Photos: Hands-on with the new Apple iPod nano

Apple's new iPod nano is the thinnest iPod to date -- because we know how much Apple loves to be thin -- and features not only a fresh, oval design, but many of the features found inside the iPhone, and some new ones only just launched in iTunes version 8. We never really cared about the 'fat nano' being fat, but we're pretty convinced this combines the best of both world -- tall form factor, awesome screen.

Probably the most interesting addition to the nano is the use of the just-launched Genius playlist. As in iTunes 8, the Genius feature on the new nano automatically creates playlists of music most compatible with any given song on the iPod. These playlists can be created on the fly with the nano, just like On The Go playlists before. This is a great way to discover music you've not heard for a long time, we expect, and it's going to be even more useful since now, with a 16GB maximum capacity, you can carry more music with you.

Or maybe the same amount of music at twice the quality, perhaps? Oh go on.

In the hand, the new nano really is gorgeous. It feels lighter than the previous model, and the screen is super-crisp. Rotating it brings up Cover Flow just like on the iPod touch and iPhone, and simply shaking it sets it into shuffle mode.

The Genius functionality is only something we want to be able to test with our own music collection, and we didn't have a great deal of time on the floor to test it out with the music Apple provided. And is it at all possible Apple may have simply loaded only music that sounded good together? No, don't be silly. Of course not.

It's easily the most exciting nano to date, and no doubt the Apple fanhordes will be pleased to see the fat nano has been relegated to the place all fatties deserve to go -- away.

Expect full reviews as soon as the models leave the factory. Expect models of all nine colours in shops within the next week at £109 for 8GB and £149 for 16GB.

Over the page are some bonus images. We took over 40 photos ourselves, but, naturally, because the powers that be insist on defecating on their finest gadget journalists, our camera corrupted every last one of our photos. Gotta love technology. -Nate Lanxon

Update: Read our full Apple iPod nano (4th gen) review here. 

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