iPod nano

The iPod nano is probably the best for the money MP3 player available on the market today. If you are seeking information about the iPod nano, and the best price for an iPod nano, then this mini site should be useful. Our discussion here will mainly be about the iPod nano third generation, which is the most current iPod nano available on the market, at least at the time of this writing.

The current iPod line consists of the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod classic and iPod touch. Apple first introduced the iPod line of products in October of 2001. The ipod nano was introduced in 2005, and was designed to replace the former iPod mini. Since 2005, there have been three generations of the iPod nano. The third and most current generation came out in September, 2007.

Let’s examine the features of the iPod nano (third generation):

Flash Memory:
The iPod nano is different from the iPod Classic in that there is no hard drive. For media storage flash memory is used. This means that there is no song skipping due to vibration.

Better Screen Resolution:
Features a 2-inch QVGA screen which has the highest pixel density of all the iPod products.
* 2-inch (diagonal) liquid crystal display with blue-white LED backlight
* 320-by-240-pixel resolution at 204 pixels per inch

Smaller Size:
A shorter, smaller size then previous iPod nano generations, but yet a fairly large screen for it’s small size.

4GB or 8GB Option:
Using flash memory with the following capability:
* Holds up to 1,000 songs for the 4GB or 2,000 songs for the 8GB in 128-Kbps AAC format. Assumes a mean song length of 4 minutes.
* Holds up to 3,500 viewable photos for the 4GB or 7,000 for the 8GB
* Holds up to 4 hours of video for the 4GB or up to 8 hours for the 8GB

Color Options:
Silver for the 4GB, and various colors for the 8GB iPod nano.

More MP3 Player for the Money:
Apple has lowered the price for the third generation iPod nano. The 4GB sells for $149.00 and the 8GB sells for $199.00.

Video Capability.
At 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second.

Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery:
On a full charge, you get about 24 hours for audio, and 5 hours for video. Fast charge takes about 1.5 hours, and gives you 80% charge, and full charge takes about 3 hours.

These are the main features of the iPod nano, third generation. Apple seems to better itself on each release of the iPod nano product. This MP3 player is probably the best for the money MP3 player available on the market today. With each release of the iPod nano, they have steadily brought down the price.

Back in 2005, the first generation ipod nano was released and was priced at 2 GB for $199 and 4 GB for $249. In 2006, Apple updated the lineup with the 1 GB model which sold at $149. In September 2006, the second generation ipod nano was released and sold for $199.00 for the 4GB and $249.00 for the 8GB. The third and current generation iPod nano was released in September 2007, and currently sells for $149.00 for the 4GB, and $199.00 for the 8GB.

Calling iPod nano an MP3 player is like calling George Bush a government worker. This MP3 player can do so much more then just play songs. It can play movies, TV shows, podcasts, audiobooks, games, and can display photos. The feature I like is the built in stop watch, which is ideal for me since I am a runner. Another nice feature for runners, is the lock button below the front face. This locks in whatever setting you have so that an accidental hitting of the “click wheel” will not have an affect. The best feature for the runner is the flash memory, which means their is no skipping of songs during excessive vibration, like you see in other MP3 players which use a mini hard drive. No moving parts means no song interruption. Actually, it’s small size dictated the necessity to use flash memory.

iPod nano (3rd gen) color choices for 8GB model

The iPod nano third generation, is rugged and is built to take a beating. With no moving parts there is a decrease probability of damaging this MP3 player. Because I am not in the habit of buying an iPod nano and perform my own drop tests, I did find some interesting data, after some digging, related to it’s ruggedness. Testing by technology-enthusiast website Ars Technica has shown that even after being sat on, dropped by a jogger, dropped four times from a car moving at various speeds, then being driven over twice by the car, and finally dropped from nine feet onto concrete, the unit’s screen was damaged but it could still play music.

This high degree of taking a licken and still keep ticken can not be said of the iPod products that use the mini hard drive, such as the iPod classic. Using flash memory instead of a hard drive was a giant leap forward in terms of increased reliability. Oh, and by the way, the iPod nano finally stopped working after being thrown 40 feet into the air and landing on concrete. Oh well, nothing is perfect. Boy those guys at Ars Technica have some fun lunch hours.

When transferring any files onto the iPod nano, you use the iTunes software which is free, and easy to download and install. iTunes is a digital media player application, introduced by Apple on January 8, 2001 for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The program acts as an interface to manage the contents on the iPod nano, and the other iPod digital media players as well as the iPhone. Of course iTunes is perfectly compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista.

There are other flash memory MP3 players on the market, but they seem to not have the large number of accessories which are available for the iPod nano. Everything form different color silicon skins to arm bands for runners, the iPod nano for sure has more accessories then other MP3 players out on the market. To get an idea in terms of the type and number of different accessories available for the iPod nano, go to iPodOutfitter.com.

In doing research on the current pricing for the iPod nano (third generation), for both the 4GB and the 8GB, I could not find a price that was significantly lower then the Apple listed price, unless you want a refurb model. The price range for the 4GB was from $137.98 to $149.00. For the 4GB model, I found a refurb listed at $129.00 on the Apple Store site. Price range for the 8GB was from $159.95 to $188.00. A typical refurb for the 8GB iPod nano was around $169.00, and therefore I question the $159.95 listing on Newegg.com. They did not list it as a refurb, but for that price it is highly unlikely that they are offering a new 8GB iPod nano for such a low price.

The third generation iPod nano is still hot, because they came out in September 2007, and it will take time for prices to drop. Of course, while waiting for the price to drop, Apple will come out with a new player, and then another new player after that, so what sense is there in always waiting. This product has already gone through several stages of making the product better, so the third generation iPod nano should be the one to buy.

Finally, the iPod nano third generation also looks good, sporting an extremely thin body made from anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel. In reading reviews across the Internet, there really was not to many negative things to say about this product. One reviewer had to dig so deep as to say that the only draw back was that finger prints can be seen easily on the chrome backing. The only real negative I could find was that the iPod nano does not synchronize or connect over FireWire. But it’s many pluses outweigh it’s minor minuses.

To conclude, simply put, this “MP3 player” is currently the best player on the market in our opinion. But if you do not care about all the added features incorporated into this product, and you do not care about a large selection of accessories, then you can select from other brands which offer comparable flash memory but not as many features. These type of MP3 players have a lower price.

iPod nano - Videos About This Product

The following is a short list of where you can purchase an iPod nano (third generation) for the lowest prices available on the Internet. Interestingly, there seems to be a price variation for the different colors in terms of the 8GB model. When looking at the 8GB model, the color green seems to be selling at a lower price. These prices may vary over time, but in general, these merchants seem to offer the best price for the iPod nano most of the time.

We recently found the following price for an 8GB iPod nano, reconditioned, through one of our affiliates:




Apple iPod nano 8GB - Buy.com Total Price: $99.99