WHAT: Apple iPod Nano
COMPARE TO: Samsung P3, Creative Zen
PRICE: Starting at $149
FUN FACT: The fourth generation iPod Nano stopped using Firewire. Now all iPods use USB to connect to computers.
WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING: Because amongst the hoopla surroundings Apple's halo product, the iPhone and their upcoming iPad, it's easy to believe that Steve & Co. is all about touch screens and apps. Yeah, that may be all their touting in advertisements, but that's not what's paying their bills. Apple's best selling iPod is, and has been, the iPod Nano. It's a no-brainer as to why. It's the perfect medium between size and service: it's small enough to slip into your pocket, no matter how skinny your jeans may be; and the latest generation (5th) has more features than any iPod ever. Sometimes you just want something to play music, not tell you the weather, where to eat, what new drug LiLo is snorting or who Tigers latest jump off is. Dare we say, it's the perfect MP3 player? Read on to find out why....
Since Apple introduced the Nano back in 2005, it's gone through a number of design changes, but the 5th gen is our favorite (way better than the pudgy and stout third gen model). The form heavily resembles the second generation model, but there were some significant changes made. For one, it's the thinnest Nano yet, with tapered ends that flow into a slight pouch in the center. It's slightly shorter and slightly thinner. But the most noticeable difference is the 2.2 in screen with a resolution of 240 x 376 pixels. Next to the iPod Touch Screen, it's our favorite. Album covers are clear and crisp, and it's much more scratch resistant than past models, which is good since it will spend most of its life nestled into jean pockets next to keys, lighters, and year old condoms.
We know it looks good, but how does it operate as an actual MP3 player? Pretty damn good. Finding songs and videos and podcasts and whatever else you've stowed on there is simple using Apple's well known menu system. People have always complained about the iPod's lack of features—well, it seems Apple was listening. This time around, they threw everything anyone would need in a player: there's a voice recorder for memo's and notes to yourself, there's an FM radio for those of you still listening to the radio, there's, for whatever reason, a built in speaker, a pedometer for those health conscious folks and, the biggest addition of all—a video camera!
It's crazy. For less than the price of a Flip Cam, you can get an iPod Nano and pretty much do all the same things with a product that can plug and play perfectly with iMovie. It's a pretty decent camera, too, able to record 640x480 pixel video, up to 30 frames per second. It's pretty much all you need in a mobile camera. On top of that, you get a load of built in video effects like, Cyborg, Motion Blur, Stretch, Twirl and X-Ray. The only problem? It can't take photos! We can't understand why Apple wouldn't let you take photos with a camera that can already capture video. it seems like a no-brainer to us. On top of that, it takes a little time to get used to the weird placement of the camera. But that's a minor fault for a gadget that can basically do everything, including talk to you. If you don't need the touchscreen or the apps, and if you don't need bottomless storage (the Nano only goes up to 16gigs), the Nano is for you.
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