Ipod Nano???

nirad

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Are the Ipod nanos worth the hype?? Im looking for a nice MP3 player and this one looks like it may fit the bill. I like the compact size . Do they have nice sound quality/ features?? Please sound off.
 

kongfuchicken

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It's a very nice player... almost too nice that sometimes I don't want to use it. A screen protector is a must.
The battery life isn't as good as I'd want it to be but the size/weigh ratio is impressive and makes up for it.
I'd highly recommend the 2gb model which is a great value for $180.
 

greg_in_canada

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I'm thinking of buying one too. I like the size and the user interface.

Here in Canada there are competing (small flash-based) MP3 players for about the price of the 2Gig, but they only have 1Gig.

The one downside, if you don't shop carefully, is the price of accessories. My daughter bought a Nexxtec 1Gig player, on-sale for $130 CDN. It's not a nano competitior because it isn't small and doesn't support playlists. But it did come with lanyard type headphones. For the nano they are a $50 CDN extra cost.

There is also the scratches issue. Some say it is no worse than other iPod models, some say it is much worse, and others say it is just more visible because of the black model.

If I go with the nano I'd probably get the white one and get one of the silicone* skins that give you a lanyard attachment. Then I won't worry about scratches and won't have to buy $50 lanyard headphones.

* one brand has a glow in the dark white silicone skin. It's tempting but their clear one looks better.

Greg
 

Kryosphinx

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IMO, the nano is nice, but it's so small that I'm afraid I'd lose it.
It's pretty expensive too. If you don't need that small of a size, then I'd say go with something else.
My bro just got an Olympus M-Robe 5gig for $100.
Just my 2 cents...
 

greenLED

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kongfuchicken said:
The battery life isn't as good as I'd want it to be

I heard it's 40 hours, which I'm not sure I fully believe. How much juice are you getting off a full charge cycle? Or maybe I should ask, how often do you absolutely need to recharge it?
 

greg_in_canada

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Kryosphinx said:
IMO, the nano is nice, but it's so small that I'm afraid I'd lose it.
It's pretty expensive too. If you don't need that small of a size, then I'd say go with something else.
My bro just got an Olympus M-Robe 5gig for $100.
Just my 2 cents...

I recall reading (dpreview maybe) that Olympus was discontinuing their music player line, scaling back on P&S cameras and focusing on DSLRs. So that may explain the great price. I noticed Londondrugs.ca is selling it for a good price too.

Greg
 

mccavazos

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I have a nano and I love it. Its a great player, and because it has support for AAC I love it even more. I have 4 gig model, and only 2 gigs of songs, so it is all that I need. I think that the battery life is advertised at 14hrs, and I am getting about that per charge. I attach it to its charger every night, so battery life has never been an issue, though I would agree that it could most defiantly benefit from a bit more. If you do get one GET A SCREEN PROTECTOR! It scratches relativly easily. Mine has quite a few battle scars on it. [I don't belive that there is anything else on the market that is the same size, storage capacity, and ability of teh nano. For 250, I don't think that it was that bad of a deal. And it is very small so becareful not to lose it!
 

Deanster

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I've got one, and it's a great player - small enough that I don't even need to think about whether to bring it - it just lives in my bag.

I'll confess that I just don't understand the battery life complaints. I took my nano on a flight from Seattle to Munich via Chicago, spent most of the 12 hours of flight time listening to the Nano, and it still had battery left when I arrived. What more do you want?

I guess I just can't imagine wanting to listen to so much music on my iPod that it wouldn't last at least a couple days without recharging... Do people really use their iPods 6-8 hours a day, and having it on the charger overnight every other day is a real burden?

So, I'd say it's an outstanding buy - 2G if you don't have much music, 4G if you have more, or if you like audiobooks.

We also got a 30G Video iPod, and for $50 more than a Nano, you get room for all the music/audiobooks/computer files you'll need, plus the capacity to play movies - my kids LOVED it on the airplane over thanksgiving weekend - I'd ripped a bunch of movies we have on DVD down to the right size, and they're about 300-500MB each - all ten movies, plus all my music and audiobooks have the iPod less than half full.
 

paulr

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Geez man, get the 4GB version if you get one at all. 4GB of plain flash memory costs almost as much. Other mfgrs are screaming because of the special deal Apple made with Samsung for flash chips cheap. It's supposed to have excellent sound and a good UI. Main complaint I've heard is that the case gets scratched up easily. So get a carrying case.
 

James S

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The nano's are nice. You wont be disappointed. Apple is using a better sound chip now than the previous generation of iPods and all the reviews say that they sound just that much better. Plus if you use the AAC encoding as opposed to MP3 when ripping CD's or recording things you'll like that improved quality at lower bitrates too.

As far as scratches, I'd put some write right over the screen perhaps, but just let the rest get scratched. It's supposed to get a patina of use and be all the more beautiful for it. It's not meant to be kept on the shelf.

Be careful to check your pockets when you do the laundry though. While the water wont hurt them, the dryer will destroy the battery :( With something that small to get lost in your pocket, thats always a danger!
 

goldenlight

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I have been watching the prices on high capacity MP3 players slowly drop; I hope to buy one for myself near or after Christmas, if the prices come down some more.

I found a website which reviews flash MP3 players, as well as HD based ones. I has a strong bias, which is readly evident from the URL:

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/

Lots of good reviews there. One really big advantage for the Ipods is the wide availability of after market accessories.

I think the anti iPod bias on this website is mainly based on the HD based iPods. However, since the iPod Nano is still out of my price range, I haven't researched it much.

One thing I've learned from the original iPod: I want a MP3 player that uses a AAA or AA battery. No expensive proprietary rechargeable cell(s) which (especially on the HD iPods) can be *very* expensive to replace.

Just my 2¢
 

Former_Mag_User

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I'm planning on getting one this week. I went to Best Buy this past weekend, but they didn't have any in black. They said to check back later this week.

It was either a Nano or a flashlight. :broke:

EDIT: For protection I have an invisibleSHIELD on order.
From the reviews I've read it seems to be a great product.

Review
 

greg_in_canada

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Former_Mag_User said:
I'm planning on getting one this week. I went to Best Buy this past weekend, but they didn't have any in black. They said to check back later this week.

It was either a Nano or a flashlight. :broke:

EDIT: For protection I have an invisibleSHIELD on order.
From the reviews I've read it seems to be a great product.

Review

It seems to be a great product (though expensive).

Have you seen the video this guy made of his shielded nano?
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=159380

And this tip for applying it seems useful:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=161572

Greg
 
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I don't know. People are raving about the Nano, but I still like my Ipod Mini the best. Great size, no fingerprint issues on the housing, not TOO small. I looked at the Nano but I just don't see it. I'm very happy with my Ipod Mini. After all, the Mini IS the best selling MP3 player of all time. Never understood why Apple would discontinue it in the first place.
 

analogguy

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Just bought myself a Nano, and got 3 more as Xmas gifts. Everything that has been said is all true. Case scratches easily and battery life can vary greatly (due to backlight settings, jumping between tracks, etc...) My 2 cents to the discussion is that while the stock ear buds are adequate, adding a good set of phones transforms the little bugger. Even listening to compressed files, the sound is pretty damned good with good phones.
 

Ras_Thavas

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Most of the anti iPod sentiment comes from a couple of factors.

The digital rights mangement that attaches itself to songs through iTunes.

The fact that you have to use iTunes to put stuff on it. Most people who are computer literate would rather have the device work like any other usb flash drive.

The iPod does have exceptional sound quality, and the iTunes software is very nice, if you happen to be in need of software to manage your music.

A good rated non iPod is the IRiver T30. I also have bought the Samsung YP-U1X and I am quite pleased with the sound quality.
 

Saaby

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The digital rights mangement that attaches itself to songs through iTunes.

Correction: iTunes Music Store.

Music you bring into iTunes, either by it already being on your computer, or by ripping it from CD, has no restrictions on it.
 

Former_Mag_User

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I bought mine today. It really is a great player. iTunes is also very easy to use, I've already purchased a whole album and transferred about 20 songs from albums I have, this was my first time using iTunes.

As of yet I have no complaints about the nano...
 
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