It seems like it was just yesterday that Apple announced the iPod Nano and Motorola’s then-CEO Ed Zander had a few words to say about it:
“Screw the nano,” said Zander. “What the hell does the nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs? People are going to want devices that do more than just play music, something that can be seen in many other countries with more advanced mobile phone networks and savvy users,”
That was 6 years ago, and since then Motorola’s opinion has changed. Introducing: iPod Nano MOTOACTV. 6 years of R&D later, let’s take a look at how the MOTOACTV stacks up against the competition. First up, form factor:
So Motorola isn’t banking on a revolutionary new form factor – although they may want to learn from Samsung’s mistakes.
As far as functionality? It’s got something on the iPod Nano in the tech spec department – packing GPS and WiFi in that little 46 x 46 x 9.6 mm body. You’ll pay for it though – MOTOACTV is $249 for 8gb or $299 16gb, vs $129 / $149 for the iPod Nano. It’s also 66% heavier, at 35g vs 21g (But I doubt that’s a deal breaker).
In the end, the iPod Nano’s functionality probably fits the needs of most of us, But if you’ve been dying for an iPod Nano with GPS and WiFi, the MOTOACTV starts shipping 11/6/2011.
