Nano nano: Zen's new MP3 player is no comedian

By Chris Stevens on 19 August 2005, 12:04pm

Finally someone other than Apple seems to be getting a grip on how MP3 players should work. The Zen Nano Plus is not only small, but it appears in the Mac version of Apple's iTunes as a drag-and-drop drive. Praise the gods! This is the kind of functionality we've been begging for. The Nano is about the same size as the iPod Shuffle (it's thicker, but not as long), and with the added bonus that you can see the name of the track that's currently playing on a tiny LCD screen.

PC users don't have the same iTunes luxury, unfortunately. Although the Nano appears as a standard drive in Windows, iTunes for Windows doesn't know it's there. One option is to use the proprietary Zen software, but, let's face it, the ease-of-use that iTunes provides is severely lacking in these proprietary music apps. We're not joking -- we'd rather rip our own faces off than use Sony's Sonic Stage again. Luckily, the Zen Nano functions as a straightforward USB drive that you can drag MP3s straight onto through Windows Explorer.

It's refreshing to see a manufacturer other than Apple get the MP3 transfer system sorted out. The integration with iTunes on the Mac is a stroke of genius, and the lack of reliance on any specific software on the PC side makes this a joy to use. Expect a full review soon. -CS

Update: this review is now live here.