5 Responses to “Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (5th Generation) OLD MODEL”

1. S. K. Plante says:

   September 1, 2010 at 8:15 pm

   Review by S. K. Plante for Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (5th Generation) OLD MODEL
   Rating:
   Let’s face it…we are not all clones and look for uncommon features when it comes to an MP3 player. I wanted a small, portable player for the gym. The FM Radio feature is what I have been hoping for for a very long time! I don’t need apps. I don’t need to surf the web. I need to play my tunes. Genius is a fantastic way to make a mix for the gym. The fitness tracker is incredible. And finally I can tune in to the TVs in the gym. Like it! This is exactly what I’ve been coming up for. Perfect device for my needs.
2. Nathan Andersen says:

   September 1, 2010 at 9:12 pm

   Review by Nathan Andersen for Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (5th Generation) OLD MODEL
   Rating:
   Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3GCL7CCLCHZCY When Steve Jobs announced the newest generation iPod nano, he suggested that with its new video capability the nano would easily compete with the Flip Video camcorder. While soon down the line this may be a serious contender in the pocket video camera market, it’s not there yet. I took some comparison record with the iPod nano and the standard definition Flip Mino to show why. My point in all this is not to suggest that you go buy a Flip instead of an iPod nano, but that you question physically what it is you really want. If you want to make videos you can upload to Youtube and you want them to look pretty decent, and you don’t care much about music or you already have an mp3 player, I wouldn’t buy this iPod just because now it has video. On the other hand, having some video capability might be enough to give this the edge over most other music players; if games are more vital to you than video, though, you’d be better off with an iPod touch.

   One thing you’ll see in the record, where I shot the same things back to back with both camcorders, is that where the Flip really shines is in low light. I shot the hamster moments at night, in a room illuminated only by a lamp. Not only did the iPod nano take grainy video, it also didn’t do any kind of white balancing and the indoor lightbulb added an orange tint to the clip; I’m not sure exactly how the Flip is designed to address this (whether it automatically adjusts white balance or just has a better average setting), but the record shows that it captured light correctly both outdoors and indoors. If you compare the hamster shots with the Flip and with the nano, I reckon it’s clear that for indoor and lowlight there’s no comparison and the Flip has the nano beat hands down. The outdoor images are closer, but I reckon even this small video shows greater detail in the Flip video. When you blow the images up larger there’s no comparison — the Flip looks decent even on a huge screen TV, the iPod nano record looks like it was shot with, well, a toy camera. In all fairness, that’s all it is at this point. (Note, by the way, that, like the Flip, the nano will only take video and doesn’t take photos. You can manually add photos to the nano from your computer, but you can’t use the onboard camera to capture stills.)

   Another thing that bugs me a bit about the new iPod nano is the bizarre placement of the camera lens. It’s nestled down in the corner of the backside below the screen — exactly where it is most natural to hold this thing if you are shooting with it. Even if you just grasp the thing at the corners, there’s a tendency for some part of a finger to accidentally edge into the camera frame. In fact, I found that even after I was aware of this fact I kept doing it anyways — the way this thing fits in my hands just makes it likely I’ll catch an edge of a finger in my shots unless I’m assiduous about avoiding it, and that detracts from the spontaneity this is designed to take subsidy of. (I even noticed I’d done it on most of the iPod nano record for this video comparison — and I thought about doing it over, but then chose to leave it in just to show how easily it can take place.)

   So, to sum up: what you really get with the iPod nano is a toy camera, fun to have in the pocket and very cool to have just in case there’s something you want to shoot, but not quite the quality we’ve come to expect from the clever pocket camcorders like the Flip Mino and the Creative Vado and the Kodak Zi8, that keep getting better and better. Video is a nice new feature on the Nano, but not really a radical innovation and not a game changer.

   What makes the iPod Nano worth it is that in addition to video on the glide, you get to listen to music, you get an FM radio that works quite well and even tells you what song you are listening to, you get a voice recorder (a VERY nice feature, brilliant for students who can listen to music on their way to class and then record a lecture), a decent quality mini speaker, a somewhat useful pedometer, decent game options for killing time. You don’t get any of that with the Flip! Sure, the new iPod nano is a toy … but it’s a very cool toy.
3. Stephen says:

   September 1, 2010 at 9:34 pm

   Review by Stephen for Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (5th Generation) OLD MODEL
   Rating:
   Do not get my incorrect. I have loved Apple iPods for many years now, and my iPhone is a fantastic part of my life. But, I have started to wonder what else will be added to the habitual iPods, to keep them fresh. Have they reached the regulate of necessary features?

   Despite my reservations, watching the Apple keynote of this new product has led me to head down to the Apple store and pick up a 16 GB 5th Generation iPod Nano, to add to my “collection.”

   First reactions? This Nano appears just as sleek and gorgeous as the commendable 4th generation Nano. In fact, at first glance, you would not reckon must uncommon about the newer version. I quickly tried out the recording of video. This was average. It is nice, if you carry your Nano the world over, to have the ability to take video. Cool. When played back on the Nano, the video looks pretty excellent. It’s average, when played back on your computer. Again, far from terrible, but in the age where digital cameras have some fantastic movie modes, you have to simply call the iPod Nano video average, but most of all well-located. Fun too.

   In person, I have found myself most interested in the new Pedometer built into the Nano. It can keep track of your steps all through the day, if you keep the device on you all day. I reckon this could push me to be more active. Again, is this feature really necessary in an iPod? I’m not sure, but keep in mind that this product is well loved among fitness gurus for its portability, nearly spine-like consequence, and solid disorder memory.

   Finally, in a pinch, to listen to a sporting event or particular talk radio show, the new nano includes a FM Turner. Blah you might say? Yes, that is not particularly exciting, BUT the Nano adds one cool feature to FM Radio. You can “pause,” the radio up to 15 minutes, such as you might do with the DVR together to your television. It works flawlessly. Before one questions, no, you cannot schedule radio recordings. Still, the new nano will make FM radio a bit more modern, with this pause function.

   By and large, it does seem as though Apple is not quite sure how to keep adding features that are truly remarkable to the iPod Nano. The Nano is the best selling MP3 player in the history of the planet, more sold than any other iPod to date. But, the Nano’s best features take up again to be its size, ability to sync fantastic content from your iTunes library, portability, and fantastic user interface. The click wheel continues to make finding your music and videos relatively simple. Again, the Nano is superb, but the new features are probably a bit specific on if they will be useful to you or not.

   The updated nano is that bit more advanced with a few new features, particularly for many the ability to record a instant video, easily, will be attractive. But, if you have the last generation Nano, I would not agonize about upgrading too soon, unless having the absolute latest device and new “features,” are vital to you. Fantastic device, but not much uncommon than before.
4. Electronic Gadgetphile says:

   September 1, 2010 at 9:46 pm

   Review by Electronic Gadgetphile for Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (5th Generation) OLD MODEL
   Rating:
   I really didn’t need a new iPod as I currently own an iPhone 3G(S), two older Nanos, an older 1 GB Shuffle and two iPod Classics in 15 GB and 30 GB configurations that I recently installed new batteries in. But I HAD to have the new one and justified it to myself by Apple’s seductive inclusion of an FM radio in this 5th generation journal.

   Having said all of that, I am really impressed with this new 5th generation iPod Nano. I find that the FM radio has fantastic reception and is simple to use, unlike the Apple dongle radio attachment I use on my previous generation Nano. The radio software integration is nicely done and very simple to use, set favorite stations and pause as necessary to talk on the phone and then quickly resume where the music or talk show left off for up to 15 minutes.

   The playback of pre-recorded movie video is clear and the sound is very excellent as with earlier iPods. The video recording is point and shoot simple to use but not of very high quality – about what you would expect from a cell phone- but I really don’t plot on using this as a video camera. Would have been nice if Apple had built-in a still camera as well but I suspect the quality would not be acceptable without adding more componentry requiring more space and cost. I did note that this iPod has a speaker built in (which I assume is the microphone as well) but its sound quality is not excellent.

   The pedometer function (Fitness) is fascinating and can be used without any external attachments. It only counts steps and not distance so I assume that I will need to multiply the counted steps by stride length to come up with distance walked. Ironically, it does have you place in your consequence but I’m not certain how this is used.

   The build quality is superb, the unit is very compact and light consequence with Apple’s customary intuitive user interfaces that make it simple to use right out of the box without reading the instructions (which I dread resorting to anyway). In synopsis, I am very pleased with my new iPod and am rapidly working on irrefutable justifications for its buy before the credit card statement arrives and my wife questions, “Did you buy ANOTHER iPod?”.
5. Rarkm says:

   September 1, 2010 at 9:56 pm

   Review by Rarkm for Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (5th Generation) OLD MODEL
   Rating:
   I previously owned a Nano 3rd Gen, and liked it well enough. My only major complaints were Itunes (buggy and annoying interface) and the 8 GB regulate. I have quite a large music library and was constantly juggling it trying to fit everything I wanted to carry around. Otherwise, I liked the Touch 3rd Gen, and liked the compact form factor. I liked the video ability too, which I found astonishigly useful. Alas, somehow it was lost/stolen.

   Ipods are enough of a luxury for me that I didn’t replace it immediately. The 4th Gen Nano was an improvement (except for the forrm factor — I’m one of the few who liked the more compact form of the 3rd gen). The 5th gen Nano finally sucked me in with incredible new features and teriffic design. Below are the things I really liked and which caused me to bombard out for the latest version:

   1. Better screen. Sure the screen is tiny, but I can see it very clearly with my glasses off, I’m nearsighted, but have excellent closeup vision.
   
   2. FM radio – This is something available in other mp3 players, but finally Apple has chose to join the world on this feature. It works pretty well. As noted, the radio uses the earbuds cord as an antenna. While that is a problem for some, it is really a plus for me, as my office is in the center of a large building and FM reception is iffy. I can position the cord in such a way that I get better reception than my table radio. YMMV.
   
   3. Video – It’s amazingly decent for such a tiny device. I don’t need video — at smallest amount at present, but adding features like this inspires new uses that no one ever predicted (SEE UPDATE BELOW).
   
   4. 16 GB. I can fit more stuff in it now (yes, this was available in the 4th gen, but it is a huge plus for me — I did not want to buy another 8 GB ipod.) Additionally, I really don’t care about the unavailability of still pictures. I have a Blackberry that takes honestly excellent pictures already, and I can send them via send by e-mail immediately — much more useful than if I relied on the Nano.
   
   5. External Speaker – very useful, enough said.
   
   6. Voice recording — I be with you that you can add a decent directional mike, but haven’t explored this yet. If it works, it’s a real plus, digital recorders are expensive and carrying them is a PITA.

   Things I don’t much care for –

   1. Itunes continues to be basically proprietary, although I really like the excellent integration with the Apple Store. I always have the feeling that Itunes is doing something with my music and data that is for Apple’s subsidy, not mine (the Genius feature is fascinating, but I’m certain that Apple is doing something profitable with the “non-exclusive” data it collects). I know there’s no more privacy on the net, but that doesn’t mean I like the trend. If I’m going to be part of someone’s business model, I’d like to be able to opt out or hear some share of the dough from the data harvesting. This is not an Apple-specific complaint — they all do it. In addition, when Itunes works, it’s fine, but when you have a problem with it, you better be have a black belt in Google searches for the answer. The Apple support site requires much more time and distress than it should.

   2. I have hurt hearing in one ear. The instant fix would be for me to adjust the right/left balance in the equalizer, but Apple has never place such an adjustment in, and the Apple store personnel were surprised by this. I sent in a suggestion to Apple. No rejoinder. This is an issue I do not be with you. Why hasn’t Apple fixed this 5 years ago?

   UPDATE 10/19/2009: I am surprised by how much I delight in the Genius feature on this thing. One of the minor “problems” on .mp3 players is the time it takes to curriculum in a playlist of favorites — alternatively you can simply at random listen to everything. Genius will look at any song selection you make, and construct its own playlist (which you can save if you like it) based upon some kind of criteria (not sure), but I reckon it includes data from user selections. This is remarkably like litening to a very excellent radio station with excellent programming, no commercials and no DJ blab. Of course, you have to own the music first (you did BUY all the music in your library, right?) but if you have a large music library, you’d be surprised how much of it you’ve forgotten you owned. Unlike many groovy dudes and dudettes, I don’t have the time or inclination to place together a lot of mixes and Genius is in some ways better, as you won’t know what’s life played or in what sequence.

   Additionally, I have found that nano video is better than I thought it would be. I have video on the Blackberry, but it is encoded in some kind of horrible lossy format that looks like mush when you enlarge it (.3GP, I reckon). Nano’s video looks excellent even when enlarged full screen on the desktop. The only issue I’ve seen is that while the microphone is quite sensitive, it is not buffered against wind noise. I am still looking for a excellent external mike and if I find a fix for this, I’ll update.

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