Apple iPod nano 4 GB Black (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $499.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $46.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod nano 4 GB Black (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: 4Gb iPod Nano is pricey, but may be worth it (read on)...
Summary: 2 Stars
UPDATE:
I have ended up buying an iPod Nano afterall. My first review was from my initial experience and what I learned from a few other owners. But after getting a chance to use one for a full day, I came to realize that some of my earlier complaints about the Nano needed revisiting and so I decided it was time to buy it (note: the $50 extra for 2 more Gb is worth it!)
#1: Durability - overall, the unit is well made. The "click wheel" is smaller than the standard iPod, but still works as well. It is a very small device, so it is easy to drop it. I have heard it is fragile upon dropping onto a hard surface. Also, the shiny surfaces are scratch prone (both the glossy plastic front and the chrome back). So the best way to avoid these kinds of problems is to cloak the Nano in a casing of your choice (see below). Once you do that, you're good to go.
#2: Form factor - it really is "just right". It's small enough to fit in your pocket and yet large enough to hold comfortably in your hand. I'd actually prefer it to be slightly thicker and accommodate 8Gb! But for what Apple did with this device design, I have to applaud them. It is solid feeling, yet light enough to strap on your arm and not really notice it is there (great for the gym or running!). The iPod Nano will display album art, but the screen is a bit on the small side... I made my own album images for my songs (300x300, so you see them well, easily found on the Internet by searching Google Images) and associated them with my music in iTunes. When you load the songs onto your iPod, the images automatically go with them.
#3: Cost - Comparatively speaking, $249 for a 4Gb MP3 player is STEEP, considering what the unit delivers and the sparse included accessories. When you go out and buy a protective case and other necessary items, like a USB POWER ADAPTER so you can charge the iPod when not connected to a computer (yep, can you believe they don't give you this?), a DOCK (they give you the CABLE only!), and upgraded headphones (if you find the earbuds annoying), the cost will add up to quite a hefty sum if you buy the accessories from Apple. I've found good non-OEM accessory makers out there (check closely on auction websites), so you can definitely do better.
#4: Sound quality - Overall, it's very good (depending on your environment, sound file quality, and ear sensitivity). Most MP3 players do not send relatively much power to the headphone jacks, so they give you cheap ones to mask this. The default earbuds with the Nano are OK--certainly good enough for a workout session in a noisy gym. But if you're an audiophile and require top grade sound all the time, you may be disappointed. I recommend testing out the Nano in the Apple store with your own preferred earbuds/headphones to judge for yourself. I bought a nice set of over-the-ear headphones that the Nano drives reasonably well. I am considering getting a portable headphone amplifier for long trips, though.
#5: File management - you have to use iTunes to get songs onto your iPod. That's ok--iTunes is a decent music management program. However, it works seamlessly ONLY if you use Apple's proprietary AAC encoding. This will take all of your MP3 files and convert them to AAC, then load them into the iTunes library. The file size is a little smaller, but the sound quality is not consistently good. To convert files back to MP3 format, you'll find a noticeable sound quality loss. Personally, I REFUSE to lose music portability and so I'm sticking with MP3 format. In order to do this, you have to sacrifice the iTunes synchronization feature. I think this may also explain why when copying songs onto my iPod via playlists, I end up getting duplicate songs--the iPod does not seem to know how to link an incoming playlist to songs that may already be on the iPod. Very annoying. I find I have to periodically clear my Nano and completely reload. But that's OK--even with the 4Gb Nano, it's not a very long time to reload it.
#6: Battery life - I have to say that this is the first device I've had that has a very even power meter display. Most of the time battery powered devices (like cell phones) will indicate a full charge for a long time and then drop off quickly. The Nano power meter diminishes very evenly. In fact, when the meter hits the "red" zone, your iPod can go for another 3-4 hours. I conducted my own power test--I fully loaded the Nano and let it play from a full charge. At the end of 12 hours, it was done. Ok, not the 14 hours that Apple claims, but close enough. Keep in mind, this was undisturbed playing and at 3/4 volume level. The backlight of the Nano takes up a lot of power, so I keep mine set to a 2 second shut off (the default is 10 seconds).
ACCESSORIES: If you plan to use the Nano for working out, I recommend getting a case that will allow you to strap it to your arm. I bought a silicone-gel kind of case for the nano that has openings in the back for a velcro strap. Works great! Definitely get a wall charger (so you can charge the Nano independently of your computer). And if you want to use your iPod with a stereo system or to have it propped up nicely on your desk, get a docking station. I have a friend that bought a car FM transmitter for the iPod so he can play it through his stereo--it works pretty well.
I really do like the Nano. But I have to admit that I have a few grudges: the tiny 1.5" screen (I think 2" should have been possible), the lack of a brightness control (the Nano becomes a flashlight in the dark it is so bright--unnecessary, as I'd rather save the power), tiny storage for what you get (an 8Gb chip should fit in this form factor), and lack of built-in features like FM receiver and direct memory card file transfers. I bought my Nano primary for exercise, with the intention of getting a larger PMP (portable media player) for storing my complete collection of music as well as favorite photos. It's important to set aside the Nano "coolness" factor and really look at this device for what it should deliver on FOR THE PRICE. If your main purpose for getting an MP3 player is to hear music during workouts, and you don't need a large library of music with you when traveling, then the Nano may appeal to you. However, if you are ok with the standard iPod size, I recommend going with a full size iPod or a Creative Labs device (Nomad Zen or Zen Vision).
TIP: When you first get the Nano, utilize the protective film already on the front as a screen protector, by trimming it in between the screen and the click wheel (your case will protect the rest). If you do it carefully, the film will remain nicely in place without air bubbles and will last a good long while. Eventually, after the film acquires enough scratches, buy the screen protector film readily on the market!
Customer Review: Amazing technological leap doesn't even look real!
Summary: 4 Stars
You have to physically handle and hold the new iPod Nano to believe it is real. It is approximately 1 ounce in weight, so almost unnoticable on your person - whether it's in a pocket or an armband. The small color screen is stunningly brilliant in brightness and color definition.
The black iPod shows fingerprints more prominently than the white version - but ooh la la, it is most sexilicious to look at! I'd personally love to see one of these in red as well.
Because they are so new, third party vendors haven't had much of a chance to make cases and other products for the Nano.
There are only a handful of already existing products out there that are already compatible with the Nano...
Available FM Transmitters:
Forget the iTrip and those of that ilk - current versions won't work with the Nano. Your choices for now are the Belkin (which is buggy) and the Monster iCar Play Plus. The Monster version isn't cheap, but it's an integrated charger and FM transmitter and is one of the best out there.
Available Cases:
The Apple branded armband - looks like a glorified bandaid in the case, but looks decent when you wear it
Apple branded Tubes - good luck finding one, most Apple Stores still haven't gotten any in stock
Apple branded iPod Socks - designed for the older iPods, they work fine with the Nano - but can cause minor scratches
Available Speakers that Charge:
The JBL OnStage - fits fine, sounds great
The Bose Sound Dock - is visibly off-center, but fits fine, sounds freakin' awesome
Altec Lancing's IM3 for full and mini - fits but sound is lackluster
Klipsch - sounds great... Nano is greatly dwarfed, however by such large equipment... akin to building a superdome around a book of matches.
By the time you read this review, 10 other vendors will have probably already submitted their patents and copyrights to lawyers for new gizmos.
Apple has announced that the new configuration of how the Nano connection is set up will be the NEW standard for all forthcoming iPods... this will help vendors make products more quickly and without quaking in their boots that by the time they get something to market, it will be outdated - and should encourage lots of new development like we have yet to have seen thus far in the iPod accessory industry.
The Nano adds a World Clock, a stop watch and a combination lock to the "extras" menu. The famous silver back collects scratches and fingerprints exactly like its counterparts - but this is a known - get a case to protect your investment. Contrary to what another reviewer posted, the Nano is not "fragile" - far from it. There are no moving parts - so you could probably use this as a hacky-sack for an hour without fazing it.
At least one consumer has published their own abuse study of the Nano, running it over with a car and throwing it from a moving car at 55mph before finally rendering it useless after a 40 foot drop onto cement. The screen makes it a tad more vulnerable than the shuffle... but it's a sturdy piece of industrial art.
My less than perfect rating is for the following:
1.) No firewire support - even if you have a dock connector to firewire cable, you won't be able to use it - it is USB 2.0 only. What is Apple thinking? Hello! Remember your loyal Mac users who prefer FireWire?
2.) Sole earphone jack is too close to dock connector - using a splitter probably precludes charging it at the same time.
3.) No extra jack or connector on flipside so remote can be added while it charges... so if and when the vendors make recorders, remotes and other goodies for the Nano, you won't be able to use them in tandem with a charging solution.
4.) No bluetooth. Why is this an issue? More and more items are becoming BT enabled. One application I can think of right now is a Nano finder. The Nano is almost weightless and very thin - if you misplace it, how are you going to find it? If it had BT and you had (for example) a Nano finder on a keychain, clicking it could send a signal to your Nano to make audible clicks. Just an idea. This review loses a star for the other reasons, however, not this one... but come on, Apple!
5.)Still no way to get custom logo engraving via Apple unless you're a corporation with a large order... third party vendors are now doing laser engraving so you can put photos of pets, kids, yourself, your logo, etc. on the back of your iPod - but Apple offers no such solution. Considering that stamps.com allows you to make your own legal US postage with a photo of your pet, and they are able to prevent porn and other objectionable imagery through, there is no reason why Apple cannot make this accommodation.
6.) Limited (still!) photo capabilites. Compact Flash cards are like diamonds - the bigger they are, the more they are per carat (or rather, per MB). The iPod Photo camera connector connects a camera just fine - but not to the Nano! There is no explanation for this - it still uses a dock connector, but won't work w/ the Nano. The camera connector isn't that great to begin with, because you can ONLY use it to connect an iPod to a camera, not to a compact flash or multi reader... so if you're out in the field taking photos, you can't take them until your photos download and you waste your battery in your camera. If you could attach a card reader to the connector and download photos for storage on your iPod while simultaneously shooting more photos with your camera using a different card so you can swap without losing precious shooting time. Camera connector shortcomings notwithstanding, it doesn't work with the Nano. I know I already stated this, but I'm still frustrated.
The part of me that loves Apple's innovative technology and design wanted to give this incredible gizmo 5 stars - but there is still overt room for improvement and I know Apple can do this!
Customer Review: Normal use scuffs, but nothing that hinders its wonderful functionality
Summary: 5 Stars
The nano is not features heavy since it was designed for frequent use of its key function, which is playing music. In that respect, I've found everything about the nano to be designed for greatest convenience. I own an older player with a radio and voice recorder, which I thought would be really cool, but I never use those features with any frequency for them to be worth it.
Initially I was annoyed that I couldn't nest folders/playlists, but I realized that the automatic iPod categories such as Artist and Album are a much better idea since it is easier to scroll through long lists with the excellent and responsive clickwheel than it would be to scroll and click through various nested folders. More importantly, the clickwheel is the only design I've seen that allows the user to access every feature without changing hand position or using two hands. The simple design also minimizes the need to feel out which button to press. It is, however, a bit easy to accidentally turn up the volume, so using the hold button is not really optional.
The LCD is beautiful, though sometimes I wish I could adjust the backlight brightness to conserve battery, since the default setting seems to be an 'under direct sunlight' setting that is almost like a flashlight in complete darkness. I just adjusted the backlight timer to the shortest possible, so it is not a big deal.
Battery life is around 7 hours for me (with frequent skipping and volume adjustment), which is good enough considering it is a lithium ion rechargeable. I have not found the charge to be long at all. The first charge was less than 3 hours and subsequent "fill 'er up" charges (the battery is usually halfway drained) have been only a hour or so. At any rate, my computer is always on at some point during the day and it's a simple matter of remembering to plug the iPod in while I'm on the computer. If I go on a trip, I always take CDs and a CD player just in case I end up purchasing a CD on the trip and want to hear it, so I haven't felt the need for the power adaptor.
Uploading music has also not taken as long as I feared it would. Ripping tracks into the format I wanted was the real time-consuming part, but uploading to the iPod took only a few minutes (for the 4GB model). The only explanation I can think of for the long charges and uploads is that possibly the USB port on the computer being used is USB 1.0 instead of USB 2.0, which is the optimal speed for the nano. I use the iPod primarily as a temporary high-quality repository for songs that I feel like listening to at the moment and I change the playlists pretty often, so maybe I don't mind the frequent computer connection as much as some others.
If I were to really nitpick, the nano isn't my ideal player, but there are no ideal players on the market, and for a flash player of its design, storage capacity and physical size, it's well worth it, especially considering that the customer support for other players seems non existant. I read many reviews before purchasing my nano and the other choices seemed far riskier, what with short warranties, easily broken parts, unpredictable touchpad sensitivity, and software/firmware craziness.
I've used iTunes on PC as well as Mac, and it's never given me any trouble. It's true that there are things that you can't change about it - like appearance - but I haven't encountered another music playing software with search (this is why mp3s need to have info entered) and sharing functions that are as convenient and powerful. Furthermore, at least you can uninstall iTunes on a PC, which is more than I can say for WMP on a Mac. Again, iTunes is not perfect, but I'm not so stubborn that I can't adjust.
As for the scratching issue, it sounds like people are looking to buy a piece of jewelry, not a music player. I have a black nano, and yes, there are very slight scuff marks on it, but that's what you would expect from normal use for any piece of plastic. Functionality isn't affected in any way, and that's the real reason to buy this player. Personally I like to carry mine in a coat or a shirt pocket, where there isn't as much movement and wear as a pants pocket.
I'm not sure why people expect Apple to refund or replace their dropped nanos. The manual for any electronic device will state dropping it is a disaster and not covered under warranty. You cannot drop a product you're not supposed to drop and expect the company to accept responsibility. It's unreasonable to expect the sort of treatment people seem to be demanding. Apple has been very accomodating so far and in general their customer service is far better than that of most other large corporations. Let's not kid ourselves; $250 is a lot, but in the consumer electronics market, it's hardly high-end.
If you suspect the nano will be too small and fragile for you, or if you've dropped other portables before, simply do not buy one. The nano was meant to be small, not rugged.
Customer Review: Amazing technology!
Summary: 4 Stars
First the good, then the bad.
After using this for a week I still cannot believe the incredibly tiny size!! I know it's hardly any shorter than the iPod Mini and not that much narrower, but believe me... the thinness of the device REALLY makes it feel small and it is incredibly lightweight. I can have it in the shirt pocket of my SILK shirt and it isn't even noticeable!
As for durability, I haven't had it long enough (or tried dropping it) to find out, but I read an online review of the iPod Nano recently and they put it through all kinds of abuse and it still worked. Anyway, even though it is so tiny and lightweight, it actually still feels like a well constructed, solid, good-quality device. It doesn't feel cheap at all.
Just so you know... THE SCRATCHING ISSUE IS NOT A PROBLEM anymore. I was told that it was just the first run of iPod Nanos produced that had this issue. The one I bought is fine. I've been carrying it around for days now and there are no scratches. There are, however, a multitude of fingerprints all over it (they are most noticeable on the silver back) but no scratches yet (knock on wood!) At least the fingerprints are removable!
Now, I can't really comment too much on the battery life because I never use it for more than a couple of hours before I connect it to the computer again (and of course, this charges it). But just as a test I tried setting the screen backlight to "always on" and setting it on repeat play, and it still took several hours to drain the battery. And I usually have the backlight turned off (set so it only turns on when I hold down the menu button) because the color screen is actually still reasonably visible under average lighting conditions (like on the bus, etc.) without using the backlight at all. This should extend battery life significantly.
But... there are a few things I don't like about the iPod Nano. First of all, I find that if I use any of the EQ effects (especially Bass Booster), over half of my songs are distorted. And I know that this is not a result of the MP3 files being ripped improperly because they have always played fine on any of my previous MP3 players (non-iPods), with various sets of headphones. I bought a 20GB iPod about 2.5 years ago which had this same problem so I took it back and decided not to buy iPods for a while. When I bought the iPod Nano I was assuming that they would have fixed this problem by now, but I guess not. But, since I REALLY love the tinyness of the iPod Nano and can't resist it, I've decided to live with keeping my EQ effects "off" to avoid the distortion. I'm going to see if I can get some better headphones with more bass.
Another thing I don't like is that the iPod Nano cannot play regular AAC files that were created with another program. It will only play AAC files (.M4A) that were either purchased online through the iTunes store, or ripped from a CD using iTunes. This normally wouldn't be such a big deal except that I had prepared the AAC files ahead of time. Since I had to wait a couple of weeks for a 4GB iPod Nano to be in stock, and I had read that the iPod Nano could play AAC files, I spent a lot of time converting all my 128kbps MP3 files to 64kbps AAC files (so I could still fit most of my music collection on the Nano). After all this work, I discovered that the iPod Nano couldn't play them and am in the midst of re-encoding them from CD. And to make matters worse, since all my original CDs are in storage since I moved, for each album I have to burn an audio CD-RW first, then label all the tracks manually and rip it again through the iTunes software. I would think that for any previous iPod owner this probably won't be an issue if you've already got your AAC files, unless you want to change to a different bitrate. Personally, I can hardly notice a difference in the sound quality between my 128kbps MP3's and 64kbps AAC's, so having this option is a definite plus for me.
One thing to keep in mind if you purchase an iPod Nano: it will still cost you more money after you buy it! First of all, the battery will only charge through USB or an optional $30 accessory adaptor so you can plug it into the wall. So, you're either going to be spending $30 to buy the adaptor to charge it from the wall outlet, or spending more money on your monthly power bill for having to keep your power-hungry PC turned on all night while the iPod Nano charges off the USB.
Other minor problems:
- volume can only be adjusted from the "now playing" screen (a dedicated volume control wheel on the side would be nice!
- you need to connect it to a PC (and leave PC on!) to charge it
- most songs have distorted sound if you use the EQ effects
Anyway, it's still a good player and I still can't believe how TINY IT IS! I still recommend it as long as you can get past the minor shortfalls I mentioned above.
Customer Review: Very Delicate MP3 Device that is way cool
Summary: 4 Stars
This device is fantastic. It holds a ton of music... 1000 songs is quite enough room to enjoy a whole genre of music (and I have +10k Mp3's)... it is very sleek in design, and quite small, and nano like...
so a quick Pro and Con:
Pro:
1. Small. This is great to throw into your pocket (but put in a case!)
2. Menu's on the Nano are really easy to use, and has a lot of options that are not useless... calander is nice.. as well as the clock.. but the most attractive is the ease of use for getting to your music. A slow monkey could figure this one out.
3. Good/Great sound. This device has good pump to it. Not much else to say other than that...
4. Battery... well, this is a pro and a con... the battery is adverted as something like 18 hours. There is no way you can get even close to that. I get like 6 hours top. And, even though apple once again lied about the battery life (I have owned four other Ipods of which never made any of their adverted battery lives) 6 hours is still very good amount. -what gets me is this... I can't figure out why it is that the nano doesn't get 18 hours.. I mean, there is no moving parts... the screen is nice, but it isn't that super bright.. and it is small... hmmm.
5. Flash memory. I have always... always.. been a major fan of flash memory ever since I first read about it a couple of years ago. This has made the nano a big time operator in the field of Mp3's.
6. It looks great. Why do all the other Mp3 players look like they were made in a 198o's communist country? They are way ugly. WAY WAY UGLY. Matter of fact, apple is not all that great in the internal design or ruggedness of thier iPods.. I have replaced 3 of the four I have bought.. so they stinko when it comes to durability - but they look so much nicer than the way ugly stuff offered by Dell, or any of the other ones (creatives stuff is just missing a gene)... Sony is supposed to have a model out using flash, but have not seen it yet.. lets hope they can construct something that is not just way ugly. So, apple whups up on the competition in many areas, but one area is the appearance of the product... Who wants to spend 200 dollars on something that looks like S$$T?? Not me. And apparently not millions of other people.
Cons.
1. Battery, see what I wrote above. Like I said earlier, it is enough battery for me at 6. hours..... but it would have been nice if it would have got close to the adverted battery life ...
2. It is prone to scratchness and difficult fingerprinting. But, having read about that, I bought a case... and the fingerprints are hard to remove.. which is annoying... materials could have been better chosen I think...
3. I think the usb could have been used better. Not crazy about the hook up at the bottom of the nano.. why not just regular USB hook up, instead of this crazy wide thing? Silly. The Hook up on the shuffle is superior to this. but o well.
Overall a great device, but not five star. I like it a lot, and when I get through with it, I will most likely toss it in the bin and get another.
I bought the case/skins from Apple. They came in a case of five, and I picked out the lime green one to put on. It was skin SKIN SKIN tight. Very hard to get on, but once it was on, it was very sleek. Actually, when you show someone the nano, you will have to tell them that the case is already on, it is that tight. And, it is rubberish... and grabs the hand when you touch it.. very good to keep it from slipping out of your hand, etc... when moving. I really REALLY recommend these cases, due to them protecting it, and over all 'cool' factor. I place mine in my pocket and have had no issues with the case on it.
I liked the apple skins, they were nice... but my wife went out at christmas and bought me and INCASE case for my ipod, and it is vastly superior to any case I have had for any of my iPods, and I have had four of them. So, do yourself a favor, and protect your iPod with Incase cases. They are under 30 dollars and are made of leather and are quite rugged. Have had mine since Xmas o5 and it is March o6 now, and no signs of wear as of yet. Quite good.
Have fun