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The first iPod Nano was a smashing success, according to Apple. The small size, long battery life and sleek design inspired its first one million purchases within the first 17 days after this item was offered. Some people questioned why Steve Jobs would want to release this new Nano when previous versions, like the Ipod Mini, were doing so well. Yet, Jobs truly believed the next one would be bigger and better, so he pressed on.

If you’re in the dark when it comes to the iPod Nano, you are not alone. The first music nanosystems emerged in September of 2005, bringing 1-4 gigabytes of space, black or white casings, Mac or Windows 2000 compatibility, 14 hours of audio battery life, a 176 x 132 size screen, 32 MB of onboard RAM and 1.5 oz. weight. The second generation Apple device held 4 or 8 GB of storage and came with new colors (silver, pink, green, red and blue) in an attractive anodized aluminum casing, with 10 more hours of battery life in fall 2006. The third generation nanotechnology products were released in September 2007, providing 4 or 8 GB of space, a variety of colors (silver, light blue, light green, black, red, pink), double the RAM (64 MB) and worked with XP and Vista — not to mention, it was able to play videos (rather than just photo slide shows). The Generation 4 Nano of September 2008 offered all the usual colors (as well as yellow, orange and purple), 8 or 16 MB of space and included voice and “shake to shuffle” features.

Now the new Nano MP3 is finally out: Generation 5! The latest iPod Nano comes with innovative audio-video features — a video camera, FM radio, voice recording, built-in speakers, a larger 2.2″ screen, Genius Mixes play-list creator and even a pedometer for all the fitness fanatics! However, CNET reviewers say the bad news about nanotechnology all-in-one devices is that the quality has to suffer somewhere. In this case, it’s the Nano’s camera and HD-quality video capacity, which is unimpressive. Additionally, it’s strange that the 8 and 16 GB of storage didn’t increase from previous releases. Overall, CNET staff argues, “No other MP3 player on the planet packs more features.” For $139 – $149, the fifth generation of Nano electronics is a good bet.

As with anything, there are some drawbacks to the iPod Nano fifth generation. While these iPod Nanos come with FM radio access (as well as the ability to rewind/pause live radio for up to 15 minutes), users say the ability to save songs and purchase from iTunes later on “are superfluous” and that the radio sometimes is plagued by static. The video camera — though novel and fun — isn’t a professional caliber recording device by any stretch of the imagination and will likely be improved upon in subsequent models. Even so, the new Nano is a great little device for the price.

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