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Apple iPod nano 2 GB
by madeindevon
Firstly, my (then teenage) kids got an Ipod for Christmas and birthdays.... I loved the idea of something so small storing so much music, but I can be a bit stingy sometimes and I bought a little cheapie MP3 player for myself...
Yes, it was good.. but very soon I realised how inferior it was compared to what my kids owned, so ... my hubby - bless him - bought me an Ipad Nano 2nd Generation for Christmas, possibly six years ago..
The difference was instant and I never looked back!
At the time we paid near £100 for it, although I have researched this morning for the sake of this review and you can now buy them, refurbished, for around the £40 mark. Obviously you do not buy this model new anymore, it has been upgraded for better models, although from a personal point of view, as long as mine still works (which it does, perfectly) I do not have any reason to buy an upgraded model.
When bought new, it comes with the correct charging cable, which plugs into the USB slot in your computer, it charges the Ipod up over the space of a couple hours. I am pleased to say that whilst charging the Ipod it does not slow down anything else that you are using on your computer.
When first plugging the Ipod into the computer, the PC recognises that something is happening and offers to download the software - ITunes - onto the PC, depending on the speed of your computer and your internet speed this did not take too long, maybe around five minutes.
You get to register your Ipod too, I called mine by my name, so that whenever you plug your Ipod into the charger it tells you that it is charging "Mum's Ipod" this is quite handy when you have more than one Ipod in the house.
Once Itunes is installed and synced to your computer, the rest is easy and the settings never need to be changed again.
Part of the software links to "Itune store" where you can register an account and pay to legally download music.. this is something I have only rarely done, but it is easy enough, chart songs can be around the one pound mark, and a current album can work out cheaper than buying it in store.
Personally I have used my Ipod to transfer CDs on it, which is also very easy, you put your CD of choice into the computer, the Itunes software recognises it and transfers it onto your Nano.
Currently I have around 200 songs on my Ipod and there is room for plenty more.
The battery life, once fully charged is anywhere between 14 hours and upwards, which is brilliant. All these years on mine still has a superb battery life.
It is very easy to use, it has a screen which shows you the various menus, albums, artists, songs, alphabetically, or random (shuffle) and is operated by a click wheel on the front, which is very user friendly.
You can also upload photos onto the Nano, via your computer and Itunes, which is a nice touch..
In summary, this is a great gadget, at least six years old and as good as new, you get what you pay for and I love mine and use it most days.
I have reviewed my Nano on another review site.. same user name
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Creative Zen Stone 1 GB
by Danscomp
Overview
This most humble of music devices has been in my use for four years. It is my gym buddy and represents the best £25 I have ever spent.
Design 8/10
This device is tiny and it is light. But it is not fragile, it's been tossed with impunity. I wouldn't want to throw it at the wall, but I know if it ... falls out of my pocket, it will grip onto the headphone jack like grim death without damaging itself or the wires. I can't say the same for my iPod touch.
There's no screen. Just a wheel around a select button and a slide. It is incredibly easy and intuitive. The wheel controls volume, and track skipping. You can also fast forward and rewind by keeping your thumb down on skip forward or back.
The select button will pause or power on and off. On the top is a slide which can jump between playlists or randomise. There is an adapter socket between it and any PC with a USB slot for recharging and access to the creative software.
Battery life is around ten hours. My humble 1GB device holds about 80 songs at highest quality. This does mean a limit, but nowhere near my average gym session. You could literally run a marathon on a single play through.
Music quality 8/10
I've no idea how creative have managed it, but even through a cheap pair of headphones music sounds absolutely great. Bass comes through without the tininess you might be expecting. Volume is absolutely no problem, though a pair of inner earphones is advisable to avoid sharing your music with people close by.
Software 7/10
The creative labs software is as simple and easy to use as the device itself. The libraries are simply folders. Nothing fancy, can rip CDs faster than a speeding bullet. Copying songs from an Amazon MP3 download library is an exercise in utter simplicity. It handles principally MP3s and WMA formats. Creative labs claim up to 500 songs on a 1GB device, but if you're anything like me, you will want quality over quantity.
Tech specs
I've cut the specs from Amazon for those that may be interested. Amazon typically sells the Zen stone plus which has twice the storage and a very small display for the price I paid for this one. When (and if!) this one dies, I would have no hesitation in buying one.
Size: 53.7 x 35.3 x 12.8mm (WxHxD)
Capacity: 1GB
Weight: 18.3g
Battery: 1 x Rechargeable Lithium Ion
Supported formats:MP3 (Up to 320Kbps)WMA (Up To 320Kbps)WMA with DRM 9
MP3 Playback Performance:Signal To Noise Ratio: Up to 90dBChannel Seperation: Up to 65dBFrequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHzHarmonic Distortion Output: <0.1%
Connectors:Headphone Jack: 3.5mmUSB 2 port: Standard USB mini-B
Earphone specifications:Frequency Range: 20Hz to 20kHzImpedance: 32 Ohm +/- 15%Plug: 3.5mm stereo minijack
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Apple iPod touch (4G) 32 GB
by Leccles
Okay,
So the Ipod touch (4th gen) I found at the time of release was unbeatable, all Ipods usually are! They are in a league of their own in the mp3/mp4 player market. I see no other reason to ever get any other portable music player. I don't even think I should call it an mp3/4 player because it is so much more than ... that!
The features it boasts are simply put, fan-bloody-tastic! The thousands of apps available through the app store make it a unique mp4 player. Games, educational apps, shopping apps, developer apps, news apps, photographer apps, social apps. Really need I go on? because I can if you want me to! One amazing feature is Imessage, yes you can text and face time your friends and family from a music player! (Which is why it is so much more than 'Just a music player') although on an Ipod 4g these features require a wifi connection, which is by no means a draw back, because what other device like this can you make video calls and text your friends?
The speed of Ipods is always extremely fast because they use the same processors as the Iphone, same operating system and same apps. Usually when a new Iphone is released there will be a new Ipod with the same processor so the speed is always staying at the top of its market.
The screen is so beautiful very detailed which seems to be improved upon every new release! The battery life for an Ipod I always find amazing. I will charge mine once every 2-3 days which makes it so useful for travel/if you forget your charger. Also seeing as Iphones and Ipods are widely used, chances are where every you are going a friend will have some sort of Ipod/phone charger!
Lastly I'll talk about the usability, with this product age is not an issue it is so simple to use, I've never met anyone who if you put it straight in their hands that they wouldn't know what to do with it. I've seen parents give their 2-3 year old child an Ipod to play on to keep them quiet or to stop them crying!
I've only covered the topics that make the Ipod a great purchase to me. So I know I've not covered everything about the Ipod but I have covered the most important parts to me.
Quick note:
I've noticed in the rating section that it wishes for me to rate the download speed. Download speed on an Ipod is completely dependant on the Wifi connection that you are connected to. So this can be anything from very slow, to lightning downloads.
Thanks! Have a nice day.
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