Good Reliable & Compact

I have been reeling over when to buy a new ipod for a long time now. I have a 3rd generation 10gb ipod that I got for Xmas in '03 and it was immediately filled to the brim with music. I have probably used the thing every day since I've had it but the battery isn't what it used to be and I have to charge the thing for a good hour and a half during my work day just so I can listen to it for the last few hours. This has become an inconvenience for me considering that my job is extremely boring and the workplace is fairly loud and I find myself getting easily frustrated without music. The new nano commercial certainly is flashy and very persuasive. I want to point out that the click wheel does not glow up at all-I think that Apple falsely advertises that it does and that they should look into changing this misrepresentation. I am sure that they did this in the commercial for a greater effect but I can bet that people who haven't seen it in person and purchase this item online will be a little disappointed when receiving it.

Considering how fast I filled up my 10gb ipod I was torn between getting the new 30gb model with 3 times the amount of space I had before, or, the nano with considerable less space but a much longer battery life. It was a very tough decision but I went with the 4gb nano because of its long battery life. I know that Apple is going to continuously have new and improved models so I decided that the nano could hold me over until a 30gb model with a better battery life (for music and videos) and other improved features comes out.

The nano itself... I would say that I wasn't all that impressed at first sight of the nano, it looked different than the previous nano and very similar to the mini which I thought looked silly. My impression has totally changed considering the fact that I haven't been able to put the thing down since I got it last week. I can't stop holding it and marveling at how compact, light and sturdy it is (compared to the previous model). The screen is colorful and bright and I am happy with the resolution of the photos (albeit on a really small screen). The new headphones are an improvement since the previous ones didn't fit in my ears too well. I haven't noticed much of an improvement regarding the sound quality but I am extremely satisfied since these are more comfortable in the ears than the previous model, the cord is longer, and they also will not wind up together since they are separated by a handy little piece of rubber that you can adjust to your preference.

Some small gripes...I have noticed that the games tend to slow down at times, not really a big deal since these games get boring within the first 2 minutes of playing them. Transitioning from one screen to another isn't as smooth as on the other models--probably due to the fact that the nano is flash drive based. The click wheel isn't the most stable and certainly takes some getting used to. I have noticed that turning the backlight on and off isn't as easy as it used to be. On my older Ipod all I needed to do was to hold down the Menu button for a few seconds for the backlight to turn on. It isn't possible to do that anymore so you have to make sure that the backlight settings are turned on. I also would like to say that my previous model came with a white plug that you can put into the data outlet to protect the outlet from dust and other hazardous circumstances. I think that the little piece of plastic is essential to the life cycle of the ipod and it should be included with every Ipod model.

All in all I couldn't be more pleased with this item. I would definitely advise you to purchase a case that would shield the nano from everyday hazards. The new anodized aluminum casing should protect this item better than the previous models which were easily scratched. I will probably purchase a case from Otterbox when it becomes available because it appears that it will be the best protection available for this fragile investment. Hopefully I won't regret not getting the larger storage model but as of right now I am 100 percent satisfied with my new ipod 4gb nano. It has all that you really need in an mp3 player.