After receiving my replacement iPod Nano 6G from Apple (they recalled and replaced all original 1st-gen nanos), I decided to give it a try as a watch. Of course, because I’m me, I exhaustively researched until I found the best band available: the Hex HX-1026. They had it at the Apple store.
However, after trying out the Nano as a wristwatch for a day, I think I will probably return the band. It’s actually very nice, but the Nano just doesn’t make the most convenient watch. It’s too big, isn’t water-resistant, requires charging, and just doesn’t have enough extra features to be worth the effort. The biggest drawback, however, is that it lacks the fundamental reason why I still wear a watch: “glancability”. You have to actually reach over with your other hand and click the power switch for the time to become visible, wait for about half a second for the screen to illuminate, and then, because of the nature of the screen, you have to tilt it to a particular angle to get the best view. Alltogether, it still doesn’t really take that long, but it takes about four times as long on the Nano-watch as it does on my regular analog watch. My phone would be even worse, since I have to reach into my pocket and pull it out.So, the regular wristwatch stays on my wrist, the phone stays in my pocket, and the new Nano gets reserved for what it was really meant for: listening to music at the gym.
Wun Chiou's Blog 