New ipod nano. . .

iPod nano 

The iPod nano's design has more or less been the same ever since it was launched. They may not look identical but it has always looked like a slimmed down iPod classic. This year, however, Apple gave the nano its biggest design change ever.

Enter the touch screen. Yes, the multi-touch, capacitive touch screen has finally made its way into the cheaper iPods and the nano is the first and perhaps the only iPod to get it. Since the click wheel is gone, the nano is much smaller than before, 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter to be precise. All you see in the front now is the 1.54-inch display with a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels. The new nano is now closer than ever to matching the definition of its name.

On the top of the nano you will find the sleep/wake and volume buttons, and on the bottom is the dock connector and the earphone jack. On the back is a clip, so you can attach it to your shirt or bag. Visually, the new nano looks almost exactly like the shuffle, except it has a touchscreen instead of buttons and a dock connector.

The interface of the new nano is based on the iOS devices. You will see four icons at a time on the screen and to see more you need to swipe left. To get back you swipe right and to jump to the first screen you press and hold anywhere on the screen. You can rearrange the icons on the screen any time. Just press and hold on the icons until it jiggles and then move it to wherever you want. You can also rotate the orientation of the display by just using your two fingers on the screen and doing a twisting gesture. I wonder why one has to do this manually though; why can't the accelerometer do it on its own?

When you go into the music playback screen, you will see that the album art takes the entire screen in the background. On the front you will see the track info on the top, the playback buttons in the middle. To get more options such as repeat, shuffle or Genius, just swipe left on the screen to get them.

The new iPod nano comes with a built-in FM radio (with Live Pause) and can also display photos. However, due to the smaller display size video playback is no longer an option. This is a major omission compared to the previous generation model, which cannot playback video but also record it using its built-in camera.

Other features include shake to shuffle and a pedometer for fitness freaks as well as support for the Nike + iPod Sport Kit. The new nano will be available in six colors, plus a (PRODUCT) RED version, available exclusively through the iTunes Store. The battery life is rated at 24 hours for audio playback, which is the same as the previous generation models. The new nano will be sold in two capacities, 8GB and 16GB for US $149 and $179 respectively. Expect them to be priced around Rs. 8,500 and Rs. 10,500 respectively in India.

The Good:

• Really small
• Multi-touch display
• Interface looks well designed
• Built-in clip
• Only iPod to have built-in FM radio

The Bad: 

• The screen looks bit too small
• No more video recording and playback

The new ipod shuffle. . .

Apple likes to hold their little events every now and then. Although they do not mention what they will be announcing, people have by now become adept at guessing, depending upon which month the event is being held in. Usually September is the month of new iPod launches and has been so for the past few years. So when Apple recently announced they will be holding an event on September 1, it wasn't hard to guess what they will be launching.

And as you'd imagine Apple launched a slew of new iPods, which they claim is their biggest change in their iPod line up, ever. Apart from the iPod classic, every other model in the iPod family got a major upgrade. So what are these upgrades? Well, we are here to answer that question today.

iPod shuffle
The iPod shuffle has always been very small, but with the third generation model, Apple just broke all notions of what a small player should be with what looked like an eraser. It was the smallest music player ever, but unfortunately, this size zero came at a cost, which was the loss of buttons on the player itself. The shuffle was then dependent on its earphones to control the music for it and without them it was as good as a paper clip.

This also meant that users could not use their own headphones with the shuffle as then they would have no way to control it. An alternative would be to buy expensive adaptors that would let you plug in your own headphones and control the player.

Apple realized the problem with this design and so for the fourth generation model they have gone back to their older device. The new shuffle looks a lot like the second generation model, but is now smaller. It uses an anodized aluminum body and comes in five different colors. As with the previous two generations, it comes with a clip on the back, so you can wear the player without the need for any other accessories. The controls are now on the player itself, so you can use any headphones with the device. The new shuffle still retains the VoiceOver feature, which debuted with the previous generation model.

The new shuffle has a battery life of 15 hours, which is pretty impressive for such a small player. Only a 2GB model will be sold, which will be priced at US $49. In India you can expect it for around Rs. 3,500.

The Good:

• Brings back the familiar buttons that we all know and love
• Really, really small 

The Bad: 

• No display, but that's okay, really