New iPod nano--it might actually make me hate Apple less

[Raswan]

Aside from a 3rd-gen iPod nano (which gets used when I run, and that's it), I've never owned an apple product. In fact, most of the time I actively go out of my way to knock iPhones out of passers-by's hands, slap iPad users in the face, and just generally ridicule the shit out of anyone who owns a mba or mbp.

HOWEVER, I can't bring myself to hate the new nano. It looks sharp and is incredibly versatile. Watch, fitness device, the 16GB version can hold all my music no problem, gorgeous screen...and it's not completely unreasonably priced at 149$. Saw a girl in a seminar the other night wearing one, and it seems (begrudgingly, I say) like all apple products, well-thought out in every respect. Very polished.

http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/features.html

Anyone here in the apple-lovin' corner at AT have one? How has your experience been? Specifically, how is the nike + integration? Does it work well for going on a long run? How does the screen hold up to the occasional (or in my case probably regular) bang or scrape? Does it scratch easily? I'm thinking of one for my fiancee, and then if I like it I'll get one too.

Kudos, apple.

EDIT: I now realize this should probably be in mobile devices and gadgets, and if a mod wants to move it there, no problem. But it seems silly to have an All Things Apple and not put apple stuff in there.

 

[TuxDave]

I got one as part of the recall. It's definitely lightweight and small enough for running. I have tried the whole "use a smartphone for music while running" but it was too heavy (causes your pocket to bounce all over the place) and too big for arm straps that I never considered it practical.

I haven't gotten a scratch on mine yet and it turns out that I actually listen to the radio function more than my personal music when I use it.

 

[ArJuN]

I'm with you on being an Apple hater. I haven't used the new nano yet, but I can see it in my near future. Am I correct in thinking it'd be the most beneficial if I had a Mac to go along with it?
I'm slowly getting sucked into the Apple ecosystem...and I must say, life is getting easier. It's weird to say that. But I went from WMC to an Apple TV, and I didn't have to edit any registery files, config files, or worry about codecs. It's definitely an eerie feeling, but I'm learning to welcome and embrace it.

 

[Raswan]

I got one as part of the recall. It's definitely lightweight and small enough for running. I have tried the whole "use a smartphone for music while running" but it was too heavy (causes your pocket to bounce all over the place) and too big for arm straps that I never considered it practical.

I haven't gotten a scratch on mine yet and it turns out that I actually listen to the radio function more than my personal music when I use it.

Forgot about the radio function. How is the reception? We have shitty stations where I live, but if the antenna is particularly good I could pic up some stations from the city.

 

[slag]

My wife has one and loves it. She also has the shoe thingy that records her distance when she runs. I'd use it but its pink .

 

[TuxDave]

Forgot about the radio function. How is the reception? We have shitty stations where I live, but if the antenna is particularly good I could pic up some stations from the city.

I wouldn't say it's super good or anything. It uses your earbud wires as its antenna and so it picks up all the regular stations that I normally can pick up in my car when driving.

 

[Raswan]

My wife has one and loves it. She also has the shoe thingy that records her distance when she runs. I'd use it but its pink .

Cool. Do you have to use the shoe transmitter with it? The reason I ask is the product page specifically mentions the accelerometer is in the device, so you don't have to wear the specific nike+ shoe pedometer.

Also, love the quote in your sig.

 

[Raswan]

I wouldn't say it's super good or anything. It uses your earbud wires as its antenna and so it picks up all the regular stations that I normally can pick up in my car when driving.

Fair enough. I always wondered why they didn't have the radio in the original iPods. Didn't know if it was a battery thing or they were closing it off so people would only use it for iTunes. Probably the iTunes thing...

 

[ControlD]

My wife has a 16GB model and I have used it a few times when running but I don't think (nor does she) that it is a great runner's MP3 player. On the plus side, getting a cheap watchband makes it very easy to strap to your arm.

On the minus side, the touch screen is almost impossible to use when running and requires you to take your eyes off the road to operate. The battery life is absolutley atrocious compared to most small (and cheap) MP3 players. The interface is fairly clumsy and requires lots of swiping to get back to music selection menus (again, not a great thing when running). If you are willing to setup some playlists or go strictly random play (and don't need to skip songs) things are fine.

I ended up getting an el-cheapo Sansa Clip+ to use when running and while it doesn't have even 10% of the "cool" factor the Nano has, it is at least 90% easier to use when running. YMMV of course, and otherwise the Nano is a decent player but not worth nearly the price tag considering the limitations.

 

[Eug]

I hate the new nano. Aside from the no-button iPod shuffle, I think it has the worst iPod interface Apple has ever designed.

I have both the iPod shuffle and the iPod nano, as well as the iPod mini and my iPhone. Here is my usage pattern.

iPod shuffle: Used when cutting the grass. Once in a while when exercising.
iPod mini: Sometimes used when cutting the grass or using an exercise machine.
iPod nano: Never used. Period.
iPhone: Used when I don't feel like carrying an iPod with me.

The reason I hate the current iPod nano is there is no tactile component to it, so if you're cutting the grass or exercising it's hard to navigate on it without looking at it. It's not a concern with the iPhone because when I have that I'd be waiting for a meeting or shopping in a store or something so I can look down at it.

BTW, I used to have an older iPod nano, and we used that one where I use my mini now, because it had real buttons.

 

[Full Monty]

On the minus side, the touch screen is almost impossible to use when running and requires you to take your eyes off the road to operate. The battery life is absolutley atrocious compared to most small (and cheap) MP3 players. The interface is fairly clumsy and requires lots of swiping to get back to music selection menus (again, not a great thing when running). If you are willing to setup some playlists or go strictly random play (and don't need to skip songs) things are fine.

I agree the touch screen is difficult to use, but double-clicking the power button skips to the next song on your playlist, which is adequate while running and doesn't require aversion of the eyes from the road. Any player would require you to look at the screen if you're not using a playlist and/or frequently searching for specific songs, but I rarely find that to be the case while running. Set up a music playlist or a folder of podcasts and you'll only have to worry about swiping when you're done.

Right on with the battery life; it's quite disappointing. I find myself charging much more frequently than a player like this should need.

 

[Ns1]

is there a BT compatible headset for this to listen to tunes?

 

[slag]

Cool. Do you have to use the shoe transmitter with it? The reason I ask is the product page specifically mentions the accelerometer is in the device, so you don't have to wear the specific nike+ shoe pedometer.

Also, love the quote in your sig.

With the latest version you don't have to use the shoe thingy, but the version right before this last one, same form factor and everything, but it was not built in and you had to have the extra electronic piece.

 

[jpeyton]

If you just need a music player to work-out with, the Sansa Clip for $20-$30 is a much better option.

 

[Eug]

is there a BT compatible headset for this to listen to tunes?

No Bluetooth support.

If you just need a music player to work-out with, the Sansa Clip for $20-$30 is a much better option.

Shuffle works well for $49, and supports the iTunes DRM'd music of course.

 

[Ns1]

No Bluetooth support.

dead to me then.

 

[Obsoleet]

You'll come around. I used to be just like you, for quite some time. Though I did have a Nano 1G when it was released, and the battery finally started to give out. I got a 6G through the replacement program. They are great for exercising- best choice on the market.

That said, I've given up resisting Apple. I'm not a diehard fanboy of any company, be it Apple or Google or MS. I use whatever is best. That said, Apple is progressing to dominate every category in my book-

Buying a mp3 player: iPod hands down. Been that way since day 1. Before the iPod was originally released I guess I would've bought a Creative Muve or whatever those POSs were.

Buying a tablet: iPad hands down. The G3 is killer and nothing comes close in my book.

IPTV: AppleTV. $99 for pretty great hardware really (512GB RAM, 8GB DRAM storage, A5X APU). Def beats the slowass Roku and uglyass WD LiveTV interface. If I didn't have a ATVG2, I'd probably use a 360 and MediaCenter since it does live video recording easily with a tv-tuner. But, for $99 and low noise/power use, Jailbreakability (read: Plex, Hulu, ect).. it's the hands down choice if you dont want a HTPC.

Phone: iPhone hands down. I use an HTC Thunderbolt and I HATE it. I can't wait to get a iPhone5. STABILITY and some battery life will finally be mine. The Droid Maxx is my other choice but I'm done with Android- I don't give a shit about the apps I'm losing that I bought.

Computer- Still a Windows7 rig for me. Too powerful, too useful, I use mine as a direct HTPC/iTunes streaming/gaming on desktop LCD + 50" Samsung plasma/+anything you'd use a PC for. I dabble in C# and other PC-centric things. Obviously that means Visual Studio. I can't move to Mac, but I'm keeping my eyes on what Apple might do there someday. Right now OSX is being neglected and for good reason- I hope they make iOS more powerful and someday make it the desktop solution.

Case in point- my only Apple device today is my AppleTV G2. Not planning on going to G3 because I got mine for $40 with the intention of jailbreaking it. LOVE IT and it's not even jailbroken yet!

iPad G3 is probably my next purchase. I don't like smartphones at all, personally, but being forced to use one for my job I prefer the customizability of Android but the overall refinement/quality of iOS/iPhone. I won't be bothering with another Android adventure- tablet or phone, quite simply done.

Airplay, wireless sync, sharing of apps between iOS devices.. you just can't match that from anyone but Apple today. And their build quality is always top-notch.

I was already open to Apple prior to the iPad G3 launch, but that screen.. a 2048x1536 res screen won me over. These other jokers in the tech industry are getting throttled for good reason- more power to the company that integrates their product line and delivers innovation. That company is quite simply Apple. I'm not trying to convince you of anything with my tirade at all. I believe unless you're a hardcore bitter nerd who thinks Google and/or MS can do no wrong, you'll give in regardless of Apple's mainstream popularity.

Something I learned a long time ago- bandwagons exist for a reason. There's something hot there- and you're best off simply joining the bandwagon while it's hot rather than cynically smirking from the side. Always ride the bandwagon- Enjoy the good sh*t.

And I for one, Welcome our New Apple Overlords.

 

[jpeyton]

Shuffle works well for $49, and supports the iTunes DRM'd music of course.

The Shuffle should be aborted. No screen, no radio, 2GB hard storage limit, for $49...might be the worst deal out there.

But if you're paying for iTunes DRM'ed music (or DRM'ed music from anyone for that matter), you're probably accustomed to bad deals anyway.

 

[Eug]

Buying a mp3 player: iPod hands down.

Yeah, I wouldn't buy anything except an iPod.

Buying a tablet: iPad hands down.

I'm less than enthused by the iPads. Nice machines no doubt, but limited in real world functionality - I don't have that much use for them, so they're not worth CAD$519+ to me. If I'm going to buy a limited machine, I may as well get a $199-$299 7" tablet, something I might actually carry with me. I just don't like the 10" form factor. Too awkward.

IPTV: AppleTV. $99 for pretty great hardware really (512GB RAM, 8GB DRAM storage, A5X APU). Def beats the slowass Roku and uglyass WD LiveTV interface. If I didn't have a ATVG2, I'd probably use a 360 and MediaCenter since it does live video recording easily with a tv-tuner. But, for $99 and low noise/power use, Jailbreakability (read: Plex, Hulu, ect).. it's the hands down choice if you dont want a HTPC.

A jailbroken AppleTV isn't an Apple product. I use my AppleTV 2 as is... which means I almost never use it. I've been thinking about jailbreaking it though, to get more real use out of it.

Phone: iPhone hands down.

Yeah, so far nothing else is in the same league IMO, in terms of OS slickness, and overall integration. However, it needs 1 GB RAM, LTE, and a bigger screen (at the same resolution, so lower ppi).

Computer- Still a Windows7 rig for me.

My main machines are OS X. I have a couple of Windows 7 machines, but they get about 5% of my usage time.

 

[umrigar]

i couldn't fit all my music on a 160 GB Classic.

right now i have an 80 GB 5.5gen, a 60 GB 5gen, and a couple USB thumb drives that I rotate in my car.

 

[TheStu]

The Shuffle should be aborted. No screen, no radio, 2GB hard storage limit, for $49...might be the worst deal out there.

But if you're paying for iTunes DRM'ed music (or DRM'ed music from anyone for that matter), you're probably accustomed to bad deals anyway.

iTunes Music isn't DRMed. Hasn't been for a few years. Want to try a fresher argument?

 

[Eug]

Well, my iTunes music was DRM'd, until last week when I finally upgraded the tracks to iTunes Plus. However, I only had a handful of DRM'd tracks, because I usually buy the CDs and rip them myself.

 

[TheStu]

Well, my iTunes music was DRM'd, until last week when I finally upgraded the tracks to iTunes Plus. However, I only had a handful of DRM'd tracks, because I usually buy the CDs and rip them myself.

I wonder if the following would have worked in your case (I hope you didn't spend money to upgrade the tracks)

1: Delete your iTunes purchases
2: Go the Store and click on Purchases on the right
3: Download new, DRM-Free copies of all the tracks

 

[Eug]

I paid for the upgrade. It didn't cost much because I only had a handful as I said, but if I had been smarter I would have tried what you suggested first.

I think it was about 30 or 40 cents per track, or $3 per album. I ended up spending all of twelve bucks.