PC Mag reviews Apple’s new iPod nano: Editor’s Choice, ‘nothing beats the nano’

[aryayush]

PC Mag reviews Apple’s new iPod nano: Editor’s Choice, ‘nothing beats the nano’
Friday, September 07, 2007 - 10:25 AM EDT

"Sporting a bright, two-inch widescreen that shows video in the highest pixel-per-inch density of any iPod, the nano is an entirely new beast. The flash player, available in 4GB and 8GB capacities, is wider than previous models which might seem to go against the whole concept of the product," Tim Gideon reports for PC Magazine.

Gideon reports, "Held next to a second generation nano, however, the widened dimensions don't seem to matter. In fact, a beautiful screen and just-as-thin body make the device seem like a large evolutionary step. The new user interface also combines the nicer touches of the iPhone's U.I. (such as Cover Flow) with new elements (a split screen which shows album covers for highlighted songs and a new Now Playing screen). Throw in a few games with quality graphics, and you've got yourself a real winner. In its price range, nothing beats the nano... make no mistake: this is the best-designed flash video player on the market in this price range."

Full review here.

[Via MacDailyNews]

 

[gxsaurav]

Hmm...I wonder if they forgot to see Creative Zen

 

[Gigacore]

+1 for Creative Zen

 

[Cool G5]

The new ipod nano is iphone less communication.I would prefer creative zen than ipod nano.

 

[gxsaurav]

The new ipod nano is iphone less communication.

R U confusing it with iPod Touch.

I would prefer creative zen than ipod nano.

Anyone will....

 

[aryayush]

First Look: iPod Nano Video

First Look: iPod Nano Video
Completely redesigned, the third-generation Nano adds video playback and redefines the portable media player.
Melissa J. Perenson, PC World
Friday, September 07, 2007 10:00 AM PDT

*images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/136851-iPodNanoVideo.jpg​

The first thing you'll notice about the third-generation Apple iPod Nano ($199 for the 8GB version as of 9/7/2007) is its two-inch display. How can you not? The display occupies more than half of the device--fitting considering that one of the big selling points of the Nano is it can now play video in addition to music. The second thing you'll notice is its new shape: The Nano's long, thin stick design has been replaced by a wider, stouter design that accommodates both the generous screen and Apple's signature scroll wheel. And it delivers all this in the same impressively thin profile--about a quarter-of-an-inch thick--as the previous Nano.

The new Nano impressed me more in person than it did on paper. (Check out its new interface on video.)The brushed aluminum design--available in silver (4GB and 8GB), black, (Product) Red, metallic pastel blue, and metallic pastel green--actually works quite well in practice. Whereas before I always found the Nano unnaturally long for my taste, now I find the Nano fits well in the contour of my small hand. This makes operating the player with one hand convenient and comfortable. The player remains super-lightweight at 1.7 ounces, though it's slightly heavier than the second-generation model.

The Nano's two-inch screen represents a half-inch gain--and that half-inch makes all the difference. Now, watching video for an extended period of time is tolerable, even though the screen still strikes me as more preferable for quick-hit videos than for full-length movies. The LED-backlit display is bright and beautiful: Photos and videos looked crisp and brilliant in my hands-on experience--no surprise given the screen's 320-by-240 resolution, at 204 pixels per inch. As with its bigger cousin, the iPod Classic, the Nano can handle still images reformatted by iTunes (you can still choose to store full-size images on the device) and 30-fps H.264-encoded video clips (see Apple's Tech Specs for more details).

Apple says the screen is 65 percent brighter than on the last Nano, and that brightness pays off, for the most part. I found it easy to watch video and view the device in a bright environment. It's so bright, though, that you might want to dial the screen down a bit if you're using it in a dark room or an airplane with the lights off.

Revamped Interface
The larger screen not only facilitates viewing video and still images, but it also accommodates the Apple's refreshed iPod interface. This new interface, found on both the Nano and the Classic (the latter is now the moniker for the full-size, video-capable iPod), is less of wholesale change than it is a facelift. The interface update consists of two primary components: The introduction of Cover Flow for visually navigating through your album collection; and the repurposing of the white space on the right-hand side of the screen to introduce visual content previews.

Let's explore that last change first. As you move through the Nano's main menu, the options look pretty fairly familiar: Music, Videos, Photos, Podcasts, Extras, Settings, Shuffle songs. But instead of a plain white screen at right, the right half of the screen gives you a preview of your menu selection--an appealing substitution for what was once just unnecessary, bright white space. Of course, this makes album art all the more important--at least once, I had to shudder as a distasteful album cover floated by--who knew? I choose music based on my eclectic musical tastes, not on the album cover art. Nonetheless, I applaud Apple for the extra visual sense that the floating previews add to what otherwise remain straightforward, intuitive text-heavy menus.

Well, straightforward with one notable exception: Cover Flow. First introduced as a means of navigating your album collection in iTunes, Cover Flow's introduction has long been anticipated in the iPod--especially after seeing it introduced in Apple's iPhone earlier this year. And it doesn't disappoint: Cover Flow, the top navigation option under the Music menu, offers a completely different visual navigation experience. Read more...

[Via PC World]

 

[Cool G5]

Re: PC Mag reviews Apple’s new iPod nano: Editor’s Choice, ‘nothing beats the nano’

Gosh i confused it with ipod Touch.
@aryayush->Give info on Ipod Touch.

 

[ambandla]

ipod nano is better for itunes account holder

for divx and wma lovers, creative Zen is lot better

 

[aryayush]

Gosh i confused it with ipod Touch.
@aryayush->Give info on Ipod Touch.

What do you want to know? It has not yet been released so you won't get any reviews now.

 

[Cool G5]

Re: PC Mag reviews Apple’s new iPod nano: Editor’s Choice, ‘nothing beats the nano’

What do you want to know? It has not yet been released so you won't get any reviews now.

I wanted it just for knowledge.When will it be released?

 

[aryayush]

Within this month.

 

[aryayush]

“One of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on market"

“One of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on the market”

Awarding iPod nano an Excellent 8.0 rating, Donald Bell (cnet.com) notes that “the shape may have changed, but Apple’s relentless attention to detail remains. The third generation of the iPod Nano provides loads of entertainment for a down-to-earth price.” He calls iPod nano “one of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on the market.” Its “2-inch color screen packs a dense, crisp 320x240 video resolution that looks richer and brighter than that of any iPod to date.” And “at less than $200, the Nano offers one of the richest user experiences we’ve seen on an MP3 player.”

____________________

iPod nano “a clear winner”

Dan Frakes (playlistmag.com) likes what he sees. “The screen makes it clear—no pun intended—that the design is a winner.” Awarding iPod nano 4.5 (out of five) stars, he points out that “menu text is clearer and easier to read than it was with the previous model. And even though this is the smallest video-playing screen I’ve used, after watching a 90-minute movie on the nano I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. Picture quality is comparable to that of the iPhone, just smaller.” “Essentially a miniaturized version of the iPod classic available for as little as $149,” iPod nano offers “all the same features and capabilities including video playback and output.”

 

[aryayush]

A week with the new iPod Nano

A week with the new iPod Nano
Posted Sep 14th 2007 3:30PM by Nik Fletcher

*www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/2007/09/nano1.png​

Dear TUAW readers, I have a confession. Normally I am not a person who spontaneously buys an iPod . However last Thursday morning was, well, a little different. Upon seeing the new Nanos, Shuffles and iPod Classics on display at an Apple Store I just happened to be passing (convenient, eh?), I was torn. Do I buy a new Nano? Do I need one? Do I want one? Can I even justify purchasing one, given that I have a (RED) 4GB Nano that I love dearly? The answer to all those questions was close enough to 'yes', almost exclusively because I wanted a video-playing iPod. And more importantly, because I had 7 days of travel that would allow the Nano to prove its worth. Well, after a week of video-playing, music listening and more, the jury is in.

Truth be told, I loved the design of the second generation Nano. The candy-bar form factor, the proportions, the brushed metal. The whole thing. Sure, it couldn't do video, but it was just the right size to take running with the Nike+ kit, whilst retaining a screen - and I always perceived it to stand up to more wear and tear without a shiny metal back cover. It fitted just perfectly in the hand so you can imagine that with the new model, it'll take you a while to become used to the feel of the device. Instead of holding the iPod like a candy-bar, it sits in the palm of the hand almost unnaturally at first with the (proportionally large) screen being the most attention-grabbing part of the device. The new Nano also shows a return of the stainless-steel reflective metal backing (can you smell the 'scratching' lawsuits already?) and despite my most devoted efforts to keep the iPod totally scratch-free it just doesn't look as stunningly new as it did. Read more...

[Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)]

 

[freshseasons]

Hi Arya ! Thanks for being the RSS feed agent. You gather all the Apple stuff from all over the net and post in this forum.
Its time Digit gives you one Dedicated Apple section.

 

[aryayush]

iPod nano Packs a Punch

iPod nano Packs a Punch
Apple's third-generation nano adds high-quality video to enhance the already popular music player

by Arik Hesseldahl

Editor's Rating: *images.businessweek.com/gen/ratings/v2/stars_9.gif

*images.businessweek.com/lede/07/110x100/1002_nano.jpg​

The Good: Beautiful video and music in a tiny package

The Bad: Could have used more internal storage capacity given the new emphasis on video

The Bottom Line: The nano is the most popular iPod of them all and should remain so


From the moment the first one was launched in 2005, I never really liked Apple's iPod nano line, favoring instead the bulkier, hard-drive equipped portion of the iPod family. I have a lot of music, and I don't like to think about which bit I'm going to leave at home on any given day. Moods switch, and one minute I'm in the mood for some John Mayer, and the next I need a shot of John Coltrane or an obscure Van Morrison bootleg.

So I stuck with my 40-gigabyte iPod—until a year ago. That was when, on a lark, I decided to buy a second-generation nano with just 8 GB of memory. Already weighed down by a cell phone and a Blackberry (RIMM), the tiny nano compared favorably with its heftier sibling. It quickly became my main iPod, and I started using the larger one less.

PICTURE PERFECT
Now it all makes sense to me why the nano has, in two short years, become the most popular iPod. Apple (AAPL) doesn't break out figures on the mix of sales, but educated guesses suggest that nanos account for about half of all iPods sold.

The latest edition of the nano, unveiled in September, was overshadowed by the launch of iPod touch, a new line with Wi-Fi and a wide-screen display. Nevertheless this third-generation nano sports some impressive enhancements, starting with a video-capable screen.

Being the most popular member of the iPod team clearly made video a must. Yet given its size, you might think the notion of watching video on it silly. The nano's screen measures just 2 inches diagonally, which is half an inch smaller than the display on the iPod classic, and not much more than half the size of the 3.5 inch screen on the touch.

But small has its advantages, and I've been pleasantly surprised after a few weeks of watching videos on the nano that I am barely aware of the screen size. The image quality is gorgeous, especially with animated fare like Japanese anime. It's bright enough and clear enough that the size matters less, which is the point. The screen density—the number of pixels crammed into each square inch of screen space—is the highest of any iPod that Apple has ever shipped, and the end result shows it. Read more...

[Via BusinessWeek]