The iPod Nano has seemingly undergone more changes over the past few years than any other iPod model, and yesterday's iPod Nano announcement at Apple's special media event was no different. Chief among the changes to the iPod Nano is the inclusion of a video camera, a move which Apple is admittedly hoping will make the Nano an attractive alternative to the popular Flip Video Cam
The iPod Nano has seemingly undergone more changes over the past few years than any other iPod model, and yesterday’s iPod Nano announcement at Apple’s special media event was no different. Chief among the changes to the iPod Nano is the inclusion of a video camera, a move which Apple is admittedly hoping will make the Nano an attractive alternative to the popular Flip Video Cam. The video camera on the Nano is located on the back of the device, yet because there wasn’t enough room to place it behind the screen (which makes more sense from a design point of view), Apple instead placed it towards the bottom of the device, behind the bottom of the clickwheel. While the Nano, as of this writing, is not yet available in Apple Stores, initial reviews of the Nano’s video quality have been quite favorable. Apple also decided to “sweeten the deal” by including a number of video effects (such as x-ray, thermal, and cyborg) that will undoubtedly make filming videos on the device a load of fun. And with an 8GB entry model coming in at just $149, the new iPod Nano sports a lot of bang for your buck, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an MP3 player in that price range that can even come close to matching the iPod Nano’s features. But to borrow a phrase from Steve Jobs, there’s just one more thing. Well, actually, there are quite a few more things. In addition to a video camera, the new iPod Nano will also come equipped with an FM tuner, marking the first time an iPod has ever included an FM tuner. The FM tuner itself has some nifty features, such as the ability to tag songs for future downloading, and it can also record 15 minute segments of Radio play in real time. It’s sort of like Tivo, but for the radio, and Apple is calling it “Live Pause.” Another welcome addition to the latest iPod Nano is a larger screen which comes in at 2.2 inches, up from the previous models 2-inch screen. Such a slight increase may not seem like a lot, but when you’re dealing with a screen that’s so small to begin with, every extra pixel of screen real estate adds up real quick. And finally, Apple decided to throw in a pedometer (which works via the accelerometer) and the VoiceOver feature originally introduced in the last iPod Shuffle. VoiceOver enables the iPod Nano to “speak” which song and artist are currently playing. Apple’s proprietary headphones, though, are required to use this feature. Again, the entry 8GB model sells for $149, while a 16GB sells for $179. Notably, the iPod Nano can only record video footage, so if you’re looking to record still photographs, you’re outta luck. And finally, the iPod Classic is still chugging along in obscurity, but Apple doesn’t seem intent on axing the product anytime soon. Yesterday, Apple announced that it would be upping the Classic’s capacity to 160GB, up from a previous capacity of 120GB. The price, however, remains unchanged at $249. All in all, Apple’s iPod announcements yesterday weren’t necessarily mind blowing, but they were solid and provided the incremental upgrades that Apple is known for, slowly but surely adding value to its devices.
