MaximumPC 2006 01

reviewsTESTED. REVIEWED. VERDICTIZED

 MA XIMUMPC JANUARY 2006

T

he iPod Nano

proved Apple still

has creativity to

spare in its consistent

reinvention of the digital

audio player, but while the

classic hard drive-based

iPod—now in its fifth gen-

eration—takes the device

to the next level with a

2.5-inch screen and sup-

port for video playback,

the result feels more like a

step backward.

At less than a half-

inch thick, the 30GB

model is almost morbidly

thin (the 60GB model

is slightly thicker, but

still less so than the

4G iPod). It weighs 4.8

ounces, which would

be barely noticeable

attached to your belt,

if the 5G came with a

belt clip or similar car-

rying case, which it doesn’t (you get

a thin pouch instead). The 5G has the

same sharp edges on the fascia as the

iPod Nano, which feels less comfort-

able on this larger device—we’d have

preferred the rounded corners of the 4G

iPod instead, especially if we had to hold

the player through an entire episode of

Desperate Housewives.

The screen is dazzling even when

viewed at a sharp angle—we could have

been convinced we were looking at OLED

technology. Surprisingly, video play-

back isn’t limited to Apple’s own H.264

QuickTime format—the 5G also supports

MPEG-4 video. But there are considerable

limitations to the MPEG-4 video support,

which wouldn’t be a big deal if iTunes incor-

porated a function to format your video to

the iPod’s specifications, which it doesn’t.

Flipping through a very long series

of photographs places demands on the

hard drive, which is reflected in the battery

life; we drained the battery in slightly less

than two hours with frequent browsing.

Continuous video playback lasted for two

hours and 44 minutes, and audio playback

lasted 15 hours and 22 minutes—neither of

which are exceptional figures.

The iPod remains a spectacularly

delicious piece of hardware, but this

fifth-generation iteration, lacking a video-

encoding utility, a dock, a TV-out connec-

tor, or even so much as a belt clip, feels

incomplete out of the box.

—LOGAN DECKER

IPOD ACCESSORIES

BELKIN TUNESTAGE

Belkin’s TuneStage is an unmitigated

disaster. A diminutive transmitter plugged

into your iPod uses Bluetooth technology

to stream audio to a router-size receiver

plugged into your stereo. But in our tests, the

audio that emerged positively crackled with

static. What utter crap. —MB

Apple

30G B iPod

Apple goes tightwad on

the latest ‘Pod

ALTEC LANSING INMOTION

Here’s a tiny, go-anywhere speaker system for

those times when you want to share your iPod

with a special someone. The inMotion delivers a

pleasant-enough near-field listening experience,

but distorts badly when overdriven. Runs on AC

or AA batteries. —MB

STARTECH MP3 AIRLINK

StarTech’s MP3 AirLink is as clumsy and ugly

as Belkin’s TuneStage is elegant. Unlike the

TuneStage, however, the MP3 AirLink can wire-

lessly stream audio from any MP3 player to your

stereo without infecting the signal with static—

at half the price, no less! —MB

Why so frugal all of a sudden? The fifth-genera-

tion iPod lacks the lavish appointments of previ-

ous models.

$300, http://www.ipod.com

APPLE 30GB IPOD

DISPLAYS

Video playback, extremely

thin formfactor, traditional

iPod audio playback.

DISMAYS^8

No video-encoding utility,

uncomfortable to hold at length,

skimps on accessories.

3

BELKIN TUNESTAGE

$180, http://www.belkin.com

7

STARTECH MP3 AIRLINK

$93, http://www.startech.com

7

ALTEC LANSING INMOTION

$150, http://www.alteclansing.com

2.4”

4.1”