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Apple iPod Nano (third generation, 4GB, silver)

Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB245LL/A

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$109.95 - $149.00 at 7 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 82 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Accessories; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The shape may have changed, but Apple's relentless attention to detail remains. The third generation of the iPod Nano provides loads of entertainment for a down-to-earth price.
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CNET editors' review

Apple iPod Nano (third generation, 4GB, silver)

price range: $109.95 - $149.00

Reviewed by: Donald Bell
Edited by: Lindsey Turrentine
Reviewed on: 09/07/2007
Updated on:09/15/2008
Released on: 09/07/2007

The good: The third-generation iPod Nano offers crisp, bright video playback, an exceptionally thin all-metal body, above-average battery life, built-in games, and an advanced user interface.

The bad: We're not crazy about the wider body, the smaller scroll wheel, the lack of video output, and the average-sounding audio quality.

The bottom line: The shape may have changed, but Apple's relentless attention to detail remains. The third generation of the iPod Nano provides loads of entertainment for a down-to-earth price.

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Photo gallery:
iPod Nano

Editors' note: On September 9, 2008, Apple released their fourth-generation version of the iPod Nano and discontinued the older model described on this page. Our full review of the iPod Nano (fourth-generation) can be found here.

Now in its third generation, Apple's iPod Nano gets a substantial redesign to accommodate games and video playback. Despite its changes--and Apple made many--the iPod Nano is still one of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on the market. It's also one of the most affordable, with a 4GB (silver) model offered for $149, and an 8GB (silver, black, red, green, or blue) model for $199. While the updated iPod Classic and the new iPod Touch are equally intriguing, the revamped Nano delivers the most bang for the buck.

Design
The redesign of the iPod Nano has drawn plenty of criticism. Its detractors call it chubby, squat, and awkward looking. We certainly had our reservations, but in the hand, the latest Nano makes the second-generation Nano look like a skyscraper.

The Nano measures a petite 2.75 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 0.25 inch thick--a significant shift from its once long and skinny shape, though it is essentially the same thickness. Matte, anodized aluminum graces the faceplate, as with the previous generation of Nanos and now the iPod Classic as well. The back and sides of the Nano, however, mimic the Video iPod's rounded, glossy, smudge-prone chrome enclosure. On the bottom edge of the Nano, you'll find the iPod's proprietary USB port, along with the headphone jack and the hold switch, which prevents you from accidentally triggering the player's buttons. Nano keeps Apple's ubiquitous Click Wheel design, although the Nano's new Click Wheel is smaller in diameter--it's only 1 inch--than the previous Nano's 1.25 inches. The much skinnier touch strip may frustrate users accustomed to the 1.5-inch wheel of the Video iPod and the iPod Classic.

The Nano's most dramatic design change is, of course, its larger, brighter screen. The 2-inch color screen packs a dense, crisp 320x240 video resolution that looks richer and brighter than that of any iPod to date. It's not often that we deem a screen smaller than 2.5 inches worthy of video playback, but with a tightly packed 204 pixels per inch, the Nano looks incredibly sharp. Unlike the Apple iPhone or the iPod Touch, however, the Nano's screen is covered with a scratch-prone plastic that will quickly show wear.

The Cover Flow mode on the iPod Nano is a little slow, but it's a beautiful touch.

The Nano's second-most impressive design improvement is its dramatically overhauled menu system. One of the most striking changes is a split-screen main menu that displays the menu on the right half of the screen and a picture related to the selection on the left. For example, highlight the Music selection on the main menu, and the right half of the screen displays a random, drifting closeup of cover artwork from your music library. This same effect accompanies menu items such as movies, podcasts, and photos. Some might write this split-screen effect off as pure novelty, but the end result is quite beautiful. The Cover Flow system, for browsing your music collection with an emphasis on album artwork, finally makes its Nano debut, although Cover Flow does lose some appeal when not on a touch screen device such as the iPhone. We also found a noticeable amount of lag when using Cover Flow. Users with large music collections to sort through will prefer browsing with the list mode or the search function. That said, Cover Flow makes for a scenic and engaging, if slow, way to browse your music.

Features
The third-generation Nano's piece de resistance is its support for video playback. Like the Video iPod (now iPod Classic), the iPod Nano supports H.264 or MPEG4 video in either MOV, MP4, or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640x480 at as much as 30 frames per second. You can buy videos through the iTunes online store or import them into iTunes and convert them for playback. (Many third-party software video converters also do a great job converting videos for the iPod.) Despite its size, the Nano supports video features we seldom find on portable video players twice its size. For instance, the Nano can recognize and skip between the DVD-like chapter markers embedded in QuickTime movie files. It also does a dependable job automatically resuming video playback at the point that you last left off. As a bonus, the new iPod Nano and iPod Classic now properly launch video podcasts ("vodcasts") as videos, instead of mistaking them for audio podcasts when launched from within the Music menu.

The iPod Nano's second major new feature is support for iTunes video games. While the selection of iPod video games has grown slowly, three tried-and-true standards come bundled with the Nano right out of the box: a congenial game of Solitaire, a trivia game called iQuiz, and the brick-pummeling Vortex (think Breakout on steroids). While the games are a handy way to pass some time, don't expect the Nano to compete with the Sony PSP anytime soon.

Looking past the obvious big-ticket improvements, the new Nano includes some small touches that are easy to miss. Apple's music shuffle function, for instance, has made a subtle evolution, now letting you easily engage and disengage the shuffle function on the fly with just a few presses on the Click Wheel's center button. By placing the shuffle setting options (Shuffle Song, Shuffle Album, or Shuffle Off) in a song's Now Playing window, Apple is effectively giving you the ability to randomize songs until you find an artist you like--a lazy listener's dream come true.

Apple hasn't changed its audio file format support. Copy-protected AAC files purchased through iTunes are supported, of course, as well as MP3, Apple lossless, AIFF, WAV, and Audible files. We're happy to see that, despite the iPhone's unique file-management requirements, the iPod Nano allows for the manual addition and deletion of music and video files without the hassles of playlist syncing. The Nano can also double as a USB flash drive in a pinch.

While the iPod Nano is a top-tier product, we long for some additional features, including the ability to use the headphone jack as a composite-video output, allowing photos and videos to be played to your television set without a third-party interface. While we can understand removing the little-used AV output feature to save on construction costs, we're even more surprised that Apple has rendered all current iPods incompatible with a number of third-party fifth-generation video accessories as well. If you're hoping to use a new Nano or Classic with an existing video dock, be sure to check that the product explicitly states it is compatible with third-generation iPod Nanos. Apple's own Universal iPod Dock ($50) and Component AV Cable ($50) are guaranteed to work, of course.

Plus, there's our standard list of long-neglected iPod features: FM radio; line-input recording; SD memory expansion; custom equalizer; and native support for WMA and subscription music services. We're not holding our breath.

Split-screen menus make browsing much more entertaining.

Performance
Despite the major interface overhaul, the iPod Nano's sound quality still sounds just middle-of-the-road. Although middling sound quality doesn't seem to affect iPod sales, you'd think Apple would eventually address this chink in the iPod's armor, if only out of pride. Users do get more than 20 equalization presets to choose from, ranging from subtle enhancement to dramatic bass boosting. Compared to products such as the Creative Zen V Plus, the Cowon iAudio 7, or the Toshiba Gigabeat U, however, the iPod's sound quality still leaves room for improvement. That said, after listening with our Ultrasone HFI-700 headphones as well as a set of Shure SE310 earphones, we can say with confidence that the Nano's fidelity will certainly satisfy most users.

Much to our surprise, the Nano's video performance stole the show. We were highly skeptical that we'd enjoy watching video on a 2-inch screen, yet the Nano's superfine 204ppi screen looked refreshingly sharp and bright. We still prefer the video experience of a larger player such as the affordable Archos 405, but it's not far-fetched to imagine watching a full-length movie on the Nano.

Battery life was a big bragging right for the second-generation Nano, and the third-generation carries on this tradition. Apple rated the battery life for their third-generation Nano at 24 hours for audio playback and 5 hours for video. Our official CNET labs testing squeezed out an impressive 29 hours of audio playback and 6.7 hours of video.

Is it worth upgrading?
Considering that the iPod Classic and the iPod Nano are now nearly identical aside from storage capacity and screen size, the Nano is less a product unto itself and much more like a "light" version of the iPod Classic.

Existing Nano owners drawn to the previous Nano's less-is-more appeal enjoyed not worrying about the tiny screen getting scratched if it took a tumble onto the floor and may be turned off by the need treat the device more carefully. We also found that the new Nano's wider form is less comfortable in the fist than the previous generation, making it awkward for jogging without an armband or a pocket.

We expect that this Nano will appeal more to existing iPod users looking to replace their decaying third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation hard-drive iPods with something smaller, cheaper, and leaner. Of course, the Nano would be more appealing all the way around if Apple would just make a 16GB version.

The iTunes factor
No iPod review would be complete without mentioning Apple's iTunes music software. For better or worse, the integration between an iPod and Apple's iTunes music software is nearly airtight. If this is going to be your first iPod, it's worthwhile to download iTunes ahead of time to see if it works well on your computer and is intuitive for you to use. You should also be aware that most of the music and movies available for purchase on the iTunes online store will play only in iTunes or on an authorized iPod and cannot be transferred to a non-Apple MP3 player.

Final thoughts
Apple's new iPod Nano seems to be drawing equal amounts of ire and admiration. Although we miss the slender form of the second-generation Nano, we feel the latest edition has more going for it than against it. At less than $200, the Nano offers one of the richest user experiences we've seen on an MP3 player.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 82 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 82

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8 stars

So far I'm liking it

by rxl001 on September 11, 2007

Pros: * small and compact, very easy to navigate, plenty loud

Cons: * easy to get finger print smudges all over the unit

Summary: I just bought this at the Apple store in San Francisco on 9/10. After reading many reviews, in which they said basically the same thing, I opted to buy ...

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Summary: I just bought this at the Apple store in San Francisco on 9/10. After reading many reviews, in which they said basically the same thing, I opted to buy the 8gb red Nano.

I know going in that the new Nano does not have a FM radio, voice recorder, or video output so it's hard to complain that the Nano sucks because it doesn't have it. Unlike the other brands, Creative Zen, IRiver, etc., sure they have those extras but they don't have the size or the ease of navigation that the Nano has. I bought this because I wanted a good, small, light, and easy to use MP3 player that can hold a bunch load of songs. I also have many photos loaded. I haven't any videos yet. I do wish it had the video output then it would be awesome

Since I only had this for one day, I haven't had a lot of time using it so once I use it more, I'll do an update to my comments.

Right now, using Shure 4EC as my headphones, the Nano is plenty loud and clear. I have to keep the volume to about 1/5 or else it will be too loud. Bass is fine and heavy but I'm sure if you use cheap headphones, you may not experience the bass. As CNET and others said, you need a good quality headphones to fully enjoy the capability of the audio output.

Sure, CNET and others said that the audio quality is average but how many of us are truly able to distinguish the lower and higher frequencies and can tell the difference. I can't and with the sounds being so clear with my E4C, the audio is great for me.

The pictures are so sharp and crisp and I can't wait to try the video and see how that is. I do wish the Nano repel fingerprints as both the body unit and screen easily pick them up. I also worry about scratching the screen but I normally keep the Nano in my pocket or in a carrying case. I also wish that the hold button is larger. It's so small on the bottom of the unit. I also wish there was a remote control where I can increase/decrease the volume, skip songs etc and not have to take the unit out of my pocket, release the hold, and then make the adjustment.

For the brief time I have this, I like it better than the IRiver. The IRiver does have the FM radio as well as voice recording, and the ability to record songs that played on the FM radio. However, in the 4 years that I had it, I never really used those features so not having them in the Nano is not big deal. I'm sure if the Nano does have it, it will definitely be larger and heavier than it is now, and I'm sure many people would complain that the Nano would be too big. LOL. I guess you can't please everyone. There will never be a perfect MP3 player that has everything everyone wants.

Like I said, I will do an update once I use this more and will see if my opinion changes.

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8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

The best nano yet

by mjalam2 on September 10, 2007

Pros: video, small form factor,

Cons: needs more space, and better battery life

Summary: Can't expect more from a third generation model. Great size, Great resolution, I use it on my commute to work which is about an hour by train, bus, and ...

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Summary: Can't expect more from a third generation model. Great size, Great resolution, I use it on my commute to work which is about an hour by train, bus, and ferry. It lasts a bit longer than what they say it will, I got about 2.5 hours of video, and about 9 hours of music play, and still had more than a 1/4 of its juice still in the battery.

Coverflow is a bit slow, but other than that there are no problems.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 stars

Apple looses focus!

by djrobsd on September 14, 2007

Pros: IPOD interface

Cons: Worst shaped nano ever!

Summary: Apple is loosing focus with what consumers want in this perticular model. First of all, why would I pay $199 for 8 gigs when I can get 60 for $249? ...

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Summary: Apple is loosing focus with what consumers want in this perticular model. First of all, why would I pay $199 for 8 gigs when I can get 60 for $249? Oh wait, I need a smaller size right? Well, that USED to be the case, but the new nano is too wide, and difficult to hold in your hand. They are loosing focus on the IPOD, it is an AUDIO player, and does not need to be a video. Save the video for the new iphone looking ipod, and leave the classic ipods alone! I've tried watching videos on this, and I just get a headache, plus how many videos can you really hold on a 4 gig player?

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4 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

Nothing like a sweet, crisp, juicy Apple.

by RazrPSPnanodude on March 20, 2008

Pros: Excellent, bright, high-resolution screen.

Cons: Awkward appearance, small clickwheel.

Summary: What can I say? I love Apple. They're a great company with great ideas. After my beloved green second-gen nano suffered a tragic death (it was murdered by my ...

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Summary: What can I say? I love Apple. They're a great company with great ideas. After my beloved green second-gen nano suffered a tragic death (it was murdered by my evil washing machine), it was hard for me to get used to its replacement. However, with its bright screen and tasty video playback, I learned to accept Greeny's death, and began my relationship with Fatty. Let's just hope it lasts longer than my relationship with Greeny...

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Apple rules the world of Cool

by SiliconValleyDude on February 17, 2008

Pros: So small, light and cool, with many extras beside being an mp3 player

Cons: Tiny size makes me fear losing it. Scroll wheel ultra-sensitive to touch.

Summary: My first Apple product and I'm thinking this may be the start of a trend. Apple is simply a master of delivering products that make for a happy consumer, ...

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Summary: My first Apple product and I'm thinking this may be the start of a trend. Apple is simply a master of delivering products that make for a happy consumer, starting with its packaging, down to the ease-of-use factor and so very little directions to read. With this in mind, I'm now thinking iMac and Macbook Pro when it comes to my next computer purchases.

I had reservations about iTunes software not getting along with Windows, particularly Vista on my notebook, but iTunes has worked flawlessly on both my XP desktop and Vista notebook. In fact, iTunes is now my music player of choice. Simply great.

It's difficult to go wrong buying a product from Apple, as long as you keep in mind you pay extra for their quality products. That being said, you will simply love the iPod Nano.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

The best mp3 player

by ipodnanomaniac on January 1, 2008

Pros: Exellent audio/Great video playback/small size/games look awesome

Cons: umm... there is nothing bad with it at all

Summary: this is the best mp3 player i have ever seen. Before Igot it i was using a creative zen v. it was horrible compared to this ipod. the zen v ...

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Summary: this is the best mp3 player i have ever seen. Before Igot it i was using a creative zen v. it was horrible compared to this ipod. the zen v accualy broke after a little while. the thumb thing got pushed in. battery life on the ipod is exxeelllent. 24 hours on audio,5 hours of video, and only about 3.5 hours of games. my old zen v only lasted about seven hours on a single charge and all it did was play music. the ipod's scren is reely nice all the pixels are pushed reely close together so it looks reely smooth. games kinda eat up the battery though, but its not all that bad because most people didnt buy it just for games. I would recomend this ipod to ANYONE!!!!!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Great Upgrade From the Second Generation, DVD decrypting?

by ppierce365 on September 23, 2007

Pros: Great video clarity/screen brightness, easy to sync with iTunes, cool new UI

Cons: Smudge-prone glossy backside, you have to Decrypt DVDs, the constant screen freezing

Summary: Okay, I know what half of you are thinking, "What is he talking about with the DVD decrypting, that isn't Apple's fault!" Well, I don't know too ...

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Summary: Okay, I know what half of you are thinking, "What is he talking about with the DVD decrypting, that isn't Apple's fault!" Well, I don't know too much about DVD decryting, but I have a feeling Apple can do SOMETHING about it.

First, though, lets talk about some of the pros and cons.

Pros: This new iPod nano with video has unbelievable video quality. Although it is a small screen to watch full length videos on, the video quality makes up for it big time. It is very clear and the screen is very bright. After owning the second generation nano, I would have to say the brightness is an improvement.

Also, this is very easy to sync with iTunes. Like the iPods of the past, you just have to plug it in and hit sync. This is why I won't spend much time on this. Of ourse, you can also manually manage music.

Finally, I really like the new user interface (UI). I know most people say how it is all for looks, but it is really cool. You have the split-screen display with the cover previews and cover flow added in. As always with Apple, it is really easy to navigate the menus.

By the way, the sound quality is good. It is by no means in the elite category of other mP3 players, but it sure doesn't take away from the overall quality of the product.

Cons: First, the new, "beautiful", glosyy backside that is on the fifth generation iPod. I hate it, it smudges way too easily. I've had it two and a half days and it is already covered in smudges. It doesn't take away from the score of the product, but it is worth mentioning.

Next, the constant freezing of the screen. if you aren't familiar with this, it is like when your computer screen just stops and the mouse doesn't move, etc. It is just like that. Although it is very easy to fix (sliding the hold switch on and off and holding the center and menu buttons for a few seconds usually does it) it is constant. It happened the fist nigh I had it and it is frustrating. Apple has to find a cure for this.

And, for those of you who skipped to this, the need to decrypt DVDs to get them on the iPod. I am aware this isn't entirely Apple's fault, as the movie companies are the ones who do it, but I have an idea on how they can fix it.

Let me know if I am wrong, but couldn't Apple have a way to prove we actually own a DVD, and if we do, we can download it from iTunes for free? That way, we don't have to but the same things twice. I know there are programs that allow you to decrypt but aren't they illegal and expensive?

And, to the movie companies, I highly suggest you allow us to copy them to iTunes so we can use them, the digital revolution is taking over, so if you don't, we might stop buying DVDs.

Basically, if Apple can fix this problem, then this is an eight, if they can't, it is a nine.

Overall, though, this is a great product and I highly reccomend it to anyone looking for a high quality, low-cost mP3. I give it a 8.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Pictures don't do this beauty justice

by Wikked1 on September 11, 2007

Pros: compact, well-made, nice screen, battery life

Cons: have to wait for accessories to come out!

Summary: I was thinking about getting a nano and then when the new one came out and did my research online thought the pictures were hideous and started looking at the ...

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Summary: I was thinking about getting a nano and then when the new one came out and did my research online thought the pictures were hideous and started looking at the competition. But wait...after actually going into the apple store and seeing it in real life, the pics don't do this beauty justice. It is still very small and waif-like (cracker thin) compared to generation 2. I would highly recommend. Apple makes a solid product. Alot of the competition feels very cheap.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

im getting it this friday

by matt.lang91 on September 11, 2007

Pros: i lost my old one and insurance paid out so im getting this baby

Cons: because i live in newzealand they arnt in store yet but i did get it cheaper by pre ordering so im getting it this friday

Summary: dont be haters of the new nano i think the new design is phat (lol get it fat - phat) owell i laugh at my own jokes often

Summary: dont be haters of the new nano i think the new design is phat (lol get it fat - phat) owell i laugh at my own jokes often

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great replacement for the 2G Nano

by 767FO on September 10, 2007

Pros: Bright, crisp screen, nice size, great UI, long battery life

Cons: So far nothing of note

Summary: I've had every ipod every made and rank this one at or near the top (for what it is). Perfect for someone with under a 2,000 song library. ...

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Summary: I've had every ipod every made and rank this one at or near the top (for what it is). Perfect for someone with under a 2,000 song library. Although it plays video's (which look great btw), it was not meant to replace a video ipod or an iphone for playing video's. Great new UI. Battery life is awesome. So far, no negative's noted.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 82

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Apple
Part number: MB245LL/A
Description: It's the small iPod with one very big idea: Video. Now the world's most popular music player lets you enjoy TV shows, movies, video podcasts, and more. The larger, brighter display means amazing picture quality. In five eye-catching colors, iPod nano is stunning all around.

General
Device Type Portable media center
Key Features Digital audio player, Digital video player, Digital photo viewer
Width 2 in
Depth 0.3 in
Height 2.8 in
Weight 1.7 oz
Enclosure Color Silver
Enclosure Material Anodized aluminum, Stainless steel
PC Interfaces USB 2.0
Packaged quantity 1
Digital storage media type None
Display
Display Type LCD 2.0 in
Still Images
Supported Still Images Formats BMP, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PSD
Digital Audio
Supported audio formats Protected AAC, Audible 3, WAV, MP3 VBR, Audible 2, AIFF, MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, Audible 4
Audio output Headphones
Video
Video Playback Formats MPEG-4
Video Capture - 640 x 480
Connectivity
Connections Headphones, Docking connector, Composite video, Component vide

Apple iPod Nano (third generation, 4GB, silver)

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