Product Review: 4th Generation IPod Nano

Okay, so let's be honest. Who doesn't like the 21^st century and all its cool little gadgets and gizmos? If you don't, well, just get out of here; just kidding. But seriously, with all these new electronics you have to have someone to give you the lowdown. That's me!

Today we are going to talk about the 4^th generation Apple iPod Nano. Everyone loves a good iPod, but, oh yeah, it has up graded. So sit back and hang on for the ride, here we go.

Body:
To start things off with the body, I will warn you that the 4^th generation iPod is nearly the same size as the 2^nd. Now the body shape itself is different, it's more rounded at the edges and has a soft appeal to the eye, but other than that you're looking about the same size. So if you were looking for a smaller iPod than the 2^nd generation, you aren't going to get it with the 4^th.

The dimensions of the 4^th generation Apple iPod Nano are 3.5 inches tall by 1.6 inches wide by 0.25 inch thick. Now, unlike the 2^nd generation iPod Nano, the 4^th is the thinnest iPod ever. Way cool!

Like all other Nano iPod generations, the 4^th has made no exceptions to dish out a larger screen display. The standard 2-inch screen was made a classic, I guess. But it's still a rather nice screen size for an iPod of the 4^th generations' size. The control wheel's size also remained the same 1-inch as before.

When you look at the original Nano screen and then the 4^th generation, which we are talking about, you will notice that Apple flipped the screen on its side. I like the flipped screen more than I like the original screen because wide screens make better for movie viewing and all around control scrolling. Also, the body is a bit wider, which gives the holder a much better grip on the device. It's less hand cramping.

The menu text size has increased a bit since the 2^nd generation Nano, but not too much. It is actually kind of nice because if you are somewhere that light is really bright, it is easier to see the larger text. You won't have to do as much squinting. Also, the 4^th generation is equipped with a text size adjuster which is a nice thumb up. Not everyone has 20/20.

Just as the 2^nd generation Nano, the 4^th has the same sliding "Hold" switch. I'm getting kind of tired of all these 2^nd generation hand-me-downs. All connections and the headphone dock is located at the bottom of the iPod, and, of course, this iPod, as all others, still requires the Apple iPod headphones.

Features:
Now onto the features! There is a new feature on the 4^th generation iPod Nano. It is called Genius. The Genius feature allows you to create a 25-song playlist of musical characters in a single song, instantly. Sadly, here comes another disappointment, the Genius will not work on your iPod unless you have enabled the Genius software to your iTunes. If it does not work with your computer, than that is the end of the Genius feature.

The 4^th generation once again takes on hand-me-downs from the 2^nd generation. It includes all the same features: calendar, music, photos, podcast, clock, contacts, notes, alarms, games, video, and the stopwatch.

4^th generation iPod Nano comes complete with a tilt sensor, just like the iPod Touch and iPhone. There is also a "Shake-to-shuffle" feature on the 4^th generation. If you shake the iPod vigorously, it will shuffle your music. But, no need to worry, just the average run or jog bouncing won't cause you any shuffle problems.

That's all for the 4^th Generation iPod Nano!