTunes store. I suppose someday soon, 3rd party cables will be made for one third the cost of the new AV cable made by Apple, but if you want the video out feature now, be prepared to fork over another 50 bucks. Yuck!

Also disappointing to me was a change to the software that significantly impacts what I use the ipod for. I mostly listen to podcasts and like to download all my favorites and then listen to them all without messing with the ipod (very nice feature when you’re working out for an hour or more and don’t want to have to mess with the ipod on the go). On the old ipod, I could find my podcasts on the music menu under “genres” and could click on “podcasts” and “all” and it would play all of them without my ever having to touch it again. Cool!!! The new ipod doesn’t allow this. Not cool!! Podcasts have been moved to the root menu so they no longer show up on the music menu and there is no way to play them all non-stop. (If anyone finds a way to do this, please make a comment.) So, now when I’m on a long ride on my bike, or I’m in traffic, I have to stop and fumble with the 3g after the end of each podcast. That is really annoying and what used to be a great feature of the 2g nano, suddenly becomes impossible on the 3g. Bummer! Now, I’m back to using my 2g nano on my biking commute.

Update (Jan 12)… The ’shuffle on’ setting is what has caused my podcasts to stop playing back to back. If shuffle is set to ‘off’ they play without touching the iPod. Thanks for the comments that led to this discovery. Still, there hasn’t been a software fix for this and it is annoying to have to fiddle with the shuffle setting depending on whether I want to listen to music or podcasts. Hello Apple!

Finally, the 3g nano has some compatibility problems with other products. For example, I bought the iHome alarm clock and it has glitches when I use my 3g but works well with my older 2g. Same thing with a sports watch I tested in the store. The TIMEX ironman watch that has wireless controls for the ipod didn’t work with the 3g. So, if you are an early adopter, be aware of that. I’d recommend that if you have the 3g nano, that you test it carefully in the store with any product that claims to be 3g nano compatible before you buy and make sure the features you care about actually work.

-  This review is for the 8GB iPod Nano. All the reviews for the third generation Nanos have been combined by Amazon. While this unit is very similar to the 4GB iPod Nano Apple 4 GB iPod Nano (3rd Gen) there are enough differences that they each deserve a closer look.

Choosing Among iPods

Overall, I would choose the 8 GB iPod Nano over the 4 GB nano and the 8 GB iPod Touch. This unit is priced right, and at only $50 more than the 4 GB unit it’s a no brainer. Those who want to step up should look to the 16 GB Apple iPod Touch 16 GB or 32 GB iPod Touch Apple iPod touch 32 GB. I have been lucky enough to live with all these players, so I hope this helps you decide.

Hopefully Apple will soon make a 16 GB or even a 32 GB Nano available. Only the iPod Touch currently sports those capacities. Till they offer larger sizes the 8GB is the biggest option. The screen is small, but the regular buttons and click wheel allow easier volume and track changes and better use on the go than the iPod Touch.

Some may choose to pay an extra $100 more than this to step up to the 8 GB iPod Touch Apple iPod touch 8 GB with Software Upgrade. The extra features of the Touch are awesome. The high overhead of the Touch software gives you 6 to 6.5 GB of useable space out of those 8 GB. That is just not enough to justify the higher price.

Comparing to Competing Players – Features and Concerns

The iPod Nano still has less features than most competitive devices. It doesn’t have a built-in FM radio tuner, voice recorder, bluetooth, WMA support, or an expansion slot. More and more users demand those features. Both the thicker Creative Zen Creative Zen 8 GB (Black) and the taller Sansa ViewSanDisk Sansa View 8 GB MP3 Player include most of those features. They both also now come in 16GB and 32GB capacities.

The Creative Zen does have slightly better sound and file version support. But its native software is even worse and the company has acquired a reputation for high failure rates. Conversely, the Sansa View is perhaps the best value but the video screen and sound quality is less attractive than either two. Perhaps the new Sansa Fuze may have more improvements, but we’ll have to wait and see SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8 GB MP3 Player (Silver).

Of course the growing Zune population gets wireless sharing and syncing Zune 8 GB Digital Media Player Black (2nd Generation). But Zune’s screen is also less attractive for video and the device has other issues. So I would still choose the Nano over the Zune.

Perhaps the best new competitor is the 800 series Sony MP3 player Sony NWZA818BLK 8GB Walkman Video MP3 Player (Black). For years, Sony devices suffered from proprietary audio formats and both annoying and unethical software limitations. Sony has finally given in to MP3 format, though I’m sure they will try to sneak in DRM at every turn. Surprisingly, even though Apple is the clear market leader Sony’s has almost overpriced their units. While expensive, they do have the durable metal body like Nanos. And in terms of sound quality, I would say they are just as good if not slightly better. I just don’t consumers should pay them a premium.

The Sound

Sound quality has been slightly improved. Apple has a much better reputation and lower failure rates than music players marketed on high fidelity sound. Quality components and jacks still matters. But there is still no player on the market today that can truly claim hi-fi sound.

Some technical limits make it very difficult to get lossless sound out of any device regardless of source file. Lower bitrates make your MP3 files lose more and more sound integrity, and even CDs have quality limits, which are even lower if they are not digitally mastered.

The Looks

Apple shortened the body and added a brushed metal face for durability. There was a previous Nano version with a rounded metal face. Then they tried the clear composite plastic face that so easily scratched and smudged. The back still has the shiny aluminum surface used on most iPods that is known for attracting fingerprints. The brushed metal face holds up better, but you still need a cover.

The screen is smallish, though I would argue still adequate. But the thin body alone allows this player to overcome having less features than many competing players. Apple does lose points for the smaller click-wheel being awkward for those with big hands.

Features

The ability to watch videos and play games is huge. With the 8 GB capacity you can still get enough on here for a flight. That’s the main advantage over the 4GB model. Watching videos will cut battery life to about 5 hours though.

Apple’s software gives you limited direct control over your music and few file options. For people like me with multiple players, it’s harder to manage your music library with multiple copies. iTunes is good enough for most users. You can easily convert and import your files, but it’s an annoying extra step.

Cover-flow still underperforms on the Nano versus the iPod Touch. To me it’s not a deal-breaker with the nano’s real buttons. You still have the advantages of a flash-based player.

Conclusion

Apple’s nice price, sleek design and a wealth of accessories overcome any missing features or annoying software limits. Unless you can afford a 16 or 32 GB iPod Touch or demand some of the missing features offered by the competition, go with this iPod Nano 8 GB and don’t look back.

Enjoy!

iPod Man….