The iPod nano has a smaller footprint than the Classic, but it also offers less capacity. It’s less expensive and comes in half a dozen colors. Perhaps this is the iPod I should consider getting come Christmas for my spouse. She’s a fan of pink and she’s no song hog — several hundred will probably keep her listening for a year or two.

The nano comes in two hefts — four gigabytes and eight. The larger one holds up to 2,000 songs, or 7,000 photos, or eight hours of video. It sells for about $150 to $225 through PriceGrabber.com.

Says reviewer micheleching, “I love my Nano [because] it’s really small, tiny, and cute. It also connects to my car so I don’t have to change my CDs all the time. And, it fits in my purse so I can take it anywhere with me.”

Diwai complains that it’s not easy to share songs between iPods (she wants to transfer files between her device and the one her son is using). But she says her son’s iPod has been sturdy, and she expects the same of her own.

Finally, pmenna says her 11-year-old daughter hasn’t set hers down since getting it. “The size, color & ease of use are perfect for her.”

I’m thinking the nano is the way to go. Because it’s less expensive, I can buy a big, fat Apple iTunes store gift card to get her started on her library. Because it’s small, it’ll fit fairly well into her purse. And because it’s pink, she’ll never get it confused with the one our son will eventually demand for Christmas himself, once he’s a bit older. Plus Belkin sells a pink flip case for it that’ll be a sweet addition.

Of course, by going this route, I run the risk of having to buy a new car just to be able to accommodate one of those cables between the iPod and the sound system so she never has to turn the radio on ever again and can control exactly what plays. Does PriceGrabber sell cars — and do they come in pink?!