Apple's fifth take: Ars reviews the iPod nano with video

Once again, we have taken a look at the new iPod nano to see if its new features are cool enough to keep it at the top of Apple's bestseller list. And, since video is one of the nano's major new features, we compared its video quality to other pocket video cameras.

Another year, another iPod nano. As expected, Apple introduced the next generation of its flash-based music player during the September 2009 iPod event, once again building on its current feature set in an attempt to appeal to more buyers.

The new nano (fifth generation, for those keeping count) is very similar to the fourth-generation version. What differentiates the 5G nano, however, are a few major feature additions plus a handful of refinements intended to keep the nano on everyone's stocking stuffer list.

Quick look at what's new

If it weren’t already plainly obvious, the major new feature of the fifth nano is the addition of a video camera. That alone could have probably justified the new device, but Apple went a few steps further, leveraging existing (but latent) capabilities already on the nano to add several other features. These include a full-featured FM tuner application, a pedometer, a Nike+ receiver, VoiceOver support, and a voice notes application.

Read the full story at Ars Technica By Jacqui Cheng, Clint Ecker