Those who own recent incarnations of the iPod should not be in any rush to buy the fifth-generation iPod Nano. The model’s video and radio capabilities make it ideal for hitting the gym, walking to class or docking at parties ““ but hasn’t the iPod always been good for those things?
The new Nano, which clocks in at 1.28 ounces and is available in 8GB or 16GB, packs some new features that, once developed a little more, will help fill in the diminishing list of frontiers Apple has left unexplored in the music-listening world. But this particular release is not a must-buy, except for Apple enthusiasts or someone who doesn’t already own an MP3 player.
Apple takes the iPod to the next logical level by adding a video camera, making the Nano a veritable competitor against its FlipCam rival.
The discreet camera built into the Nano, a breed of iPod that has found popularity among gym-goers for its compact size, has already been prohibited from some locker rooms by skittish gym owners worried about voyeurism. (Good luck enforcing that ban; the tiny camera is almost imperceptible from several feet away, and trying to ban iPods from gyms altogether would induce rioting.)
The Nano’s rectangular, 2.2-inch display was predestined to frame a video camera, and the Nano shoots 30 frames per second in portrait or landscape view. But don’t toss your point-and-shoot just yet: The camera does not take still photographs and is awkwardly placed on the on the 6.2mm-thin gadget, making it easy to lose your grip or cover the lens with your finger. The camera features many of the same special effects found on the MacBook such as Stretch and Sepia, but ““ like most add-ons ““ these capabilities aren’t necessities, they’re just cool.
The Nano’s FM radio capabilities are a game-changer: Pressing the click wheel will “live pause” the radio, and listeners can tag songs they hear to add to a list that iTunes will compile and find in the iTunes store for purchase during the next sync.
The feature is U.S.-only so far, and not all stations support it, but this feature might eventually bring Apple up to speed with online radio services such as Pandora.
The Nano also boasts a pedometer, which allows the user to input their weight and begin monitoring their calorie expenditure and step count. This is fun to experiment with for a few hours and is pretty reliable. Coupled with the capacity to record voice memos, to-do lists and alarms, the Nano is a competent digital organizer.
iPhone aficionados might suggest leapfrogging the various iPod evolutions for the all-in-one phone, which stores music and doubles as a mobile device, but putting all your eggs in the iPhone basket has some risks ““ what if the battery dies after too much Bejeweled, leaving you stranded? Owning a separate, lighter device for music (and locker-room peeping) serves a niche purpose without compromising the mobile connection of a cell phone.
““ Maggie Shine E-mail Shine at mshine@media.ucla.edu.