The New 4th Generation iPod Nano Review
How slim can an iPod get? Well, Apple is out to demonstrate just that with its recently launched fourth generation iPod nano. The new iPod nano is thinner and much taller and all set to woo music lovers. It also comes in nine vibrant colors that represent the colors of a rainbow, and its recently acquired curve is a visual delight.
Moreover, the screen is wider and smarter with the accelerometer function which rotates the picture as you rotate the iPod, to give you a wider view. Before the new iPod broke ground, the idea of shaking your iPod in order to shuffle the songs on your playlist would sound crazy. Amusing but true, that’s exactly what the new iPod has made possible.
Just shake the iPod nano and the songs will be shuffled. This feature is particularly useful when one wants to immediately change to another song on the playlist. Just a shake will play another song. Want a change of song? Shake again!
That’s not all; the iPod playlists have also gotten smarter. With an upgrade to iTunes 8, the genius mode suggests the latest songs from the Apple iTunes library that are in line with the ones the listener has stored on his iPod. So the listener does not have to search hard for his genre of music. Finding favorite music has also become easier and faster.
After browsing through the albums or artists using iTunes Cover Flow, just a click of the centre button adds the song to the playlist. Turning the iPod on its side displays more albums on the wider screen.
The iPod doubles up as a photo album for those who would wish to take advantage of its 320×240 resolution display and accelerometer function. Just tilting the iPod to its side can re-orient photos from portrait to landscape mode without disturbing their aspect ratio. Yes, there are other gadgets that can do this trick, but this seems to be the slimmest way to pocket some good memories.
A favorite or funny video can always be carried around and shown to friends. Special iPod-specific games available at iTunes can provide the necessary excitement, and may even require the use of the accelerometer function in order to navigate through by tilting the iPod.
In keeping with the environment-friendly trend, Apple claims that the new nano is fully recyclable and is devoid of arsenic, mercury and PVC. The nanos are available in 8 gigabytes and 16 gigabytes storage capacity. The 8GB nano costs $150 and the 16GB one costs $199.
The various accessories that can be used with the nano demonstrate Apple’s finesse and class when it comes to acoustic technology. Apple will soon launch an innovative earpiece that contains a remote and mic on the earpiece cord.
By using 3 tiny buttons on the remote, the user can control volume, music or video playback which includes play, pause, next and previous functions. The mic can record short voice messages that can be transferred to a computer. The iPod can also be synced with other compatible devices in order to keep track of the user’s fitness program.