IPod nano: first impressions after 2 days of use

Question

I recently got an iPod nano, 1GB, black. Just thought I'd post my experience with it so far:
unbelievably small... aside from pictures on the internet I never saw a life-sized one. Nearly fits in the palm of my hand (but I've got big hands).
Design:
very slick. I don't have to be ashamed when someone asks me to show it. Usually I carry it in my inside pockets though, to prevent loss or pickpocketery. It's nice that it's small enough to put almost anywhere.
Durability:
not much to say, haven't had it long enough yet. One thing I can say it that it attracts dust... a lot. Also smudges very easily. Definitely get a case for it if you hate that it's dirty. I got myself a case called 'marware sport convertible', and I'm really happy with it. Except that the plastic screen on the front also gets dirty very easily. That's probably also because my hands sweat easily.
Interface:
bright any colorful screen, perfectly readable with backlight, and still readable without backlight, if you
can let the light fall on it. Copied a couple of travel photos to the ipod. Surprisingly clear on the small screen. Of course details get lost but still gives you a very good impression.
Playback very easy to control. I had some trouble getting used to the click wheel at first, but now I'm LOVING it. Not just because it allows you to quickly browse through a list, but also because it doesn't matter which side your thumb is on to control this. Smart pre-sets, for example giving the volume control preference when using the click-wheel.
Technology:
All of my mp3's are encoded at high bitrates, 192kbs or higher. In retrospect, 1GB is a bit small for me, so perhaps I'd better have picked a 2GB model. Of course that's not Apple's fault.
I wish you could just drag mp3's from your hard disk to a folder 'mp3' on ipod, just like you can do with 'notes' (txt files basically). I use Amarok (Linux multimedia player) to transfer music ATM. I'm not a big fan of DRM' so I prefer plain old mp3. Or Ogg Vorbis, but that's not very practical in most cases.
Battery life is nice... I used it almost all day, when commuting and at work. It's really annoying that no adapter for recharging it through the light net is included; not everyone always has access to a computer with USB port. A case isn't included either. IMO these are two must-have accessories. One to be sure you can always charge it, the other to prevent scratches, damage, and smudges/dirt. So I got both.
Sound quality:
Great quality. I like how you can get a very loud volume, for those times when I'm in the train and there's a lot of background noise. Also, I read reviews of people cursing the earphones to heck, but I actually think they sound very good? I plugged in some earphones from Sony, not the most expensive, but not the cheapest ones either, and the ones from Apple clearly sounded much better. Only thing I'm sorry about is that the color of the headphones and its cable doesn't match the color of my iPod and case.
Overall:
I'm very happy with it. But I'm also extremely relieved I decided to get a protective case for it! Takes away a lot of worries. I give it 4.5 'Darkelve' stars out of 5
PC   Windows XP   Dual-boot with SuSe 10.1

Answer 1

I agree with you on the wallsocket charging thing, it's a must have, really. The case is a different thing.
People would get stuck with a generic case, and not have one they liked. Now, you can buy whatever color/shape you want, without hassle.
The reason I got a white one: the earplhones, the radioremote and all other things are white. If black ones were included/available, I'd have gotten a black one.
Oh, and I have mine 1.5 months now, and am as happy as a clam. I used to have a portable CDplayer with MP3 capabilities, but it was HUGE. This fits in my shirt pocket, doesn't have any moving parts (no skipping when running), and is just about as cool as it can get.