Grudge Match: iPod Nano Fifth Gen Vs Philips GoGear Cam

Most of Apple’s various devices are subject to frequent comparisons with other devices since most of the world is in an ‘Apple’ state of mind these days it would seem. Any competing brand is automatically up for comparison to the high and mighty Apple iPod range, so naturally that’s what we did too. Seeing as the number of PMP’s equipped with cameras are so sparse we pitted the iPod Nano Fifth Generation against Philips’ GoGear Cam. Take a look.

Form Factor
iPod Nano
Weight – 36.4g
Display – 2.2-inch, 240 x 376 pixel
Connectivity – Proprietary USB/Charging, 3.5mm earphone jack

GoGear Cam
Weight – 80g
Display – 2-inch, 220 x 176 pixel
Connectivity – Mini USB/Charging, 3.5mm earphone jack

Interface
iPod Nano
UI – Proprietary Apple OS and UI, touch sensitive jog dial for navigation, accelerometer, Cover Flow
Media transfer – via proprietary software (iTunes), third party software (some freeware) are also available,
Capacity – 8GB/16GB

GoGear Cam
UI – Proprietary, selector switches for features, 5 way navigation control
Media transfer – No software necessary but Philips Song Bird is included, compatible with Windows Media Player for media transfer, drag and drop media playback for video and audio.
Hardware – accelerometer
Capacity – 8GB + microSD card support

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Audio
iPod Nano
Format Support – AAC, Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
Settings – EQ presets, no customizable EQ settings, Shake to Shuffle, Crossfading
Other Audio Features – microphone present on bundled earphones for voice recording and voice activated features, Volume and play/pause buttons also available on earphones, FM Radio with Live Pause
Playlist Creation – Genius Playlist selects songs of the same kind based on the first selected option. On-the-Go option allows you to create a singular playlist while using the device.
Built-in Speaker - Yes

GoGear Cam
Format Support – MP3, WMA, WAV
Settings – EQ Presets, 5 band customizable setting, Philips Full Sound audio engine, auto Fade in/Fade out
Other Audio Features – FM radio with recorder, microphone for voice recording
Playlist Creation – Folder play
Built-in Speaker - No

Video
iPod Nano
Format Support – H.264 video, m4v, mp4, and mov file formats; MPEG-4 video. Videos will need to be converted to the appropriate type and transferred via iTunes or third party compatible software.
TV Out – Yes, no cable not included

GoGear Cam
Format Support –XviD, DivX (.Avi, MPEG4 @30fps). No conversion is required for most of video formats, files can be copy pasted to the drive for instant playback.
TV Out – Yes, cable included

Camera
iPod Nano
Resolution - VGA (640 x 480) camera only for video recording
Settings – 16 shooting modes

GoGear Cam
Resolution – 2 megapixels for image (JPEG), VGA (640 x 480) video recording
Settings – 2x digital zoom for video and image capture, 4 image effects

Misc. Features
iPod Nano
Alarm clock, World Clocks, Calendar, Contacts look up, Nike + support (Pedometer), Stopwatch, built in games, Stop watch, .TXT support for reading and editing notes, Podcasts, Jpeg viewer

GoGear Cam
Image viewer, FM recording

Battery (real-Time Average)
iPod Nano
Audio – 15 hours
Video – 3.5 hours

GoGear Cam
Audio – 11.5 hours
Video – 3.5 hours

Price (MRP)
iPod Nano
8GB – Rs. 8,950
16GB – Rs. 11,200

GoGear Cam
8GB – Rs. 7,500

Our Verdict
It’s quite obvious, the Nano wins hands down in our books. The GoGear Cam’s camera, which may not offer as many features, does provide better quality when compared to the Nano’s and of course it offers image capture as well. The Cam also supports multiple popular video codecs and requires no specific software for transferring files. But while it excels here, it lacks additional features and the Nano, in this respect is quiet loaded. The Nano’s price tag may be higher but the fact is, your get a lot more for it. So if you’re looking for a PMP that caters more to your audio needs rather than video and offers a whole lot more than just a camera, we recommend the Nano.

Based on the parameters listed and the information provided we’d also like to know, since you have the choice, would you buy an iPod or opt for the GoGear. Our comments section below is open to you for debate.