FM Radio Comes to the iPod

Runners and exercise buffs: if you’ve been asking for an iPod with a built-in radio, you’re finally in luck. After eight long years, Apple has finally delivered.

Last week, Apple introduced its latest version of the iPod Nano, a multimedia player that’s smaller than a business card and weighs 1.28 ounces. It’s small enough to slip into some running shorts and skirt pockets.

While the radio is a welcome addition, the new Nano has some other features geared toward the active set. There’s a pedometer and, like previous Nanos, it is also compatible with the Nike Plus system that tracks your distance and other running or walking stats.
run well

Just like on a home or car radio, you can set your favorite stations into the Nano’s memory. After tagging your favorite talk radio or other stations, you can navigate them with the forward and rewind buttons (rather than using the wheel to scroll through the spectrum). The Nano also adopts a feature from TiVo’s playbook: if you need to take a break, hit the center button to pause live radio. You can store up to 15 minutes.

If you’re listening to a song and want to remember the name for later, you can “tag” it (but only if the station supports iTunes tagging). When you connect the iPod to your computer, iTunes will show you a list of the songs you tagged and then gives you the option to purchase the song from iTunes.

At first, I fumbled with the tagging and live pause on the iPod’s dial – inadvertently pausing the radio when I wanted to pull up the tuner to change stations. It takes some getting used to, but it’s worth the effort.

When I tested the pedometer, it seemed mostly in step with my steps. But as many of you know, none of these devices that measure steps or distance or routes are 100 percent accurate. You can set it to be “always on” or set a daily step goal.

The Nano also has a video camera, a stopwatch and a voice-over feature that tells you the name of a song from your playlist. Of course, you can still listen to podcasts and your own music. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have Bluetooth, so if you want to use wireless headphones, you’ll need an adapter.

The Nano is available in two capacities, the 8-gigabyte version costs $149, the 16-gigabyte is $179.



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