Apple iPod Nano 4GB Second Generation

...count in October last year Apple has sold no less than 67,635,000 of the device.

Apple the creaters of this hugely popular media player did however come under a large amount of critisism for their devices. It was found that the player's battery life wasn't as good as they claimed it to be, and the previous generation of the model I'm reviewing was slated for being easily scratched and many were returned in disgust.

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...standard headphones, dock adapter, 2 apple logo stickers (why?), a quick start guide, and a user agreement with warranty information which covers the product for one year. It's here I'll mention the endless scratching of heads as a friend and I had no idea that the rectangle object with a slip in it was a dock adapter. We didn't even know what it was for, as nothing was mention in the user guide. After endless trawling on the Internet we discovered ... more

If you haven't heard of iPods by now, then you must have been living under a rock somewhere as these things mp3 players are hugely popular all over the world. The first one debuted in America in October 2001, and at the last count in October last year Apple has sold no less than 67,635,000 of the device.

Apple the creaters of this hugely popular media player did however come under a large amount of critisism for their devices. It was found that the player's battery life wasn't as good as they claimed it to be, and the previous generation of the model I'm reviewing was slated for being easily scratched and many were returned in disgust.

As an early Christmas present last year I was treated to the 2nd generation 4GB iPod nano, which can hold up to 1000 tracks. I'm pleased to say that so far I'm delighted with it, and the above issues seemed to have been addressed.

Presented in a smart see through case the player comes with a USB connector cable, standard headphones, dock adapter, 2 apple logo stickers (why?), a quick start guide, and a user agreement with warranty information which covers the product for one year. It's here I'll mention the endless scratching of heads as a friend and I had no idea that the rectangle object with a slip in it was a dock adapter. We didn't even know what it was for, as nothing was mention in the user guide. After endless trawling on the Internet we discovered that basically it's meant to be used with a dock adaptor which is supposedly an elegant way to store and charge the player, or in other words a useless accessory for them to get more money from. Let's just say mine is collecting dust somewhere around here.

What I like about this player is it's size and lightness, measuring in at 3.5 x 1.6x 0.26 inches and weighing in at a very light 1.41 oz. This means that it slips into my pocket comfortably, although being so light it has slipped out of my hands a couple of times!
"Oh No" I hear you cry, but never fear as it has survived although I wouldn't want to drop it too many times. Also and I quote from Apple's website "durable anodized aluminum says you won't let the rough and tumble of everyday life ruin your groove". After just over 5 months of use, I'm pleased to report it still looks as good as it did when it arrived.
If you are concerned about scratching it though if its going to be in a place with other items, then various protective skins and cases can be purchased. Seeing as I can barely see the computer screen due to smudges, I may very well purchase a screen protector for the player which will also keep it dust free.

Unlike the previous generation this one doesn't come with a CD to install the software. Instead as guided by the "quick start guide" you need to download and install the itunes software from Apple's site. There is nothing complicated about this a you just follow the onscreen instructions, agree to a couple of user agreements and then register the iPod itself. It's then a case of connecting the dock connector one end and the USB side to an available port on your computer. From then on you have a long wait as the player takes at least 4 hours to fully charge. It's important to note that the player doesn't come with an AC adaptor which you can by buy for around the £5 mark. I have yet to purchase one, but it would be handy if your not near a computer and want to charge it. Updates for the player can be found in itunes and are essential in keeping the player, well up to date.

Once fully charged you can then set up an account with the itunes store and begin to transfer songs to your player. This couldn't be simpler as once you've purchased a song or album, with a broadband connection I've found a single takes no longer than 10 seconds to appear on the player. If you have CDs that you wish to transfer over then again that's not a problem. Once the CD has loaded, itunes displays the list of songs and it's just a question of highlighting the ones you want and letting the software do the rest. These are the two music transfer methods I use, but other ways and an extended version of the user guide can be found at http://support.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACSerialReceiver.woa/wa/manuals List?config=V8X along with other user manuals that you may find helpful to read. I found the manual available through this link very useful as the quick start guide is just that, although it's enough to get you set up and familiar some what with the functions of the player.

At only 1.5 inches the screen is small but perfectly adequate in providing sharp and colourful artwork of the album cover as well as easy to read text. Unlike the previous generation of this player you can now see the artist and the track that is playing. A useful feature at the top right hand side of the screen is a battery life status bar. If it's green then your good to go, but red means you need to charge him up as soon as possible.
Pressing the centre button when a track is playing allows you to see the track time line on the screen. Further pressing takes you through to a bigger image of the album artwork, which although tiny it's very clear.

The back light comes in handy at night, but does have a habit of eating up the battery so I don't keep it on for too long.

At the centre of the player is what is known as a click wheel, and on there starting clockwise you'll find menu, forward skip, play/pause and backward skip. One thing I found is that the wheel is very sensitive to the touch, and I often found myself whizzing through options too fast and missing the one I wanted. Also it's certainly no laugh when your listening to a song and almost end up deaf by increasing the sound even though you've barely touched the wheel!
One thing that is slightly odd is there is no stop button only the options to pause the track or turn it off completely.
At the top of the player you will find a button labeled 'hold' , this is a godsend for me as once pressed it stops the player from turning on accidentally when it's in my pocket or bag.

Navigation takes a little bit of practice, and I did spend the first couple of hours familiarising myself with the numerous menus. Once you've mastered this then you'll discover just how many things you can do and alter on this player. One of my favourite options on the player, is to be able to create playlists for different occasions. Basically you can group together dance tracks for example, and then listen to them while your working out. You can also rate each track out of 5 stars, which comes in useful when creating your playlists.

One niggle I have is the options in the settings and music menus, where many a time I've wished that certain options were available in the other one. For example the ability to repeat or shuffle the songs would have been better in the music menu rather than having to trawl through the settings to alter them.

Listening to music however is just a small part of what this player offers, and although that's what I mainly use it for there are many other useful features. For a start you have the ability to load photos from your computer to the player, although I have yet to do this the online manual explains the process very clearly and it does look very simple to do. A clock which can be made available on the main screen is useful, as well as setting an alarm. You can also play games and these include Brick Parachute, solitaire and a music quiz which plays snippets of your songs and you have to guess as quickly as you can which it is out of a list. Also provided is a calender, contacts list, notes and stopwatch although I have know personal use for them I'm sure others would.
If you like to listen to audio books these too can be purchased as can podcasts of your favourite radio shows.
The player can also be used as an external disk to store data files, has the ability to display time zones for other countries as well as having the option to lock the screen to prevent others from using it without your consent.

So come on, what about the sound quality I hear you shout? Well let me tell you that quality is exceptionally high with each song sounding crystal clear. Having compared the tracks on the player which is compressed to it's CD counterpart, I for one can hear no difference in sound quality at all. Although I have the option to alter the bass and change the sound with the equalizer, I tend not to bother as there really is no need. I have a wide taste in music ranging from Pop, Alternative, R&B/Soul and Rock to name but a few genres I love, and which ever one I'm listening to I'm always amazed at the richness of the sound without having to tweak it about anymore.

The headphones provided aren't the best however as just recently they have been slipping out of my ears, and I'm pretty certain my earlobes aren't that peculiar in shape. I'm however impressed that the the sound doesn't leak from them like it does from some headphones, but due to them slipping out I've used my Sony ones off a CD player which fit more comfortably. If unlike me the sound quality mentioned above is below your standards then again purchasing higher quality headphones may be the answer, although as mentioned the fit was the problem and not the sound.

As well as the clarity of the music, what impressed the most was the battery life. Apple have increased the battery life from the previous model to 24 hours, and so far I've found this to be about right. Apple in the past have been on the receiving end of many complaints regarding the battery being poor, but with a few simple precautions I have yet to have a problem. Constantly using the back light drains the battery as does using the equalizer and skipping through tracks. I have now put my tracks in order that I like to hear them as I found that as I was always skipping certain ones to get to another, the battery was wearing down faster.

Beside a few minor niggles I can honestly say this is this this is one of the best Christmas presents I have ever had. The nano was perfect for me as I wanted one with a screen so that ruled out the shuffle, but I wasn't fussed about watching videos or downloading more games. I will however have to fork out on an AC adapter so that I can charge it if I'm away from my computer, but due to the new product coating I won't need to worry about buying a case for it, although I may do in the future just to personalise it more. Apple's site provides excellent support should I experience any problems with the player and need to reset it. It's very portable, looks great sounds great and has provided with me with hours of entertainment. Out of all the mp3 players currently on the market I'm very happy that I chose this one, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for quality player at a decent price.

This 4GB version is available in Green, Pink, Silver, Black and Blue at amazon for £117.

Windows System requirements

PC with USB 2.0/ Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later, or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service pack 2 or later.
iTunes 7 or later (Included)

Mac System Requirements

Macintosh computer with USB 2.0 port
Mac OS X v 10.3.9 or later
iTunes 7 or later (Included)  

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