Initial
I used to own an iPod mini but unfortunately it's battery life effectively died for good shortly after the warranty. It was a bit of a pain, but I was planning on a new mp3 player for a little while. I had doubts about getting another iPod considering how the last one failed me. It was either a risky iPod nano second generation, or possibly the new Creative Zen equivalent. After seeing the looks of the iPod and the Creative compared i decided to take a risk. Plus the attractive battery life on the iPod, hopefully more reliable, persuaded me. Plus I already had iTunes. So there you go, I picked the reasonably priced Apple player and was not disappointed as I will go on to tell you in this review.
Looks
Initially I loved the new look of the nano and i still do. Personally I prefer it to the old curved at the top, but as I owned an iPod mini before hand, the look was similar, but just a lot smaller. I was surprised at how small it was, as I ordered it off the net I had not held one or seen one before. To start with I loved how discrete the iPod is, but to date I have misplaced it quite a few times and struggled to find it, partly due to my looking skills, but also due to the nano's minute size. It scratches kind of easily but that's just in my pocket with loose change.

Performance
After a bit more use i've now realised just how useful 24hours of battery is. I think it was on low battery for about 2 weeks of usage before it finally gave in. I love it. The ingenious click wheel is excellent as always and the brighter screen just gives it that edge. Ease of use is perfect. I like simple and easy to work and thats exactly what this is. There isn't much I can fault it on really except the fact they don't do a black 2GB one. But that really isn't a big deal to be honest. How can i forget the sound quality. Even with the cheaper headphones you get with the iPod, it sounds good. But upgrade to a more expensive pair and you will be blown away.
Value
Well mine cost £100 and that was when it first came out. At the time it was slightly cheaper than most alternatives and I am very pleased with the outcome. At all the players at this level I can say with ease this is the best. I was put off the closest contender, the creative equivalent, due to the tackiness of the design unfortunately.

Software
As always the new iTunes is as easy to use as the old. Simple but effective I believe are good words to describe it. Downloading from the computer is easy and doesn't take that long either. Perfect for what I need it for.
Other Hardware and Accessories
The other wonderful thing about the iPod nano is all the accessories that can be bought as well. For example, turning your iPod into a radio is brilliant. Plus all the bright customisation and protection you get for your iPod nano is superb.

Overall
A great peice of kit. Recommended to anyone and everyone. I love it and I am sure you will too. Hope you enjoyed reading and found this really helpful. Five stars.