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7.2 out of 10

Apple iPod Nano / 2nd Generation

First seen: 14 september 2005

Information found in: from 96 sources in 27 countries.

Great Deal: $129.99

  • User Score (451)
    8.4 8.4 from 451 reviewers
  • Expert Score (261)
    8.5 8.5 from 261 reviewers
  • Design (52)
    6.4 6.4 from 52 reviewers
  • Value for money (20)
    6.7 6.7 from 20 reviewers
  • Features (88)
    6.3 6.3 from 88 reviewers
  • Ease of use (35)
    8.0 8.0 from 35 reviewers
  • Performance (2)
    7.2 7.2 from 2 reviewers
  • Sound quality (103)
    7.9 7.9 from 103 reviewers
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Pros & Cons

  • holds plenty of songs, excellent battery life, excellent sound quality, bright colours, good portability
  • full ipods 50 more, great sound quality, not very much memory, price for some, device scratches easily
  • Video camera. - The new built-in video camera is ready for anything. Yet iPod nano is the same ultraportable size — perfect for spontaneously shooting video.
  • Stunning design. - A brilliant polished anodized aluminum finish comes in nine electrifying colors. And the 2.2-inch color display is larger for your viewing pleasure.
  • Genius Mixes. - This new feature acts as your personal DJ, searching your iTunes library to find songs that go great together and making new…

Specifications

Release Date

  • First seen
    14 September 2005

Apple iPod Nano / 2nd Generation

Apple’s second generation iPod Nano was made available in September 2006. As an update to the popular first generation iPod Nano, this portable media player features some cosmetic changes and a few significant under the hood improvements.

The second generation Nano kept the same form factor and profile as its predecessor. At 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.26 inches, the Nano keeps the familiar first generation’s tall and lean profile but is slightly thinner and more curved around…

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Apple iPod Nano / 2nd Generation

Apple’s second generation iPod Nano was made available in September 2006. As an update to the popular first generation iPod Nano, this portable media player features some cosmetic changes and a few significant under the hood improvements.

The second generation Nano kept the same form factor and profile as its predecessor. At 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.26 inches, the Nano keeps the familiar first generation’s tall and lean profile but is slightly thinner and more curved around the edges. The most significant cosmetic changes are the casing and the new body color options. The second generation Nano sports an anodized aluminum case and is scratch-resistant similar to the popular iPod Mini, the predecessor of the Nano line. And, just like with the defunct Mini, the updated Nanos are also available in a variety of colors: silver, green, pink, blue, black and red.

This iPod Nano shares the same LCD screen specifications as the first generation’s which is a 1.5-inch color screen running at a resolution of 176 x 132 pixels. Improvements to the display come by way of a brighter (about 40% brighter) and more vibrant display. Battery life has also been improved and now lasts an estimated 24 hours of continuous audio playback.

The most significant update is the storage capacity. The second generation bumps up the memory to 2, 4 and 8 gigabytes, double that of the previous Nanos.

The 2 gigabyte model is only available in silver while the bigger capacity Nanos get all the new colors. The 4 gigabyte one is available in blue, silver, green, pink and red while the 8 gigabyte model comes in black and red.

Another under the hood improvement is the added support for audio recording via third-party microphone accessories.

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Review Summary

The second-generation Apple iPod Nano sports a seamless construction and a scratch-resistant aluminum body in a variety of colors. The unit retains its slender shape yet should be more durable sans the seams. The Apple iPod Nano supports photos, album art and offers strong sound quality. The battery life has been deemed nothing short of amazing, giving a person upwards of 20 hours of usage The iPod Nano features a touch-sensitive Click Wheel control on the front of the unit. The Nano offers 3 Playback …

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The second-generation Apple iPod Nano sports a seamless construction and a scratch-resistant aluminum body in a variety of colors. The unit retains its slender shape yet should be more durable sans the seams. The Apple iPod Nano supports photos, album art and offers strong sound quality. The battery life has been deemed nothing short of amazing, giving a person upwards of 20 hours of usage The iPod Nano features a touch-sensitive Click Wheel control on the front of the unit. The Nano offers 3 Playback Mode buttons including Play/Pause, Previous/Rewind, and Next/Fast-forward. Nano’s buttons can be disabled to prevent accidental bumping and you can to repeat either one song over and over or make a list of songs to repeat over and over, shuffle all songs on the drive, shuffle all songs on a certain playlist, and album shuffles.

The iPod Nano is still too early of a generation to play video. But the bright LCD screen is an improvement over earlier options. That said, the screen is quite tiny and it is not all that exciting looking at such small photos and though displaying album art is neat, it does take significant storage space away from tune options. Other drawbacks include no built-in FM tuner and no recording capability. For those that style and color are essential you will be disappointed to find that only certain color options available depending on the memory sizes.

Overall, the second-generation Apple iPod Nano is small, stylish, and generally user-friendly. Increasing battery-life almost two fold, doubling the storage of the 1G Nano offered at the same price, and the brighter LCD are all positive steps. On the negatives, it is time for Apple to build in an FM tuner. Most importantly, it is competitively priced, making the unit a great all around player for the budget conscious individual.

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  1. Apple iPod Nano

    Reviewer: Windows A to Z!
    29 March 2007

    UPDATE:READ THE FULL REVIEW OF THE APPLE IPOD NANO AT CNET.COM (OUR PARTNER SITE)Apple has yet again come out with another amazing product. The new Apple iPod Nano is a cross between the iPod Shuffle and the iPod Mini. It's got a color LCD screen and flash memory to store up to 1,000 songs. The flash-based iPod Nano weighs just a small 1.5 ounces and is thinner than a #2 pencil! It uses the 4th Generation iPod's click-wheel navigation technology and it also comes in... Read more

  2. Apple iPod Nano (2nd generation)

    Reviewer: Mp3.com
    15 September 2006
    Overall 8
    8.3
     

    The second-generation Apple iPod Nano is like the successful offspring of an iPod Mini and a first-generation iPod Nano. It's small, stylish, user-friendly, and competitively priced--a great player all around and suitable for a variety of users. Read more

  3. Apple iPod nano Portable Music Player

    16 December 2005

    Flash memory’s time has come. Previously popular only in low-capacity MP3 players and digital cameras, the iPod nano seems destined to take this solid-state medium to a new level. With the nano’s 4-gigabyte (GB) flash guts holding almost as many songs as the original hard-disk-based iPod (which debuted in 2001), it’s not hard to imagine 20- or 30-GB iPod nanos coming our way by 2009, if not sooner. Read more

  4. iPod nano 2G

    Reviewer: Macworld UK
    5 December 2006
    Overall 10
    10
     

    Only in the fast-paced world of technology would the words ‘What’s old is new again’ refer to a product that’s been dead for barely a year. And yet, how else would you describe the second-generation (2G) iPod nano, but as ‘the resurrection of the iPod mini?’ Something borrowed Though the newest iPod nanos look positively Lilliputian when placed next to an iPod mini, they’re very much a restatement of the former. Available in capacities of 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB... Read more

  5. Apple iPod Nano 16GB Review

    Reviewer: Digitaltrends
    22 September 2008
    Overall 8
    7.5
     

    Apple redesigns the nano to keep it competitive with is increasingly full-featured rivals. Read more

  1. Apple mini iPod excellent

    Reviewer: sarahmom, Ecoustics
    7 April 2008
    Overall 10
    10
    Ease of use 10
    10
     

    My daughter just received this Applie iPod mini Blue Second Gen as a grand prize winner in Head and Shoulders Contest. We were not even sure how to use an iPod so it was a new experience. My 19 year old daughter loves it and is so glad I won it. I gave it to her for her birthday. So we have added a new experience to technology to our household. She loves fact she doesn't have to carry a huge CD player and case around now as she can put them all on the iPod. Read more

  2. best [...]

    Reviewer: drefirekid, CameraWorld.com
    9 December 2007
    Overall 10
    10
     

    I use my ipod to listen to in school like on the bus and places like that.[...]oh yeah its super light and super thin so no one nose that you have it in your poket. [...] Read more

  3. Nice Player

    Reviewer: sebastiandavies, gdgt
    7 July 2009

    Its battery life is its best feature in my opinion. Also I got a red one and it looks quite good in red. Also playlists syncing from iTunes is good aswell. At end of day though its just a normal MP3 player with nothing special about it, and obviously overpriced for what it does, btu thats expected as its Apple. Has 3 games built into it which are Solitaire, Brick and a music quiz. I'm sure on a mac there is no problem with syncing but as a Windows user iTunes bring the... Read more

  4. Nice product, difficult to get familiar with........

    Reviewer: Shopzilla
    20 March 2007
    Overall 6
    6.0
     

    Finally broke down and bought my wife and I two iPods. Impressed with the sleek design, and the ease of menu options on the iPod itself. However, iTunes leaves a bit to be desired. <br> <br>First, the connection to the iPod was sporadic on my laptop. ... Read more

  5. Why I Think The 2nd Generation Nano (8GB) Is The Best Of All Nanos

    Reviewer: Bornintime, Amazon
    9 January 2010 See Product at Amazon ($199.99)
    Overall 10
    10
     

    I believe that the Nano peaked with the 2nd Generation model. Generation 2 increased maximum capacity from 4GB to 8GB. The 3rd, 4th and 5th Generation models of course all have video capability. While the picture is crystal clear the screen is so small that it is impossible to seriously enjoy watching a movie on this device. I have watched a few on my G3 and G4 Nanos and realize that the video capability is more of a gimmick than a real selling point. Anyone who wants to... Read more or see product

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