Apple iPod nano 1st Generation White (4 GB) MP3 Player

I am a computer programmer, so I am a self-professed geek and love all geeky, techy things.

In the past I have acquired several previous incarnations of MP3 players, but I never quite found what I was looking for. As a result, I tended to fall-back to the old-standby's of CD players, MP3 CD Players, or simply playing audio directly from my laptop (yuk!).

In addition, over the past several years I have acquired a good half-dozen of those fun USB Flash Drive thingies that have seemingly replaced the old floppy disks of the past.

After years of following both the Mp3 player and USB Flash Drive markets, it became obvious that the two should merge, so when vendors indeed began offering more and more flash-based MP3 players, I became excited. However, the cost per MB was always too high for a USB drive, and/or the Music-playing features were simply too meager.

Later, the iPod was born, and I was temporarily excited. I loved the little LCD screen and the jog-dial style navigation. But, unfortunatly the cost, size, and the use of non-flash technologies drove me away.

More recently, the iPod shuffle came along, and again I was again thrilled to see progress in the flash-based Audito player market, but the lack of a screen kindof bugged me, so again I failed to make a purchase.

In the mean time I researched many other players, the RIO's, Creative Labs, SanDisk, and dozens of other varieties of ubiquitous players on the market. Each time, I got nearer to buying a player, but something was always missing - lack of UI, poor navigation, clunky size, too much plastic, too much metal, etc.

I always used the original iPods as the aesthetic measuring-stick, but maintained the desire for a more USB Drive-like size and simplicity to it all. In addition, I began hearing about and exploring the idea of consuming "Podcasts", so the support for this technology became an important feature in my future Audio Player selection.

Finally, the iPod Nano was born. A sleek, stylish player with beauty, style, features, tiny size, and large capacity. It captured everything I ever desired in an audio player. So, eventhough I was sold on this mighty little device, I couldnt justify the purchase.

Hey, this is $249 we are talking about and I am an overweight, 35-year old husband and father with a mortgage, bills, and expenses to think about. I told myself that my family priorities must come first.

However, I must have let slip that I LOVED this tiny marvel, because my wife decided I deserved it, and gave me an early-christmas present!

I was thrilled - as giddy as a 10-year old boy discovering bountiful presents on Christmas day.

The iPod Nano has gone beyond my normal freaky-geeky obsessions. Shortly after opening the box it became an appendage of my body - a first-class citizen with every one of my fingers, toes, ears, eyes, and other useful body parts. The last 2 times this happened was with the invention of the computer mouse and keyboard - and maybe when I got my Mustang GT.

Kudos to Apple....buy the iPod Nano now!!!