Electronics : New Apple iPod nano 8GB black

Rating: - Shot in the Foot - But Brilliant
Well Done Apple. Having built up a small but dedicated following for their Mac computers, Apple have shot themselves in the foot by alienating this following by making the New iPod Nano incompatible with all but those Mac's running the newest versions of their Operating System.

That said, when my wife got her New iPod up and running by synchronising it with my PC (running XP) she was absolutely delighted. Sound quality from such a small device is brilliant, as is the quality of the screen.

Another superb product from Apple. It is therefore a shame that it was spoiled by Apple's reluctance to make it compatible with a computer barely three years old!

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Rating: - Beautiful, sleek, technological but neccessary?
After having a couple of weeks with my new black 8gb ipod nano i'm stuggling to find my opinion on it. If your looking to buy one, im guessing the question is should you go for the 4gb or the 8gb. I was going to go for the 4gb but the pricing and the package deals for the 8gb changed my mind. Maybe a marketing ploy but oh well.

Firstly, it looks incredible. My main worry was that it was going to be too small and fragile but its weighty feel made my worries go away. The metal casing is reassuring as i imagine it would need to have a big knock before breaking.

Secondly its useability. It's my first ipod and i have to say im impressed with the simplicity of it. The scroll button is easy and not too fiddly. I had always had something against itunes, i've never liked the way its so easy to spend a lot of money but surprisingly i like it and i feel good paying for music now.

Finally the features. Im sure you know all of them from the product desrciption so i'll move onto my main point of the review. Are the video, films and podcasts nesseccary or even useful? Outside of my own home i've never used those features (apart from radio podcasts). I can't see one situation where i would watch a film on it, or watch podccasts either.

Overall i love it and i can't mark it down for having too much features but would i exchange the video addition for a cheaper price. You bet i would!

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Rating: - Take the advise from someone who knows
I've never had an i pod before and it's got to be said i don't know much about them, but with the i pod nano it's so simple to use. All i had to do was go onto the apple website and download i tunes (which was free) then plug my i pod into my pc and i was off. It really is as simple as that! My only critizem would be that it can be quite tricky to get pictures onto it, as i haven't yet yet figured out what how to do it. But i would recommend it to anyone as it is suitable for all ages and people( from experienced to unexperienced, such as me.)

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Rating: - I'm Pleased but Bugged!
Overall, the new nano is an excellent wee machine. All my doubts were soon cleared when it arrived.

The screen is a decent size meaning videos can be watched. However, the bar at the top is sometimes difficult to see.

Having switched from a rather old colour screen creative zen, I have found the brightness of the nano's is just amazing. Never again will I have to squint when the smallest bit of sunlight appears.

Also, Ipod's new cover flow technology is an interesting addition although I havn't found it much easier to find songs, it is just cool to flick through.

A member of my family has an older Ipod so it is easy to see that the nano is quicker, brighter, even easier to use and of course much thinner than the rest.

Sound quality is very good although I read new EU regulations have meant that it is quieter than older Ipods. I can't really tell. It is definitely loud enough for me although video can be a bit quiet in busy areas.

However, there are a few bugs. The battery bar at the top of the screen works when it wants to meaning I have to wait until the screensaver comes on to see how much battery is left (which isn't lit.) Also, not so much a bug as a bit of a neusance, sometimes I can't even feel it in my pocket. For a split second it feels as if it isn't there anymore which to some people may not be a bad thing.

Overall it is a really good piece of kit with sufficient memory and great extra features. Well done Ipod

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Rating: - flawed gem
Bought this for my partner following good reviews.
Instruction booklet text is too small to read for my eyes.
Downloaded itunes after interpretation by better sighted friend.
Nothing happens!
Why do people rave about apple? My own Sony stuff works fine despite irritating Sony ideosynchrosies. This is an irritating piece of ****.