Everything you need: unbiased reviews, product specs and great deals.
|
Apple iPod Nano 5th Generation Black (8 GB) MP3 PlayeriPod nano now has a built-in video camera that lets you spontaneously shoot video wherever you are. And that's just the beginning. It...
Read More
iPod nano now has a built-in video camera that lets you spontaneously shoot video wherever you are. And that's just the beginning. It has a dramatic, polished anodized aluminum finish and a larger screen. The new Genius Mixes feature acts as your personal DJ, automatically searching your iTunes library, then making mixes you'll love. Take iPod nano anywhere and the new Pedometer counts your steps. Also making its debut , a built-in FM radio with two amazing features iTunes Tagging and Live Pause. So the world's most popular music player now has more to play with.
Minimize
|
|
34 Reviews from Epinions.com
|
iPod Nano 8 GB
My first interaction with an iPod was the 3rd generation original iPod. Since then, I've owned or purchased (for my kids and dad) many incarnations of the iPod from the first two generations of the shuffle to the new iPod Touch to the now "classic" iPod and the last two generations of the Nano.
While every iPod I've used is high quality, I think the newest generation of the Nano is the best iPod I've used. Now, that doesn't mean it's the best iPod for everyone's use. It's just that for the money spent, I think this iPod (8 gig) has more features inside than I thought possible to go along with the great interface.
The Nano replaced the old Mini line many years ago and is the smaller iPod. Back when the Mini was introduced, it gave people an option to buy a player that wasn't as large for those with smaller music libraries, or simply for folks who wanted a second iPod.
The major selling points for the new Nano surrounds video and n FM tuner, which is funny because with my friends and family, they rarely ever listen to radio anymore because of their iPod.
Let's talk about the video camera.
As iPods become more of a utility gadget than just a small hard drive (or flash memory) player for your music, features have become more and more about non-music fun. The iPod Touch has become a video game and web surfing machine. For whatever reason, it was decided that the Nano would be able to shoot and record video.
"Consumer" video cameras like the Flip brand have become very popular for those who don't need a video camera with all kinds of bells and whistles. This is smack dab where the Nano camera fits.
While it's extremely easy to use, there are also a few things that makes it feel like simply an attachment rather than an impressive feature. The video camera listing is there once your turn on your Nano, right near your other normal listings like podcasts, songs, and artists. By choosing video camera, it takes you to a black screen and you simply press the middle button with your thumb to start recording.
The strength is also where it falls short and that's in its simplicity. There's no zoom so you're getting exactly what you shoot. And because the Nano is so small, holding the camera the first few times will cause you to see your thumb in your recording. You tilt the Nano on its side and you hold it by the sides of the unit. The camera and microphone are in the exact same spot and the natural holding position causes your thumb to hover over both of them. It takes a few uses to get it right. And beware of an unsteady hand.
Don't expect this to replace your Flip Mino or your regular video camera. The quality of the video is very similar to the kind of video that point and shoot cameras were originally producing.
But, I'm sure it works perfectly for folks who simply want to put a quick video on YouTube. In that target audience, the simplicity works to their advantage. Once you sync your iPod with your computer, click on whatever photo software you use, and your video clips should be there. I use iPhoto on my Mac, and while I was surprised that it didn't automatically open my iPhoto and let me know the clips were there, once I clicked on iPhoto, they were right there.
I did a short comparison video to show the quality of the video. I used my Flip Mino HD for comparison, and while the Mino HD camera obviously is the better camera for quality (I mean, it is HD), you'll notice that the Nano actually gets much better audio quality.
Here's the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo23xxcq1Gw.
You'll see that both cameras treat bad indoor lighting slightly differently as well.
Do you really need a FM Tuner in 2009?
I didn't think that I'd need a FM Tuner on an iPod and really, Apple hasn't thought it was necessary for a very long time. It's quite ironic that the tag line for this feature is, "FM radio + Live Pause. Return of the radio star" since the iPod helped kill the radio format.
The FM tuner is most helpful to me for when I'm at the gym and on an exercise bike. If there's a big game on TV, I'll eschew my usual watching of Beverly Hills, 90210 DVDs and watch the game. With the tuner, I can actually hear the audio coming from the TV as well, by changing it to whatever station is compatible with the TV.
But the killer feature is what they call live pause. It gives you the ability to listen to a song on the radio and if you want to hear it again you can simply rewind it, much like how a DVR works with a television. You can't actually record the song, but instead, if you can "tag" the song and it will find that song for you when you sync your iPod with your computer and give you the ability to purchase it from iTunes.
And the underrated feature of the new iPod Nano is...
I really don't need this iPod for any of the new features I described above. I already also have a shuffle and classic 80 gig iPod in my possession. But the main reason I wanted the new Nano is because of the Voice Memos feature.
I write a blog about MMA, pro wrestling, and boxing, and from time to time I get media credentials to shows. I like recording audio from the press conference and then cutting it up to use on a podcast. I had a voice recorder that I couldn't get to work correctly with my Mac and when I heard that I'd be able to record audio clips with the new Nano, it was immediately on my must-have list. There are also opportunities for me to do interviews for my site and it's perfect for that as well. The audio is clean enough to where an exterior microphone isn't needed.
As a test, I used it at the Strikeforce Evolution post-fight press conference. I simply started the record process, put the Nano on the desk that the fighters and promotor Scott Coker were speaking at with the built-in microphone facing up and let it go.
While you can't hear the media all that well because they were up to 20 feet away from the desk, the promoter and the fighters are really clear and I was really happy with the quality of the audio.
You can hear that here: http://fightgameblog.com/2009/12/strikeforce-evolution-post-fight-press-conference/.
What about the music (and movies)?
Of course, this thing functions perfectly as a music player. You're more than likely not going to fit your entire music library on the Nano as it's only 8 gigs (and the larger one is only 16 gigs), but you didn't buy it for that reason anyway. You bought it either as a complimentary iPod or maybe to use it in the gym. And if you did buy it to use for working out, it comes with a pedometer. Since I've been on the injured reserve because of my hip, I haven't run with it so I don't know how the pedometer works.
It works exactly like every other non-Touch iPod you've ever used. The click wheel is super responsive (and maybe overly responsive) and one of my favorite things to do is simply to put it on shuffle (or shake it which does the same thing) and let it fly.
Because of the size of the Nano, the click wheel is smaller and I've noticed that I have a tendency to hit the sides of the click wheel incorrectly at times. Instead of hitting play, I'll accidentally forward it to the next song. But it's like typing on a Blackberry phone versus a larger keyboard. Because it's smaller, you're not going to be perfect.
You can definitely watch movies on the Nano, but because of the size of the screen, it might be hard to do. The screen is excellent though and there's even a small speaker in case you don't have headphones. But the volume output isn't very high, so it has to be very quiet if you want to use it without headphones.
(I've seen issues with the speaker before and just choose to always wear headphones.)
For $149, this do-it-all iPod is an amazing gadget. Because of the Voice Memos feature, I have a feeling this will outlast all of my other iPods. While the video camera feature isn't fantastic, I imagine Apple will make tweaks here and there for future iterations and make the Nano an even more impressive gadget. You really can't go wrong, though make sure you get some sort of case for it. You don't want to scratch that awesome little screen.
iPod Nano 5th Generation - The Best "Bang For Your Buck" iPod On The Market
| Author's Rating: |
|
Pros: Many great features in a petite gadget for a really solid price.
Cons: The video camera leaves a lot to be desired.
The Bottom Line:
This little gadget is perfect for all my needs.
My first interaction with an iPod was the 3rd generation original iPod. Since then, I've owned or purchased (for my kids and dad) many incarnations of the iPod from the first two generations of the shuffle to the new iPod Touch to the now "classic" iPod and the last two generations of the Nano.
While every iPod I've used is high quality, I think the newest generation of the Nano is the best iPod I've used. Now, that doesn't mean it's the best iPod for everyone's use. It's just that for the money spent, I think this iPod (8 gig) has more features inside than I thought possible to go along with the great interface.
The Nano replaced the old Mini line many years ago and is the smaller iPod. Back when the Mini was introduced, it gave people an option to buy a player that wasn't as large for those with smaller music libraries, or simply for folks who wanted a second iPod.
The major selling points for the new Nano surrounds video and n FM tuner, which is funny because with my friends and family, they rarely ever listen to radio anymore because of their iPod.
Let's talk about the video camera.
As iPods become more of a utility gadget than just a small hard drive (or flash memory) player for your music, features have become more and more about non-music fun. The iPod Touch has become a video game and web surfing machine. For whatever reason, it was decided that the Nano would be able to shoot and record video.
"Consumer" video cameras like the Flip brand have become very popular for those who don't need a video camera with all kinds of bells and whistles. This is smack dab where the Nano camera fits.
While it's extremely easy to use, there are also a few things that makes it feel like simply an attachment rather than an impressive feature. The video camera listing is there once your turn on your Nano, right near your other normal listings like podcasts, songs, and artists. By choosing video camera, it takes you to a black screen and you simply press the middle button with your thumb to start recording.
The strength is also where it falls short and that's in its simplicity. There's no zoom so you're getting exactly what you shoot. And because the Nano is so small, holding the camera the first few times will cause you to see your thumb in your recording. You tilt the Nano on its side and you hold it by the sides of the unit. The camera and microphone are in the exact same spot and the natural holding position causes your thumb to hover over both of them. It takes a few uses to get it right. And beware of an unsteady hand.
Don't expect this to replace your Flip Mino or your regular video camera. The quality of the video is very similar to the kind of video that point and shoot cameras were originally producing.
But, I'm sure it works perfectly for folks who simply want to put a quick video on YouTube. In that target audience, the simplicity works to their advantage. Once you sync your iPod with your computer, click on whatever photo software you use, and your video clips should be there. I use iPhoto on my Mac, and while I was surprised that it didn't automatically open my iPhoto and let me know the clips were there, once I clicked on iPhoto, they were right there.
I did a short comparison video to show the quality of the video. I used my Flip Mino HD for comparison, and while the Mino HD camera obviously is the better camera for quality (I mean, it is HD), you'll notice that the Nano actually gets much better audio quality.
Here's the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo23xxcq1Gw.
You'll see that both cameras treat bad indoor lighting slightly differently as well.
Do you really need a FM Tuner in 2009?
I didn't think that I'd need a FM Tuner on an iPod and really, Apple hasn't thought it was necessary for a very long time. It's quite ironic that the tag line for this feature is, "FM radio + Live Pause. Return of the radio star" since the iPod helped kill the radio format.
The FM tuner is most helpful to me for when I'm at the gym and on an exercise bike. If there's a big game on TV, I'll eschew my usual watching of Beverly Hills, 90210 DVDs and watch the game. With the tuner, I can actually hear the audio coming from the TV as well, by changing it to whatever station is compatible with the TV.
But the killer feature is what they call live pause. It gives you the ability to listen to a song on the radio and if you want to hear it again you can simply rewind it, much like how a DVR works with a television. You can't actually record the song, but instead, if you can "tag" the song and it will find that song for you when you sync your iPod with your computer and give you the ability to purchase it from iTunes.
And the underrated feature of the new iPod Nano is...
I really don't need this iPod for any of the new features I described above. I already also have a shuffle and classic 80 gig iPod in my possession. But the main reason I wanted the new Nano is because of the Voice Memos feature.
I write a blog about MMA, pro wrestling, and boxing, and from time to time I get media credentials to shows. I like recording audio from the press conference and then cutting it up to use on a podcast. I had a voice recorder that I couldn't get to work correctly with my Mac and when I heard that I'd be able to record audio clips with the new Nano, it was immediately on my must-have list. There are also opportunities for me to do interviews for my site and it's perfect for that as well. The audio is clean enough to where an exterior microphone isn't needed.
As a test, I used it at the Strikeforce Evolution post-fight press conference. I simply started the record process, put the Nano on the desk that the fighters and promotor Scott Coker were speaking at with the built-in microphone facing up and let it go.
While you can't hear the media all that well because they were up to 20 feet away from the desk, the promoter and the fighters are really clear and I was really happy with the quality of the audio.
You can hear that here: http://fightgameblog.com/2009/12/strikeforce-evolution-post-fight-press-conference/.
What about the music (and movies)?
Of course, this thing functions perfectly as a music player. You're more than likely not going to fit your entire music library on the Nano as it's only 8 gigs (and the larger one is only 16 gigs), but you didn't buy it for that reason anyway. You bought it either as a complimentary iPod or maybe to use it in the gym. And if you did buy it to use for working out, it comes with a pedometer. Since I've been on the injured reserve because of my hip, I haven't run with it so I don't know how the pedometer works.
It works exactly like every other non-Touch iPod you've ever used. The click wheel is super responsive (and maybe overly responsive) and one of my favorite things to do is simply to put it on shuffle (or shake it which does the same thing) and let it fly.
Because of the size of the Nano, the click wheel is smaller and I've noticed that I have a tendency to hit the sides of the click wheel incorrectly at times. Instead of hitting play, I'll accidentally forward it to the next song. But it's like typing on a Blackberry phone versus a larger keyboard. Because it's smaller, you're not going to be perfect.
You can definitely watch movies on the Nano, but because of the size of the screen, it might be hard to do. The screen is excellent though and there's even a small speaker in case you don't have headphones. But the volume output isn't very high, so it has to be very quiet if you want to use it without headphones.
(I've seen issues with the speaker before and just choose to always wear headphones.)
For $149, this do-it-all iPod is an amazing gadget. Because of the Voice Memos feature, I have a feeling this will outlast all of my other iPods. While the video camera feature isn't fantastic, I imagine Apple will make tweaks here and there for future iterations and make the Nano an even more impressive gadget. You really can't go wrong, though make sure you get some sort of case for it. You don't want to scratch that awesome little screen.
Back to all reviews
