When you want to examine your iTunes library, you have a choice of different views—ways to display the content. You can choose a different view for each part of your iTunes library, whether it be for the sub-libraries (such as Music, Movies, TV Shows, or Audiobooks) or for playlists, and iTunes remembers these views for each part of its display. Here’s a look at the three different views, when you might want to use them, and which options each one offers.
List view
The first of the three views available is List view. This is the best way to see detailed information about your music and other content, because each track or item displays on its own line with a number of columns of information about it. To enter List view, click the leftmost part of the triple View button (located at the top of the iTunes window, to the left of the Search field), or press Command-Option-3. By default, List view displays only a few columns for music: Name, Time, Artist, Album, Genre, Rating, and Play count. (Other columns display for movies, TV shows, audiobooks, or podcasts.)
List view
You can display additional columns by choosing View -> View Options and checking the columns you want to see, or by Control-clicking on any column header and choosing a column from the contextual menu. Each of these columns contains tag information that was either included with music you purchased, downloaded from the Gracenote database when you ripped CDs, or that you added manually. You may want to display other columns, such as Year, BPM, or composer (for music), or other specific columns for other types of content. You can then drag the columns to reorder them as you prefer.
You can sort your music by the information in any of these columns by clicking in the column headers—for example, the Date Added column to see the items you’ve most recently added to your library—and if you click the Album column it toggles between Album, Album By Artist, and Album By Year.
In List view you can also display a browser (View -> Show Column Browser), and can choose to have it show at the top or the side of your list as well as choose which columns it displays. The browser lets you narrow down what iTunes displays. For example, if you want to see only your jazz tracks, click Jazz in the Genres section of the browser; you can then see those artists who are only in that genre, and see all their music by clicking one of their names.
List view is the default view for any playlists you make, but you can choose one of the other two views by clicking the View button, or using one of the View menu items.
Grid view
Grid view is the default for the different iTunes libraries: Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Audiobooks, and iTunes U. If you’ve never launched iTunes before, or if you’ve never changed views, this is what you’ll see in each of those libraries. Unlike List view, where you see a lot of text, Grid view shows big icons of each item (album, movie, podcast, and so on) on a plain background. (By default, this is a white background, but you can change it to black. Choose iTunes -> Preferences, then, from the Grid View pop-up menu, change Light to Dark.)
Grid view is good if you want to see an overview of your content. Each grouping shows as one icon, so if you have a single track from an album and an entire album, each will show as one icon. The same is true for audiobooks, TV shows, and podcasts; if you have one or more chapter/part/episode, each group will have its own icon.
Grid view
You can sort your Grid view content by choosing View -> Grid View, then choosing Albums, Artists, Genres or Composers; iTunes will sort according to those tags. (Those choices are for music; choices are different for other types of content.) If you choose to sort by, say, Artist, all items by one artist will be hidden beneath a single icon; drag your cursor over that icon to see different items.
You can also display a header by choosing View -> Grid View -> Show Header, which provides a button bar where you can choose sort criteria, and a slider you can use to change the size of the icons.
With Grid view, you can play items easily. Just move your cursor over an icon and click Play content type when that label displays. You can’t stop playback the same way, though; you’ll have to click the Pause button at the top-left of the iTunes window.
When you double-click an item in Grid view, iTunes goes “into” that item, and opens its contents in a List view window. You can explore the tracks that display, or play them, and to return to Grid view, click All Albums, at the top left of the Grid view header.
Cover Flow view
The third view in iTunes is Cover Flow, which you might be familiar with from the Finder or from your iPod or iPhone. Cover Flow shows items’ artwork against a black background in the top part of the iTunes window, with a list section below it. You can change the size of the icons by dragging the horizontal separator between the scroll bar and the list headers. You can scroll horizontally through your content or click a cover that you see. Whether you scroll or click, iTunes moves the list to display whichever item is front and center (with the item’s name below it).
Cover Flow view
You can go into a full-screen mode by clicking the square icon with arrows pointing away from each other on the diagonal at the right of the Cover Flow section. When in this mode, you can start and pause playback, change volume, and scroll through albums and other types of content in other libraries with nothing on your screen other than the artwork in Cover Flow against a black background.
Choosing the right view
Depending on which type of content you’re looking at, you may want to use a different view. For movies and audiobooks, Grid view is great, because items in these libraries usually don’t contain many files. A movie as a Grid view icon is easier to see than in, say, List view, and for audiobooks, each Grid view icon hides the multiple files for a book.
For music, depending on the size of your library and the number of albums, any of them can work, but if you’re sorting or searching for music, List view is most practical. Grid view is good if you’re visual; if you like to choose what music to play by looking at album art. Some people like Cover Flow view, because you can “flip through” your music easily, but I find that with a large library it can be unwieldy.
Remember that you can change views whenever you want, and you can apply different views to each part of your iTunes library, and to each individual playlist. So try them all out and see which is best for your needs.
Genius Mixes are preselected compilations of songs from your iTunes library that can be synced to your iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic 160GB (Late 2009), or iPod nano (5th generation) when you enable Genius in iTunes. To learn more about Genius you can see this article, or open iTunes and choose Help > iTunesHelp. Then type "Genius" or "Genius Mixes."
To sync Genius Mixes from iTunes to your iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic 160GB (Late 2009), or iPod nano (5th generation), you can either:
1. Sync your entire iTunes music library to the device, including all playlists, artists, genres, Genius playlists, and Genius Mixes*
or
2. Sync selected playlists, artists, and genres, as well as selected Genius playlists and Genius Mixes
To sync selected Genius playlists and Genius Mixes to your device:
In iTunes, select your device in the device list and click the Music tab.
Check Sync Music, and then choose "Selected playlists, artists, and genres."
Under Playlists, select the Genius playlists and Genius Mixes you want.
Click Apply.
Notes:
Genius Mixes can only be synced automatically, so you won't be able to add Genius Mixes to your device if "Sync only checked songs and videos" is checked in the iTunes Summary pane.
If you select any Genius Mixes to sync with your device, iTunes may select and sync additional songs from your library that you didn’t select.
If you choose to sync your entire music library, iTunes will sync all your Genius playlists and Genius Mixes to the device.
The glossy-finished new fifth-gen iPod nano builds upon last year's tall and slim form factor by adding video recording, FM radio with iPod tagging and Live Pause, VoiceOver navigation, a built-in Nike+ step counter, and a slightly larger and improved 2.2" display, all packed into the same thin aluminum tube.
Hardware features: video recording
The tall orientation of the revised nano might be the ideal design for delivering its biggest new feature, but it's a bit puzzling that Apple put the new video camera at the base of the unit. Unlike the iPhone, which places its camera at the top corner of its back, the new nano fits its camera at the bottom, opposite the click wheel used to start and stop the recording.
As a result, while it's easy to get your hand in the way of an iPhone shot, it's hard to position the nano for recording without having your fingers in the shot. The most natural way to hold the nano completely obscures the camera lens with your hand. Fortunately, there are two approaches that work. The first is to hold the device with the tips of your fingers (below left) rather than cradling it in your hand. This allows for precise aiming with one hand in both the landscape and portrait orientations. The alternative is to hold the device by its edges while recording (below right), something that might require both hands if you lack dexterity.
The only discernible upside to putting the camera in such a location is that it signals when it is being used for recording. You don't have to wonder if somebody is secretly filming you with their iPod nano in the gym unless they're holding it in contorted, awkward way that indicates they probably are. Apart from that, there's no other explanation.
Recording quality
As a video camera, the new nano is remarkably good. It's also extremely simple to operate, takes decent quality video at VGA resolution (640x480) at a fluid 30 frames per second rate. The total bit rate of its movies is around 2,500 to 3,000, making the output files portable and compact, and well-suited for online use.
Video shot by the nano compares favorably with video shot with the iPhone 3GS. An example taken with the nano's camera in landscape mode actually looks better than video taken simultaneously with the iPhone 3GS in portrait mode. Both devices create video output files in VGA (0.3 megapixel) resolution, although the nano has a wider angle, fixed focus lens on a camera mechanism that likely has a much lower native resolution than the 3.0 megapixel camera in the iPhone 3GS. In both cases, the camera's raw video is compressed in software as it is recorded.
Even so, our iPhone 3GS video consumed a higher bit rate (3,700 vs 2,800 kbit/sec on the nano capture) yet delivered muddier video, perhaps indicating that the iPhone can dramatically improve its video capture via optimized software. Uploaded to YouTube, the video is compressed even further, but still good (below).
Also important in creating usable video is the nano's integrated mic, which captures pretty good quality audio. Few things are as disappointing as capturing video with badly garbled audio or blank silence. The nano picks up inside voices quite clearly using the mic next to the camera lens. Video playback on the nano is also readily audible using its tiny internal speaker.
The audio recording quality is even better when you record video using the mic integrated into a pair of iPhone-style headphones. Note that the nano only ships with standard headphones lacking an integrated mic, however. Even using the nano's built-in mic, audio is decent and very usable for the casual applications one can expect of it.
You probably won't want to use the iPod nano's tiny speaker as a boom box for listening to music, as it isn't capable of producing very high fidelity music, but it can serve a functional way to share videos with friends without using headphones.
Moving pictures only
The camera doesn't take photos, although you can of course snap a still video shot and export a frame of the video as a picture. With the camera held still, you can make out pretty good details, although any motion renders still shots quite blurred. The choice to make the nano's camera video-only wasn't just arbitrary, but based on the fact that it uses a simpler camera mechanism to fit its thin body. The fancy autofocus camera in the iPhone 3GS is twice as thick as the nano's.
Below is a picture of a parking ticket that's been laying around, snapped with the nano's video camera and the iPhone 3GS in both still and movie modes. They're all easily readable, but the iPhone photo visibly sharper, while the nano's video still suffers from noisy smearing.
While the new nano makes a pretty decent video camera for casual captures of your friends, the type of photographs it could take, given the tiny amount of room available for the camera, would not make it competitive with even the low end of standalone toy cameras or cell phone cams. On the other hand, its video features make it suitable for replacing a separate digital video recorder unit on outings or at parties.
Like any tiny CCD camera, it takes the best shots in good lighting. Inside in dim lighting, shots get noisy quick and motion blur is a lot more evident. The video-capable nano isn't going to put Flip out of business, but it will dramatically expand the number of recording eyes out there in the hands of millions of iPod users. Given that the nano's video recording feature doesn't cost any premium over the previous generation, Apple is effectively dumping millions of free video recorders into the market, something that will impact the emerging market for standalone video recorders.
Special effects
To spice up recording, the nano offers a series of 15 special effect modes for video capture: sepia, black and white, x-ray, film grain, thermal, security cam, cyborg, bulge, kaleido, motion blur, mirror, light tunnel, dent, stretch, and twirl. These degrade the captured quality and can't be removed later, so more serious mobile filmmakers might want to import their video clips into iMovie for editing with special effect filters instead.
If the target is YouTube or Facebook, however, the nano's simple in-camera effects can help turn a third grader into a short clip cinematographer, with enough variety to make nano videos as fun as Mac OS X's Photo Booth. Simply click and hold the center button while the video camera is up, and you get a preview of what the capture will look like with the effect applied.
Putting basic special effects right in the camera, and making them easy to apply, means kids won't even need to master iMovie to create fun clips they can share like digital-era Polaroid talkies. And for us adults, applying film grain or security camera effects means you won't even notice the crow's feet.
There's no trim video editing features within the nano as there is on the much more powerful iPhone 3GS, but similar simple editing controls are now available in QuickTime X, making it easy to cut off the beginning intro where your fingers were all over the lens. Because the nano captures standard H.264 video, it's also easy to pull them into iMovie or similar tools for more advanced sprucing up as well.
Hardware features: Nike+ and pedometer
Unlike last year's nano, the 2009 model no longer requires the Sport Kit external transmitter and shoe sensor just to track your steps. You can still use the Nike+ Sport Kit to act as your running coach as before, but the new version includes an independent, accelerometer-based pedometer for tracking basic fitness goals.
The system can be turned on to count all your steps in the background, so you can upload your regular walking activity to the free Nike+ website to monitor your progress and perhaps incentivize taking the stairs. Enter your weight and set a daily step goal, and the new nano will keep a calendar of your daily walking activity. While counting steps, a shoe icon appears on the nano screen next to the battery indicator.
The nano also supports regular Nike+ workouts with the Sport Kit and Nike+ cardio gym equipment designed to plug in via the dock connector, both of which continue to work the same as in previous iPod models.
Hardware features: FM radio
Apple has previously maintained that few iPod users are clamoring for FM radio features, and that its external radio adapter is enough of a solution for those who want to listen to the radio rather than their own music. The new nano now incorporates an FM radio, along with support for iTunes tagging, a feature that identifies the song being played and can add it to a favorite list for later purchase from the iTunes Store. Radio stations supporting this tagging feature display a tag icon.
The new radio also features Live Pause, a digital recording window that lets you pause your radio station and play it back with as much as a 15 minute delay, similar to how DVRs like the Tivo pause live TV. You can rewind and fast forward to any point within the cached playback period, making it handy for repeating part of a song, pausing the playing music for a quick conversation, or, of course, skipping ads. If you have a few minutes of radio playback cached and leave the radio app's menus, the stored radio segment is lost.
The nano's FM radio uses the headphone cord as its antenna, so without headphones plugged in, the radio won't work. Given that the nano is the most gym-friendly iPod model, inclusion of a radio may be welcomed by those who run treadmills in front of a bank of TVs with their audio broadcast on different FM stations. No iPod models support built-in FM radio transmitting though, so if you want to play back music through your car's speakers, you'll still need to use an external radio or cassette tape adapter.
Hardware features: VoiceOver
The new nano now supports VoiceOver, a feature that debuted on the iPod shuffle. VoiceOver will announce the name of the currently playing song with a single press and brief hold of the click wheel, if you're eyes are too busy to check the screen. The feature is enabled in iTunes, which involves installing the VoiceOver component. Once installed, the system can be set to speak song information in twenty languages, and will automatically read off foreign song titles in the correct language.
Using headphones with integrated playback controls (which again do not ship bundled with the nano), you can also control playback blindly in the same manner as the shuffle: click once to pause or resume, double click to jump to the next song, or triple click to restart the song or jump to the previous song.
VoiceOver uses high quality voice synthesis created on your iTunes computer, so it doesn't tax iPod playback and provides more natural sounding voices than the iPod itself could generate given its low power embedded processors.
Software features: iTunes 9 Genius Mix, games, voice memos, and other basics
The new nano also benefits from some other features introduced in iTunes 9, including Genius Mixes. Previously, iTunes scanned your music to compile Genius Playlists based on a song you selected, which paired it with other, similar music.
Along the same lines, Genius Mixes just make up a series of up to a dozen ready-made playlists from your music to help you discover tunes you have but don't regularly listen to. No need to pick out a seed song for iTunes to base your Genius Playlist on; iTunes just compiles several lists for you so you have ready to go mixes that are digitally computed to play well together.
The new nano carries forward previous features, from Cover Flow album browsing to synced photo viewing and TV slide shows; simple iPod games, which now number up to four dozen in the iTunes store in addition to the three included for free; voice memo recording, which now works using the new built-in mic; and the mini apps ranging from the stop watch and alarms to the synced calendar and contacts.
Polished colors and specs
Both nano models come in a spectrum of 9 different colors: silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange, pink, along with (PRODUCT) RED and orange, which are exclusively available through the Apple Store. The colors are similar to last year's spectrum but generally darker and more serious looking than the powdery rainbow "nano-chromatic" colors introduced last year. The deeper blue, forest green and rosy pink versions are the most noticeably different shades this time around, but all of the colors sport a glossy new clear coat finish that sets them apart.
All have a white click wheel apart from the black and silver models, which sport a black click wheel. The 16GB model holds up to 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos, and 16 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos and eight hours of video. Capacities are unchanged over the previous generation.
While using the same shell size, the new 5G nano has a slightly larger 2.2" display (versus the previous 2.0" screen on earlier nanos) with a few extra lines of resolution, 240x376 versus the previous model's 240x320. This gives the new nano more pixels than the latest iPod classic, and a screen nearly as large as the classic's unchanged 2.5" display. The new nano also sports what Apple calls a "TFT display" as opposed to the "color LCD with LED backlight" used on the latest classic. The new nano screen seems to be noticeably brighter.
Despite the new larger screen, camera, mic, speaker, radio and other hardware features, the new nano is also slightly lighter than the previous model, at 1.28 oz rather than 1.3 oz. The click wheel is ever so slightly smaller than the previous version by a millimeter or two. Battery life is still rated at 24 hours of audio playback, but video use has increased from 4 hours to 5, matching the rated life of the earlier, squatty third generation nano.
What ships in the box
The new nano comes in the same plexiglass case with the standard stickers, a thin guide, a Universal Dock adapter, standard earbud headphones (no mic, no playback controls), and a USB to dock connector cable. There's no power adapter or dock or, in a nod to Apple's increasing environmental efforts, any other superfluous packaging. The new nano is also advertised as having a recycle-friendly aluminum design that uses arsenic-free glass, and no Brominated Flame Retardants, mercury, or PVC plastics.
The 8GB nano retails for the same $149 as the previous video camera-free model, while the 16GB model is twenty bucks cheaper than last year's at its new $179 price. That distinguishes the sporty, video capturing iPod nano from its gaming-oriented, web browsing, multi-touch big brother, which now drops down to hit the magical $199 price point with its low end 8GB model.
Product Review Rundown
With the latest 5G iPod nano, Apple has taken its most popular iPod and given it an entirely new use as a pocket sized video camera. The new step counter and FM radio shore up its gym-savvy, and new Genius Mixes make it all that more effortless to find collections of songs to listen to from your own library.
What's missing? Apple didn't include its mic-integrated headphones with playback controls, but it did include a new integrated mic that works well enough for both voice memos and video recording to avoid making a headphone upgrade essential. The missing hour of battery life we counted against the previous nano is back, along with a lower price on the 16GB model.
The new 5G iPod nano shows Apple isn't content with selling last year's products, and is constantly working to deliver desirable new features in the same sized package at the same price. Anyone in the market for a slim, easy to use MP3 player should be extremely satisfied, particularly with its fun new camera and other hardware upgrades.
Rating 4.5 out of 5
Pros
Thin and compact, scratch resistant, sturdy construction.
Great new video capture with fun special effects.
Audio recording using an built-in mic and speaker for playback.
High quality, larger, bright 2.2" screen.
TV output for slide shows, movie rentals and downloads.
Simple step counter in addition to Nike+ option; FM radio features
Cons
Doesn't include iPhone-style headphones with mic or playback controls
If you're new to the iTunes Store, this page will give you the basics of browsing and purchasing from the iTunes Store.
Products Affected
iTunes Store, iTunes
Searching for Content
If you know what you're looking for, you can type a search term in the Search Store field, which appears in the upper-right corner of iTunes. Press Enter or Return to perform the search.
In the resulting screen, you will see all the relevant search results pertaining to your search. You can filter your search results by Music, Movies, TV Shows, Applications, Audiobooks, Podcasts, and iTunes U content.
Note: Not all types of content are available in all countries.
You can listen or view 30-second previews of all songs and videos on the iTunes Store. To preview a song or TV episode, select the item you want to preview then click the small Play button to its left.
Tip: You can also use the Quick View feature to preview additional content such as music videos, songs, movies, TV shows, and so on. To do this, mouseover any of the thumbnails throughout the store and click on the " i " in the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail to activate Quick View.
You can purchase directly from this area by clicking the Buy button next to any item, or you can add the item to your Wish List.
You'll be prompted to enter your Apple ID and password to confirm any purchase. You cannot add applications or podcasts to Wish List; you can buy applications with 1-Click and subscribe to podcasts. Read this article for more information on Wish List.
In the middle section of your screen, you will see a list of individual items that match one or all of your search terms. You can sort these results by any of the columns above the results by clicking the column's header:
Browsing for Content
On the main page of the iTunes Store, you can see all of the following at a glance: featured releases, the newest and most popular releases, items we think you'll like based on your previous purchases, items that are currently free, and various others. You can click Browse in the Quick Links section in the upper-right corner of the Home page of the iTunes Store and then you can browse the store as if it were your own iTunes library.
If you like a certain genre of music, such as Rock, you can quickly browse the Rock genre page by choosing Rock from the drop-down menu under Music from the navigation bar at the top of the main page. Simply click the drop-down triangle next to Music.
Whichever path you choose to pursue, you'll likely wind up clicking a link that takes you to the item's page. These pages generally display release information (such as release date, copyright information, and artwork), the item's price, the price to download the entire playlist, customer ratings and reviews, related items, and much more.
While people were still reeling from the fact that the iPod nano, and not the iPod touch, gained a video camera, my trusty 5.5G 30 GB iPod video decided to die a slow, painful death. Over the past few weeks, I'd been hearing the hard drive click of doom, having the iPod randomly reboot while listening to an audiobook, and then had the entire system lock up on me and not unfreeze until the battery had worn completely down. When the last symptom occurred a second time yesterday during the iPod event, I decided it was time for a new iPod and ordered my first nano.
For years, the nano seemed like a good idea, but it wasn't something that fit my needs. My music collection clocks in at a respectable 8GB, and it is growing. I have another 6GB of audiobooks, also growing, and at the time I purchased my iPod video I had another 8GB of TV shows and movies ripped from my DVDs. In the days before the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPod video was just a more practical device for those of us who weren't quite so new to the whole idea of a portable music player. Apple initially targeted the noobs with the iPod mini, and then followed with the iPod nano.
Now that's changed. If you really want to play video on a portable device, the iPhone or the iPod touch is the way to go. If you primarily want to listen to music, the nano is an excellent choice for an everyday iPod. 16GB is more than enough to cover many music collections, and if you need more capacity there is still the iPod classic or the larger iPod touch models. The current nano can fit my entire library of music and audiobooks, and leave some room for videos if I choose -- except I really don't want to squint at subtitles on a nano.
Meanwhile, Apple is also realizing that they need to change their marketing strategy for the nano. With more than 220 million iPods sold to date and a 73.8% marketshare, the general public is fully aware of the brand and most likely has an iPod. So, Apple is changing tactics and has decided to take on the Flip, a popular and inexpensive handheld video camera that is roughly the size, although thicker, of a nano. New ads promote the "fun" factor of the nano, but overall it's just a solid iPod.
We're splitting our look at the new nano into two parts. Today, we're taking a look at the device itself and a vast chunk of the new features. Tomorrow, we take an in-depth look at the iPod nano's flagship feature -- the video camera -- and see how well it holds up to both a Flip and an iPhone 3GS.
Look and feel
The iPod nano comes in the now-standard nano packaging consisting of a small, plastic case with the accessories tucked behind the device. Included with the nano is a set of stock Apple earbuds, a dock adapter, a USB cable, and an instruction book. There's no power supply here; you're expected to charge while you have it hooked up to your computer.
The new iPod is slightly longer than the previous generation, in order to compensate for the slightly larger screen. The width of the screen, when in landscape form, now matches that of the 5.5G iPod video, and the length is almost the same. The headphone jack is tucked next to the dock connector on the bottom, and there is a hold switch on top. The camera, now added to the back with a small microphone/speaker next to it, is flush with the device, but placed in an odd location. As seen in the image above, the camera on an iPhone is located in the upper-left side of the device. With the nano, the camera is right behind the click wheel. My normal tendency is to wrap my hand around the device over the wheel, so I'll have to be careful while using the camera as to not accidentally cover the lens.
Syncing, Audio and Video
For those familiar with the nano, or any iPod for that matter, the vast majority of the features on the device are pretty much standard. VoiceOver, Voice Memos and Genius Mixes have all made their way onto the nano. 14.98GB out of a total of 16GB are available for use, and I quickly synced a selection of music, audiobooks, along with a couple of videos and podcast episodes, for testing.
For those who choose to sync over manually managing their iPods, iTunes 9's vastly improved syncing features makes this a far-easier chore than it was in the past. The one main area here that could use tweaking is the syncing of audiobooks. There's no way to select an individual audiobook for syncing unless you create its own playlist. I wish that iTunes would include a way to sync individual audiobook titles rather than the entire genre, all the author's works, or a playlist. The ability to sync by album would be nice as well. I like the option to automatically fill free space with songs, but it's not something I'm taking advantage of yet.
Edit (7:35 a.m. PDT): A prior version of this article mentioned issues with syncing and manually managing the nano. When I got home this morning and plugged in my iPod, I was prompted to update to software version 1.0.1. After this, I had no issues manually managing the iPod.
Audio using the new built-in speaker is okay, but nowhere near as robust as on an iPhone. It would also make true audiophiles cringe. If you want to pipe sound externally from a nano, you should still reach for those 3rd party speakers. Video is crystal clear and sharp, and I had few problems reading the subtitles on an anime episode I tried out. I still don't see this device as a solution for long-term video use, however.
Pedometer
While it won't substitute for RunKeeper during my walks yet, the built-in pedometer is a very nice addition to the nano. I turned it on, plugged in my weight, then kept it going while I walked out and back to check my mailbox. You need to be careful not to press the center button on the click wheel, or else the pedometer will reset. When the iPod is in pedometer mode, you can back out to the main menu and do other tasks. A pedometer listing on the main menu, only available while it's active, shows you how many steps you've taken. The pedometer is not easily manipulated, as I've stood and swung the iPod around and it wouldn't jog the steps.
When you hook the nano back up to iTunes for the first time after using the pedometer, you will get an option to send your fitness data to a Nike+ account. A Nike + iPod tab is added to iTunes at this point and stores data in the case you decide to get a Nike+ account in the future. A history of your pedometer use is also kept on the nano itself.
Radio
I have to say that the built-in radio tuner is my favorite new feature on the nano. To get the radio to work, you must plug in a pair of headphones -- but it does not have to be the stock Apple buds that come with the nano. I used my Bose earphones and got pretty good reception.
You have the option to switch among different radio regions, but it doesn't mean that you'll suddenly tune into Tokyo radio stations from Arizona. It means that if you happen to travel frequently to different radio regions, you'll be able to set favorite radio station while visiting France without overwriting your favorite local station. For the most part, the available radio broadcast bands are the same worldwide except for Japan, which 70-90 MHz.
You can pause your radio programs for up to 15 minutes, and also rewind during that same time span. This is useful if you want to listen to a song again, or replay a missed news or traffic bulletin -- a feature enjoyed for many years by cable and satellite television subscribers with access to DVR features. When you're tuned into a station, the title of the song you're listening to will pop up on screen. Like it? Press and hold the center button to either tag the song or add the station to your list of favorites. The next time you sync your iPod nano, a "Tagged" playlist will be added to the iTunes Store, and the songs you have on that list will be available for purchase if they are available in the iTunes Store.
In the second half of the review, we'll dive into new video camera and see how it holds up to some competition.
Apple introduced iTunes 9, the latest version of the world’s most popular software application to purchase, manage and play media, packed with innovative features such as iTunes LP, Home Sharing and Genius Mixes, as well as a redesigned store and improved syncing. iTunes 9 makes it easier than ever to discover, purchase and enjoy your music, movies, TV shows, and apps for iPhone and iPod touch from Apple’s revolutionary App Store. Plus, Home Sharing now lets you easily transfer songs, movies and TV shows to other computers in your home.
“iTunes 9 is a great iTunes release, with innovative features that make using iTunes better than ever and iTunes content richer than ever,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iTunes LP, for example, lets artists share more of their creativity with fans and gives music lovers the feeling of being immersed in an entire album with art, lyrics, liner notes, photos and videos.”
iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more. iTunes LP debuts today with albums including Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me,” The Grateful Dead’s “American Beauty” and Dave Matthews Band’s “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: iTunes Pass.” The new iTunes Extras provides a similar experience for movies on iTunes with features including documentaries, deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes Extras is now available for select movies including “Twilight,” “Batman Begins,” “WALL-E,” “Iron Man” and “The Da Vinci Code.” Customers can enjoy iTunes LP and iTunes Extras on a Mac or PC.
iTunes 9 also introduces Home Sharing, which lets you easily transfer music, movies and TV shows among up to five authorized computers in your home. Family members can now view up to five iTunes libraries on their home network, see only the portion of these libraries they don’t already have, import their favorite content directly to their own libraries, and automatically add new purchases from other computers into their library.
With improved syncing in iTunes 9 and iPhone OS 3.1, you can now organize your iPhone apps right in iTunes and they will automatically appear on your iPhone with the same layout. Plus, syncing music, photos, movies and TV shows is easier than ever with the added ability to sync music by artist and genre and sync photos by Events and Faces. The iTunes Store on iPhone now features precut ringtone downloads with over 20,000 ringtones priced at just $1.29.
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