New iPod Nano Has Fun Features

In a world of iPhones and iPod touches, what’s a poor nano to do?

Though Apple released the fourth version of its iPod nano on Sept. 10, is the update enough to keep the nano relevant in the era of touchscreens?

While the new features are more fun than functional, the updated iPod nanos are worthy of a close look if you’re in the market for a new MP3 player.

The biggest changes to the nano are physical. Apple ditched the chubby form factor of its last generation of nano for a tall, thin player, while keeping the screen size the same. While the slimmer player beats the old model on visual appeal, the new shape makes it more difficult to shove into a pocket.

You won’t want to watch a feature-length movie on the screen—although you could—but the size is great for music videos and video podcasts.

With the new design, Apple also doubled the storage space for the nano, which is now available in a 8 GB model for $149 and 16 GB for $199. (Both models also now come in a rainbow of colors.)

This new pricing scheme also makes the nano about $100 cheaper than an iPod touch of the same capacity.

In one way, the update has made the nano more like the touch. The smaller model now sports an accelerometer, which senses the orientation of the iPod and turns photos so they’re always right-side-up.

The accelerometer also allows you to view “cover flow” album art when the device is held sideways.

Apple also used the sensor to create a new gesture unique to the nano: you can now shake your iPod to shuffle through your music.

So now if you’re annoyed by the song you’re listening to, you can simply shake your anger away.

Finally, the sensor enables some interesting gaming possibilities. While only a few games currently use tilt control, the included Maze game offers Nintendo Wii-like fun, letting you tilt your iPod to navigate a marble through a maze.

One problem with the iPod nano, or any iPod model, arises when your media—be they games, movies, music, photos, and podcasts—are just too big to fit onto the device. While iTunes offers a few options to divvy up the limited space, the process can be tedious and frustrating.

If Apple can build a playlist, like the new “Genius” feature, to go with a chosen song, it should be smarter about auto-selecting media for your device. Another small annoyance is the lack of an unlimited monthly music subscription in iTunes, a choice offered at Microsoft’s Zune Store, among others.

The latest nano is an attractive upgrade with an improved appearance and increased storage.

But with iPhone and iPod touch raising the bar, the fun new features seem trivial compared to the revolution brought about by Apple’s other products.

—Staff writer Daniel C. Carroll can be reached at carroll@fas.harvard.edu.

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