Apple iPod nano 3rd Generation Silver (4 GB) MP3 Player

I am old fashioned type of guy, as I love my circa 1982 alarm clock, and am waiting for the return of dot matrix printers. The old days of Apple II C's literally warm my heart, and it was hard for me to get rid of a rather large vinyl collection that I had. It was difficult transitioning to CD's, but after some prodding years ago, I made the switch. My collection of CD's is several hundred large, and although my wife had some part of it, I was starting to get annoyed by the amount of room they took up for storage. While the VHS classics that I have will not be touched, I have been able to burn these CD's into MP3 format, and have been able to sell some of them at a local record and tape exchange store.

MP3's were alien technology to me, until about a year ago, when I found out how neat they were. This compressed music format allows you to save space while enjoying tunes, and after experimenting with different music providers, I decided to go with an Apple iPod Nano. My decision came to price, as although there are some of these devices that can have up to 60 GB of memory, I felt that the 4 GB edition would fit my needs perfectly. It cost $149.99, and I was lucky enough to score a promotion that provided a $15 itunes gift card with it.

As soon as I got home with my new toy, I unwrapped the package, which took near a lifetime. While I can understand how these are hot items, and hence attractive to criminals, the ipod nano that I bought was behind a locked cabinet. It takes a good knife, and a fair amount of dexterity to get it open. After struggling with this adult proof package, I finally got it open, and was able to read the somewhat confusing instructions that came with it. The diagrams were poorly drawn, but I was able to get it working efficiently. Inside the box was the unit itself, as well as headphones, and a USB port Connector.

The most important feature of an mp3 player was size, and the Apple ipod Nano can easily fit in a shirt pocket. It is the perfect jogging and walking companion, and its so great being able to listen to music, without carrying a portable CD player that skips while you exercise. The Nano weighs only 1.7 ounces, so at first it was a bit disconcerting, because I was always worrying that I had lost it. The size dimensions are 3.6"x1.5"x0.2", and for being so small, I was initially concerned about its durability. I treated it so gingerly that I finally had to purchase a plastic jacket($5), so as to protect it more, but its strong enough on its own for most purposes.

The 2.5" screen is amazing, and at first I scoffed when someone said I would like videos on it. However, even though the screen will not be confused with an HDTV monster sized one, the images are clear with brilliant color display. You can download movies onto the Nano, and what I like particularly is music videos. Now I'll admit that I personally like Shakira and Paulina Rubio, and they are truly beautiful on the screen. The Nano easily handles videos with lots of motion in them, without any blurrying or color alterations.

While I like the videos a lot, what I really love about the Nano is its music capability. The sound is the best I've ever heard on a portable unit, and I can honestly say that is close to Bose Quality. I have yet to download an mp3 from itunes that is not crystal clear, and the bass on this unit is phenomenal. You can adjust it to how sounds through the setting menu, with the sound checker. The volume controls can be accessed here as well, and if you like music loud, you'll be pleased here. I thought my hearing was already shot, but even at 50% on the volume control, it is plenty loud enough. This Nano offers great sound for all genres, and having rap/dance music for workouts is wonderful. The earphones that come with this are comfortable, and the in-ear variety.

If you do like all genres of music, the Nano can select them by category, and you can make playlists based upon what you want to hear. Of course, with the 4 GB you can only have about 1,000 songs, but that is enough for most people. It is so easy to pick your songs through the menu, or you can slide through all of them with the easy to use button wheel. If you download directly from itunes, this makes selection easier visually, as you can see the album art that coincides with the songs. The wheel took a little getting used to, as it is very sensitive, and it can be frustrating to use at the beginning because of this. All it takes is a simple circling of a finger, or push of a button, to follow your commands on song selection or other features.

These features are easy to use with the beautiful screen, and it is a major improvement over the previous generations of ipods. In addition to being able to do everything using this, I like the screen for the world clock, and games that it is installed with. There are several trivia games on it, and although they can sometimes be difficult, they are fun to play. There is a trivia game based on music, as well as movies. The game Vortex is tremendously addictive, and is a lot like the old classic Pong. There is a ball bouncing in the middle of a circle, and you have to move the wheel to bounce it off of a square. If you are bored and stuck waiting for a bus, its not a bad way to waste some time.

It is so easy to charge your Nano, and I usually use my notebook computer to do this. All you have to do is attach the Nano with the computer via the provided USB port connector, and all it takes is a couple of hours to get a full charge. A full charge is supposed to last twenty four hours, but I've been getting closer to twenty, but this is not a major complaint. The handy battery indicator on the screen lets you know of its status, and I like how it gives you a rather long window of time as a warning. If you need to charge, the battery indicator shows up as red, and considering how little time it needs its not any type of hassle whatsoever. I've also purchased an aftermarket AC adaptor for $15, that works well if there is no computer to dock with.

The major selling point for me, in addition to how great the Nano is, was itunes. It truly is a novices friend, and I've had no problems using it to download music. It costs 99 cents a song for most groups, however there is some music that is free, but of course sometimes the quality of these bands is lacking. You can download podcasts for free, and the music videos are available for $1.50. I really like being able to choose from their large library, and as someone who will readily admit that I'm deficient with other mp3 programs, I have been pleased by this service.

The Apple ipod Nano is my favorite electronics device, and it has been wonderful for road trips or for exercise. I purchased a auxillary cable, and it plays right through my car stereo. You cannot go wrong with this device for its relatively low price, ease of use, and high level of quality. Although a dog may be man's best friend, this device is a close second, as it has never hesitated in its performance. It truly is a wonderful value, and although there are newer ipods out there, this is the best one I've used.