Great player

On Christmas day of 2005, I recieved my first MP3 player - it was an Audiovox. It cost around $80, had 256MB storage, came with headphones equivalent to the ones you find at the dollar store, and had a screen that didn't have a backlight and was hard enough to read in the light anyway.

I loved the thing. It was a piece of crap, but I loved it. I took it everywhere I went, and it made a 13 hour car trip seem to take 20 minutes. I thought I would use that player forever, and it would always be there when I needed it...

Wrong. Within about 5 months of owning it, the screen quit working. There wasn't a reason, it just quit working. I dealt with it until the Christmas of 2006, where my parents, who knew about my player troubles, decided to show me what I was missing out on in the digital audio world, and bought me this 2GB Silver iPod nano.

It's been over a year now, and I'm still using this iPod daily. I ALWAYS have it with me. It's almost as important to take with me as my cell phone. If I forget it in the house, I'll run back and get it... If the car is in the garage, and I left it in there, I'll walk 50 feet through the cold snow possibly getting rained on just to grab it and make sure I have it with me. It's always right next to me when I sleep. What I'm saying is, I can't LIVE without this device... enough of my life story, lets get into the good stuff...

[[what's in the package]]

Open up the case for the first time. Inside this case you will find a dock adapter (still not sure what it's for), an instruction manual, nice looking, great sounding, but EXTREMELY poorly built headphones, and of course, your iPod nano and its USB cable. Pretty standard for any MP3 player of any type, not anything special in here (except for the useless dock adapter).

[[design]]

It's very thin, just a little less than the thickness of a pencil. It's about an inch wide. On the top is a hold switch. On the front is a 1.3" LCD screen. Full color and a backlight, looks gourgeous. Under that is a click wheel + center button, used for main control and navigation. On the bottom is the dock connector (to hook up speakers or plug in a USB cable) and to the right of that is the 3.5mm headphone jack. It looks very cool. A huge step further from the previous nano which had a very boring design.

[[what you'll need]]

The number one thing to enjoy your music is a good pair of headphones. If are looking for something to use at home, a good choice is the Bose TriPort OE ($179). If you are going to be listening in an area that is very loud and you want to block out the noise and only hear your music the Coby CV-E31 ($5-$10) are a good choice. However, the ones with the best quality for the value that you can use for any occasion are the Sony MDR-E10LP's (about $10) which have superior sound and durability.

The body of the iPod scratches very easily. If you are more prone to drop your iPod, you may want a case. The one I use is the iGlove for 2nd Generation iPod nano. It is a silicon skin which hides all current scratches, protects new ones, and is a shock absorber.

[[features and quality]]

Many features on this model! Here are the specs:

Product MPN
MPN MA477LL/A
Key Features
Storage Capacity 2 GB
Number of Songs 500
Family Line iPod
Main Storage Type Built-in Memory
Audio Capabilities
Audio Format MP3 • WAV • AAC • MP3 VBR • AIFF
MP3 Bit-Rate 16 kbps - 320 kbps
Frequency Respone 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz
Screen
On Screen Display Battery Level
Screen Size 1.5 inch
Connectors
Interface USB 2.0
Outputs Headphone Jack
Power Supply
Power Source Rechargeable via USB cable • Internal Battery • Rechargeable via FireWire cable
Battery Type Rechargeable Lithium Battery
Battery Life 24 hrs.
Dimensions
Width 1.6 in.
Depth 0.26 in.
Height 3.5 in.
Weight 1.41 oz.
Warranty
1 Year
Miscellaneous
Product ID 36486076
Release Date 12 September, 2006
More Information
Only 0.26 of an inch thin and 1.41 ounces light, iPod nano packs a lot into its diminutive design. Up to 24 hours of battery life. A brighter color display. A dock connector that fits an entire ecosystem of iPod accessories. With features like these, iPod nano changes the way you experience your music and more.

Some really great features are EQ, photo slideshow viewing, search, shuffle, and too many more to list.

This iPod is one of the most durable electronic products I have ever had the fortune to use. It feels great in the hand, is very sturdy, and never seems to have any problems whatsoever!

[[conclusion]]

Although the small storage capacity isn't always enough, it is a great product...

Recommended:

Sony MDR-E10LP (Silver) Earbud Headphones
iGlove Silicon Skin