Apple iPod Nano 3rd Generation Silver (8 GB) MP3 Player

There was a little incident involving my iPod and a child hanging a wet bathing suit over where it was recharging. No, Mom was not happy. It was time for a new iPod. I couldn’t afford the one I wanted, so I settled for what I could afford at the time which was the 3rd Generation Apple iPod Nano. Included in a very nice hard case are the usual Apple earbuds, an Apple iPod dock connector, and a USB cable to connect to the computer.

The first thing I noticed was the size. This is much smaller than my old 4th Generation 20gb Apple iPod. It’s smaller than a credit card and honestly not much thicker. The dimensions are 2.75 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 0.25 inch thick. Some of the change in size likely has to do with accommodating the screen for optimal video viewing. My other iPod had the monochrome screen, and this is blessed with a color screen. I wasn’t too sure about actually watching videos on it, but was open to the possibilities.

Setting it up was easy. I already had the iTunes software on my computer. Unfortunately, my 4th Generation 20gb Apple iPod had much more space on it than this does. With just 8gb, I had to pick and choose what songs I wanted to put on it from my collection. Yes, I have that many songs.

Using the 3rd Generation Apple iPod Nano is as easy as the old one, possibly easier. It’s extremely functional and user-friendly. The Click Wheel seems a bit more sensitive than the other iPod I owned and it seems easier to scroll past something. At times it also seems hard to get it to land on the selection I want and make that selection. Other times it works fine, so I would say that it seems to be more temperamental, although it might have something to do with the fact that it’s one of the smaller wheels, measuring just one in in diameter.

Accessing what’s been loaded is easy as well as the initial menu divides selections into Music, Videos, Photos, and Podcasts. These are further divided for easy access. My favorite feature, the Shuffle Songs option, is accessible right from the main menu. The Settings allows access to the equalizer as well as many other adjustments. The date and time is adjusted here, rather than at the Clock which sort of surprised me. While scrolling through the menus, a related picture is displayed on a split screen, making the menu system much more attractive.

The two-inch screen really surprised me. Being the old lady that I am, I didn’t think I’d get much use out of watching videos on it. I don’t think I’d use it to watch movies, but the occasional television episode would be fine. I watched an episode of Ghost Hunters and could see the picture fine, even the darker moments. For the most part, I like using the video screen to display the album art and I’ve been going through the songs on iTunes to add the art (yes, it‘s out there on the web). The Cover Flow function allows it to display as part of the screen, as well as the art appearing when the song is playing. In all of these cases the video is quite crisp and bright, so it’s not as hard on my eyes as I initially thought it would be.

The 3rd Generation Apple iPod Nano supports H.264 or MPEG4 video in either MOV, MP4, or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640x480 at as much as 30 frames per second. Videos can be either purchased directly through iTunes or they need to be converted for playback on the Nano.

The sound is great too. I use this through the radio in my car and in my Bose SoundDock Docking Station as well as with the earbuds. In each instance the sound is great. There are so many ways to adjust it in the equalizing mode that even I was daunted at the possibilities. I liked the Sound Check. Features that adjusts the volume of each song so they are all at the same level, rather than having to fumble to adjust it manually. The Volume Limit also allows to set the volume so it won’t get too loud, which might be good for parents who can monitor their child’s use of the iPod closely enough to prevent any hearing damage.

I’m not a fan of the earbuds at all. I’ve never felt they are comfortable in my ears and usually they fall out and end up hurting. I’ll probably be investing in a set of better headphones that don’t go in my ear soon. This is one design of all of the iPods that hasn’t dazzled me.

There are three games which come already loaded on the 3rd Generation Apple iPod Nano: iQuiz, Klondike, and Vortex. More are available for purchase through iTunes. The selection is better than what’s in my phone, but the small size and issues with functionality mean I’d limit my use of this for games. It also has many of the usual extras such as a Calendar, Alarm, and the ability to take Notes. It won’t replace those functions on my cell phone, but it’s an added place to store the information.

The battery life is really good. Apple states this will last for 24 hours on audio playback and about 4 hours on video playback. I haven’t run it down yet but it seems to last quite a bit longer than my previous iPod, whether I’m listening to music or watching videos.

Both the screen and the body clean up easy. I can usually use just a plain paper towel to clean up the anodized aluminum body. The screen usually needs a slightly damp towel to clean up the many fingerprints it seems to attract. The aluminum seems fairly resistant to scratches as there are some minor scratches on the chrome on the back but the front looks just fine.

Overall, I have been impressed with my 3rd Generation Apple iPod Nano. The issues I have are mainly with the limits of 8gb of storage. I have to pick and choose what I load onto the iPod. There are so many features I really like that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to someone. The video playback and the clarity is excellent. The audio is the usual standard and all the equalizer functions make it easy to adjust to any sound level desired. Overall, this was a good choice when I needed a new mp3 player.


My iPod & iPod-Related Product reviews:

2nd Generation 2gb iPod Nano Silver ~ 4th Generation iPod MP3 Player ~ 5th Generation 30gb Video iPod ~ Bose SoundDock Docking Station for iPod ~ Kicker iPod Speaker System ~ zCover micro3 Silicon Case

© 2008 Patti Aliventi