Review of iPod Nano sixth generation: step forward, two - back, or vice versa? [VIDEO]
Tips Makradar / / December 19, 2019
September 1, 2010 Apple held a small iPod-revolution. Then Steve Jobs said that the company first to radically update all iPod models in one fell swoop (Though, Apple forgot about the iPod classic, but he called the "classic", which is already here Revolution). iPod touch the characteristics turned into a kind iPhone 4, IPod shuffle combines the advantages of the second and third generations of the easiest players Apple (physical controls and VoiceOver), and iPod nano... looked like a hybrid shuffle and touch. Update came out very ambiguous - too much of a newbie lost, although some things and bought. About his experience operating iPod Nano and whether modernization has gone nano to use, I would like to tell and this article.
A small plastic box
Apple does not deviate from their traditions and packs players into compact plastic boxes. iPod nano is not an exception. The handset comes in a transparent cube made of polycarbonate, with rounded edges. By design, a box similar to that in the iPod touch. She glued along the perimeter of transparent adhesive tape that leaves no traces.
The player is located in the upper part, on a plastic box, below is a small cardboard box with complete accessories, which are small, and a small set of all bumazhentsy. On one of the side faces you can find the model designation and the serial number on a couple of others - see branded apples and bottom-set and a small description of the PC requirements.
As I mentioned above - supplied traditionally austere: the player itself, to synchronize the device with the PC cable, headphones (sorry, that is not the headset), branded sticker-apple and a brief instruction.
Previously, it was the sky bluer, the grass - green, and players - huge
When I got into the hands of the player, the first to experience the feeling - it's a huge surprise and even awe of modern progress. Still fresh memories of childhood, when I save on school lunches, bought four AA batteries, and took from a friend to listen to kirpichepodobny cassette player. Fresh memories of the first Panasonic's own player, which was more compact than half the above-mentioned devices and is powered by two AA batteries. I clearly remember raptures of ultra-modern at the time and, again, the cassette Sony Walkman player, sofa almost half for adoption in their bowels cassettes, powered by a single AA battery and dimensions not much exceeding the most cassette.
And then came the era of CD-players, which, in principle, were not much bigger cluster counterparts, except that a little wider, but when the world came to the MP3-pdeery flash-based memory, much has changed, as, indeed, and with the birth of the iPod in 2001 also. I always wondered size iPod shuffle. It would seem that such a little thing, and holds hundreds of songs and still plays them well.
But the iPod nano sixth generation became for me a certain milestone in the development of modern industry in consumer gadgets. Not much exceeding in size the last shuffle is, in doing so he also includes the LCD touch screen, not covered with plastic, and a real glass, and four times as many flash memory. In this little one (in this case a 16-gigabyte model), is the size of the clock, easy to fit thousands of photos (Yes, such a small screen is small, that make out, but still can see pictures) and well over a hundred hours of music (MP3 256-320 Kbit / s). As likes to say Steve Jobs «It's amazing!».
Small, yes udalenky
Player housing made of aluminum, has a matte finish and collects fingerprints. Especially not scratch, at least for a couple of months of active operation no trace on the device is left.
Side rounded edges player empty, located on the bottom of a standard 30-pin docking port and a 3.5 mm jack headphones on top - a pair of volume buttons, similar in appearance to those in the iPhone 4 and the power button, it also dampens screen. All metal controls.
The rear panel is set fairly rigid clip with apple. For clothing, she holds tight! Even with a very active 5-kilometer run, hitched to a pocket shorts Player did not move, but a little later about it.
Bit numbers and dry characteristics. Player dimensions are 40,9h37,5h8,68 mm (thickness based on the clips), weight - 21.1 g It is mounted 1.54 inch LCD capacitive touch panel with a resolution of 240x240 dots - good. My feeling screen responds to user actions as well as in the iPhone 4, that is clear. Even there is support for Multi-Touch - is enough to make a rotating gesture with his two fingers and the image unfold in increments of 90 °.
display resolution is enough. The text looks clear, you can even see something in the photos. The picture quality and viewing angles of the screen resembles that of the iPhone 3G / 3GS.
Overall impression of the exterior of the device and the build quality is only positive. Player monolithic, evokes a sense of reliability and very high-tech look. Weight of the device is small, but in the hands of the machine felt good - thing!
Software
When you first start a player asks to select the menu language. Loading the device after full shutdown occurs within a few seconds.
The first time you connect the player to a PC, the system is something in it optimizes, or rather, it is preparing to use the device as a flash drive, if the need arises.
In Mac OS X, everything happens automatically, Windows offers the same format the player before you can use it as an external drive. By the way, do it at the same time in Windows and Mac OS X does not work, which is a pity. Will have to choose and I have chosen to use the device in the environment of Mac OS X, is still the main iTunes library is in the MacBook Air.
When iTunes starts, as usual, it is proposed to register your device, then it as a call, select the options of automatic synchronization of all, you can work.
The only player to record music (AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, or ALAC) and photos. Video support, in contrast to the fifth-generation nano, no. On the software side of the player, I suggest to look at a short video review, and below I will describe the most important functions.
The functionality of the music player is similar to that in iOS-devices. It is possible to select the music on the iTunes created playlists, albums, artists, composers, songs and genres. If desired, you can create your own playlists, start playback in a random order and activate Gemius mix on a particular song.
Pictures can be viewed as a slideshow with Ken Burns effect, coup, expelling, and an influx of cross-origami. Radio is similar to that in the iPod nano fifth generation. It requires you to connect headphones, there is a live pause, and the ability to create lists of favorite stations.
Clock - this is one of the funniest gadget options. In fact, the program converts your player into a very real watches, good, different kinds of straps for nano enough. Still there is a stopwatch and a timer.
The "Fitness" allows you to monitor your progress in running or walking. A pedometer is working correctly, statistics are kept clear. You can see the total number of calories burned and committed steps to find out how much training was conducted for each month, and what is their volume, and view personal records.
I want to draw attention to the fact firmware update to the player. She brought a couple of important innovations. One of them - is the ability to completely turn off the player with a long press on the power button. Before the software update shut down could not nano. The unit itself turns off after several hours of inactivity. The second innovation increased the possibility of the power button. Double-clicking on it, you can go to the next song or pause playback - the action is set by the user in the settings menu. Very handy thing when using the player headphones. While running, you can with onscreen controls to switch the track, but by using the hardware buttons to do this a lot easier and faster.
Can you hear me?
What can be the sound quality from such a small player? As it turned out, the machine sounds good. Tests were conducted on different headphones, including plug-in Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 vi, overhead Nixon Master Blaster and even professional Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO / 250 ohm. Funny, but the player was able to pull and the last, although the volume is clearly not enough, too much resistance in the headphones, they are not designed in such crumbs.
When compared with the iPhone 4, then the last sound is a little more detailed, three-dimensional, slightly wider stereo image, but overall the sound is comparable. That is, for the picky user player audio capabilities will be enough - it sounds very good. Especially that such a device is usually taken for shredding boring jogging or any other kind of sports training and during this work special attention to the quality of reproduction do not pay. Much more important to choose good headphones, as with complete run me personally just uncomfortable - they are corny fall out of his ears.
I note that the device has a standard set of equalizer settings, known in other Apple portable devices and the ability to limit the maximum volume of your player.
The choice of generations...
What do you choose in the end - iPod nano fifth generation or sixth? It depends on what you want. Still a novice decently lost in comparison to its predecessor, and it's not just about size and weight. In fact, the gadget has become less than half nano 5G, I was extremely comfortable clip and touch screen. And he lost his camera, video playback, built-in speaker, corporate Click Wheel Wheel Control, support games, plus the display is smaller.
When I chose a player, then I needed to run the device that is not boring was the process of training the body and lose those extra kilos. iPod shuffle is not considered due to a too small amount of internal flash memory. In favor of nano 6G were clip and small dimensions. By purchasing a nano 5G, would have had to attend to more appropriately cover. A camera and a speaker while running I do not need. Click Wheel, of course, a handy thing, but a novice is quite convenient to use while running. And if you use a headset instead of the headphone jack, you can control playback using the built-it button or mini-remote control, or voice.
In general, this type of player to run - it is force! Is pumped to your library, create playlists with your favorite songs and start practicing. I even had a small incident for the first time I used the player during training. He began a run on the treadmill, planning in an easy pace to master a couple of kilometers. Turn on the player, the music started running. "One song, second, uh, favorite" tezhelyachok "began to play, it is necessary to listen, on - another superkompozitsiya, I can not hear the rest of it is not up to end... "In the course of the transition from one song to another gradually increase the pace of the run, and in the end he walked between 12 and 15 km / h, lot. Under normal circumstances, I would have already exhausted, but not with the player. You begin to feel tired all the harder to keep pace, breathing speeds up and then begins perky track and all - fatigue vanished, straightened and ran at full speed! As a result, I have not noticed how literally rode in the wild pace of 5 km. All is good, but the day before had legs workout in the gym is fairly heavily load knees exercises (bench legs, extension to the quadriceps). And at a body weight of hundreds of kilograms of jogging at a pace too much ship lap and to celebrate, I pulled a little knee ligament. A couple of weeks of training had to be postponed, but, still, a gadget to run - that's the thing, though we must be vigilant!
If we just need a little cool player that will be worn in a pocket or purse and used during slow walks, traveling and so on. e., the fifth-generation iPod nano looks more reasonable buying. For the same money or even cheaper, you will get much more features.
I can not give iPod nano 6G step backwards in comparison with its predecessor. This is a completely different device for comparable money. Apple slashed spur of the moment, and produced a unique and cool gadget that over time, in their future incarnations, apparently got lost before function.