WHERE TO BUY: I got mine 7months ago (October) in USA because it is so much cheaper there than in UK. If you buy it online from the apple store in USA, you will probably get the best bargain because you won't need to pay tax. If you're a student in UK and USA, i know apple gives discounts so you can probably strike a better deal but I think there is a certain time period when you can avail (check the apple for education website). If you're not a student, ask your friends. You may also want to try DutyFree shopping to avoid paying tax.

THE LOOKS: Super slim, slimmer than my USB memory stick! I wish I got the black one coz, after a few weeks, it already looked old and scratchy. If you don't care about it getting scratched, just slip it in your pocket.Mine even fits in that little mini pocket on your jeans. It's just unbelievably small and light.

I even kept the plastic on the front (just cut the peel off part at the bottom) but the silver back part looks terrible! It's hard to clean and maintain, but I do use it as a smudgy mirror. If i put it in a case, i can't appreciate how it looks. Plus those cases cost a lot, too! Best to buy the covers, headsets or other accessories in Asia at a fraction of the price. (Bangkok, HongKong, China, Manila). If you are going to put rubber covers, you might want to get the white one instead of the black.

CAPACITY: 3.7GB= mine holds about 845 songs plus 35 pictures and still with 131 MB extra space. It also works as a memory stick storing documents and you can also use it to listen to AUDIOBOOKS!!!

UPLOADING FILES: You will first need copy songs to iTunes from whatever music player you used to have. Take note that some files cannot be uploaded in iTunes (wav) and you will need your CD's to copy songs, but copying other mp3's is as easy as dropping the songs to iTunes. But if you're already an iTunes user, then you don't have to worry about the whole process!

The first time I downloaded songs it took ages!!! It's probably as fast as copying files from your pc to a USB memory stick. So if you're copying 800 songs, expect for it to take awhile and if a few songs, then only a jiff.

I'm not sure exactly how long, but it doesn't matter because you need to charge it anyway (make sure your computer doesn't sleep if you're charging or uploading from your pc as the process will stop). However, updating it is faster and doesn't take as long.

Oh yeah, it also prioritizes music over other files, so if you consume all space for music, you can't upload the pictures or other files anymore.

You may also want to toy with the itunes settings to choose if you want to upload new things automatically or manually (i choose manual). You will receive prompts if your nano is full. I suppose one of the difficult things about having a 4gig nano is choosing which songs you want to put in it :( I chose mine by genre. Making a playlist does not use up extra space (I think)

EXTRA FEATURES: i love it coz it does the job and it has many extra features like photos, games (solitaire, brick, music quiz, parachute), calendar(to do list and alarm),notes, contact list, stopwatch and worldclock. the one which i use most is the world clock. oh, did i mention it also works as a memory stick?

The calendar, contacts, photos and To do list are extensions of your apple software. I'm not sure how to sort that out for microsoft users, but if you're an apple user, it's as easy as going to the settings and asking it to synch with your nano.

DISADVANTAGES:

BUT!!! because it's too tiny, your mobile phone would probably be more fun to play with if it has those feautures. besides, with the scroll key, it's pretty hard to manuever. so it sucks to play games and look at photos. you have to squint and you need to roll that scroll key so it's really not that fun.

CHARGING HORRORS: the other problem with it is if you don't have a charger and merely plug it in your computer, it takes ages to recharge! and i mean hours!!! so you have to make sure you buy the charger. I'm not sure how long the battery lasts because I always charge mine. I think it can last 8hours. I'm not sure. (But i have listened to it nonstop at work for at least 5hours at one point on low volume.)

HANGING: the hold key aso makes it hang. so it might be best to use the screenlock (which looks like a safe lock)when you want to lock it whilst it's on, then only use the hold key when you turn it off so it does not accidentally turn on and drain your battery.

POWER ON/OFF: Oh yeah, to turn it on you need to press the middle button and to turn it off you need to press the play button. I noticed how this is not ideal because it may take awhile before it turns on and off. I hold so long and there's no response, so i just keep trying until it works. I still haven't figured it out how to do it (if there's a secret on the lengths you press). I wish there was a proper button instead, but hey I suppose I could live with it!

REPLACEMENTS: They don't do much replacement here in UK unlike in Asia where they replace it if it's broken. They changed my sister's mini 3 times free because it hangs a lot, and they also change my friend's ipods in asia (it takes about a month to get it back though because they ship it from Singapore). But over here, I took mine to the apple store and all they did was reset it which i've done already anyway. I really wanted a better one because I was worried there might be something wrong w the buttons, but the apple dude said it was fine. I guess I just have to live with it! :(

VERDICT: If you want things small, this is probably a good choice. if you want more memory, you may want to opt for the other ipods. Think hard how bad you want it and if you are willing to pay for it. For it's price (£109-1gig £139-2gig £170-4gig), it might be merely superficial coz these days you can get a tiny mp3 player for £30 or you can even buy a real phone w built in iTunes and expandable memory (motorola?). But if you're willing to spend another £40 you can already get a proper 30gig ipod! That's already 7,500 songs! and those new ipods are as pretty despite the size.

Check for other brands with the same memory. I think memory is really important, but given the size I don't mind. Anyhow, if I could do it all over again, I wish I saved up for a proper 30 gig or 60gig iPod instead... Anyone wanna buy mine? You can check it out first! I'm in London. You can return and exchange at the apple store if something goes wrong. It still has the plastic cover on the whole front, but the back is super smudgy!!! I've got the box and everything.