GOOD TO KNOW:

• 24 hours of music playback, 5 hours of video playback
• Built-in video camera
• Syncs with iTunes and iPhoto
• 16GB storage

Music will never be the same again. Well, not for me anyway.

Two weeks ago I was asked to review the new iPod Nano, which was exciting considering I must be the only geek alive who doesn't have an iPod.

So far it has been astounding and now I want one. Badly.

The thing with the 5th generation Nano is that it isn't just a music player; it's a full media centre. It records and plays video, pauses radio, counts your steps, plays games, records voice notes, designs playlists based on your mood...oh, and it plays music too.

The video camera was the most fun and the quality really isn't bad – similar to a cellphone – and the effects you can put on the videos are hilarious. I had loads of laughs pretending to be The Terminator in 'cyborg mode' and narrating my own nature documentaries in 'thermal mode'.

It's useful for serious stuff too – like exercise. The buiit-in pedometer measures your stride and counts your steps. If you have a Nike + iPod kit it syncs with Nike+ Online so you can upload and track your progress and boast about how fit and awesome you are to your Facebook friends. Of course, it being the dead of winter and therefore the gym 'off-season', I did not make much use of this function.

The Nano really came into its own as soon as I plugged it into my Mac – aside from the normal iTunes sync, it auto-syncs your captured videos to iPhoto, which means my silly videos were ready to be unleashed on the unsuspecting world in no time.

If all this wasn't enough, the iPod 5G actually caters to your moods. Seriously. If I felt happy, I chose a lighthearted song by The Parlotones and hit the 'Genius Playlist' button, the clever iPod then found all the other happy songs and played them to me. When I was unhappy, it cheered me up by providing a stream of angry, expletive filled tracks to snap me out of it. I don't know how it did this, but it's awesome.

Despite my gushing, there are a few annoyances: The click wheel is not that easy to get used to so I found myself constantly over scrolling and backtracking. It is also a tad impractical for a woman who doesn't have pockets; it will probably spend a lot of time tucked into your bra. If it had a nifty clip like the iPod shuffle, it would allow me to carry my bag, do my shopping, tweet from my phone and reapply my lip-gloss while listening to the latest Muse track; multitasking like only a woman can.

Nonetheless, I had a blast with the iPod Nano and as such, you'll only get a very enthusiastic recommendation from me. Get yourself one and consider it a (very) early Christmas present - you won't regret it.

Turn ons:

• The Genius playlist functionality makes for a personalised listening experience 
• Video camera is fun and perfect for capturing spur-of-the-moment memories 
• Being able to pause radio is handy

 Turn offs:

• Click wheel is a bit clumsy to use at times
•  No clip to attach iPod to my clothes/handbag

Rating: 4/5

SRP: R2700.00