Mac|Life iPod nano RSS Feed

New iPods Banned by Gyms

Arvind Srinivasan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:34:41 -0500

The new iPod nano is nothing short of awesome right? Well, not for members of Life Time Fitness, which has just banned the popular workout accessory from its gyms. Why, you may ask? Well, apparently people use their cameras in locker rooms to take pictures and videos of whatever shenanigans go on in there. A) I have never seen anything in a locker room that I would want to take a video of, b) most of the things I see in locker rooms, accidentally, are things I never want to see again, and c) I’ve just lost faith in humanity.

I suppose this is a logical step for the gyms, given that cell phones with cameras have been banned from locker rooms for the same reason, but given that the iPod nano is marketed directly to gym-goers (iPod + nike anyone?), this could be a huge blow to Apple if this becomes the precedent for other bans.

In the meantime, readers, we trust you to NOT be pervs with your new iPods.

Via AppleInsider

Fifth-Generation iPod nano

Susie Ochs — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:51:45 -0500

We loved the last iPod nano (5 out of 5 stars, Nov/08, p68) with its brightly colored, sleekly tapered aluminum case, accelorometer-assisted Cover Flow and Shake-to-Shuffle, and Genius playlists. The fifth-generation nano brings back all that goodness and shovels on even more "OMG WANT" features, including an FM radio, pedometer, and video camera.

The video camera is obviously the marquee addition, no pun intended. A tiny lens on the back of the nano captures 640x480 H.264 video, and an even tinier microphone records AAC audio. We needed to experiment to find the best ways to hold the nano while keeping the screen visible and our fingers out of the shot. Whichever way the nano is held, the preview appears right-side-up on the screen, so we initially thought we could hold it upside-down in portrait mode--and we wound up with a bunch of upside-down video. If you start shooting with the nano upside-down, your video will be OK. But if you start shooting right-side-up and then turn the nano upside-down, your footage will flip too, even though the preview image on the screen is always upright.

Video quality is not up to the Flip cameras' standard, with more washed-out colors and less detail. Still, it's fun to shoot with, provided you have enough light. Holding the center button brings up 15 special effects that can be added to your footage in real time--Sepia, Black & White, X-Ray, Motion Blur, Cyborg, and more.

When you dock the nano, the videos (in MP4 format) are uploaded to iPhoto, but you can't use iPhoto's Facebook or Flickr uploaders to get them online. Your best bet is to export the clip to your Desktop (File > Export, and choose Original as the format). Then you can open the exported MP4 file in QuickTime to perform some trims or add a quick soundtrack. You can import the clip into iMovie for more extensive editing, although we had to choose File > Import > Movies from iMovie, as dragging the MP4 file onto the iMovie icon didn't work.

The camera's tiny mic also lets you record voice notes using the built-in Voice Memos app. Your memos are saved as AAC files and synced to iTunes with date stamps. You can also label a memo as a podcast, interview, lecture, idea, meeting, or memo, to make it easier to tell them apart later.

The radio feature is new too, but it only works with headphones plugged in, since the wire acts as an antenna. This means you can't listen to the radio with the iPod in a speaker dock, since the dock connector and headphone jack are next to each other on the nano's bottom. The radio won't play through the nano's tiny built-in speaker, either, even though any other audio can. You tune the dial (87.5 to 107.9) with the clickwheel, and save stations as favorites. Pressing pause will buffer the radio for up to 15 minutes, letting you resume playback where you left off. If the station supports iTunes Tagging, you'll see the current artist and song name displayed on the nano's screen, and you can hold the center button and choose Tag from the contextual menu. The nano remembers everything you tagged, and when you sync with your Mac, you'll see a playlist of Tagged Songs in your sidebar, with links to buy those songs on iTunes.

The built-in pedometer can be always on, or turned on manually, and it counts your steps as you bop around with your iPod in your pocket. When you dock the nano, the data is uploaded to nikeplusactive.com, tracking your progress toward various goals (walking to the top of a virtual 100-story skyscraper, burning off the calories in a hot dog, and so on). You can also tell the nano your weight, and have it calculate the calories burned by your steps. This Nike+ Active system isn't the same as the more robust Nike+ running system (nikerunning.nike.com), which still requires the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit ($29, www.apple.com) with its wireless sensor for your shoes and wireless receiver that plugs into the nano's dock port.

Besides the new bells and whistles, the fifth-gen nano is pretty close to its predecessor. It's the same shape and size, but the new nano's 2.2-inch, 240x376 display is bigger than the fourth-gen's 2-inch, 240x320 screen. The fonts are a little bigger, the menus a little more spaced out. For watching videos or using Cover Flow, just tilt the nano on its side and the accelerometer reorients the display.

The nano supports VoiceOver, letting you hear what song is playing and navigate between tracks and playlists with buttons on your headphones. But bizarrely, the included headphones don't have the buttons--you have to upgrade to the $29 Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic, or the pricier $79 Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic, or use a compatible third-party set. (Our Griffin TuneBuds Mobile worked fine.) Visually impaired users can opt for the Spoken Menus feature instead, which works with any headphones or speakers.

Battery life is impressive. Apple estimates 24 hours of music playback, but in our tests (with the pedometer off, Energy Saver on, and volume set to 50 percent), a brand-new nano pumped out a little more than 29 hours of music before needing to be recharged. Apple estimates 5 hours of video playback, and using the pedometer or video camera does ding those numbers a little.

Podcast #107: iPod Event Wrap Up and iPhone MMS

Mac|Life Staff — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:01:11 -0500

We discuss last week's iPod event and what Apple released and what they didn't. We still pine for an updated Apple TV, and MMS for the iPhone begins a slow rollout. Let's just say we're not surprised to be excluded from the lucky few to be picked to have MMS early.

Got a question, but you're afraid to leave a voice message because of Witness Relocation Dept. rules? Drop us a question via Twitter twitter.com/maclife.

This week's Battlestar Applactica picks:

Free French Tutor - Free

Don't forget, the Mac|Life staff would love to hear your thoughts, comments and ideas for the new podcast. Just leave a message on the Mac|Live question/comment line: (877) 404-1337, extension 622. Please limit the length of your messages to 1 minute max. We'll review these calls each week and feature our favorites, along with responses, on that week's podcast.

To subscribe to the Mac|Live podcast series through an RSS feed, click here; if you want to subscribe through the iTunes Store, click here.

First Look: Fifth-gen iPod nano

Susie Ochs — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:31:58 -0500

The colors, the colors! We chose blue, but dang does it pick up fingerprints.

The fifth-gen iPod nano arrived in our offices yesterday, and we can't stop playing with the cute little thing! Here's our first look; full review to follow in an upcoming issue of Mac|Life.

Setting Up: VoiceOver

Setup asked us if we want to install VoiceOver, saying, "With the press of a button hear your song, artist, and playlist names. iTunes will download and install the VoiceOver Kit." We went ahead with the install, thinking we could control the nano via the headphones, like with the button-less iPod shuffle.

No dice, however. The nano doesn't include the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic (which come with the shuffle), or, obviously, the more-expensive In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. So while you can press the Center button once at the Now Playing screen to hear the currently playing artist and song name announced, you can't actually control your music or playlists with the headphones unless you buy one of those compatible sets.

But anyone can use the Spoken Menus feature (it's a Universal Access thing) to hear every menu item spoken, no matter what headphones or speakers you're using.

Built-In Speaker

The fifth-gen nano is the first to have a built-in speaker, and you can use it to listen to your songs or videos, but it's teeny-tiny and beyond tinny. It's great for playing the audio of videos you shot with the nano itself, so you can show a few people your video on the nano's screen and they won't need to take turns with the earbuds to hear the audio.

You can't use the speaker to play the radio, however. The radio only works with a pair of headphones plugged in, because the headphones' wire acts as the antenna. You can't even play the radio if your nano is connected to a set of powered speakers that use the Dock connector -- it has to be headphones.

Radio

Speaking of the radio, let's talk about that next. To tune the radio, press the Center button to bring up the radio dial, then use the clickwheel to browse through it. While the dial is displayed, you can also press the Previous and Next buttons to seek stations, or hold the Next button to scan for stations. (Press Center to stop scanning.)

You can pause live radio by pressing the Pause button. (If you can still see the radio dial, you'll need to press Center first, then Pause.) To resume from the point where you paused, just press Play, but you can also scrub through your paused radio with the Fast-Forward and Rewind buttons. You can't save the recorded radio permanently, and the paused radio is cleared if you keep it paused for 15 minutes, turn the nano off (duh), change the station, play non-radio media, or if the battery is dying.

Pressing and holding the Center button while the radio is playing brings up a contextual menu letting you add the station to your favorites, or tag the song, if the radio station supports iTunes Tagging. (You can tell this at-a-glance if the currently playing song's name is displayed along with the radio station's station ID.) Tagging a song adds it to your Tagged Songs list, and then when you dock your nano, that list is transferred to iTunes, where it shows up in the sidebar under the iTunes Store. Click the Tagged Songs list to preview the songs and buy them in iTunes.

Pedometer

The built-in pedometer is found under Extras > Fitness. When you turn the Pedometer on and pocket your nano, it counts the steps you take until you turn the pedometer off or dock the iPod. You can set your Daily Step Goal in the Settings, as well as your current weight, which lets the pedometer calculate how many calories your steps have burned. The settings also let you leave the pedometer turned on all the time. (A little shoe icon at the top-left of the screen lets you know if it's on or not.)

When you dock, iTunes will ask if you want the data sent to Nike+. You can send your data over before you even have a Nike+ account, then just click Visit in the pop-up dialog to go to the site and create an account. The site's default goal is to climb a 100-story skyscraper, and it adds up all the steps you take in progress to that 4,500-step goal.

The Nike+ Active site tracks our progress up this skyscraper. We've taken 95 of 4,500 steps so far...um, where's the elevator?

Next page: The video camera, voice memos, contextual menus, and more...

Video Camera

We were really pleased with the quality of the video camera, but it can be tricky to hold the nano while shooting without inadvertantly getting your fingers in the way. Luckily you can shoot in portrait or landscape mode, and whichever way you hold the nano the video will be right-side-up on the screen.

The camera does video only, no still images. Press and hold the Center button with the video camera app open for a selection of fun filters, including Sepia, Black & White, X-Ray, Film Grain, Thermal, Security Cam, Cyborg, Bulge, Kaleido, Motion Blur, Mirror, Light Tunnel, Dent, Stretch, and Twirl.

iPod nano formats recorded videos as VGA video H.264 w/AAC 30 fps files. Videos are synced to iPhoto, not iTunes, and they show up as .mp4 files. (A one-minute video is about 20MB.) In iPhoto, you can double-click a video to play it in a QuickTime window. Right-click a video and select Show File to see where it's kept in the Finder, in case you want to edit or convert it.

We tried to upload videos to Facebook and Flickr from iPhoto's built-in uploaders, but iPhoto only uploaded stills (the first still in the video). And the videos never show up in iTunes unless you move them there manually. You can put them in an iPhoto album and sync them to your iPod by telling iTunes to keep that album synced.

Contextual Menus

Pressing and holding the Center button brings up extra menus depending on what's on the iPod's screen. For example:

From a Radio screen, you get the option to add the current song to your Tagged Songs list, and the current station to your Favorites list.

In the Video Camera, you see the special effects filters.

In the Now Playing screen, the extra menu lets you view the scrubber bar and scroll through a track, create a Genius playlist, shuffle songs, rate the current song, or display the lyrics if you entered them in the song's metadata in iTunes.

Voice Memos App

The Voice Memos app looks and works just like the one now included with the iPhone. Press the Center button to record, then gab away while the built-in mic picks up your voice. Press the Center button again to insert a chapter marking in your recording. And press Pause when you want to stop.

Your recording is saved to a list of date-stamped voice memos, and you can choose to label it a Podcast, Interview, Lecture, Idea, Meeting, or Memo, to help you differentiate between recordings later. The recordings are automatically synced back to your iTunes when you dock.

Miscellaneous Observations

Other than those all-new features, the new nano is pretty similar to the last version. It's got a svelte, shiny case that's pretty bad for picking up fingerprints. Its curved screen packs a few more pixels than the last generation's. Dock connector and headphone jack on the bottom; Hold switch on the top. And a few more things we noticed about it:

It doesn't come with Apple's $29 USB Power Adapter, just a cable. But any USB-compatible AC charger will work.

You can add lyrics in plain text to a song's metadata in iTunes, and then view those lyrics on your nano while the song is playing.

Genius Mixes need to be added to your iPod nano from iTunes. You can't add them if you manage your music manually, only if you use the syncing features. To add them, select the nano in the iTunes sidebar, click the Music tab, and select the Genius Mixes while you're telling iTunes what music to sync.

You can shake to shuffle to a new song, but this doesn't turn the shuffle feature on for good. Shake-to-Shuffle is automatically disabled when the Hold switch is activated, and you can also turn it off in Settings > Playback > Shake.

iFixit Tears Down iPod nano 5G

Arvind Srinivasan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:18:44 -0500

You know if hardware is released by Apple, iFixIt will tear apart for the world to see the device's innards. We jest -- we love the iFixit guys, because if they didn’t rip apart new products to find magical hidden things inside, we would have to, and we don’t think we could bear to slice open the new iPod nano like they just did.

Their verdict: The new hardware is almost identical to the old one, save for the chips that enable new features. However, there is a 56 pixel taller screen (17.5% more screen real estate), an INSANELY tiny camera, and a battery that warns you it might spontaneously explode.

Check out their entire dissection here.

iPod nano Video Tests

Roberto Baldwin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:01:46 -0500

We grabbed the iPod nano and did a few tests to see the video quality in everyday situations.

For instance, we took it to get burritos, and spun around in a circle with it. You know, what you do in your everyday life.

If definitely won't replace your dedicated DV cam, but it's a fun feature to have when you're out walking, or when your cat decides to climb the curtains.

We also shot video with the Flip mino and iPhone 3GS along side the iPod nano to gauge the differences between the three devices. You can judge the quality for yourself in the three videos at the bottom of this page.

We did notice that the iPod nano can be difficult to hold without your finger, or fingers, covering the lens. You can flip the device over, thanks to the accelerometer, and that solved some of the problems. But folks with large hands will still have difficulty handling the small device without covering the lens.

Below are the tests we conducted.

Note: If you're interested in seeing the uncompressed videos, you can download a .zip file (205MB) of all the videos here.

NEXT:Check out the special effects settings on the iPod nano.

Like iChat, the iPod nano ships with "special effect" settings you can use to spice up your video. These are wacky, fun ways to to take what would otherwise be a boring video, and make them spectacular.

These are nice additions, but we expect to see a ton of the Cyborg videos in the coming months on YouTube. Or maybe good taste and we won't see any Cyborg videos. Who knows.

To enable the "special effects" you hold down the center button and four effects will pop up on the iPod nanos screen. You can use the click wheel or the fast-forward button to navigate through the effects. Once you find an effect you like, hit the center button again and the effect will switch to full screen.

Check out the videos below for the effects in action.

Note: If you're interested in seeing the uncompressed videos, you can download a .zip file (205MB) of all the videos here.

New iPod nano Unboxing Pictures

Roberto Baldwin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:07:10 -0500

We got our shiny new iPod nano in the mail today and we're taking pictures. We'll post a video taken with the new iPod nano momentarily and be sure to check back for our first look of the device and full review.

What We Didn't Get Yesterday

J Keirn-Swanson — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:44:54 -0500

So there were all kinds of new tweaks and price drops and so forth with Apple's incredibly popular iPod line, but yesterday's event was more notable for what didn't happen than what did.

First off, despite the popularity of the number nine in the catalog of The Beatles and yesterday's propitious dating, there were no announcements about the Fab Four's catalog at long last coming to iTunes. As the remastered CDs hit the brick and mortar stores in the physical form, digital Beatles continues to be elusive despite Yoko Ono's predictions. Label EMI missed a serious chance to make some coin on the hype and excitement of the re-release paired with The Beatles RockBand game hitting the shelves.

Source: AppleInsider

Less hot in the rumor loop was a revamp the Apple TV which hasn't seen an update since 2007. With lagging delivery dates, speculation suggested that the 40GB models were on their way out in favor of a newer model with a larger hard-drive than even the 160GB model. Alas, as the music-related title suggested, the show was strictly iPods and iTunes.

While this might have reasonably been a good place for a major refresh of the iPod touch, possibly throwing a camera into the mix, instead we were treated to iTunes 9 which was fitting with the date, but considerably less big news.

Which meant of course that Tuesday's biggest hope -- the highly anticipated, incredibly longed for, much dreamed of Tablet -- was Wednesday's biggest tearjerker. It was all music all the time and there was no love for Mac nerds on this front either. There seemed a strong chance when Phil Schiller busted out the games and the game stats, a tablet Mac seeming a good fit for your gaming experience, but no.It was not to be.

The event was over. Rumor predictions were batting around 50%, which isn't unusual, but the biggies didn't make the cut. Oh well, there's always next time. There's always 2010. Get your rumors started....now.