iPod nano

[Nowhere]

So how does it look like now in win?

[Jessterw]

Pretty much that same as it does on a Mac, like it always has. The distracting line on the bottom of the titlebar is now gone, though how the menu items are placed looks a tad odd.

Interestingly, it now displays in Japanese on my copy of Japanese Windows XP, whereas previous versions did not. *shrug*

[Claymonkey]

How is it any more breakable than the hundreds of other portable players? I have an iPod shuffle and I've had the thing in my back pocket when I sat down before. If it's going to break by sheer force, then there's nothing going to stop that.

Hey, don't you owe me a belated birthday present?

I'll get right on that with my belated paychecks

As for bending.. come on.. it's long, wide and thin. If it has the thickness of a pencil and that much surface area it will bend with not much more force than would bend a credit card. They'd be wise to use the same metal they use in their laptops but I know that stuff bends easy at the right spots too.

[Jessterw]

Sure there will be some bending, but you're not going to break it by doing so unless you are seriously trying to do so. Nevermind that, bending (or flexibility) can be an asset to the durability of a product (this design principle has been put to use in everything from eyeglass frames to buildings that naturally sway and bend in response to wind and earthquakes). Granted, flexibility was likely not a design specification per se, but the unscientific stress tests that various people have been putting these things through appears promising.

I'm betting it's made of better materials than the shuffle, and I couldn't bend it with any force without breaking it (which means I would have to apply a lot).

You could always find an Apple store and give it a try, but just don't tell the sales people you are trying to see if you can break it by bending it any-which-way.

[Wombat]

As for bending.. come on.. it's long, wide and thin. If it has the thickness of a pencil and that much surface area it will bend with not much more force than would bend a credit card. They'd be wise to use the same metal they use in their laptops but I know that stuff bends easy at the right spots too.

You might be right, except that this is a hollow structure, and probably has a couple smartly places reinforcements.

[KeiFront]

Interestingly, it now displays in Japanese on my copy of Japanese Windows XP, whereas previous versions did not. *shrug*

http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?7@242.DJhJamsBRr7.0@.68b8ba16/11

[Claymonkey]

I might just try that at an apple store

Anyway, I'll hold off judgement till I see it for myself, I'll be fair about it

[Jessterw]

The iPod nano is thinner than the shuffle, however it is both taller and wider than the latter. It's more meant as a replacement for the mini.

[agallag]

I played with one briefly in the Chicago Apple store (I'm here on business for the weekend). It's really slick, and very very small. Just a hair bigger than the shuffle in both length and width, and about half the thickness.

I still don't want one though. I want an MP3 player that doesn't need me to install any software at all. I just want it to be a USB mass storage device. That's all. Any recommendations for something like that? The most likely contender right now is the PNY Vibe 1GB, but even that isn't perfect.

[lecter]

One thing I'm not clear about: can iPods be used as regular mass storage devices? I heard that if you plug one into your (Windows) computer and just drag files, it will work...the only catch seems to be for mp3s, which can be transferred only thru iTunes if you actually want to play them.

[Jessterw]

That's pretty much how it works lecter. There have been a few workarounds for that, but I've never paid them much attention as I do use iTunes for such transfers.

I routinely use my iPod shuffle as a USB storage device.

[KeiFront]

No problem Lecter I use my ipod as a portable storage device.

[KeiFront]

Review of the iPod nano in top gear style (see page3) http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/1

[Johnny Ray]

I'd worry about this thing getting lost or bent/broken easily. I'm still not a fan of ipod/itunes (iriver guy) , but I admit this is a pretty nice little thing

Enjoy the Arstechnica "stress test:"

To simulate everyday accidents that could result in a broken iPod, we came up with a few situations that we felt would ultimately leave the nano lifeless:

1. Sitting on the iPod nano
2. Dropping it while jogging (4-6mph),
3. Dropping at various speeds: 8-10mph (slow bicycle), 15-20mph (fast bicycle), 30mph (slow car), and 50mph (fast car)
4. Dropping the nano from various heights.

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/3

Pretty impressive results, if you ask me.