iPod Nano 5G: A Personal Review

This a personal review. It is by no means professional and I should not be blamed if you got it after reading my post and ended up not liking it. But bear with me, I will try to sound professional but no guarantees ya :D

We’ll start with the exterior and slowly move inside.

1. Overview

Apple’s 5th iteration of its iPod Nano line.
More commonly called the “iPod Nano 5G/5th Generation”, I’ll just call it the Nano in this review. The Nano 5G is deemed a "significant" improvement over its 4G predecessor by many fanboys and critics alike. Now I won't go much into technical details in this post, lest my loyal readers get bored.

The Product RED version of the Nano can only be obtained through the online Apple Store. Being a Product RED means Apple donates some of the money paid to a fund dedicated towards fighting AIDS in Africa.

My conscience is somewhat cleared

2. Exterior

No doubt one of the smallest sized MP3 players in its class in the market now. The Nano is about 9cm long and about 4cm wide and weighs a negligible 36 grams. That is a good 5 times lighter than my cellphone.

It is also very slim indeed, coming in at an impressive 0.61cm thick. That is slightly less thick than 3 SD cards. In terms of thickness, the Nano's closest competitor is Sony's new A-series Walkman, the A845.

The Nano 5G measures at about 90mm long

And about 40mm wide

An iPod on a diet

On the top surface there is the usual Hold switch. Activate it to lock the iPod to prevent accidental song changes etc.
One nigging issue here was that the button was a little bit too hard to activate. And with the Nano's extreme slimness, trying to activate the switch while trying not to touch the screen was a little tricky at first, but users should get used to it in no time.

The Hold switch in the Unlocked position

On the bottom surface, The usual 3.5mm jack and Apple's proprietary 30 pin connector, which functions as a data transfer and battery charging port.

The biggest hype about the new Nano 5G is probably the built-in camera. Unfortunately, the camera can only record videos, no still pictures. I personally would've preferred a still camera than a video camera. So the camera wasn't a deciding factor in my case.

The camera and its tiny microphone is located at just about the WORST place in the whole iPod. Located at the bottom lefthand side of the back, users would really have to be nimble with their fingers if they wish to operate the camera without obscuring the lens. Yes, part of the reason why I really dont give a shit about the camera.

Qualitywise the camera is pretty decent, recording somewhat clear videos at 30fps. To be honest I have only tried the video a grand total of ONE time, yeah, that is just how much it means to me.

Think of the camera as a Value added feature, not something to look out for when scouting for Media players.

3. Interior


The Nano 5G has a bigger screen than its 4G parents. The new screen measures at 2.2" compared to the 4G's 2.0" screen. Also, it is the first Nano in the family to utilize a TFT screen instead of the more traditional LCD screen. The results are a brighter and clearer screen that responses faster.

With the additional screen space, obviously more stuff can be crammed into the display, and that is exactly what Apple has done. Not to worry though, because users can customize their own menus from the iPod's settings.

The preview bar at the bottom of the screen is a pretty cool gimmick. It shows users about the content of each submenu. In this picture, the current selection was Music, so the album cover arts were displayed.

The Nano has a built-in accelerometer. To put it simply, it KNOWS when you're turning it on its sides, and will aptly switch to Apple's Cover Flow for users to browse through their music.

Scrolling the Clickwheel will in turn scroll through Cover Flow, a faster** way to find one's music.

**Some people might find Cover Flow faster, some might not.

For traditionalists who prefer going through traditional (read: Crappy) menus, you'd be happy to know that the Nano 5G has it too.

One of many sorting menus. Songs can be sorted by Artist, Song Name, Album Name, etc.

When playing music, basic information about the song is displayed on the screen, from Song Title (duh) to Artist and Album. The album's Cover art is displayed too, that is if available.
While the music is playing, one can press the center button and (if enabled) the Voiceover function will kick in. It says out the Song Title and Artist. Based on my experience, the voiceover has been pretty accurate in pronouncing various song names and artists' names, ranging from English to Chinese.

Yah, I was listening to the How To Train Your Dragon OST

Also in the iPod Nano 5G is the "Genius" feature. Now this feature was already introduced in the 4G, but anyways, the "Genius" feature automatically creates an ad-hoc playlist based on the user selected song.

There are a few "default" genres that Genius automatically creates a playlist for, but users can activate the Genius feature at any time on any song. This is done by an algorithm built by Apple. The result is a very refreshing mixtape any time the user wants it.

The Genius feature is pretty accurate, and the songs chosen have a similar rhythm or beat, making it a surprise to see what mix it churns out everytime. That is what I meant by "refreshing"

The Nano 5G comes with a ton of features, which can be found in the Extra submenu. Some new additions to the Nano is the Pedometer and Voice Memo. The pedometer pretty much explains itself, while the Voice Memo enables users to record short voice clips as notes.

The Nano has 3 built-in games. Not what you need, but during a boring train ride you might think differently

Users can enter their weight and the number of calories burnt will be calculated. Accuracy not guaranteed.

The Voice Memo interface is pretty cute. The decibel meter fluctuates as the user speak into the microphone while recording. No doubt a useful little feature for forgetful people. Then again they might even forget that they have this feature, or even BETTER, forget they ever owned an iPod.

Another new feature to the iPod Nano is the Radio FM. Now this is the very FIRST iPod that has a built-in Radio feature. Not even the grand Oh-look-at-me-I'm-so-grand iPhone has it. So Nano owners, be VERY VERY proud indeed. The Radio FM works like any other Radio feature in cellphones. Users will have to plug in their ear/headphones before being able to listen to the radio. This is because the ear/headphone cord serves as the antenna to receive broadcast waves.

One feature of the Radio FM VERY worth mentioning is the Live Pause function. It enables users to record(pause) up to 15 minutes of live radio broadcast. Those familiar with the TiVo will know what I mean. This is a very clever function put in by Apple indeed. Users can now playback their radio broadcast and CHOOSE to skip all the advertisements.

Without the antenna, the Nano will ask users to connect their earphones

With the earphone plugged in, the Radio is ready to roll

4. Music

iPods are not known for their sound quality, although the iPod Touch has received plenty of praises for its exceptional sound. The Nano 5G is no exception. In the sound department, the Nano brings forth decent sound. It is by no means a Sony or Cowon. Those brands have made a name for their superior sound.

Apple, on the other hand has focused on style and..well, uh, style. OK maybe features? Compared to other brands, the Nano has better features and most certaintly look more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

This is not to say that the Nano is lacking behind in terms of sound. It can perform, but users would have to upgrade from their stock earbuds. Apple has once again failed to provide quality stock earphones for their players.

Pro's and Cons:

Pros:

• Small form factor
• Light
• Very efficient user interface
• Wholesome All in One package

Cons:

• Nothing special about its sound quality
• Priced quite a bit higher than other competing brands
• Very bad stock earbuds
• Part of a closed system (ie. iTunes must be used)

Conclusion:

The iPod Nano is not a player for audiophiles. If you're an audiophile, you're better off with Sony or Cowon. But if you're looking for a good all around player with tons of features and light enough to bring around while doing your daily activities (ie. jogging, gym, or anything that involves a lot of motion), the iPod Nano is certainly the player for you.

End Note: Users should protect their iPods with utmost care. Here's mine. I sewed a casing for it using denim from unwanted jeans

Cost: A white hairs, operating that ancient sewing machine WASN'T by any means easy. Money saved: At LEAST RM50.

Behind the Scenes:

All pictures were taken with my trusty Canon compact camera and some with my SLR.

NOTE TO READERS: PLEASE for the love of God if you've bothered reading my review, it means that you're actually interested in what I have to write. So PLEASE give me some feedback. It would mean sooo much to me.