Eventually we all end up getting mp3 players, following the same process as facebook, mobiles phones, and many other items that were once in the hands of the tech-savvy only. Even grandparents and their dogs have one (although you might still load the songs on it for them).
My own grandmother got an mp3 player before me.

I bought a 2nd generation Ipod Nano around the end of 2006/2007, 4GB capacity with a silvery-blue shine.

Ages well?: By the time i saved up enough, the store only had one blue ipod left, also the display/test one for customers. It was advised that this player may not last as long, but i took the risk. It has lasted me 4 years and is still going strong.. that is a definite must-have for those wanting a simple, no-fuss mp3 player.

Design: The other colours available are silver, pink, green, black and a limited edition red. It was the first Ipod to step out into bright, metallic colours (vs a dull white) and the aluminum casing is 'scratch-resistant'.
I have managed to scratch it.

The case is 90 x 40 x 6.5 mm, and the display screen is 1.5 inches of colour (with a silvery tint).

Capacity: Can be found in 2gb, 4gb, 8gb.

Battery life: This remarkable for something that was charged regularly over the years. I have yet to time it, but it lasts longer than my phone and an Ipod Touch i have used. The original battery life started out with a grand 24 hours.

Ease of use: For someone who has never owned an ipod, there is a learning curve but you catch on fast even by watching another person. Ive never had any problems with the buttons or touchwheel and it is structured in a simple, easy-to-navigate design.

Music: You can list it in the usual Artist, Album, Song, Genre, and Composers categories. There is also a useful 'Search' option. You are able to Shuffle, Repeat, change the volume limit, backlight timer(useful for saving power), EQ (for more/less bass, etc), sound checks, etc.
There are many options in the EQ and it does change the sound in a noticeable way but personally i find it unnecessary.

Accessories: There are many accessories for ipods and they mostly fall under 'fits all generations'. The radio one(Apple FM Transmitter, £8.99 on Amazon) is something i would recommend for those who have a radio at work, or no usb port in their car's cd player. You are able to change the station on your radio to suit the ipod and play all your own music!

The headphones that came with the ipod were the default Apple ones.. Pretty decent for a first pair, but you can find better.

Other Features: 'Photos' i have never used, purely because of the screen's size and if i wished to carry them around, that is what a flash drive is for. Most people would say the same about reading a book on it (via 'Notes) and indeed it requires a lot of scrolling but if you are determined, bored and traveling.. it can be done.
Clocks: You can add more than one clock, for those wanting to keep track of international times.
Games: They include Brick, Music Quiz(30 secs of your own songs, have to guess them in time), Parachute and Solitaire (good for boredom).
Contacts: Never used, i prefer to keep them elsewhere.
Calender: Easy on the eye but i keep dates on my phone.
Stopwatch: Contains a 'start' and 'clear' button. Also keeps track of past records.

Problems: Occasionally it will freeze (most ipods do at some stage) but this is no big drama, simply hold down the middle button and the Menu one until it goes blank and reboots. I find it does not happen often enough to inconvenience me.

Help desk/FAQ/How-to guide: To be fair, i only brushed over the information when i bought it.. enough to work out Itunes, charging, editing songs, etc. When my ipod first froze, i did a google search and there was a unanimous opinion that attempting to reset the ipod fixes a lot of problems. When in doubt, google. :D

Durability: My warranty lasted for two years and although i have dropped, knocked and kicked my ipod around in various accidents, there was never a need to exercise it.

Price: Currently £59.99 on Amazon, used. You could probably get a better deal on Ebay. When i first bought mine, the price was doubled.