I’ve been writing recently about Apple’s new iPod nano, and how so many have been incredibly disappointed with the product as a whole - front face and screen quality pertaining to its “scratchworthiness”, broken screens etcetera - and after a lengthy time researching and further homework into the nano, I decided to take another trip to the SoHo store and get one - yeah, I caught a sincere case of the fuck it bug.

Having been playing around with it for almost 12 hours now, I have to say it is THE most gorgeous piece of electronic hardware that I have laid my hands on (prior to that, it was the new G5 iMac earlier this year). I’d seen pictures of the nano online, but now I have one in my hands, I cannot believe how bloody tiny this thing truly is. IT… IS… SMALL! So small, that I handle it as if I would a new born child - without of course the floppy head.

I got the black model, instinctively I think to go with my PSP, but I guess I also wanted something different than the typical white that I see so often. I am a little miffed that the nano only has a USB slot, as uploading takes about twice as long as it did with my Mini and its firewire connection. Having said that though, I see why it comes with only USB - this thing is THIN! Too thin to have had a firewire slot, and the USB connector (that comes with the nano) is about as thick as the nano unit itself.

It is certainly delicate, having gently pressed on the front screen to test any “give” in that area, and there is some - so I need to be extra careful with that… remembering to take it out of my pocket when sitting. What I am pleased with is that the nano was built around flash memory, as opposed to a mini drive, as contained in the iPod and Mini (the Shuffle uses flash also). The music seems to start quicker upon pressing play, and I’m no aural expert, but the quality of the music seems to have a distinct improvement in clarity. I have a pair of Etymotic 6i Isolator Earphones (which are outstanding) and the bass response with the Mini was ’so so’, and I found myself switching the EQ to ‘loudness’ in an effort to produce even the slightest bass. But with the nano, and using the ‘loudness’ EQ setting, the bass is far richer - as rich as a dessert of triple chocolate pie with toffee syrup topping… followed by an encore of one of Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies.

I have noticed some miniscule scratching on the front, but nothing to be too alarmed about - only really seen when you hold it in such a way to the light, and look really hard.

I’m happy, I have made a good purchase (fingers crossed that I didn’t just frigging jinx myself), and if treated with care, I’m sure it will last me a long time.

Good job Stevo, the Mini was a pile of shat in comparison - battery life notwithstanding, comparatively speaking.