Ipod Nanos, any good? Help please

ti1980

I would like to get an Ipod type device in the sales hopefully.
I don't know where to start, how big a memory I need or anything. I do like a wide range of music so it would be nice to get one with a decent memory for a lot of songs but I don't want to pay silly money.

I was with a friend the other day who has an Ipod Nano and I liked the look of that but talking to another friend he said they were no good as they run on a chip thing and are hard to get repaired so now I am so confused.

Anyone have any pointers for me or products I should go for? Would be really grateful. Thanks in advance. :beer:

masterthief

think he means the lithium-ion battery which will die (eventually). you can get them replaced, but with later iPods this is more difficult to do. I've had several different iPods over the yrs (total music head - guitar player so its 'work related' lol) and they are the best/most user friendly mp3 player IMO, but I use Macs more than Pcs - on a PC you'll have to download iTunes (for free from www.apple.com) if you don't already have it.

as for storage amount - this link will give info on the amount of songs/videos you can put on each size of iPod http://www.apple.com/ipod/whichipod/ just scroll down to the bottom. the bit on battery life is how much continuous playback time the battery lasts before it needs recharging. the lithium ion battery will last roughly 500 full recharges before you face problems (last time I checked) but there are ways of extending battery life (search apple.com for ipod battery and you should get more info on that).

I have just got a nano and find its the best ipod I've had yet, but I'm gonna get a classic (hopefuly in the sales) too as I spend so much time on music and need to have more songs with me when out and about - gonna use my nano more for working out and stuff as it is less obtrusive. I'm getting an 80GB classic, as I can't justify paying for the 160GB classic - my current iTunes music comes to around 60GB and I wont use the extra 100GB that the 160GB classic provides fully before the battery dies (I don't think I will, anyway).

and, while the ipod touch is flashy (i really really want one, lol), if you really want one of those, I'd enter competitions to win one, as I think they are way too expensive for what they do (remember that their wifi capability will run the battery down quicker than simply using it to play music on, and the storage capabilities are rubbish for the price).

my nano it the 4GB one. if you go for the 8GB one, seriously look at the 80GB classic ipod instead - dixon's sell them at 120 quid online before the sale started so they're a better investment.


hope this helps

masterthief

oh, and after complaints with the lithium-ion battery you can get them replaced by apple certified engineers for a price. apple will replace your ipod if the battery goes within the first year, and you can get further battery-life cover from both apple themselves or from most shops selling the ipods (e.g. comet) so they'll replace the ipod if the battery goes after one year.

give some thought to the cost of this though, if its gonna cost 50quid ormore I'd say leave it - apple will release better and better ipods each year and the price of comparable ipods will drop significantly (e.g. my early 30GB ipod was around 200quid, but the 80GB ipod now sells for 120-150quid), so you might well be just as good replacing the thing entirely if the battery dies after one year.

loudcox

Personally, I can't stand the iPod range. It's the biggest marketing con of the 21st century so far, a real triumph of style over substance. There are many other products out there producing better sound, supplied with a decent set of headphones, and with longer battery life.

As for how much memory you need, it's almost an irrelevant question. It's more a question of how you're going to use it. If you're wearing it for sport or being active, then a solid state model is essential. These are much lower capacity than a hard drive model, but as there are no moving parts, they're far more robust. Mine survived a 40mph bike crash with a scratch!


Things to look for:

1) A wide variety of music formats supported e.g. MP3, OGG, WMA, MP4, FLAC.
2) A standard mini-USB connector to a PC. There's nothing more annoying than needing a charge or wanting to grab some tunes but not having the correct lead to hand.
3) Unless you're 14 I can't imagine that you'd watch a distorted video on a matchbox-sized screen so ignore it. It also kills the battery.
4) Headphone quality is difficult to assess since you generally can't try them on, so look at the amazon reviews for any models you like and see what the audiophiles say. It's a common complaint amongst iPod owners that they end up replacing them.
5) Battery life isn't that much of an issue any more. Most players will do 15hrs+ without a charge, and charge quickly when connected to a computer for music transfer
6) Memory also isn't too important any more, as with 4GB or more you can fit one hell of a lot of music on with MP3. My music collection's about 500GB in size, and I have an 8GB solid state player, which does me just fine. (I'm listening in FLAC or OGG format, which are orders of magnitude larger than MP3 files).
7) Don't get tied into a proprietary format, e.g. Apple's AAC for songs downloaded from the iTunes store. You'll regret it the moment you want to get a different player in a few years time.
8) For a smaller music collection, use something like mozy.com (2GB free) to act as an offsite backup in case either computer or player goes belly up.

Good luck!

mummytofour

I had a 1st gen shuffle and am now the prond owner of a black nano 8GB I put all my itunes on my nano and only used 1 gb, sad I obviously have no music :-( I love mu nano its fab and has soo many features, I would get one

Joannef_2

I got an ipod Nano when they first came out in September 2005. It has been used for a couple of hours every day (Mon-Fri) since I got it.

The battery isn't great but I would normally only have to charge it twice a week. Haven't had any problems with it in the 2 years 3 months I've used it for and my boyfriend is now going to have it (I got a new Nano yesterday).

The only thing I would change is the headphones. I bought some sennheiser headphoens to replace the Apple ones.

ti1980

Thanks to everyone for your comments so far. I am so bamboozled by all the jargon, products and what they do. Why do mobile phones seem so much easier? I guess with one of those all I want is to be able to call and text. I don't ask for much there!

I'm not going to be using it for sport, just round and about. DOn't want to spend too much either but want a really good sound.

masterthief

yea, I haven't had much problems with battery life either - except that first 30GB ipod which played up a bit. but only after I accidently dropped it several times when out skating, so that was my fault, lol.

the ipod mini wasn't that great for battery life, but I remember those ones came in for a lot of criticism in particular and are no longer made.

have charged the nano once since buying it on saturday and I listen a lot and tried out all the games too.

catch22

I always refused to have an iPod until playing with the nano 3g video. Have previously owned a Creative and a Samsung mp3 player but they really are not as good. The nano is a thing of beauty and so easy to use. After saying that though I would not think twice about buying a Creative again.

dmg24

I am another one that does not like ipods. The battery life was useless, and I did not find the controls particularly user friendly either.

I went for a Sony in the end. The battery life is fantastic, and even my mum can use it!

I suppose the differing opinions show that it is down to personal choice. See if you can try a few out in the shop first.

Saint_Chris

can you use a i-pod nano when in the gym