iPod Reviews

Apple, the creators of the most popular media players, was under criticism for their devices low battery stand. It was said that the battery was not as good as they claimed to be and the iPods were also very prone to scratches. Apple iPod Nano 4GB second generation has set new standards for gadget designs and has made the technology very flexible. Apple seems to have addressed the above mentioned issues and its consumers are delighted with the player’s performance. Apple’s first generation Nano 4GB was the first ever 4 GB flash players and the thinnest one. Apple has now unleashed the second generation of 4GB Nano. This iPod Nano does not have too many changes from that of its predecessor. The bigger iPod’s capabilities are inherited by iPod Nano 4GB with its bright color screen. With some supported upgrades, we are having a phenomenal MP3 player in front of us.

Design:

This Apple iPod Nano 4GB has avoided its simple white colour of its previous generation and has come in black and four other vibrant metallic colors like green, pink, blue and silver. The casing is similar to that of iPod mini. Its body casing is made of smooth anodized aluminium. Hence this case the iPod will not only be less scratch-prone, but also very hard-wearing. This Nano model has the click wheel control, the “hold button” is at the iPod’s top. This click wheel is very sensitive to touch. Above the click wheel is the small 35mm screen. This player’s bottom edge sports the headphone jack and a proprietary dock connector. Second generation Nano is only slightly thinner and taller than the first gen Nano.

Features:

Display:
The display in iPod Nano 4gb 2nd generation 40% brighter than the first generation. This display uses a new video technology that not only gives a lustrous picture, but also allows for the most brilliant pictures available. Though the screen is very small, it is perfectly adequate for providing sharp and colorful arts of the album cover and the text is also very easy to read. The artist and the track player is also displayed in the screen which was absent in its previous generation. The battery life status is displayed in the screen, a very welcome feature. If it indicates green, it requires no charging now but if it glows red, then you will have to charge soon. If you press the center button when the track is playing, the screen displays the track time line, and when you press it once more, a clear, bigger image of the album artwork is presented to you. The backlight provided is handy when in low-light areas, but do not keep it on for too long as it might eat up your battery backup.

Navigation:
Apple iPod 4gb Nano is easy to navigate, yet the first time users may take some time to get used to this model. The main menu has options for settings, photos, music, extras and shuffle songs. The search function is available and hence if you do not remember the location of it, you can just make use of this handy function.

Some handy features:
This revamped Nano still lacks FM tuner and so, in order to listen to the FM radio in Nano, you have to get a radio remote of Apple. For recording, a different accessory has to be picked like the Belkin’s tune talk. This iPod Nano supports photo viewing and album art. You can view the photos in a 3 x 3 thumbnail preview grid. The absence of video playback is prominent and this is because many of Nano’s competitors offer it. Even if apple has included the video playback feature, Nano’s small screen would have not complemented it. This unit has included some handy features like the contact book, calculator and a locking feature to keep you iPod away from prying eyes.

The iTunes:
As the CD is omitted with the package, the itunes has to be downloaded from the web. This is not a complicated task. All you need to do is, just follow the on screen instructions and agree to a couple of user agreements and then register your iPod. Then connect the dock connector to one end and the USB side to a port on your PC. From then on it is a long wait for you as the player takes around 4 hours to get fully charged. Once the charging process is over, you can then set up an account with the itunes store and begin to transfer songs to your player.

Apple iPod Nano 2G is now capable of playback sans any hesitations found in the previous generation, but it must be delegated to iTunes 7 to be break-free. This upgraded version of itunes has made the usability of this iPod excellent. Once the iTunes software is installed, all you need to do to get set is, just connect the phone to your PC and the syncing can be done either automatically or manually. Manual syncing is necessary only if you are intending to sync with more than one library.

Compatibility:
Apple iPod 4gb Nano is compatible with the protected AAC files, AAC lossless, MP3, WAV, AIFF and Audible files.

Performance:

Apple iPod Nano 4GB has doubled its battery life to a respectable 24 hours. The sound quality has not changed from its previous version and has continued to do an excellent job. Since the processor is very fast, the navigation was speedy and the photos also loaded quickly. Selections are snap with the single click mouse wheel. The games menu is still loaded with the four games that the previous generation contained.

Package:

The tiny clear see-through plastic casing of 2G Nano includes everything that you may be requiring for the basic usage. These include a dock adaptor, a USB cable for syncing/charging, a pair of white ear buds, quick start guide, a user agreement with warranty information which covers the product for one year and two apple logo stickers. Though the head-phone provided is clumsy, the external speaker attached to the headphone jack does a great job. IPod Nano 4GB comes with 1 year warranty.

Apple has not brought about any new drastic features in this competitive world of the MP3 players, but a few advancements from its previous generations such as the brighter display, longer battery life and gapless playback are definitely welcome. With its new design and performance enhancements, this generation Nano is recommended for sure.

Technical Specification Details of Apple iPod Nano 4GB - 2nd Generation

other Apple iPod Reviews

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• Apple iPod Classic 160gb
• Apple iPod shuffle 1GB Review