Apple iPod Nano 1st Generation Black (1 GB) MP3 Player
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- Number of Songs: 250
- Usage: Music
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Screen Size: 1.5 inch
- Main Storage Type: Built-in Memory
- Storage Capacity: 1 GB
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iPod Nano Black - Not the Best Way to Spend $150
Pros
Small, attractive, reliable, utilizes flash memory, comes with iTunes and headphones.
Cons
Not user friendly, poor instructions, lacks common features, overpriced.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
I would not buy this again. Other more affordable players offer more features and are easier to learn.
After waiting and waiting for MP3 players to enter the realm of affordability I finally broke down and went shopping for one. The one I had researched and deemed to be the best value for my dollar wasn't available (of course) so I went with the safest buy, the iPod Nano.
Why is the iPod the safest buy? First, iPods are the only players that are 100% compatible with the iTunes website, which is allegedly the largest music download source on the internet. iPods have been around the longest, so one would assume that they are the most developed players on the market. And you obviously want a brand name that you can trust, and you can't get much bigger than Apple in the MP3 player world.
My problem with the nano is that it seems that the folks at Apple have decided to rest on their laurels and let the name drive the sales of the product. First, the instructions are vague and leave quite a bit for you to figure out for yourself, unless you want to read all about it at their website. Second, the iTunes software is not even close to what I would consider user friendly. There is almost no direction at all in the printed instructions, and I have not found the help features to be much better. You will have to figure out for yourself how the software organizes your songs onto the iPod, and once you do figure it out you will see that it takes quite a bit of time and manual labor to organize them into a system that you find comfortable. iTunes offers to organize and import songs for you, but I have found that to be an enormous waste of time and have taken to just organizing them myself.
Functionality is Ok, but it definitely takes some getting used to. Since there is no designated on/off button you often experience delays when turning the unit on via the play/pause button, and turning the unit off requires about 10 seconds of holding the same button down, so don't plan on quick on/off switching. The volume control is very sensitive, and I often find myself adjusting the volume on accident when I'm trying to skip to another song. Also, as compared to other players in this price range you do not have the ability to expand memory, play videos, or voice record.
I think the look and size of this product are the features that really capture people (aside from the brand name). It is very attractive, slim, compact, and holds roughly 250 songs while utilizing flash memory. The batteries do seem to wear down prematurely, but since I am constantly hooking it up to update songs or song information it has never run out on me. Overall this is a decent product, but vastly overpriced at $150. You can do far better for that kind of money. I would feel more comfortable recommending this at $70 or $80.
The bottom line is if you have to have iTunes or if you are looking for a safe, dependable, compact player this is probably what you want to look into. If you are looking for the best dollar value, or if you need functions like voice recording, video playback, and expandability, or if you need extreme ease of use I would not recommend this player.
Why is the iPod the safest buy? First, iPods are the only players that are 100% compatible with the iTunes website, which is allegedly the largest music download source on the internet. iPods have been around the longest, so one would assume that they are the most developed players on the market. And you obviously want a brand name that you can trust, and you can't get much bigger than Apple in the MP3 player world.
My problem with the nano is that it seems that the folks at Apple have decided to rest on their laurels and let the name drive the sales of the product. First, the instructions are vague and leave quite a bit for you to figure out for yourself, unless you want to read all about it at their website. Second, the iTunes software is not even close to what I would consider user friendly. There is almost no direction at all in the printed instructions, and I have not found the help features to be much better. You will have to figure out for yourself how the software organizes your songs onto the iPod, and once you do figure it out you will see that it takes quite a bit of time and manual labor to organize them into a system that you find comfortable. iTunes offers to organize and import songs for you, but I have found that to be an enormous waste of time and have taken to just organizing them myself.
Functionality is Ok, but it definitely takes some getting used to. Since there is no designated on/off button you often experience delays when turning the unit on via the play/pause button, and turning the unit off requires about 10 seconds of holding the same button down, so don't plan on quick on/off switching. The volume control is very sensitive, and I often find myself adjusting the volume on accident when I'm trying to skip to another song. Also, as compared to other players in this price range you do not have the ability to expand memory, play videos, or voice record.
I think the look and size of this product are the features that really capture people (aside from the brand name). It is very attractive, slim, compact, and holds roughly 250 songs while utilizing flash memory. The batteries do seem to wear down prematurely, but since I am constantly hooking it up to update songs or song information it has never run out on me. Overall this is a decent product, but vastly overpriced at $150. You can do far better for that kind of money. I would feel more comfortable recommending this at $70 or $80.
The bottom line is if you have to have iTunes or if you are looking for a safe, dependable, compact player this is probably what you want to look into. If you are looking for the best dollar value, or if you need functions like voice recording, video playback, and expandability, or if you need extreme ease of use I would not recommend this player.
