Electronics : Apple iPod nano 8GB black

Rating: - Went for the Nano over the touch 1st gen.
I was going to get the ipod touch, (in fact had it on preorder).

Then saw the reviews for the touch coming in and along with my tech guilt of spending £270 for a measly 16gb, as well as the toss of the coin whether or not you will get a decent screen, I opted to save my money for the next version of the touch, which will hopefully have 32gb and a decent screen sometime in the new year.

So to maintain my apple fix, I plumped for the 8gb black nano, I came from a 5g 60gb ipod, which i watched a ton of video on, so that was a deal breaker - but the screen on the nano is thankfully superb, 3 times more brightness, and with the new UI, and less that a quarter of the physical mass. I feel I am actually gaining over my previous 5g ipod even though the screen was bigger.

Why didn't I go for the iPod Classic, mainly due to the fact that all I would be gaining would be more storage and the new UI, physical size, etc would be the same.

But after a lot of playing between the nano and the classic, the nano just felt better in the hand and the new interface was a lot snappier, due to the fact that it has flash memory over the Classic's Hard Drive.

The capacity for me isn't an issue, as it sees my mac at home daily to sync, and with some clever use of playlists, the nano swaps out TV shows or music I have watched and loads up what I haven't, so I am not losing anything by having a smaller size iPod.

The other thing that the nano has over the touch is a physical button, as much as I know I will drool over the touch, not having an ability to control volume or skip to the next track while the ipod is firmly ensconsed in my pocket is a big deal.

Also, the screen on the Nano is a lot more discreet than the touch or even the classic. If I am watching an adult show such as 'Sopranos', Dexter', etc, its an awful lot easier to watch that cupped in your hand with the nano rather than the touch which could potentially send the old dear behind you on the train into palpatations while your watching blood and guts on your larger screened device.

So I'm delighted with the Nano, at the price it was a no guilt purchase, its perfect for me right now, if a bigger touch comes along with a guaranteed screen - great....if not i'm happy with its little brother.

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Rating: - ipod rules
i have got the new nano and it is the best thing i have evevr used. i am very happy with apple to wake such a small and useful object the screen you would think to be small but it fits the new nano well

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Rating: - Great iPod
I don't own it but from the pictures it looks great! better than the old nano and ipod video, the new ipod has looks, style and video! Get the 8GB version if you want to get anything, because the 4GB won't hold much if you want video. If you don't waant video, get the old nano.

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Rating: - Mini pocket rocket
Finally got my new Nano and i'm very impressed with it. I can't get over how solid it feels for something so tiny - there's nothing cheap feeling about it, it's extremely well built. The pictures on the web really don't do it justice at all, it's so much better looking in real life and i'd go as far as to say it's the most stylish iPod ever. I'm not planning on using it to watch movies or anything on but i tried some of my video podcasts on it and they look fabulous, the video actually looks better (clearer & sharper) than on my 5.5g iPod.

The new interface is very funky and the coverflow is very smooth, no lags at all. When i plugged it in for the first time it updated its firmware which i assume has ironed out the bugs as i've had no problems with it so far.

The other thing that surprised me was i tried the supplied earphones and they actually sound really good (apple earphones don't usually sound great) but they're still a bit uncomfortable for me if using them for long periods so i use other phones.

I absolutely love it and I can't recommend it enough.

Edited to add: The volume is ridiculously low on Euro models of the new iPods and as of yet there are no software cracks to remove the limit but there are a couple of things you can do:

You can increase the volume in two ways:

1. In iTunes right-click a song (or select them all in one go) , select 'Get Info', click the 'Options' tab and move the 'Volume Adjustment' slider to maximum.

2. On your iPod go to 'Settings', 'Volume Limit' and wind it up to maximum.

For me this still isn't loud enough with certain headphones, with some headphones it's fine, others are not which i why i like to have the choice of how loud the volume will go because different ear/headphones have different levels. So no, i don't like to have it at deafening levels it's just that some types of headphones are quieter than others.

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Rating: - Best yet, but not the video player it thinks it is.
Apple has so far never dissapointed me with their deisgns. This iPod is no exception, and has so far worked flawlessly, with no problems associated with it or iTunes. The headphone jack and hold button are now in a more practical position at the bottom of the device (although the hold is a little fiddly at first). My only issue with it is that in my opinion, 8gb is simply not large enough to store the videos that it can now play... Feel free to disagree, but when you have a reasonably sized music collection coupled with the space taken up on the iPod already with software and games you may find it difficult to store any video. That said, it is in my opinion the best nano yet, it is thin, has a crystal clear screen, and is not only better equipped with software but has cover flow (which I like, but is not as practical as it sounds)... Think of it more as a fashion statement than the best music video player out there. If you want video buy a player with a bigger screen and more memory, if not then be happy with this purchase. You wouldn't regret it...