My Favorite iPod, Still Some More to be Desired

Author's Rating:

Pros: Video playback, accelerometer, Cover flow, great sound quality

Cons: Click wheel is harder to use, bad value compared to iPod classic.

The Bottom Line: 
I say buy it! What have you got to lose?

Author's Review
-Purchasing Experience-

      I had been using my second-gen 2GB iPod nano for almost 2 years. It served me wonderfully. It held many an album, had excellent battery life and sound quality. However, I noticed with my recent build up of more songs, and podcasts, I needed more storage space.
      About a week before the new nano came out, I had planned on taking a trip to the local Best Buy and purchasing a third gen nano 4GB. My birthday was coming up soon, and I heard rumors of a new nano coming out in the next few days. Soon enough, it did, and on my birthday, I took a trip out to Best Buy to buy the 4th gen nano 8GB for the same price my 2GB was new.
      Well, it was well worth the wait.

-What's In The Box, Erm, Container-

      There it was, the new iPod nano in all its glory. I opened the small container package it was held in, and removed the nano from it's plastic holder. It was a lot slimmer than my 2nd gen, and it actually felt more comfortable in the hand. Included was the iPod, a dock connector, the USB cable (the only change is that it pulls out of the iPod instead of having to squeeze two connectors on the outside), and the stock Apple headphones that haven't changed at all since the 2nd gen nano. No difference from what's included with any other iPod.

-Initial Impressions-

      I plugged in the nano for the first time. Sync and initial setup haven't changed and happened just as I had expected. After letting it charge, I plugged in the stock earphones and started playing some music. Sound from the stock earphones is actually very impressive, however they are not very durable (I stepped on them about a month later and they immediately fell apart). Currently I am still using my trusty Sony MDR-E10's, or another Philips pair of earbuds. If you take good care of your earphones, save money and use the stock ones, if not, get some Sony MDR-E10's. I like the rotate for cover flow function quite a bit too.

-Experience-

      It's been nearly 3 months since the purchase of my new iPod nano 4th gen 8GB in black. I have no major complaints about this new model except for battery life when playing videos. However, video playback is crystal clear with no problems that I can tell of. Two minor complaints: The click wheel isn't as smooth as my 2nd gen was. Navigating is a little bit harder. Second complaint, bad value compared to the Classic model. I paid $150 for this 8GB model, but I now regret this as the 120GB classic model is only $100 more. Other than that, this is the standard iPod experience, with a few added extras.

-Conclusion-

      I highly recommend this to anyone who doesn't have a rediculously extensive music collection. It is almost an essential in this day and age. Please, if you think this iPod is exactly what you are looking for, go out and buy it as soon as you can. I guarantee you won't be disappointed!