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?!

In my search for just the right iPod, I’m going to start with the Classic. This comes in four models — one with 80 gigabytes and the other with 160 gigabytes, each in either black or silver. No pink here.

The larger capacity iPod can hold up to 40,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 200 hours of video. It weighs in under six ounces, and the battery lasts about 40 hours. Charge time is about four hours. The display is 2.5 inches (diagonal) with an LED backlight.

When the Classic was first released, complaints surfaced regarding the use of “legacy” connectors that people used to dock their iPod to other equipment (for example digital cameras) that wouldn’t work anymore. Likewise, performance in some areas was sluggish — particularly when showing album covers or switching menus. But Apple has provided firmware driver updates, which address some of the niggling problems.

So the general consensus among reviewers is that the latest Classic has a beautiful screen, provides a much longer battery life than older models, and the additional memory is really useful — particularly when you’re a music aficionado who prefers not to download smaller (read downgraded) sized files simply to fit them onto your device. Also, most of them recommend getting a carrying case to prevent scratching your iPod.

Reveiwer boudge reports trouble with the earbuds that come in the box; but those are easy enough to upgrade. All you need to do is figure out what your budget is and go online to order a new pair. A few people have commented on the price (from about $280 to $400), but that seems like a reasonable gift price range for a spouse, so that’s not a turnoff to me.

The question is, should I spend a bit more money and go with the iPod touch or choose an iPod nano, with less capacity but that ever-important pink case? More next time!

Here’s a cool gift idea: a waterproof action camera from Oregon Scientific. The ATC2K is a hands-free digital camera that attaches to your helmet or handlebars and lets you capture video and audio clips of your recreational activities. Think snowboarding, mountain biking, even inner-tubing.

The captured footage can be replayed on a television or you can edit it on a PC and either share the action with friends through an Internet connection or copy it back to the camera.

Even with two AA batteries (not included), it only weighs half a pound, which means your headgear won’t be shuddering back and forth like a bobblehead. Video is delivered in 640 X 480 VGA at 30 frames per second, and the output can be edited with most video editing software. The 32 megabytes of on-board memory is expandable to 2 gigabytes with the built-in SD card slot (also not included, even though the photo shows otherwise).

And you don’t have to worry about wipeouts. The ATC2K is shock resistant and waterproof up to 10 feet for extreme conditions. Play hard and prove it to your friends!

Summer has officially arrived, and so has the big debate: Should we or shouldn’t we get a portable DVD player for those extended car trips we’ll be making this summer? Our son, the five-year-old, knows nothing of these discussions; if he did, the decision would already be made. Instead of choosing books and trucks from his ample collection for the trip, he’d be selecting from among his DVD compilation.

And here’s the model we’d probably get: The Sony DVP-FX820. This eight-inch portable player comes in black, blue, white, red and pink. (Our son would opt for the blue; my spouse would choose pink; and I rather tend toward red.)

But it’s not the color choices that would drive the decision; it’s the fact that it’ll play for six hours non-stop, and he can use headphones to hear the sound. That’s six hours of relatively blissful quiet from the backseat, leaving his mother and me up front to discuss such compelling topics as whether to stop at the Dairy Queen in Fernley or try to make it all the way to Fallon.

When he gets sick of hearing the theme song from GeoKids, we can play our audio CDs on the Sony player.

The screen rotates to make for comfortable viewing from a booster seat and includes two jacks for headphones so a cousin can sidle up next to him and tune in when we arrive at our destination.

Plus, the player offers some video features my son doesn’t get on our player at home: motion zoom, repeat mode, slow-motion and title/chapter search. That makes this an educational device! Once he and I have convinced our other household member that a big screen is really a necessity, he’ll be able to show me how to work the controls.