One of the cute--and surprisingly popular--features that debuted on the sixth-generation nano was a full-screen clock. Tap the clock icon on the Home screen, and you see an analog clock face; under iPod nano software 1.0 and 1.1 you could choose, via Settings, black hands on a white background, or white hands on a black background. This feature, combined with the nano's size and shape, led to a cottage industry for iPod nano watch bands--accessories that turned the nano into a makeshift wristwatch.

The 1.2 software update makes this feature more versatile by providing 18 different clock faces: nine analog, four digital, one analog/digital, two Disney analog (Mickey and Minnie Mouse), and two Muppets analog (Kermit and Animal). Most clock faces also display the current date. Interestingly, four of the analog faces are matched to the actual color of your iPod nano, so if you've got a green nano, the face has a green background or green highlights, while those elements would be silver on a silver nano. It's a nice variety of clock faces, although I found myself wishing for a couple more digital offerings--namely a basic digital face, and a flip-clock-style face.

The update also adds a few more options for wallpaper (the image displayed behind the Home-screen icons), upping the total on our silver iPod nano from nine to 12.

The clock still feels like a gimmick at times. For example, it adds yet another tap--to dismiss the clock--before you can perform any action after waking up the nano, and since there's still no setting for adjusting the length of time before the nano's screen goes to sleep, you end up performing this extra tap frequently. Still, if you're a fan of the nano's clock feature, it's a bit more fun now.