iLounge

As part of its review for the iPod nano, Ars Technica performed a stress test that included dropping the device at various speeds and heights, and running over it with a car.

“Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing we can do,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs recalls telling a gathering of Apple executives and engineers last year regarding the company’s lead in digital music. “We have to get bolder.”

Some scholars say iPods, TiVos and other technology are causing consumers to miss out on discovering new content. “What concerns me is that we are developing an information segregation,” said Jeffrey McCall, a communications professor at DePauw University. “People are ending up exposing themselves only to the ideas, issues and entertainment that suits them. And I don’t think that’s healthy in the long run.”

Geek Culture’s Joy of Tech comic has a humorous look at alternative uses for an iPod nano.