Apple iPod Nano 8GB - Pink - 6th Generation

Most of the Mp3 players I have owned have been of the Apple brand, which have been- The ipod mini, 2nd Gen Nano and 3rd Gen Apple. With my 3rd gen ipod reaching the end of its lifespan and my cd collection out growing my Ipods capacity I was looking to buy a new Ipod.

Now I'm not stupid enough to waste my money on the Ipod classic or an Ipod touch (might as well get the Iphone), I knew that there was no point in investing in an Ipod shuffle as it would have no where near that capacity I would need to accommodate my music, so my natural instinct would be to go for the Ipod nano 6th Gen.

When I looked at what the new Nano the Ipod had to offer, I met it with quite a bit of apprehension as when I fist saw it I thought it was like an Ipod shuffle, but with a touch screen. However, after closer inspection I think it is probably the best Ipod Apple has made and here is why:

Price: some people have actually complained that the Nano comes with fewer features, but maintains its price. Well I don't really want an Ipod which can take pictures and video recording. Also having looked around the internet, the 5th Gen Nano is a lot more expensive than the 6th Gens.

Size: Yes it is small, but then it is an Ipod Nano. Also even though it is small, the screen display is rather sharp and there writing of song and album titles is very legible.

Functionality: Gone is the Ipod iconic wheel, replaced by the touch screen. I believe that this improves navigation as you are able to work your way into different areas a lot quicker and easer. There are also buttons which help you in increase or decrease the volume and also there is another button which is used to turn the ipod on/off, it can also be toggled to be used to stop/play music or skip tracks.

I have also heard people complain about the shake to shuffle feature saying that when they are out jogging it can cause the tracks to skip; well this function can actually be turned off. Another neat function I found is that the new Nano comes equipped with a clip; this comes incredibly handy if you are out jogging, or are wearing clothing which doesn't accommodate pockets.

The only negative side of the new nano is that the battery life isn't as strong as the previous nanos, but then which apple products are these days? However, the battery life has never really bothered me as I mainly use it on my daily commute to work or if I'm out running, either way I easily have access to charging facilities.

On the whole this is a great product. It is nice and compact (just like a nano should be). It has easy functionality and navigation. It comes equipped with some neat little factions. So if you're purely interested in listening to music the Nano 6th Gen is the Mp3 for you. Ignore all the other negative comments as it seems to me that they are made by people who are looking for an excuse to moan.

I have only been using my new nano for a couple of weeks, but I'm already hooked.

I bought it as an alternative to my old 1GB shuffle. I was finding the lack of a screen and small capacity very frustrating, so 8GB is a luxury for me!

It is very attractive, as you'd expect from Apple. I have added a silicone skin and screen protector to mine to keep it scratch free.

I like the menus and how you scroll through them, they are arranged into 'artists', 'albums', 'tracks' and 'audiobooks' etc with a button on the main menu for each. The buttons are the right size for my fingers and easy to use on the go.

The shake to shuffle function looks a bit odd to people watching but it is handy not to have to look through menus to change a track.

Radio is easy to set and use.

A bonus for me is the pedometer which I didn't know existed until I booted it up. It is linked to the 'Nike plusactive' website it tracks your steps and shows how far you've walked. I find I challenge myself to do a few extra steps every day.

Sound quality is fine from the standard headphones, but I use my own headphones with it because I find them more comfortable.

Battery life is good, I wish it came with a mains charger but they can be bought separately.

Overall I'm delighted with my new toy!

I have had my ipod nano a few days now and here is my review:
Appearance and general:
This thing is tiny! It has a 1.5 inch screen and is very thin and light. I got mine in a pink colour and it look fantastic!
The battery life is impressive. You can get hours of playback- I think I get about 20...
Loading music on is very easy. You need to install itunes and load up any CDs and then they can be synced onto the device.
Features:
Here are all of the features on the ipod nano:
Playlists.
You simply elet your favourite songs and create your own albums. I find this feature very useful when I just want to listen to half an hour of my favourite songs.
Genius mixes.
This is a feature where, from what you have been listening to and what is in your library, it suggests new songs and albums for you to try. I found this feature good at times but it mostly goes unused.
Music.
This, obviously, is the main part of the ipod. You can select what songs to play via Artists, Songs, Albums, Genres or composers. Music quality is excellent, but I would recommend that you buy some half decent headphones. You can shake to shuffle. There is a voiceover feature, by holding on the button on the apple earphones, it can tell you what song you are listening to and who it is by in a robot voice. I do not use this feature and so did switch to better quality earphones.
Radio.
Not the best. But what, really, can you expect? Some stations have decent quality, like the local stations the nano finds for you. You can select certain stations as your favourites, and then you can find them easily. You can also stop and rewind the radio.
Podcasts.
High quality stuff. There are loads of podcasts to choose from, for free, on the itunes store. It does not play any podcast that are video and not audio, instead you can listen to it whilst you see a freeze frame.
Settings.
You can basically change the brightness wallpaper, set a pedometer goal, change photo settings and other settings.
Photos.
The photos are incredibly high quality. You can play slideshows where they zoom in on the photos.
Fitness.
A basic pedometer. You can also view your pedometer personal bests and your workout totals.
Clock.
As you would expect. Also includes a stopwatch and timer.

The bottom line is that it is a very good divice. Some people may be missing the video and camera features. But I do not. The small size and shape just wouldn't be suitable for video or a camera.
Basically, I LOVE IT!