Lunatik Review: iPod Nano as a Watch is Awesome, But Does Not Impress the Ladies
The Lunatik is the best iPod Nano wrist watch solution on the market and I was very excited to finally pick up a sixth-generation iPod Nano this weekend. If you’re the kind of person that liked having a calculator on your wrist when you were a kid, you’ll absolutely love the iPod Nano and Lunatik combo.
I admittedly didn’t ‘need’ an iPod Nano since I already have an iPhone 4, iPad and a couple of older iPods floating around. But my wife’s always told me that my outfits never looked complete without a watch. When I ran across the Lunatik on Kickstarter I thought it was the perfect answer to her request. So I pledged some cash to the project and waited a couple of months for my Lunatik to show up.
The Lunatik is made up of two parts- the enclosure that holds the iPod Nano and a rubber watch band. The aluminum matches the silver iPod nano perfectly and it could pass as an Apple-made iPod accessory. The wristband has a sporty appearance and matching aluminum fasteners. The headphone jack, control buttons and iPod cable port are all readily accessible.
The Lunatik designers insist that the band is big enough for most people, but my wrists max this thing out. If I gain an ounce I’ll have to go shopping for another watch band. Fortunately, the Lunatik is designed to accept any 28mm watch band.
The iPod Nano can be set to wake up and display a watch dial. You can choose between a white or black face. It doesn’t matter which way you strap the iPod Nano onto your wrist because you can rotate the display any way you wish using multi-touch gestures.
So what am I using the iPod Nano for besides a watch? So far, my biggest use case has been listening to radio while I work. The iPod Nano has a built-in FM radio tuner that works quite well. It automatically scans for stations and lets you set up favorites. My favorite local station is KCSM 91.1, a commercial-free jazz station in the San Francisco Bay Area.
While the iPod Nano doesn’t have anything like the apps offered for iOS devices, it comes loaded with a handful of useful utilities. I like the pedometer feature, which simply tracks how many steps you take and estimates the number of calories you burn.
I’ve been cooking more these days and I’ve started to use the iPod Nano’s timer function. Yes, my iPhone has a similar app, but having it readily available on my wrist is really convenient.
The iPod Nano can also be synched with photo libraries. I set up the iPod Nano to save all of my 5-star photos from iPhone.
Obviously I’m enjoying my new iWatch, but like I mentioned in the headlines, it does not impress the ladies. My wife has already threatened that my new watch might get ‘lost’ while I’m sleeping. She’s also made me promise not to wear it out when we go out with her friends to save her from embarrassment. When I wore it out on Saturday night to a dinner, one of our friends insisted that her fiance would NEVER be allowed to wear such a watch.
If you’re a single guy looking for love you probably will want to skip showing the Lunatik off while on dates. If you’re an old married guy like me that doesn’t much care what the chicks think, the Lunatik is the best way to turn an iPod into a watch.
You can order a Lunatik from Lunatik.com, but you’ll have to wait 1-2 weeks to receive it as they’re extremely backordered. The pre-sale that launched back in November raised $941,718 and they have thousands of orders to fulfill. You can also opt for the more affordable TikTok, but it isn’t as durable or protective as the LunaTik. The one advantage of the TikTok is that it’s easier to remove the iPod Nano should you want to clip it elsewhere.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Xavier Lanier, GottaBeMobile, =david.l.woolfenden, Kevin Purcell, Mac Intosh and others. Mac Intosh said: IPod News: Lunatik Review: iPod Nano as a Watch is Awesome, But Does Not Impress the Ladies http://bit.ly/fzvEw1 [...]
Not water proof.. can’t use it. Its cool, but unfortunately I need waterproof as I don’t take my watch off in the shower or swimming etc. I could, but I would most definately forget one time.. can’t afford a new iPod Nano every time I have a brain burp.
http://www.waterfi.com
For waterproof nano
[...] some great projects coming out of Kickstarter, including the Glif and the Lunatik iPod Nano watch band, which I reviewed [...]
[...] some great projects coming out of Kickstarter, including the Glif and the Lunatik iPod Nano watch band, which I reviewed [...]
Cool! I don’t know what those other ladies are puffing on; but I like it. It’s too big for my lady wrist tastes; but it’s great for a guy. (And like the other commenter, I need waterproof more than anything. I rarely remember my watch if I don’t wear it all the time. Plus, I flowride, which is a sport similar to bodyboarding/surfing but on an artificial wave. I need the waterproofing. So I have a purple version of one of these puppies: http://www.airsportswatch.com/ )
Cool! I don’t know what those other ladies are puffing on; but I like it. It’s too big for my lady wrist tastes; but it’s great for a guy. (And like the other commenter, I need waterproof more than anything. I rarely remember my watch if I don’t wear it all the time. Plus, I flowride, which is a sport similar to bodyboarding/surfing but on an artificial wave. I need the waterproofing. So I have a purple version of one of these puppies: http://www.airsportswatch.com/ )
The “ladies” that are not into this watch are probably not really in to big watches generally so it has nothing to do with the geek factor. besides, it looks good
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i personally think tht is really cool and awsome for them to create somthing so cool and usable alot for a lot of reasons its watch ipod and lot of other thing but im so gelouise i want but i have the ipod nano the skinny one i wish they made one like tht but i guess no
Well this is one lady who LOVES the look of a nano watch: http://bit.ly/ehrL4Y I got mine in February and get tons of compliments from both men and women whenever I wear it. But I have a red nano + red strap, which makes it look more like a big swatch and (if I do say so myself) super hot in combination with my red leather ipad case and red iphone case. The silver nano + black strap combo is about the most tech-utilitarian look you could do! Try getting a colorful strap (ideally with a colored nano to match) and see if your wife will let you wear THAT in public.
Has this been thrown in the market? Where can i buy one..this looks pretty interesting..n i want it for my iPod nano..
Thanks for makin me think but watches are pretty crazy these days n they charge hundreds for watches with a few tiny diamonds id say this is way better. I want the new go-go gadget arm like u but next time u go to dinner leave it in the car lol
Buy a nano watch band that will impress the ladies! http://www.loopattachment.com/
woa this is such an awesome concept! by far the most advanced technology you can have strapped to your wrist right now. Unfortunately the only thing I don’t like is that it’s not water proof! and I find that very important in a watch! Especially someone like me whom surfs and is constantly near water. And I think thats really when I would use the watch the most, so I can tell what time it is while I’m out surfing, by the way if you like surfing videos and action sports videos you should check out Waii Kaii http://www.waiikaii.com
woa this is such an awesome concept! by far the most advanced technology you can have strapped to your wrist right now. Unfortunately the only thing I don’t like is that it’s not water proof! and I find that very important in a watch! Especially someone like me whom surfs and is constantly near water. And I think thats really when I would use the watch the most, so I can tell what time it is while I’m out surfing, by the way if you like surfing videos and action sports videos you should check out Waii Kaii http://www.waiikaii.com
I’m into the feel of leather on my skin so I purchased this bad puppy http://www.etsy.com/listing/73956787/ipod-nano-leather-watchband-black. Bold & Stylish look.
Great Idea, but…….
the claim is that this watch band will fit up to 8.5″ wrists. Not properly, however. On my 8.5″ wrist, measured professionally with a watch band with gradations, the tongue will not come near to the keeper stud and thus, sticks straight out in an annoying fashion. This watch band is perfect for wrists measuring 7.5″ and less, but you will not be pleased if your wrist is larger. I have written them 3 times over the last few weeks with nothing but a form letter, “we will get back to you” in reply. They have not. I am very disappointed in their non-existent customer service.
David,
Check out http://quadmountain.com and let us know what you think. We just had someone who had bought a couple of others go with ours after being disappointed with size claims.
This is a nice idea but really pointless without built in bluetooth in the Nano. Here’s to hoping the next generation will have built in bluetooth. Without it I would not want to run with Nike+ listening to music with a cord going down to my wrist.
Until the day the Nano has built in Bluetooth I won’t buy into this.
Definitely not water proof! Just had to buy a new nano because i got some water on the old one while washing my hands… might still use it as a watch on occasion, but not often here in rainy oregon…
what? i’m a girl and i love my lunatik! chunky on my small wrist but still cool. :)
[...] smart watch I am using isn’t some concept that might come out, it doesn’t just offer a new watchface like the iPod Nano and it’s way more useful than the MotoACTV if you aren’t a fitness nut.The WIMM One [...]
[...] smart watch I am using isn’t some concept that might come out, it doesn’t just offer a new watchface like the iPod Nano and it’s way more useful than the MotoACTV if you aren’t a fitness [...]
i want to buy if any have then contact me @ nawazish_Ali18@yahoo.com
[...] After Apple unveiled the new iPod nano in late 2010, we’ve seen a number of wristbands that turn the device into a wristwatch. To our knowledge, nobody decided to put magnets in their wrist to hold the iPod nano until [...]