Apple - iPod Nano (2 GB) Review

I own a Creative Zen Jukebox 40 gig MP3 Player and swore I would never get an iPod. But, I won a $50.00 gift card to the Apple Store in a contest and, well, you know how that goes.

I searched around and saw the Apple iPod Nano Black (2 GB, MA099LL/A) MP3 Player and decided to get it. My other player is large and bulky and I wanted something small, light, and simple.

Well, it's small and light. The simple part isn't exactly accurate (but close).

I like this player now but, at first, I was unsure how to use the touch wheel and was always messing up the sound and all the features. However, my savvy sons, one of whom owns two iPods and the other who owns a different brand name player, got me up to speed.

This player holds enough songs to last all day and it also shows the album covers on the little screen.

I can set it to randomly play any song, just songs from my playlists or from certain bands, or basically any way I want to hear them.

Tossing songs onto the player is a snap now that I know how. The instruction booklet is helpful but my sons were better hands-on teachers.

Sound quality is good for such a thin, tiny player. The accompanying earbuds are not. I don't use them. I use my own lightweight set of headphones because earbuds hurt my ears and fall out.

Battery life is excellent. I used my iPod on a trip from New York to Baltimore (about 6 hours) and the battery was still alive when we arrived even though I had listened to the iPod pretty much the whole time in the car.

The player comes with a USB cord to hook up to your computer so you can download and manage songs and a battery charger. I bought a little speaker dock that I can set the player in and hear the music out loud rather than via headphones. There are lots of fun accessories for the Nano including cases, rubber coverings, decorative things, speakers, holders, lanyards, and more.

Mine is engraved with my name and phone number in the hopes that someone who finds it if I lose it will do the right thing. Ehh, well engraving was free.

I can set the stage. That is, I can choose from a variety of setting such as a big arena, an outdoor stage, a concert hall, etc. depending on the music type and my preference. Not necessary really but kind of cool.

In all, this iPod is much less "scary" than I expected and it sounds great. I am still not a huge fan of the touch wheel and I still mess up my settings from time to time but there's no harm done.

Conclusion

This is a great little player for runners, exercise enthusiasts, or people who like small units. I worry that I will lose this ultra thin, ultra small player but I bought a necklace that allows me wear it like a pendant and an arm band that holds the unit securely on my arm. So far, I only lost the thing once and it was discovered behind my computer desk.

For a secondary player, 2 gigs is fine. It fits an amazing amount of songs which can be deleted and changed as often as I want.

I like my iPod as much as I didn't think I would. I would prefer something LESS intuitive than a touch wheel because I am such a non-techie. Still, everything is pretty simple about the unit and, for being so small, it's durable and reliable.

4 stars. There is a slight learning curve that could be frustrating but, if you have any problems, I'll send in the troops (my sons) to help you set the unit up. :)