After Hours

A first look at the new iPod Nano from Apple

By // September 26, 2007, 5:38 AM PST // markwkaelin

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  • By Mark Kaelin<br /><br />Free engraving!

    The new iPod Nano flash multimedia player from Apple packs a ton of features into a very limited space. A little wider than the original Nano device, this second version has been dubbed "fatty" by many fans. In this first look, TechRepublic shows you what the new iPod Nano looks like on the outside.

    In a week or two, we will show what the new iPod Nano looks like on the inside too.

  • Jewel case

    The iPod Nano arrives in a jewel case.

  • Display

    The packaging reminds me of the way a decent watch comes packaged -- you have to see what you are buying I guess.

  • Disclaimer

    Does anyone really read the back of the box?

    In this case Apple goes to great lengths to let you know that your battery will have to be replaced. Perhaps we can open this thing up after all?

  • Other stuff

    In addition to the iPod Nano itself you get a USB cable, ear buds, a plastic stand, and some sparse documentation.

  • Wires

    I have never been able to find a pair of ear buds that fit my tiny ear canals and these were no exception. I'll take the over the ear headphones any day. The iPod Nano works great with even my expensive headphones.

  • This is documentation?

    The Quick Start instruction booklet was a quick read alright.

  • Common control scheme

    The iPod Nano in all its glory. As you can see it has the familiar circular pad button interface.

  • Fingerprints

    One thing I don't like about the iPod Nano is how easy it is to get fingerprints all over it. I'm sure there are add ons you can get to protect your Nano.

  • Marked for TechRepublic

    As you can see -- fingerprints. We took advantage of the free engraving for our iPod Nano purchase.

  • Bottom view

    The iPod Nano is very thin. In fact, it has just barely enough height to handle the standard 1/8 stereo jack.

  • Songs and art

    If you download album art with your music you can see it on the iPod Nano. With 4 GB in this version, I could get around 1000 songs on the hard drive. But I miss the ability I have with my iPod Shuffle to tell iTunes to put in as many random songs from my library as will fit. With the Nano, you have to actively decide which songs and/or playlists to sync.

  • Make it so

    The iPod Nano can also display movies purchased with the iTunes service. But I find the screen to be too small to actually watch a movie or anything else. Perhaps Version 3.0 will have a larger screen.

By Mark Kaelin

Free engraving!

The new iPod Nano flash multimedia player from Apple packs a ton of features into a very limited space. A little wider than the original Nano device, this second version has been dubbed "fatty" by many fans. In this first look, TechRepublic shows you what the new iPod Nano looks like on the outside.

In a week or two, we will show what the new iPod Nano looks like on the inside too.

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About Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.