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Apple iPod Nano 6th Generation Green (8 GB) MP3 Player
Price Range:
$139.99 to $149.00
Apple MC690QB/A iPod nano; 8 GB Flash memory; GreeniPod nano with Multi-Touch is designed to be easy; intuitive and fun — just like...
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Apple MC690QB/A iPod nano; 8 GB Flash memory; GreeniPod nano with Multi-Touch is designed to be easy; intuitive and fun — just like music. And it’s even smaller; so music can be an even bigger part of just about everything.Music has a whole new feel.iPod nano has been completely redesigned with Multi-Touch — the same technology that makes iPhone; iPad and iPod touch so amazing. Now it’s half the size and even easier to play. And everything you want to hear is just a tap or swipe away.Turn up the colour.In sleek anodised aluminium and seven bright colours; iPod nano makes a huge statement: you are; most definitely; ready to rock.Pixels that pop.Show off your album art; photos and the colour-coordinated wallpaper on the 1.5-inch colour display with 240x240-pixel resolution. Its tiny yet stunning.Clip on and cut loose.The new built-in clip makes it easy to move to the music. Just clip iPod nano to your sleeve; jacket or bag.
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0 Review from Epinions.com
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iPod Nano Green 8 GB
I bought and had been using my first generation iPod Nano since I got it soon after they came out. Unfortunately, it got stolen and I recently replaced it when this sixth generation iPod Nano. My how things have changed!
Physical Characteristics
First of all, the new Nano is much smaller (according to Apple, it's 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter) featuring a 1.5-inch color display with 240 x 240 pixel resolution. Good-bye click wheel, hello Multi-Touch! This is the touchscreen technology already featured on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Even if you're not familiar with those other devices, the controls are rather intuitive.
On the Home Screen, you can swipe a finger left to right (and vice versa) to see all the available options. To select an item, simply tap on the icon. You can move icons around and you can also rotate the display using two fingers. When playing a song, you can swipe to see song controls.
The touch screen is a great new development, however it's not always as receptive as I want it to be. I use my iPod frequently when running and sometimes when I go to tap a selection, it will swipe to the next screen or it simply won't register. I often I have to stop running in order to make sure the timer function starts or stops correctly. This is slightly annoying.
If you want to shuffle among your songs, simply shake the Nano. Because of this, it's possible that the iPod will shuffle simply due to your body movements during a workout as a previous poster had said. This has happened to me on occasion (perhaps three times since I got this a month ago and I use it on a daily basis). It's disconcerting when it happens, but there doesn't seem to be any way to securely "lock" the iPod the way you could with previous models.
Volume controls and the sleep/wake function are external buttons. A built-in clip on the back of the Nano makes it rather convenient to attach it to clothing or other accessories.
The anodized aluminum exterior comes in seven colors. The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery is supposed to give you "up to 24 hours of nonstop music," according to Apple. This seems a bit high to me, *especially* if you're using multiple features at once. Going on 30-40 minute runs while listening to music and using both pedometer and timer functions concurrently runs down the battery a bit faster than I anticipated. I haven't tried to see how long a fully-charged battery lasts in my experience, but I generally tend to charge and sync the iPod on a daily basis and running out of power hasn't been a problem.
*****
Features
Music
With the new touch screen, simply tap anything you want to hear. You can still see your music collection broken down by songs, artists, composers, albums, and genres and those breakdowns are accessible from the Home Screen.
Genius
According to Apple, Genius finds other songs on your iPod Nano that go great together and creates a playlist for you. You have to activate this feature through iTunes, which seems easy enough. I haven't gotten around to exploring this option yet, but I know other people who apparently enjoy the combinations that Genius puts together, so I assume it's a useful feature!
FM Radio
I really enjoy using the FM tuner. You can listen to local radio stations live (in the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe and Japan) and set your favorites. Apparently, you can even pause live radio and rewind up to 15 minutes or fast-forward to catch up with the broadcast. I didn't realize this aspect existed before I started writing this review, so I haven't tried to use it, although I plan on doing it soon.
Fitness
The pedometer tracks how many steps you take. And, if you input your weight, it will also tell you how many calories you've burned. You can set goals for how many steps per day you want to take. I use this feature frequently for going on runs, walking the dog, and other miscellaneous activities.
It will keep track of past workout sessions and give you daily totals and absolute totals. The "Personal Bests" section has places for various distances, although I'm not sure where it gets this information. Since Apple has partnered with Nike, you have an option to upload your fitness data to the Nike + website. I've done this a couple of times, but the site doesn't really impress me or inspire me to continue to use it.
Accessibility
This iPod Nano also offers several features that may help people who need a little more assistance. According to Apple, VoiceOver is "the world's first gesture-based screen reader." When it's on, you can touch the screen to hear a description of items (in 29 different languages, no less) and use various gestures to control the Nano.
You can also change the contrast on the screen to have white text on a black screen. While other people may find this useful, I think I prefer the default status.
Finally, you can change the audio from stereo to mono. This supposedly helps people with limited hearing in one ear, but I don't know anyone who has needed to try this.
*****
Technical Specifications
This iPod Nano measures (height x width x depth) 1.48" x 1.61" x 0.35" (including the clip on the back) or, for the metric minded among us: 37.5mm x 40.9mm x 8.78mm. It weighs merely 0.74 ounces.
It supports music in the following formats: AAC (8-320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8-320 Kpbs), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV.
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery charges via USB to your computer or to a power adapter (sold separately). The "fast-charge" time is about 1.5 hours in which it will recharge to 80 percent capacity, but a full charge takes about 3 hours.
Remember those 29 different languages I mentioned above? Here they are: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish. (I'm not qualified to know the differences between the various Chinese versions).
Apple says that song, artist, and album information can also be displayed in Bulgarian, Serbian, Slovenian, Ukranian, and Vietnamese. An interesting choice of languages.
System requirements:
Mac - USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later, and iTunes 10 or later.
PC - USB 2.0 port, Windows 7, Vista, or XP Home or Professional (SP3) or later, and iTunes 10 or later.
You also need internet access, preferably broadband.
*****
Conclusion
This is a great new development in the iPod line. I love its small size and touch screen. I really like the FM radio feature, I don't often listen to the radio unless I'm in the car and this is a wonderful way to listen to various programs while I'm walking the dog or running; programs that I would have missed or tried to download later. It's nice to listen to them live for a change.
The screen could be a little more responsive when I'm on the go and it would be nice if the iPod didn't accidentally shuffle because I'm walking or running with it, but those complaints are minor ones and my experience with it are, on the whole, positive.
Small and Touchable
| Author's Rating: |
|
Pros: small size, touch screen, built-in FM tuner
Cons: touch screen doesn't always register, accidentally shuffles, shorter-than-expected battery life
The Bottom Line:
The latest iPod Nano definitely has some flaws, but I like the changes Apple has made and would recommend this to anyone who wants an iPod/MP3 player.
I bought and had been using my first generation iPod Nano since I got it soon after they came out. Unfortunately, it got stolen and I recently replaced it when this sixth generation iPod Nano. My how things have changed!
Physical Characteristics
First of all, the new Nano is much smaller (according to Apple, it's 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter) featuring a 1.5-inch color display with 240 x 240 pixel resolution. Good-bye click wheel, hello Multi-Touch! This is the touchscreen technology already featured on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Even if you're not familiar with those other devices, the controls are rather intuitive.
On the Home Screen, you can swipe a finger left to right (and vice versa) to see all the available options. To select an item, simply tap on the icon. You can move icons around and you can also rotate the display using two fingers. When playing a song, you can swipe to see song controls.
The touch screen is a great new development, however it's not always as receptive as I want it to be. I use my iPod frequently when running and sometimes when I go to tap a selection, it will swipe to the next screen or it simply won't register. I often I have to stop running in order to make sure the timer function starts or stops correctly. This is slightly annoying.
If you want to shuffle among your songs, simply shake the Nano. Because of this, it's possible that the iPod will shuffle simply due to your body movements during a workout as a previous poster had said. This has happened to me on occasion (perhaps three times since I got this a month ago and I use it on a daily basis). It's disconcerting when it happens, but there doesn't seem to be any way to securely "lock" the iPod the way you could with previous models.
Volume controls and the sleep/wake function are external buttons. A built-in clip on the back of the Nano makes it rather convenient to attach it to clothing or other accessories.
The anodized aluminum exterior comes in seven colors. The built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery is supposed to give you "up to 24 hours of nonstop music," according to Apple. This seems a bit high to me, *especially* if you're using multiple features at once. Going on 30-40 minute runs while listening to music and using both pedometer and timer functions concurrently runs down the battery a bit faster than I anticipated. I haven't tried to see how long a fully-charged battery lasts in my experience, but I generally tend to charge and sync the iPod on a daily basis and running out of power hasn't been a problem.
*****
Features
Music
With the new touch screen, simply tap anything you want to hear. You can still see your music collection broken down by songs, artists, composers, albums, and genres and those breakdowns are accessible from the Home Screen.
Genius
According to Apple, Genius finds other songs on your iPod Nano that go great together and creates a playlist for you. You have to activate this feature through iTunes, which seems easy enough. I haven't gotten around to exploring this option yet, but I know other people who apparently enjoy the combinations that Genius puts together, so I assume it's a useful feature!
FM Radio
I really enjoy using the FM tuner. You can listen to local radio stations live (in the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe and Japan) and set your favorites. Apparently, you can even pause live radio and rewind up to 15 minutes or fast-forward to catch up with the broadcast. I didn't realize this aspect existed before I started writing this review, so I haven't tried to use it, although I plan on doing it soon.
Fitness
The pedometer tracks how many steps you take. And, if you input your weight, it will also tell you how many calories you've burned. You can set goals for how many steps per day you want to take. I use this feature frequently for going on runs, walking the dog, and other miscellaneous activities.
It will keep track of past workout sessions and give you daily totals and absolute totals. The "Personal Bests" section has places for various distances, although I'm not sure where it gets this information. Since Apple has partnered with Nike, you have an option to upload your fitness data to the Nike + website. I've done this a couple of times, but the site doesn't really impress me or inspire me to continue to use it.
Accessibility
This iPod Nano also offers several features that may help people who need a little more assistance. According to Apple, VoiceOver is "the world's first gesture-based screen reader." When it's on, you can touch the screen to hear a description of items (in 29 different languages, no less) and use various gestures to control the Nano.
You can also change the contrast on the screen to have white text on a black screen. While other people may find this useful, I think I prefer the default status.
Finally, you can change the audio from stereo to mono. This supposedly helps people with limited hearing in one ear, but I don't know anyone who has needed to try this.
*****
Technical Specifications
This iPod Nano measures (height x width x depth) 1.48" x 1.61" x 0.35" (including the clip on the back) or, for the metric minded among us: 37.5mm x 40.9mm x 8.78mm. It weighs merely 0.74 ounces.
It supports music in the following formats: AAC (8-320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8-320 Kpbs), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV.
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery charges via USB to your computer or to a power adapter (sold separately). The "fast-charge" time is about 1.5 hours in which it will recharge to 80 percent capacity, but a full charge takes about 3 hours.
Remember those 29 different languages I mentioned above? Here they are: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish. (I'm not qualified to know the differences between the various Chinese versions).
Apple says that song, artist, and album information can also be displayed in Bulgarian, Serbian, Slovenian, Ukranian, and Vietnamese. An interesting choice of languages.
System requirements:
Mac - USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later, and iTunes 10 or later.
PC - USB 2.0 port, Windows 7, Vista, or XP Home or Professional (SP3) or later, and iTunes 10 or later.
You also need internet access, preferably broadband.
*****
Conclusion
This is a great new development in the iPod line. I love its small size and touch screen. I really like the FM radio feature, I don't often listen to the radio unless I'm in the car and this is a wonderful way to listen to various programs while I'm walking the dog or running; programs that I would have missed or tried to download later. It's nice to listen to them live for a change.
The screen could be a little more responsive when I'm on the go and it would be nice if the iPod didn't accidentally shuffle because I'm walking or running with it, but those complaints are minor ones and my experience with it are, on the whole, positive.
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