I just read Russell Beattie's pan of the iPod nano. He says he'll stick with his shuffle. But, to me you get so much more for your $249 than you got for the $149 that most of us paid for the 1 gig shuffle. This new iPod gives you the big iPod experience in a tiny form factor that will work great on the go when your pockets are full. There's a big difference between 1 gig and 4 gigs (300% more songs and podcasts).
There's a wide gap between the shuffle's no screen and the nano's high rez color screen. And the addition of a clickwheel is priceless. Without a case, the nano is delicate, but that's a small price to pay for a such an exquisite machine. It's elevating like good architecture. I love that Apple gets crazy and takes us there.
I found a little soft pouch in my junk drawer to temporarily protect my nano. So, I'm back in business! One idea I have for a case is to get one of those colored cases that Apple is going to sell in 5 packs. But I'm hoping to make a deal with someone to split a pack. Who needs 5 of these cases? Teenage girls probably but one would be fine for me since eventually I'll get something a little more interesting like the Vaja case I got for my big iPod. That case is awesome.