Phone
Apples latest iPod Nano and Microsofts freshest Zune, both released within the past week, offer these kinds of perks and plenty more. Neither is right for everyone, but both serve as a reminder of how far digital media players have come in just a few years.
Apple has sold about 10 million iPod Nanos since launching the first one in 2005, and the latest version should cement its title as king of the prom.
At first glance, the new Nano seems very much like the previous version. It has retained its skinny legginess and curved sides, along with its crisp screen and slightly annoying shake-to-shuffle music feature. Astute gadget hounds may notice it has a slightly enlarged screen – its now 2.2 inches on the diagonal, up from 2 inches.
There are some major additions, though, that make this tiny tune toter really worth its price tag ($149 for 8 gigabytes of storage space; $179 for 16 gigabytes).
The first is located near the bottom of the Nanos back: A little video camera lens with a pinhole-sized microphone. The location is prone to fingers-over-lens issues, but because the Nano has a built-in accelerometer you can solve this problem by turning the device upside down and it will still know to film right side up.
Apple says it simply wasnt possible to place the camera anywhere else without making the Nano pudgier, so Im willing to forgive this inconvenience.
The quality of Nano videos probably wont get you into Cannes, but the camera is so easy to use that I found myself looking for cool things to record while wandering around listening to music. I also loved its special effects filters, which let you film in old-fashioned film mode or “kaleidoscope” mode.
To my chagrin, there is no option to take still photos, and no zoom – two features youll find on many run-of-the-mill cell phones. Maybe next time, Apple?
The built-in microphone did impress me. It had some difficulties capturing sound from multiple sources at the same time, but noises generally sounded clear in videos. The microphone will also record voice notes – something Ive been awaiting for several years.
Another neat feature: Now the Nano has a built-in speaker. You wont notice it at first, since theres no speaker grill. But if you happen to play back a just-recorded video or a song without plugging in headphones, youll notice that, indeed, the Nano is emitting sound. The speaker does not get that loud, and it doesnt sound incredible, but its nice to have the option to listen out loud.
Sadly, the speaker doesnt work with the Nanos FM radio – another new feature – since the radio counts on your headphones to act as an antenna. The inclusion of a digital radio is long overdue, and it comes with a neat “live pause” feature that will store up to 15 minutes of the broadcast. This came in handy when I was listening to NPR and wanted to stop and make a phone call. I could just come back and catch up on the news a few minutes later.
Simply put, the new Nano gets nearly everything right. It even includes a built-in pedometer for logging exercise goals. There are plenty of tweaks Apple could – and probably will – make in the future, but its still the best and smallest multimedia player you can buy for under $200.
The Zune HD ($220 for a 16-gigabyte version; $290 for 32 gigabytes) is packed in a slim, silver-and-black case that sports a fairly generous 3.3-inch touch screen.
The screen is one of the new Zunes best parts: Its very responsive to finger swipes and taps, and, as with Apples iPod Touch, you can pinch photos to zoom in and out.
Videos and photos look super crisp, and I had no problem snuggling up with the Zune HD while watching an episode of sketch comedy show “The State” that I downloaded from the Zune Marketplace over the corresponding computer software.
The latest Zune includes a high-definition video function, so you can buy high-def movies in 720p resolution from the Zune Marketplace, and, if you shell out $90 for a dock, watch them on a high-definition TV. You can also watch them on the Zune, but the resolution will be lower.
More impressive was the addition of an HD radio receiver for accessing radio stations digital HD radio content, which is transmitted alongside their regular analog broadcasts. HD stations sounded clearer than standard FM stations on the dial, but since the Zune already has a good FM radio I wasnt blown away.