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The iPod Nano 4th Generation was officially announced. It returns to the narrow form factor of the 1st and 2nd Generation model, while retaining and rotating the 2-inch (51 mm) screen from the 3G model. It is also thinner than the 1G, 2G and 3G, measuring 90.7 mm (3.6 inches) tall by 38.7 mm (1.5 inches) wide by 6.2 mm (0.24 inch) thick, and weighing 36.8 grams (1.3 ounces). It has a curved aluminum shell and glass screen (the glass screen being held in place with nothing but the shell). The battery is claimed to last 24 hours of music playback, and only 4 hours of video playback, compared to the 5 hours of the previous generation.
The six previous colors (silver, black, mint, turquoise, berry red, and rose pink) have been replaced by silver, black, purple, light blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and pink, for a total of nine, although the Product Red color is only available directly from Apple (website and retail stores). Apple markets the new colors as "nano-chromatic". Also added is an accelerometer which allows the Nano to shuffle songs by shaking it, the option between portrait and landscape display modes by tilting the iPod left or right, and access to Cover Flow when tilted sideways. Videos, however, can only be played in landscape mode. The user interface has also been refreshed, adding a more stylized look in keeping with the new hardware design. It includes a new voice recording feature which starts automatically when an Apple compatible microphone is plugged in. It also includes the new "Genius" feature, introduced by Apple the same day. The Genius feature automatically creates playlists based on a selected song using an algorithm built by Apple.
It is additionally touted as "the most environmentally friendly iPod Apple has ever made", containing arsenic-free glass and a BFR-, mercury-, and PVC-free design. It is also claimed to be highly recyclable. The iPod Nano 4G is shipped in cases similar to the 2G ones with the clear view in the front, and is marketed in two models: 8 GB and 16 GB. Limited quantities of an unannounced 4 GB model have surfaced in various markets. Also,the iPod Quiz game was dropped and replaced with a Maze game which makes use of the iPod's accelerometer similarly to such games on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
The fourth generation drops support for charging via FireWire. "This change means that any dock accessories that use the dock connector's FireWire pins to send power--many older speakers and car chargers, for example--will not charge the 4G iPod nano."
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