iPod Nano

Apple's replacement for the iPod mini has been launched and mine arrived today so here's my own very special blog review.

It seems as though Apple, can't really put a foot wrong when it comes to music. With over half a billion legal downloads, ten million registered users and 2 million tracks to choose from, iTunes is top of the pops when it comes to the digital music store but iTunes didn't just 'happen'. ITunes itself, has been built on apple's 'platinum' musical reputation which it earned when the world first cast a cautious glimpse over one of the new millenniums most iconic gadgets, the iPod.

The concept of music on the move is certainly not new and it certainly wasn't Apple's invention either. It was Sony who made the breakthrough with its cassette 'Walkman' and even though one of mine was knicked from my person after a biking accident, I was hardly ever seen outside without headphones and when I wasn't falling off bikes, I was carelessly crossing the road with countless near misses thanks largely to my mobile entertainment device. It's because of this history that I feel perfectly qualified to cast my reviewing eyes (and ears) over the new iPod Nano.

I grew up with portable music players; be it cassette, CD, minidisc or mp3, I've owned them all. I even had a cool DAT recorder once which offered incredible sound quality before I dropped it. After which it had an incredible rattle. The iPod nano enjoys excellent quality using AAC encoding and with he capacity for approximately one thousand songs, it all adds up to a vast music collection on the go.

The sound is delivered to the listener through the infamous white ear buds which provide a medium quality sound to the listener. Anyone who invests in a high quality pair of headphones will vouch for the iPod's quality. The battery will pump out music for 14 hours too so there's plenty of juice in there for tunes on the go.

The iPod used iTunes software to manage its contents and the software is just as well designed as the player. The two seem to be an extension of each other and changes to one will reflect on the other when they are connected together once again.

Size wise, its about an inch wider than a standard business card and its less than a centimeter thick so its easy to find a pocket for it and although I wouldn't choose the back pocket, the unit does feel sturdy and well built so I wouldn't worry too much about wear and tear.

The Nano can also be used as an external harddrive which connects over USB2 and you can also store your photo's on it for viewing on its compact yet clear colour screen, you can even play pictures and music together too.

With added games, alarm clocks, stopwatches, calendars and more, the iPod nano loses none of the functions of its bigger brothers and after a days use I can say without doubt that this is the best iPod I have ever owned. It may not be quite as useful to me as my iPod Shuffle but the Nano will undoubtedly work right into my lifestyle like countless walkmans and music players before it and that for me, is a recommendation in itself.