What time is it? Time to get a Nano.
As he revealed the new iPod Nano on September 1, Apple’s chief executive Steve Jobs joked that one of the Apple employees would have liked to turn the new model into his personal watch. Unbeknownst to this far-sighted executive, users from across the world have wasted no time in strapping this useful little device to their wrists.
The birth of the hybrid iPod-watch baby owes partly to the Nano’s new size and shape. Apple’s newly-released version flaunts a 1.5-inch LCD screen and a lower resolution of 240 by 240 pixels. Shaped like a square, it is 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter in comparison to previous Nanos.
While the new model introduces a touchscreen, it has lost the built-in voice recorder, speaker, camera, games and click-wheel characteristic of its predecessors. Preserved features include volume buttons, VoiceOver, FM radio, Nike+, Pedometer, support for 29 languages and 24-hour playback. Most importantly, however, the sixth-generation model comes with a clip that allows users to strap it onto whatever they desire. Jacket, shirt pockets, bags, you name it. Oh, and watch straps.
While Apple itself has not produced any matching watch straps, several aspiring companies, including iLoveHandles and Watch My Nano, have released “carrying solutions” that offer compatible wristbands and cases. Watch My Nano provides straps that come in an array of colors, including brown, diver blue, gray, “original James Bond,” red, black, desert tan, orange, racing green and sporty yellow.
“It is awesome as a watch,” said sophomore Neal Kenney, who bought the strap separately. “It feels like that watch from Spy Kids … If you’re on the go and need something that is a Shuffle with a watch, this is your iPod.”
There are, however, some disadvantages to the “iWatch.” For one, it is not waterproof and can only withstand temperatures between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, it must be continuously charged and activated because it automatically dims.
But the benefits far outweigh the costs. The Nano is small and comfortable, and provides the date, a stopwatch and a countdown timer. The configurable clock is also designed to appeal to the tastes of various owners with the option of black and white background color. And obviously, who doesn’t want a watch that can conveniently play music and tell the time at the same … time?
Avid technological enthusiasts can just sit back and relax. Now that the wristwatch Nano is here, the wristwatch phone won’t be far behind.
