Apple iPod nano review

Given that one of the nano's selling points is its tiny size, squeezing a colour display capable of playing video you can actually watch has clearly presented Apple design guru Jonathan Ive with one or two conundrums.

This nano is his second go at cracking them, and a radical departure from last year's short, fat, After Eight-style format.

Available in nine colours, including a Product Red version, and capacities of 8 or 16GB, the 2008 nano is sheathed in a single piece of anodised aluminium, which is wrapped around it so that when viewed end-on it's almost oval.

The most notable new feature is the accelerometer, which allows the nano to sense motion and react accordingly. Supported by this function, the screen has been fitted into the taller, thinner shape by turning it sideways; to watch movies in widescreen rather than tallscreen, you turn the nano on its side and the display follows suit. This also enables CoverFlow, Apple's way of letting you flip through album covers. The motion sensor also enables 'shake to shuffle': waggle the nano briskly and you it plays a random track your music library, as if you'd mixed up its memory.

This is a better idea than its predecessor, but has its problems. The oval cross-section slips nicely into pockets, but means the glass screen is curved and therefore more reflective. The ClickWheel feels flimsier than before, and holding the nano in landscape mode to watch video is uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, the nano has much to commend it. Support for Apple's new Genius playlists (see page 50) means you can select a track and ask the iPod to build a playlist based on the tastes of other iTunes users who have that song in their library. It's fun, and a useful way to create new groupings.

If you want a media player suitable for regular video watching, you'd be better served investing a bit more money in an iPod touch. But if you mainly want to listen to music, the nano remains a fantastic buy, and there's no doubting its aesthetic desirability.

Author: Kenny Hemphill