Audio Player, Video Player, Photo Viewer - 2" Color LCD - Silver - MPN: MA247LLA
Strengths: Great size, excellent screen and multi-media support (music, podcasts, video, photos, games, etc.)
Weakness: 8MB max memory limits usefulness for video
You don't realize till you hold it how slim it is, yet still easy to use all the controls. Because it's only got flash memory (no disk drive with moving parts), battery life should be excellent. Good sound listening to music and podcasts, and surprisingly good watching video given the screen size (screen is very bright and clear).
The main fault is that it has a maximum of 8MB storage (which is actually 7.4MB, after subracting room for the ipod's own software). Loading up a moderate-sized playlist of music and podcasts, I only had 1 or 2 GB left for video, so will have to rotate just a couple video files on & off, or manage my list of music and podcasts more tightly to make room. I pretty much knew this before I got the device though -- given the price of flash memory, the 8MB probably accounts for almost half the price of the device in the first place.
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TopStrengths: Long battery life. Compact. Plays video.
Weakness: Too small - hard to handle. Limited accessories. Seems fragile.
I recently bought a new 8gb third generation iPod Nano to replace my 2.5-year old iPod Mini which was suffering from a worn-out battery. I was looking for something fairly small to carry when walking/hiking and I wanted a flash-based player because I tend to shuffle through my tracks a lot, so I thought the iPod Nano looked ideal.
Overall, I'm fairly happy with my choice. The UI is much improved from the Mini and displays more details (artists when browsing by song name, for example) on screen. The click wheel buttons are smaller though which makes it trickier to control the iPod without looking at it.
The iPod's thin squat shape makes it sort of hard to hold and it just doesn't feel as solid as my old iPod did. If I dropped this one I'd be afraid of breaking it, whereas my Mini survived a couple drops. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of accessories available to hold the new 3g Nano. The only one currently available is an Apple-brand armband that runs $29. More choices would be nice.
Altogether, the new Nano is a nice player. If you want a music player but don't want a large thing to carry around like the iPod Classic, I would definitely suggest looking at the new 3g iPod Nano.
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TopStrengths: small, very bright and colorful screen, apple brand
Weakness: proprietary battery, no FM radio, only charges with USB cable
This 8GB version of the 3rd generation Nano is cute. Purchased it for my wife. Oddly, the headphone jack is on the bottom. I would have preferred it to be on top. Menu system is great, and the color screen with the ability to show photos makes this flash memory mp3 player stand out from the crowd.
Three things to be aware of: 1.) out of the box, you can only charge it with a usb cable (which means you have to have a pc nearby). If you want to travel with it and charge it, you will have to buy an A/C-USB Adaptor to plug it into a wall receptacle; 2.) I have no idea how much life the battery will have over the next year. Other devices I've owned with built in rechargable batteries lost their ability to hold a charge after 2 years or so; 3.) Not many third party stereos are iPod Nano 3rd Generation compatable...like external mini speakers or desk speakers.
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TopStrengths: Nice, small device with a nice bright color display. It's size makes it better for taking to the health club or on a bike ride. 2000 songs is plenty of space for me.
Weakness: The device really doesn't have any. People need to buy cases to protect the unit. iFrogz.com has some nice silicon cases at reasonable prices with wheel art as well. Buy one to protect your investment
Overall, the unit is great. What more can you ask for in its size with the ability to hold 2000 songs and video. The only thing I have heard that you can put on video but the TV out feature the iPod has may not let you output the video to your TV as that feature will not enable unless you have a Apple formatted video on the device purchased from Apple. Personally I wouldn't use the device to playback movies on my TV so I guess that is that. I am happy with the device nevertheless.
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TopStrengths: Product exactly as described, new in box, fast shipping. Very happy. I bought it for my daughter. She loves it and uses it all the time.
Weakness: none
It downloads songs,movies etc... very quickly. I think that it is very easy to learn how to use it. It is also very good because it is a portable device that you can bring anywhere.
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TopStrengths: The ipod nano has always been a brisk seller for Apple—and for good reason. The battery life is simply phenomenal (~24 hrs w/sound, ~5 hrs w/video), the screen is crisp and uniform, and the sound quality is strikingly good (tested with my professional Sen
Weakness: Price. No FM tuner like other models. There are cheaper and bigger MP3 players, but few with the charm and class of the silver 8gb ipod nano. Try one out in a store and you’ll be sold.
Audio quality: The silver 8gb ipod nano was tested with various tracks, from classical to pop and jazz and some rap. I listened with my Sennheiser HD-600 headphones for any distortion or clipping. I heard none. The nano reproduced the entire spectrum with aplomb. High sounds “bright” without been shrill and the lows sounded “heavy” without overpowering the other notes. I would say that Apple has definitely improved the audio in the 3G nanos.
Screen: The 2 inch screen looked very good with movies and images. The resolution is high enough to display the details while the color was uniform and bright across the screen. This screen is the envy of other MP3 players.
Aesthetics: Elegant. Functional. Beautiful. Apple sets the MP3 design standard by which other companies follow.
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TopStrengths: stylish small plays video
Weakness: more expensive than other mp3 players
This mp3 player is very stylish and is very practical to take with you since it is so small. It is awesome that you can play videos on it. However ipods are more expensive than comparable other mp3 players.
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TopStrengths: Small Good battery life Large Screen Easy menu navigation Plays videos
Weakness: Expensive Bad earbud sound quality
This mp3 player is much better than my previous ones. It is so much easier to use than my other mp3 players that use Windows Media Player. iTunes is a wonderful program that seems to put all my mp3 tags how I want them. You can easily change tags in iTunes too. Album art is automatically found from iTunes, unlike my previous mp3 player. The text looks so clean too! I was skeptical of such a small screen at first but now I feel like it's not a big deal. I see why iPods are so popular. They are wonderful mp3 players!
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TopStrengths: Incredibly thin and small!
Weakness: None
Got this nano a few days ago. The sound is incredible. Setting up iTunes was a snap. Directions were easy to follow. I had my entire cd collection downloaded in a matter of minutes!
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TopStrengths: Light weight. Easy navigation with many new features. Bright and crisp 2 inches screen.
Weakness: More pricy comparing to other MP3 players
The 2 inches screen is bright and clear; big improvement from the 2nd generation nano. Cover flow is awesome for finding songs. The small white plastic which came with it is called dock adapter after some research but still have no idea what it is for.
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TopStrengths: Bought this as a Christmas present for my girlfriend and she love it coupled with the Logitech speakers. Have over 1300 songs on it and still not full!!!
Weakness: The manual coming with it is not very informative. I have to spent time online to find out that small white plastic is called dock adapter.
Huge improvement over the last generation. Sleeker than it looks. The screen is gorgeous and easy to read. I was going with the black or silver color until I got a look at the green in person. None of the online photos show the colors as good as they look in person.
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Audio is Excellent according to 16 MP3 Player experts. -- "very good sound quality"-macworld.com -- "The sound quality on our test tracks was very good, with no audible system noise."-laptopmag.com -- "excellent battery life"-macworld.com Read more to find expert opinions on more features like Interface, Battery, Image, etc.
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Testseek.com has collected 85 expert reviews for Apple iPod Nano 3G 4GB / 8GB and the average expert rating is 84 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.
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As if the world needs another product for obnoxious nerds to show off. But yes very cool. More Details inside >
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You can't go wrong with an iPod Nano!
Strengths: The screen is clear and sharp; long battery life; flash memory devices tend to be more durable than hard drive based devices; Cover Flow is nifty; the Apple "cool factor"
Weakness: Lacks a memory expansion slot; lacks an FM tuner; still stuck with iTunes; the back side is a magnet for fingerprints; Cover Flow requires manual downloads of album art
There's not much I can say about the third generation (3G) iPod Nano that hasn't already been said a thousand times over. It's a great mp3 player. It's small; it has decent-to-good audio quality; video playback is pretty; the user interface is nice; and if you own one, you get that feeling of smugness and superiority that comes with owning an Apple product (like the TV commercials tell us: you're the hip young guy who likes to innovate, not the pudgy nerd with the glasses).
The Nano is a quality product. You know it, I know it, and everybody else knows it. So let me try and point out some things that might help you make a decision if you're in the market for an mp3 player but haven't quite made up your mind.
First of all, is 8gb enough for you? Five years ago, this question would have been insane. But today, it's completely reasonable. Video files are much larger than music files, so you can fill up 8gb without breaking a sweat. The lack of a memory expansion slot means you'll be forever stuck with an 8gb capacity. 8gb will not be enough to hold your entire library; will you be okay with rotating files?
If you're only going to play music, 8gb can hold a couple thousand songs, and that's probably sufficient. Of course, if you're only going to play music, why purchase a 3G Nano at all? Why not go for a 2G Nano? You can probably find one refurbished or used for a much lower price. Video playback is a major selling point for the 3G Nano; if you don't want it, there's no sense in paying for it.
There's no FM tuner, so you can only listen to what you have loaded onto the Nano.
iTunes is still kind of clunky (in my opinion), and unless you're a 1337 hax0r, you're going to have to deal with it.
The Nano is small, and the click wheel is tiny (the 3G's click wheel is slightly smaller than the 2G's). If you have big hands (or clumsy thumbs), this could be a source of frustration.
Apple products carry a premium price. Although everybody I know who owns an Apple product loves it, I've never heard any of them brag about the low price they paid. Let's face it: for $200, you can buy a lot of stuff. Is buying a Nano really the best way to spend your hard-earned cash? There are plenty of cheaper alternatives out there.
Finally, if you do get a Nano, do yourself a favor and buy a protective case. It's a simple way to protect your investment. You don't need to shell out 30 clams for a high end case; 5 bucks can get you a cheap plastic case that will do the trick.
Ultimately, the 3G iPod Nano is a great mp3 player. But it isn't cheap, so I encourage you to do your homework and weigh the options before making your purchase.
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