9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Well Worth the Money
Date of Review: Feb 17, 2008
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for audio and video in a compact package, for a fairly reasonable price, the iPod nano 3rd Gen is a good choice.
I bought a 2nd generation iPod nano for my wife, a couple of years ago. I used it a couple of times, but I didn't really decide to get an iPod for myself until this third generation came out ... with video!
I must say that, overall, I have been very pleased with the iPod nano. I have a simple 1/8" adapter that allows me to plug it into my car stereo, so that I can listen to podcasts or music in my car. I have loaded it up with "Dora the Explorer" and "Backyardigans," for my daughter, and it has now replaced the portable DVD player as the preferred method for sedating her on long car rides. At the age of four, she has no problem pausing the programs, and adjusting the volume for herself (I do recommend using the available "volume lock" function to prevent your child from blasting herself through the earphones ... but be warned, once you initiate the volume lock, you can't turn it off - you can only adjust the level at which it locks).
I must say that the famous white iPod earphones are basically worthless. Perhaps my ears are stragely-shaped, but no matter how firmly I try to press the earbuds in, they fall out. I bought a pair of normal headphones at Radio Shack, which are much more comfortable, and have better sound (also easier for my daughter to wear - the earbuds don't fit her ears either, and I have heard that it's easier to damage one's eardrums with earbuds than headphones, which is another reason not to let her use them).
The only complaint I have about my iPod is the extremely-sensitive control wheel. Very often, I'll turn it to select the menu option I want, and then lift my finger up to move it to the center button to press "select," and that tiny lifting motion is enough to jog the wheel off the menu item I selected. Also, I like to listen to podcasts while I do chores, and I had to get a case to keep it in, because the buttons kept getting pushed when I simply put it in my pocket. It does have a "lock" function, but unless you want to slide the tiny thing back and forth every time you want to skip a song or adjust the volume, it's not worth using.
One other caveat ... I left the iPod in my car on a cold day, and it froze up. Wouldn't turn on, or do anything else. Fortunately, I found online the procedure for doing a "manual reset," and that was all it needed to get back to perfect functionality.
