20 September 2008 @ 23:17Hands on with the 4th gen iPod nano

I got the chance to put my grubby little hands on a 4th gen iPod nano today, one of the green ones to be exact. This latest version of the popular iPod nano feels extremely thin once it is in hand. I didn’t have a previous generation model to compare it to but the overall size feels very similar to the 2nd generation nano. The tapered but rounded sides lend themselves to enhancing the thin feel of the 4G iPod nano.

Another new feature of this nano is the addition of accelerometers that enable the iPod to be rotated for alternate viewing modes for video and Cover Flow. The accelerometers also allow for shuffling a playlist by shaking the iPod nano. Both these features worked well and were very responsive. The other thing I noted was how smooth and quick the Cover Flow animation was. The first implementation of Cover Flow in the iPod classic was not quite as smooth.

There are also quite a few interface changes and improvements in this new iPod nano. The interface has evolved into a much smoother and polished design (as if the previous generations weren’t good enough). One thing I noticed was the Search feature which allows for “typing” a name with the scroll wheel while a live list of matches shows above, much like Spotlight does on the Mac.

Genius playlist creation is also a welcome new feature, as well as the ability to play games on the iPod nano.

Overall this is quite a nice step in the iPod evolution with new and useful features and a thin design.

Buy the 4th Gen iPod nano:
Apple | Amazon | Amazon UK

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