By Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer
The iPod Nano fifth generation has been Apple's best-seller, moving 110 million units with its promise of easy music listening in a very slim package.
But Apple believes the era of dedicated devices is waning, and the Nano is a good example of how Apple is evolving its market-leading media players into much more.
The Nano got video playback two years ago and then added voice recording last year with a microphone or special headset.
Now, with the fifth-generation Nano released Wednesday, the slim player sports a video camera, an FM radio, a pedometer and an integrated microphone for voice recording. It's a remarkable feat considering Apple has left the dimensions of this iPod virtually unchanged.
Let's take a look at the additions to the Nano.
The camera offers standard-definition 640x480 video, although it can't do still shots. The lens is built into the back corner along with a small microphone. The 16 GB version can hold up to 16 hours of video.
The video generally looked good, on the order of the standard definition Flip camcorder. The sound quality is decent, although I found it easy to get too close to the microphone, which distorted the sound.
I had more problems just holding the Nano in camera mode. My fingers repeatedly obscured shots and the device is not terribly comfortable to hold for long periods of time. The bulkier Flip fits better in your hand.
The best part about the Nano is the effects the camera applies in real time to video recordings. There are 16 effects that let you stretch or distort images or throw the video into thermal, sepia or X-ray view. My favorite was one called Cyborg, offering a view of what the Terminator sees when it stalks victims.
Getting the video up to YouTube isn't as easy as it is with the Flip, which lets you do easy uploading with its integrated Flipshare software. But with all the cool effects and the ability to take spontaneous video, the Nano should be a major source of YouTube videos, especially from kids.
An iPod radio has been on people's wish list for years and it's finally here. Apple has given the long-awaited feature a twist, building in a 15-minute buffer that allows you to pause a radio feed and listen to anything in that period. You can't save the buffered audio - it just keeps moving along - but it's a nice feature to back up and hear what you might have missed.
The radio also allows you to tag certain tunes so you can remember them or buy them later through iTunes. Though the Nano has a tiny speaker, you won't be able to listen to radio over it because you'll need to plug in the headphones - Apple's or your own ear buds - which act as an antenna for the radio.
A healthy touch
The pedometer is also a welcome touch, especially for health-conscious users. The Nano uses its accelerometer to record your steps and give you a sense of how many calories you've burned off. Though it won't track your distance, I found it was a nice way to chart my activity. It also encouraged me to keep moving.
Better recording
Finally, while the previous Nano had voice recording, you had to use a microphone-equipped headset for it. The latest Nano relies on its integrated microphone to do the trick. It does a good job recording interviews, though you'll want to observe a little distance from the mike for personal memos.
The Nano offers the same storage as its predecessor: 8 and 16 GBs at $149 and $179 respectively. Aside from the new additions, the latest Nano features a slightly larger 2.2-inch screen and five hours of video playback, one more than the previous model.
All in all, Apple has done it again, squeezing a video camera, radio and pedometer into an already slim package. This should keep the Nano chugging along as the predominant MP3 player.
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Wow, iPod nano is simply the best.
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