I succumbed to temptation a few days after release. It was just so darn adorable, I couldn’t help myself. It even came in my favorite color!

When I walked into the Apple store, I was actually expecting to like the Classics. And then I saw the Nanos. Pictures really don’t do them justice, they’re much cuter in person. The colors are different, too — my blue Nano has a hint of aqua, and the red is more like raspberry. More surprisingly, the OS ran faster and more smoothly on the Nano than the Classic, especially in Cover Flow mode. By then I was lost but in denial. The next day I found myself out at Best Buy and playing music on the way home.

This is my iPod. Those are not my hands. But I picked this shot to show why it kind of bugs me when people call them “Fatty.” Yeah, they’re short and wide, but one thing they are not is fat — not at 6.5 mm thick, tiny enough to tuck in the pocket of my tight jeans.

Other than the looks, which just keep growing on me, the Nano is a terrific upgrade from my old Mini on several fronts.

First, the screen. Oh, the screen. It may be the size of a postage stamp, but it’s the most gorgeous postage-stamp-sized screen I’ve ever scene. The colors just pop, and the picture couldn’t be sharper. Apple shows off the graphics by displaying a random, slightly moving, cover to one side while you’re browsing your collection.

Watching video was a much better experience than I had expected, thanks to the awesome screen. If I had space, I’d still use my 8″ portable DVD player for watching movies on trips, but’s it’s kind of clunky to carry. For times when I need something compact, the Nano is the only gadget I’ve run across that I would consider for portable video. It really does look that good.

Apple has mostly left the practical parts of the interface alone. Scroll wheel navigation is the same as always, with the added bonus that the wheel is slightly depressed and the center button is indented instead of bulging, so there’s less chance of it getting rubbed in your pocket. Podcasts get their own section, and you can use the Nano as a digital photo album as well — naturally, there’s a way to make slide shows set to music.

The big change in the interface is Cover Flow. Of everything the Nano is and does, this is the feature that made me go, “Oh my Jobs, this is totally amazing.” It’s not that it’s an easier way to navigate your music; it’s actually much slower than the traditional list mode (which is still there). Practical? Nope. But it is a freakin’ cool use of technology and just plain fun.

I’m no sound snob, so I can’t address the complaints flying around the web about sound quality. Audio seems great to me using the included earbuds, which are much more comfortable and better-fitting than the ones that came with my Mini. It also sounded terrific on my iPod stereo.

You can purchase the iPod Nano from all the usual suspects for $199 for the 8GB model and $149 for 4GB (silver only). My advice, if you’re on the fence, is to find a nearby store where you can play with one. Then you can be like Judie and order from China with special engraving.

After this set of releases, it’s going to be tough for any of the other players to hang on to the market share they have, much less gain. I predict that the new Zunes with their squircle, the button that sounds like a Pokemon, will do even worse than the originals. The world had better prepare now to be ruled by the consortium of Wal-Mart, Apple, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. I give it ten years.

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