2nd generation iPod "full"?

[SurreyGuy]

I have a 2nd generation (4GB) iPod Nano.

According to the iTunes "info" screen, I currently have 3.62GB of music (879 songs) on there together with 49.1MB of "other" (I don't know what that is!) and 9.3MB of free space.

I'm currently trying to download a song that is 7 minutes long from my iTunes onto my iPod, but I keep getting an on-screen message telling me that my iPoid is full!

How can it be full if I've got 9.3MB of "free" space? I always thought that I could get 1000 songs on my iPod, but that's obviously not the case.

[Mobius1]

4GB is the amount of unformatted space available on the device, once formatted, the amount of space is lower and it has to be formatted to use it.

9.3MB is a very small amount of free space. Depending on the quality (read bitrate) of the 7 minute song, it may well be larger in size than 9.3MB hence why it won't fit. Single music tracks can have a slightly larger memory footprint too, if they have album artwork associated with them (included under the "other" category).

1000 songs assumes certain factors, such a average track length and a set bitrate (128Kbps if I recall). As they say, your mileage will vary depending on these factors.

[SurreyGuy]

Thanks Mobius1 - that all makes perfect sense, even to a techno virgin like me! :o)

Looks like I'll have to buy an 8GB one!

[Mobius1]

Yeah, watch out. I had an 8GB one too, thinking (as you do) "Oh, I'll never fill all that!". Guess what? I filled it!

The best thing to do with memory is always overshoot the mark. Though I suspect it depends how you use your iPod. Some people like to have all the music they own on it at one time, in which case it's important, whereas I'm quite happy shifting tracks about so what I have on it is relevant to what I want to listen to.

[SurreyGuy]

Thanks again