iPod Reviews

APPLE iPOD NANO 16GB - FOURTH GENERATION

PRODUCT OVERLOOK

Apple has once again come down with its own style and bash through its iPod Nano with 16GB capacity Fourth Generation music and games device. The iPod Nano 4G comes in an array of 9 dazzling and attractive colours. It had altered its design resembling to its original models when compared to the square and broad 3G model and appears to be sleek and stylish.

This new iPod Nano 4G sports a new tool for creating the Genius playlist with a tilting sensor and the font size of the menu has been improvised for the visually-impaired person. On the other hand, it is most needed to upgrade your device to the company’s iTunes 8.0 version software. It could be undoubtedly said that this iPod Nano is extremely good in its user-interface and software features and the pricing is also reasonable.

PRODUCT MAKE AND APPEARANCE

Apple iPod Nano 4th Generation with its hi-tech appearance is unbelievably light-weighted and extremely slender in design. It is built-in a seamless metal finish with a curved edge to its design. The entire device in its finished quality is very comfortable with its long and tapering body to hold in the palm. The curving of the glass screen has got more resilience and fights back to keep from scratches. The viewing features of the iPod has not deterred with the glossiness or the reflective nature of the lush glass screen.

As far as the external buttons and controls go, there is a hold switch and a click wheel for easy manipulation.

Inspite of alterations in its design, the dimensions of the 4G iPod Nano MP3/MP4 Player has not changed and so the viewing quality remains the same. It is one of the largest small screens and thinnest iPod. It measures about 3.5 inches in height and 1.6 inches in width with a 0.25 inch thickness. It has a display of 2″ LCD screen, sized diagonally with a blue and white LED backlight and a one-inch scrolling wheel control option. The dock and headphones can be connected from the bottom of the device and the sliding-hold switch is once again located on the top of the 4G Nano.

For the comfort of the visually impaired the Apple has increased the font of the text in the menu to a certain level and has made a setting in its fonts. This appears good and legible even for the others with a 20/20 vision. The user interface had undergone a major change compared to its older versions

The album art of the music playback is now full screen by default settings with a more fancy view of the Cover Flow. Now you can view it in an alphabetical for easy selection when you flip through your choices.

PRODUCT FEATURES

The most important and highlighted special features of the iPod Nano 4G Video Player is the creation of a new Genius playlist, the tilt sensor for shuffling you music choice, the application for voice recording and the synthesized voice option for the visually impaired to read their text. Let’s see in detail about these features.

Although the iPod Nano 16gb has retained almost all the major features from its earlier model like music, podcast playback, video options and photos, calendar, alarms contacts, the gaming features, note-making or the clock facility; it also has evolved with some of its unique qualities of its own (check the features, reviews about Apple iPod Nano 8gb). These features make the Nano 4G compulsive on the buying range to the consumers and poses good threat to its competitors.

First of its specialities, is the instant Genius playlist which allows you to make your own 25 songs included in it. It’s usage is very easy. All it takes is select one of your favourite song and press hard on the “Start Genius button” in the menu and hold it until it enables. Then the result is all fun. This play list collection could be transferred to the PC and heard if the iTunes’ Genius feature has been enabled. Sometimes one may find it disturbing of privacy because the Apple may be reported with your choice of musical habits.

The LCD screen with a high resolution is contrast adjustable and has backlight options which make reading in soft lightings much easier.

Second is the interesting “tilt-sensor” of the Apple’s iPod Nano. This 4G iPod has a good trick up its sleeves. When tilted and given a hard shake the music player shifts itself to the shuffle mode and plays a random selection of songs from the available playlist. If needed to be deactivated it could be just done by holding the switch for shake to shuffle from the setting menu of the iPod.

This tilt-sensor also activates the Cover Flow music of the Nano 4G when the device is turned to its sides. The playback of the video can also be changed to the direction you turn the screen.

Thirdly, Apple had made voice recordings pretty easy on the Nano 4G. It has made allowance for a headphone jack with a microphone input. Only reservation is that headsets compatible to the Apple only has to be used. The earphones that come with the device remain unchanged and do not have a built-in microphone to it.

The last but not the least is the speciality of the iPod’s capacity in incorporating a new feature for the visually impaired. With the help of the synthesized voice found in the device and by enabling it, these users can hear the entire menu, the necessary selections and other playback information read by the synthesized voice feature. This could be done with the help of the iTunes. A large font sized menu settings makes a good alternative for easy reading.

AUDIO FEATURES

The audio of the Nano 16gb 4G is pretty much the same as its predecessors. There is nothing beyond the original or traditional settings. Apple does nothing to complicate the sound quality or does not enhance the sound settings. Even if there is no richness in the audio there is always a balance in the treble and bass. It certainly sounds good to the ears.

The supported audio formats of this fourth generation iPod are the MP3, WAV files, AIFF, Audible files, AAC which include protected files and Apple Lossless files. Even if the device does not favour WMA music, it could easily be converted to MP3 with the help of the software from iTunes.

With the 16GB flash drive, this fourth generation iPod Nano is able to store about 4000 songs and a maximum of 14,000 images which are iPod viewable.

VIDEO FEATURES

The fourth generation iPod Nano 16gb with its multi-coloured selection has a good 2-inch LCD screen. It provides both the portrait and landscape mode of viewing. It has a maximum resolution to its screen with a 320 x 240 pixels with featured 204 pixels per inch. The almost curved or rounded glass screen of the iPod gives a bit of glaring but still the picture quality is extremely good in brightness and clarity. Like all the other portable video playbacks, this also require specific file format. The compatible video formats are the H264, the MPEG4 video format in the MP4 or MOV or M4 file format with a picture resolution of 640×480. When videos are played, there is a caption which is displayed in a clear and legible, white and black contrast font.

This keeps in its hold about 16 hours of video and stores all of its data through a USB flash drive.

LANGUAGE FEATURES

The device is multi-lingual and supports a variety of languages at its user interface. The most important languages are the English, the Russian, the Czech, the Danish, the Dutch, the Finnish, the French, the German, the Greek, the Hungarian, the Italian, the Japanese, the Korean, the Norwegian, the Polish, the Portuguese, the Simplified Chinese, the Spanish, the Swedish, the Traditional Chinese, and the Turkish.

Others which give additional support for the display of songs, the albums and also about the artist info are the Bulgarian, the Romanian, the Serbian, the Slovak, the Slovenian, the Ukrainian, the Thai and the Vietnamese languages.

PACKAGE DETAILS

The Packed Box of the Apple iPod Nano 4G comes with the device, a pair of earphones, a USB cable of 2.0 version, one Dock adapter and a guide for Quick Start.

There is a dock connector and a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack as an input and output accessory.

POWER AND BATTERY FEATURES

The battery which is used for this iPod Nano 4G device is a rechargeable one of lithium ion and is a built-in one. It holds a music playback time of about 24 hours and a video playback of 4 hours. This iPod can be easily charged through the USB connected to the computer or via a power adapter which could be purchased separately. It takes about 1 ½ hours to charge to 80% of the battery as fast charging and about 3 hours for a complete charging of the battery.

OPTIMAL TEMPERATURES FOR USE

This 4G iPod is best operated under a temperature variation between a 32° to 95° F or 0° to 35° C. There is also a non operating temperature instruction for this and the variation is between -4° to 113° F or -20° to 45° C.

The relative humidity under which this device could be used is a noncondensing 5% to 95% and the operating altitude is to a maximum of 3000 m or 10,000 feet.

Apple iPod Nano 16GB 4th Generation - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Apple
Model Name	iPOD 16GB Fourth Generation
Product Type	Digital Player
Colours	Red, silver, orange, black, green, pink, purple, blue and yellow
Dimensions W x D x H	1.5 in x 0.2 in x 3.6 in
Weight	1.3 ounce
Body housing material	Aluminium
Memory	Integrated 16GB
System Requirements	The Microsoft Windows Vista with Apple MacOS X 10.4.11 or later version, or, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3 are the preferred requirements.
Supported audio CD formats	The AAC, an MP3, an MP3 VBR, an Audible 2, 3, and 4 an Apple Lossless or AIFF or a WAV format.
Video formats	H.264 , MPEG-4 with a digital graphic equalizer.
Softwares	iTunes version 8.0 or later with an iTunes stores account and Drivers and Utilities
Digital features	An MPEG-4 playback with JPEG photo playback and it is also Variable bit-rate compatible.
Additional features	A Motion Sensor, a calendar with Cover Flow, a volume limiter, Genius technology and built in games, Nike with iPod support, a USB 2.0 version compatibility, and a battery level indicator. It also has a built-in digital clock with alarm and stopwatch.
User interface	USB port with 2.0 compatibility
Input and output	1 external USB cable, one docking station, and one 3.5 mm miniphone stereo binaural headphone set.
Battery	Rechargeable lithium ion battery
Power	3 hours of recharge time

Apple iPod Classic 160GB sixth generation - Black, Silver

We will always never forget to give prominence to the Classic models as they will never be on the way out. The Apple iPod Classic 160GB sixth generation is currently the most popular one in the market. The reason for its popularity may be its metal sleek design, other interesting features and battery life. The iPod classic sixth generation is very much similar to that of the fifth generation except that it is slimmer and has a richer GUI. In short, this product of apple can be said as a high - capacity version of the third generation iPod Nano.

The 80GB fifth generation of Apple iPod classic has reduced dramatically in its cost and now, you can get the iPod with double the capacity and similar features which is available in both black and silver. The nano and this model of classic has a lot of features in common such as, thumbnail artwork of the albums, podcasts in list views, the extensive information provided while viewing the list of songs and albums, cover flow view, the games such as Vortex, Klondike, and iQuiz and a number of other miscellaneous features.

Design changes:

Body:
The apple iPod Classic is redesigned in a beautiful manner featuring a sleek and an all new metal enclosure. The glossy and the all-plastic facade that was seen in the previous versions of Apple iPods is replaced by the anodized aluminium faceplate. The 2.5 inch LCD colour display is big and bright. This screen can be set to the brightness mode when you are in a dark room. However, the screen is again made out of the scratch prone plastic unlike the screen of the iPhone and Touch and the chrome back still begging smudges.

The size of this iPod is 2.4 x 4.1 x 4.1 inches which is just a fraction thinner than the 30GB version of the iPod Nano. The larger click wheel that is designed in this product makes it extremely simple to operate it, particularly if you want to operate it single handedly. The click wheel is very handy as, with the help of the wheel alone, you can adjust the volume, choose songs with playlist, artist, album, song, genere and composer. The controls seem to be sluggish and unresponsive at times.

Menu:
The most impressive design improvement in this Ipod Classic 160 gb is that of the menu system. It has a split screen main menu that displays the selections on the right half of the screen and a picture related to the selection in the left half of the screen. The result is quite beautiful.

Memory:

As we all know, the Classic is not of the flash memory type. The hard drive memory type does not deliver the data as fast as the flash memory does. This is the reason why Nano responds faster to your commands as it is of the flash memory type.

Features:

With 6th generation 160gb iPod Classic, you can put your entire music and video collection with whooping 160GB of storage. The videos can be bought from iTunes online store or import them into iTunes which can be converted for playback. Many of the video features that we look forward in the portable video players can be got with iPod classic sixth generation. It also offers you a dependable feature of resuming playback at the point at which you last left off. The closed caption subtitles can now be switched on or off for the videos which support them.

With such interesting features, it is very easy for us to miss some of the subtle but cute change made to Classic. For instance, when it comes to the shuffle feature, Apple has now made it very simple to engage and disengage this function on the fly with just a few clicks on the click wheel’s center button.

If you love reading books, then you are going to love this set too as the iTunes store is stocked with thousands of audio books along with the bookmark function.

Classic has an enhanced interface that offers a new way to browse and view your music video. The cover flow technology allows you to use the patented click wheel in order to flip through the music by album cover.

Supported formats:

The support for audio and video playback, photos, podcasts and video games remain virtually unchanged. It supports playback H.264 or MPEG-4 in MOV, MP4 or M4V file formats. These are played with a maximum resolution of 640×480 pixels at 30fps. The audio file formats supported remains the same. It supports Protected AAC, Audible 3, WAV, MP3 VBR, Audible 2, AIFF, MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless and Audible 4 formats.

The manual adding and deleting of audio and video files is possible without the hassles of playlist syncing. You also have options to view your photos. They can also be viewed as slideshows with background music which would make your photo viewing an enjoyable experience.

Some of the other useful extras of Apple iPod Classic 160gb Black, Silver include calendars, contacts and clocks.

The left out features:

Since Apple iPod classic is a top tier product, we would have appreciated some additional features like the ability to use the headphone jack as a composite video output that the photos and videos to be played in TV without the help of any third party interface. This also includes the long neglected list of apple such as FM, SD memory expansion, native support for WMA etc.

Performance:

Though the interface improvements are pleasing, the audio performance does not give you the same result. The sound quality can be said as just an average one. You get to choose from over 20 equalization presets. As a contrast to the audio quality, the video quality of iPod classic sixth generation is excellent. It is capable of playing files at 640×480 and by purchasing an additional component AV cable, you can get outputs of resolutions of up to 480p to a TV.

Battery life, accessories and warranty:

Apart from the increased capacity and improved interface, Apple 16gb 6th Gen iPod Classic’s battery life stands as one of the strong reasons on why you should be investing on it. It promises 40 hours of audio and 7 hours of video.

The most worrying fact is that it is incompatible with most of the existing dock-connector accessories and the previously purchased games cannot be used. The items included in the box are, earbuds, dock connector cable, dock adapter, quick start guide and the Apple stickers that come with each of apple’s products.

Apple iPod Classic 160GB sixth generation(Sivler, Black Colour) comes with a warranty of one year.

Verdict:
It is one of the rich looking high capacity MP3 player in the market and if capacity is your prime concern, you will surely not find a better product in the market. The production of apple is avowed all over the world. Though it does not produce the novelty of iPod touch or nano, this version of iPod Classic is certainly worth buying.

Apple iPod Classic 160GB (6th Gen) - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	Apple
Model Name	Apple ipod classic 160GB (Sixth Generation)
iPod Type	iPod Classic
Media Player Type	Hard drive based digital player
Dimension (H X W X D) in cm	10.4 x 6.2 x 1.4
Weight	162 grams
Body Enclosure material	Aluminium
Display	LCD colour
Resolution	320 x 240 pixels
Diagonal size	2.5 inches
Colours available	Silver, Black
Storage media	Built-in hard disk drive
Capacity	160GB ( can hold up to 200 hrs of video )
Supported photo standards	BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PSD (Mac only)
Supported audio standards	WAV, AAC, AIFF, Audible, MP3, Apple Lossless
Supported video standards	MOV, MPEG-4, H.264
Audio output	Headphones - binaural
Connectivity	Docking connector Headphones Component vide Composite video
itunes	itunes 7.6 or later versions
Additional features	Battery level indication hold button volume limiter playback speed control date display phone book calendar upgradeable firmware built-in games notes photo wallet USB 2.0 compatibility Cover flow
Supporting OS	Windows vista Windows XP Home or Professional with Service pack 2 or later
Battery	Rechargeable Lithium ion battery
Battery life	Audio playback: 40hrs Video playback: 7hrs
In the box	iPod classic Earphones USB 2.0 cable Dock adaptor Quick Start guide
Warranty	1 Year

Apple iPods are always launched with a lot of expectations and buzz created already, and most of the times it has always satisfied its consumers and give them a kind of “wow” factor. These quality productions of Apple have been hardly challenged by any other MP3 players. The second generation Apple iPod Touch 32gb has been launched on 9th of September 2008 with a lot of such expectations and has certainly lived up to it. This 32GB version of the Touch certainly may give you the feel that the other MP3 player that you may own with a lower capacity as impotent. Here, we have reviewed this master piece of Apple with double the features of its previous model ipod touch 32gb 1st generation and improved hardware with a lesser cost.

Design:

Taking about its design, it is subtle as you will not be finding any big difference from its older version, the first generation touch. It has the aluminium back which is super-shiny, designed in order to avoid the undesirable scratches over this adorable set. The screen is the same as the first touch and i-phone3G, the 3.5 inch multi-touch display of resolution 480×320 pixels. The slightly modified rounded design and thinner edges, similar to that of the iPhone 3G can be noticed one you have held the set in hand. One rather very obvious addition to the set is the model was found in its left edge, the volume controls. This inclusion has made the volume adjusting task extremely simple. The only thing that would hit your brains would be, “how could have Apple neglected this in its previous version?” anyways, we did not find any answer.

Another noticeable addition in the hardware to that of Apple iPod touch 32GB Black (2nd Gen) is the speakers. A handy one if you are watching any videos with your friend. It also includes the Nike+ipod feature for the sporty ones. But it is questionable if anybody would take a set this large, while jogging. There is no change when it comes to the arrangements of the dock connector, headphone jack, sleep button and the home button.

Supported audio and video formats:
When it comes to the formats supported, second generation Apple iPod Touch 32GB has come to the down side when compared to the other MP3 players in the market currently.

The audio formats supported include AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV. It still does not offer support for the WMA files, but they can always be converted to the MP3 format using the Apple’s iTunes software. The video formats supported include H.264 video, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio; H.264 video, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0; MPEG-4 video, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio.

Performance:

The audio performance of this touch is reasonably good and nothing to complain though can not be said to be spectacular. The viewing angle of the iPod has been improved a lot. The sound was decently balanced and the synth effects were punctuated well. If you have already decided to get this gadget, you will have to keep this in mind. Apple iPod Touch 32gb 2nd Generation black compels you to install iTunes of version 8. If you are not familiar with iTunes, then it would be a better idea for you to just spin through the software before you actually start using touch.

The display performance is pretty good, being vibrant, bright and colourful. The onscreen keyboard is brilliant too. It was never ceasing to amaze us to know how touch was able to determine which letter we were jabbing for.

Coming to the best and prominent feature of touch, the multi-touch capability, its so exiting to see how intuitive has it been designed to be. No one has been able to match this multi touch capability of that of Apple iPod Touch. The reaction time is extremely good and is with a lot of detail. But yes, we will have to agree that some of the web based applications may take some time to react. All the icons are properly labeled making it extremely easy for even the most novice users. The cover flow can be used to scroll through the album arts. Mobile safari is fantastic. The BBC iPlayer and Youtube, both are far better viewable than the other rival MP3 players.

The other features:

With a whole lot of features included like music, video, podcasts, safari browser, mailing facility, photo viewer, Wi-Fi music store and a bundle of other smaller utilities, the second generation 32 GB Apple iPod Touch seems to be like a pocket PC rather than an MP3 player. For those who are looking for a mere MP3 player, this one can not be their choice.

iPod touch has managed to be a good gaming device too, courtesy, the Wi-Fi App store. The App store which you can access from your computer or ipod, is loaded with a lot of entertaining stuff that you can download and enjoy. You also get to access the third party “made for iPod” accessories to upgrade a lot of other features like Bluetooth transmitters, audio/video docks, speaker systems and external battery packs. The only annoying fact is that, you would require an account with i-Tunes store in order to make any downloads. Apart from the games, the App store has a slewed of pay for and free applications, which you can download. Along with the ability for you to download tracks from i-Tunes, Apple has covered most of the wi-fi capabilities that Touch can provide.

The new Genius feature:

This second generation black colour Touch comes with the apple’s new Genius feature. This feature allows you to create an instant playlist of around 25 songs, just based on the musical characteristics of a single song. In case you are using the first generation Touch, you can just use a few pounds to upgrade its firmware to include the other software capabilities like that of the Genius feature that are available in the second generation model.

Battery life:
This 2nd generation iPod Touch also uses the lithium ion battery as the other Apple iPods. Apple has slightly upgraded the battery life from its previous 22hours of music and 5hours of video playback to 36 hours of audio and six hours of video. This playback capacity will vary based on the brightness of the screen and the Wi-Fi usage.

Verdict:
This style icon comes at a reasonable cost too, having all that is needed such as, audio, video, podcasts, mailing, browsing, Nike+iPod, games, Wi-Fi music downloads and the App store. Of course it might seem to a heavy cost when compared to the other MP3 players in the market, but when you put the features and price together, you would find it reasonable or rather very attractive.

Apple iPod Touch 32GB 2nd Generation - Technical Specification Details

Model	Apple iPod touch 32GB second generation
Manufacturer	Apple
Dimensions ( H x W x D) in mm	110 x 61.8 x 8
Display	3.5 inch (diagonal) wide screen multi-touch display
Resolution	480 * 320 pixel
Interface	USB 2.0
Audio formats supported	ACC, MP3, MP3 VBR, audible (formats 2, 3 and 4) , WAV, AIFF, Apple lossless
Battery	Built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery
Battery life	6 hours for video play back 36 hours audio play back
Charge time	Fast charge time- 2hrs ( charges 80% of battery capacity) Full charge time - 4hrs
Memory capacity	32GB
Photo formats supported	JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), PNG
Ports	Stereo minijack (3.5 mm) / dock connector
Video formats supported	MPEG-4 (mp4), h.264
Play back modes	All tracks repeat, one track repeat, play list, random play/ shuffle
Ear phones	Yes (binaural stereo)
Photo viewer	Yes
USB cable included	Yes
Wireless internet access	Yes
Operating system	Apple Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later, Microsoft Windows XP Home, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP 2 or later
Special features	Multi-touch interface, Notes, USB 2.0 compatibility, Phone book, Genius technology, Web browsing, Nike + iPod support, Calendar, Battery level indication, Cover Flow, Upgradeable firmware, Date display
Mounting options	Arm band
Colour	Black
Included accessories	Docking station adapter Ear phone USB cable
Service & support	12 months parts 12 months labour
Weight	4.1oz
Box content	Apple ipod touch 32GB Ear phones USB2.0 cable Dock adapter Polishing cloth Stand Quick starter guide