Apple iPod nano 8 GB Silver (3rd Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $299.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $64.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod nano 8 GB Silver (3rd Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: Quality Has Never Been This Cheap
Summary: 5 Stars
The reason I bought my iPod nano was because of the amazing drop in price. I had always despised that Apple priced the 8GB nano and the 30GB video equally because there was such a huge difference in memory yet the nano was just as pricey. When I saw my friend's iPod and found out that it could play video I was extremely shocked that the price had gone down so much compared to the 2G nanos.
The sound quality of the nano is very good. For those ripping CDs at higher bitrates you will not be disappointed. The slightly tinny sound that used to come from previous nano models is now gone and you can enjoy sound quality closer to that of larger iPods. For those seeking high quality audio in a small flash based player you will not be disappointed.
The biggest and most obvious change besides the new shape is that the interface now includes album covers when scrolling. This is a nice addition but doesn't make a huge difference. Cover Flow is nice too but if you're like me and your songs don't all have album covers iTunes tells me I need an account and I just can't be bothered then it's not going to be used much.
Video quality is surprisingly good on the smallish screen. Colors are bright and images are sharp. I have only tried watching music videos and short clips on the screen and am not sure how comfortable it is to watch full length movies and TV shows.
The new shape is really an improvement. Not only is the screen wider but it fits in your hand more snugly than the skinnier nanos. I also prefer the look because it seems more proportional. Of the colors I chose silver. I don't really like the pastelle-y blue and green but the red and black look quite nice. Color is really up to you though.
Obviously the memory still isn't that huge but I'm able to put most of my music collection and some short videos on the 8GB it provides. If you know that you need more space don't waste your money on this. It's a waste of time to buy something and then complain about how it doesn't suit your needs when you knew how much space it had before you bought it.
Some bad things:
The top of my scroll wheel sometimes gets sticky and I have to press the menu button to get it running smoothly again.
My computer often doesn't register the iPod in iTunes but restarting the "iPod Service" fixes this really quickly so it's not a huge issue.
The headphone jack and the dock connector are next to each other so if you want to have an FM Transmitter that connects via the 3.5mm jack and a charger that plugs into the dock connector space might be an issue.
Having the hold switch on the bottom makes it hard to lock your iPod using only one hand.
Customer Review: Almost perfect, just needs a little bit more memory
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my third iPod, but my first flash-based one. I really like the form factor of the new iPod Nano. While some people have complained about it being fatter than the previous gen Nano, it's still wonderfully small, thin, and light. The new Nano is also shorter, which personally I think makes it a better fit for small places like the coin pocket of your jeans w/o sticking out and jabbing you.
I had previously held out on getting a flash-based iPod because the storage capacity wasn't quite enough to hold my iTunes library (currently ~12GB in size). I was disappointed that the new Nano still has the same 8GB capacity as the 2nd gen Nano, but I just couldn't wait any longer. Too many cool features to resist, I would just have to trim down my playlists a little.
BTW, an "8GB" iPod Nano actually only has 7.41GB of usable storage space. Presumably some of that missing storage is due to formatting, the iPod operating system, and other what not.
The new Nano's fatter body allows for a wider screen suitable for watching videos and some new user interface features, most notably the Cover Flow view. iTunes has had Cover Flow view for a while. Now it's available on the iPod. Albums w/ missing cover artwork are displayed as annoying white music notes on a gray background. (WARNING: Some individuals, like me unfortunately, may be susceptible to getting an uncontrollable urge to want to fill in all the missing cover art. I spent an entire Saturday tracking down missing cover art on the web, and even dug up a couple dozen original CDs to scan in the cover art myself for those last few albums...)
I really like the additional info displayed in the various lists. For example, the album list displays the album name, the artist beneath, and a tiny thumbnail of the album cover; the old interface displayed only the album name. As another example, the song list displays the song name with the artist name underneath; the old interface displayed just the song name, which can be confusing when you have different songs with the same name.
Minor gripes:
- The HOLD switch, dock connector, and headphone jack are all now located on the bottom of the Nano. As a result, the dock connector and headphone jack are so close together that it's hard to squeeze the sides of USB connector to disconnect it while the headphones are still plugged in.
- If I connect the Nano to the USB port of my monitor, I get a "USB Device Not Recognized" error. Instead, I have to connect the Nano directly to my computer's USB port. Not sure why this is. My 5th gen iPod Video works fine connecting to my monitor's USB port.
Customer Review: The best mp3 player I have ever owned.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have resisted buying an ipod for over a year now. I have purchased inferior cheap mp3 players and middle of the road mp3 players. The last player I purchased was a Nextar. It was a nightmare hard to load my music I could not load any more than 265 songs. This left a lot of my favorite music from my CD's out in the cold. When the pixels began to die on the screen I realized I was not saving money. I was wasting it by buying cheap products with a short life expectancy. I knew I needed something with more memory, and that was easy to use. I was reluctant to buy and ipod because, I find windows media player easier to use than iTunes. Another reason I was reluctant to buy and ipod is that Apple is constantly upgrading the players. My fear was that if I buy one and next month a better ipod hits the market. Well after suffering for months with that crappy Nextar I threw caution to the wind. I purchased my 3g 8g ipod nano from QVC home shopping network. They offered a flex pay option(installment plan) and it came with a car charger, home charger and speakers. I got it just in time the item is now sold out in all the colors they offered.
If you haven't guessed it already I am cheap and the flex pay offer took my focus off the price :)
Based on the reviews here I went out and purchased a case for my nano the same day I received it. Guess what? I still have one scratch on the back of the unit. Apple should work on making the product more resistance to scratches. Apple should also add an FM tuner not any time soon since I just brought this product :)
Otherwise I am happy with my purchase and I am adjusting to iTunes. I am still not a fan of this software. I no longer care that a new generation nano is on the way. I am tickled pink with my 3g 8g ipod nano. I will keep it until the battery dies which I hope does not happen anytime soon.
Bottom Line
Take it from a cheap skate buy this product or a Zune (I know someone who has one and loves it) any other product is a waste of time and money.
Customer Review: good product
Summary: 4 Stars
This is my first iPod. I was one of those people that swore them off in the name of being different from all the kids walking around with ear buds on constantly. But eventually, the 8GB nano was given to me and it didn't take long to grow on me. It is nice to use when at the gym on the stationary bikes or elliptical. I also use it at work since my computer can't play audio. A docking station is also a nice complement to it to have at home.
I've noticed one flaw (in mine - not sure if it's universal). Sometimes, inexplicably, the control circle will get extremely sensitive and the volume will go up and down for no reason. And of course it makes that annoying sound when the volume changes. Eventually the sensitivity goes away though. Doesn't happan to often but it does.
The iPod has all sorts of features beyond audio but I haven't used them yet. The only one I can conceive of using is photos.
Though I didn't have to pay for mine, the price listed is steep for only 8 gigs. It did not take long for me to fill mine up and then have to start eliminating stuff when I wanted to add more. The price is high enough to where I'm not sure I would buy another one if my current one broke.
Overall, I have liked the product and it has been more to me than just a source of constant music to my ears. It is a great way to listen to audio books while doing things where reading is difficult. For instance at the gym or in the shower. I 'read' several more books a month just by virtue of having an iPod.
Customer Review: The nano - An upgrade for me
Summary: 5 Stars
The 8gb nano is my third ipod, my first two having been 30 gb hard disk based ipods purchased when I was young and stupid. Each ceased functioning after about 2 years from their respective date of purchase. The culprit in both cases was hard disk failure, preceded by a slow, horrifying descent into dysfunction. I use my mp3 player at the gym where I want a lot of music with minimal user input. Both HD devices required progressively more babysitting as they slowly died. These memories fresh in my mind, I became motivated to stop buying hard disk based portable music players. The nanos came out while I was still tolerating ipod #2, so I was sad because I really wanted one but was unwilling to spend $$ on a new ipod if the old one was, shall we say, working. Luckily, my quandary was shortlived, as not long after, the gods smiled upon me and maimed the hard drive badly enough to warrant a nano purchase. That pretty much brings us up to date. So then:
*Pros*
Sleek, slight and lightweight
Fast data transfer rate
Fast seek times
Longer battery life
*Cons*
Big drop in storage (-22 gb for me)
Back of ipod still scratches if you look at it wrong
*Bottom Line*
In spite of reduced storage capacity, I view the nano as an upgrade from the clunky, HD ipods of yore. You end up spending more time moving music to and fro, but thats a small price to pay for the beautiful flash memory. Besides, it keeps the playlist fresh.