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Apple iPod touch 8 GB From Apple Computer
Design For better or worse, the iPod Touch is clearly the iPhone's baby brother. Like most products that roll out of Apple, the Touch shows the love of committed designers, hardware engineers, and usability experts. The iPod Touch measures a slim and pocketable 4.3 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.31 inch, with an all-metal-and-glass design that feels as expensive as it looks. Because nothing will ruin a portable video player faster than a gouge across its screen, we're happy to see that the face of the Touch uses the same scratch-resistant glass found on the iPhone. Most users will still want to buy a protective case, however, since the iPod Touch feels a little fragile and the back is covered with the glossy, scratch-prone, smudge-loving chrome exterior common to most iPods.
There are only two physical buttons on the iPod Touch: a button on the face of the player used for calling up the main menu; and a screen deactivation button found on the top-left edge of the case. The iPod Touch is controlled largely using an icon-based touch-screen navigation menu nearly identical to the iPhone's, but with greater emphasis placed on music, photo, and video playback.The two design details that distinguish the iPod Touch from the iPhone are the downward-facing headphone jack and volume controls. In the absence of dedicated volume control buttons, the Touch gives users the ability to bring up an onscreen volume slider by double-clicking the main menu button. The same volume screen offers controls for playing, pausing, and skipping through tracks.
When it comes down to it, the iPod Touch's most unique selling point is not its feature set, but its interface. You can find products that offer more features, as well as higher quality audio and video performance, but you won't find any other product that can match the feeling you get using the iPod Touch interface. In the absence of jetpacks or flying cars, the futuristic novelty of zooming photos with a pinch of the finger or flying through your music collection in Cover Flow is difficult to quantify into a bullet point, but it is probably the most justifiable reason to invest in the Touch.
FeaturesThe iPod Touch draws 99 percent of its features from the iPhone. While iPhone owners have zero incentive for buying the Touch, the rest of us now have a way to get our hands on many of the iPhone's features without costly and contractual AT&T service plans. The bad news is that the iPod Touch does away with more than just the iPhone's phone capabilities--it also gives up built-in speakers, microphone, camera, and Bluetooth. Remaining features such as a Safari Web browser, POP/IMAP e-mail, YouTube video portal, photo viewer, music player, video player, stock tracker, weather forecaster, notepad, and iTunes Wi-Fi music store still place the iPod Touch on the cutting edge for portable video players, however. In fact, at the time of this writing, the only product that can even compete with the iPod Touch's combination of a Wi-Fi-enabled Web browser, wireless music store, wide-screen video playback, photo viewer, and audio player, is the Archos 605 WiFi.
One of the few notable features that put the iPod Touch ahead of the iPhone is the ability to output video and photos to a television using an optional Apple AV cable, Universal Dock, or qualifying third-party video accessory. We are a little disappointed that the iPod Touch is the only iPod that does not support a generic USB storage mode, but we doubt many users will be upset by this.
Audio format support is unchanged from previous iPods. The Touch supports standard and purchased AAC, as well as MP3, Audible, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless. Video format support is likewise unaltered from the H.264/MP4 files playable on 5G iPods, as well as the third-generation iPod Nano and the iPod Classic. The Touch supports video resolutions up to 640 by 480 at 30 frames per second.
Product Description iPod Touch 8GB
(not the iPhone) With the Apple iPod touch, Apple has married the iPhone's revolutionary multi-touch interface to their popular digital media player. So instead of a Click Wheel, you just use your fingers to flick through your music, photos, and video. Two fingers can be used in a pinching or spreading motion as well, which zooms in and out of photos and web pages. That's right, the iPod touch is the first iPod to offer web access. It does this via built-in Wi-Fi support. There's even a special iTunes Wi-Fi Store, so you can browse and purchase new music and video while you're on the road. The latest iPod touch now offers a suite of new applications, including email, maps, and handy widgets for weather, notes, and stocks. The new iPod touch also features a customizable home screen that lets you rearrange buttons and create your own Web Clips. Ports - Dock Connector & Stereo Minijack Connects to a PC or Mac through USB (using the dock connector) 802.11b/g Wi-Fi Wireless / Safari web browser Charge Time - about 3 hours (1.5 hours fast charge to 80% capacity) Audio Support - AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, & 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, & AIFF Photo Support - Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG formats Video Support - H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in. m4v,. mp4, and. mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in. m4v,. mp4, and. mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in. m4v,. mp4, and. mov file formats Unit Dimension
Product Details iPod Touch 8GB
Amazon Sales Rank: #9 in Consumer Electronics
Size: 8 GB
Color: Black
Brand: Apple
Model: MA623LL/B
Dimensions: 1.10 pounds
Display size: 3.5
Features
Upgrade your player with the iPhone 2.0 Software Update for iPod touch via iTunes for an additional fee
8 GB of storage provides approximately 1,750 songs; includes earphones, USB cable, dock adapter/connector, polishing cloth, and stand
Battery life provides up to 22 hours of music and up to 5 hours of video
3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display
New applications include email; maps; and widgets for weather, notes, and stocks
Editorial Reviews iPod Touch 8GB
Amazon.com Product Description
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iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. With great new applications, now iPod touch is even better. Watch a movie you rented from iTunes. View rich HTML email with graphics and photos displayed inline. Open PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel attachments. With Maps, find your location and get directions from there. See where you are on a map, a satellite image, or a combination of both. Make Web Clips for your Home screen so you can visit your favorite websites in just one tap. Fill up to nine Home screen pages with Web Clips and arrange them however you like. Browse YouTube videos, follow your stocks, check the weather, and take notes. With the new iPod touch, tap into even more.
Music, Movies, and MoreFlick through album covers and find your music. Download and watch your favorite movies, rentals, TV shows, and more from the iTunes Store. Tap into thousands of photos. All using incredible multi-touch technology on a beautiful 3.5-inch display.
MusicIf a picture says a thousand words, think of what all the album art in your collection might say. With Cover Flow on iPod touch, flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. When you do, just tap the cover to flip it over and display a track list. Another tap starts the music. Even view the lyrics while you're listening to the track.
VideoThe 3.5-inch display gives you video like you've never seen on a portable device. Watch your favorite movie or rental from the iTunes Store. Catch up on TV shows anywhere. Enjoy video podcasts. Play music videos. All using multi-touch technology. With a tap, bring up onscreen controls to play/pause and view by chapter. Turn your iPod touch to switch between widescreen or full screen.
PhotosiPod touch holds up to 20,000 photos you sync via iTunes. Flick to scroll through thumbnails. Tap to view full screen. Rotate for landscape format. Or perform some sleight of hand by opening two fingers to zoom in. You can even play slideshows, complete with music and transitions. Set any photo as your wallpaper to personalize your iPod touch . . . with a touch.
iTunes Wi-Fi Music StoreWith iPod touch, discover new music anywhere. Its built-in wireless capability gives you access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, where you can buy songs with a tap. Browse New Releases, What's Hot, Genres, and Top 10 songs. Or find exactly what you're looking for with a quick search. Tap a song to preview it, tap Buy to purchase it. Even redeem your iTunes gift cards and gift certificates. All from anywhere you happen to be.
Starbucks MusicYou walk into a Starbucks. Order your latte. While you wait, you hear a song wafting from the loudspeakers. You love it. So you get out your iPod touch and buy it over Wi-Fi. Just like that. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store on iPod touch tells you what's playing in select Starbucks and lets you buy it along with other featured Starbucks content. So you can sip, shop, and listen.
Home ScreenMake the iPod touch Home screen your own. Change what's in the Dock. Rearrange the icons. And make room for even more. You can add up to eight Home screen pages and fill them with Web Clips.
InternetSurf the web. Send email. Get directions and find your location with Maps. Check stocks, weather, and more. iPod touch is not just an amazing iPod. It's the Internet in your pocket.
SafariiPod touch is the only iPod with wireless access to the web. Safari is built in, so you see websites the way they were designed to be seen. Search the web using the touchscreen keyboard. Zoom in and out by tapping the multi-touch display. Switch between portrait or landscape view, depending on how you hold your iPod touch. Sync your bookmarks. Better yet, add them to your Home screen. iPod touch can automatically create a Web Clip on your Home screen from any of your favorite websites. So just one tap takes you directly there.
YouTubeGot a bit of a YouTube addiction? iPod touch feeds it from anywhere with a special YouTube player built right in. Watch featured videos, check out the most viewed, search for something specific, then bookmark your favorites for future reference. It's all the fun of YouTube--pocket-size.
MailiPod touch is the first iPod with Mail. And it's the best email you've ever seen on a handheld device. This mail application lets you view rich HTML email with graphics and photos displayed inline, as well as PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel attachments.
MapsGet directions and check traffic with Google Maps. Even find yourself, wherever you are. Using some local Wi-Fi networks (if Wi-Fi is turned on), iPod touch finds your approximate location and gives directions from there. Mark specific locations, find the best route between them, and search for points of interest along the way. With a hybrid map and satellite view, you can see major street names on top of satellite images.
WidgetsWidgets are small, incredibly handy applications you can use every day. Three of the most useful widgets now live front and center on your Home screen:
WeatherGet a five-day weather forecast, including highs and lows, for cities around the world. Save your favorite locations so you can check the weather anytime.
NotesTake notes, make a to-do list, or jot down a reminder using the easy-to-use touch keypad. Then save or email them.
StocksCheck your stocks and track the market over one day, one week, one month, three months, six months, one year, or two years.
High TechnologyiPod touch features the same revolutionary interface as iPhone, the most advanced software ever engineered, and state-of-the-art technology. With the multi-touch display, you can control everything using only your fingers. If you rotate your iPod touch from portrait to landscape, the accelerometer automatically changes the way the content is displayed. And with wireless technology, you can connect to the Internet from any Wi-Fi network, anywhere you are.
Multi-touchiPod touch features the same revolutionary interface as iPhone. Built to take full advantage of the large 3.5-inch display, the multi-touch interface lets you control everything using only your fingers. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flick through photos and enlarge them with a pinch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page. And iPod touch features a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard perfect for browsing the web in Safari, getting directions on a map, searching for videos on YouTube, finding music on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, or adding new contacts.
Ambient Light SensorThe iPod touch display has an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness to suit the ambient light in your surroundings. The result? A better experience for you and battery-saving efficiency for iPod touch.
WirelessConnect to the Internet anywhere there's a Wi-Fi network. Send email from a coffee shop. Surf the web at the airport. Browse, buy, and download music from the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at select Starbucks locations or other wireless hot spots in your area. iPod touch finds wireless networks and connects you to the Internet.
AccelerometerAn accelerometer detects when you rotate iPod touch from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display, so you immediately see the entire width of a web page, your music in Cover Flow, or a photo in its proper aspect ratio.
What's in the Box:8 GB iPod touch, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter, polishing cloth, stand, quick start guide.
Customer Reviews iPod Touch 8GB
Thank you I was very pleased with my experience related to this purchase. The merchandiser was quick to respond to my questions regarding an issue with the merchandise. We were able to address all issues without any problems. Thank you for your help and support on this purchase.
The ultimate in modern PDA's / media players - intuitive user interface! Apple iPod Touch 8GB Review (Firmware 1.1.5) In my quest for a modern Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), I evaluated several models including the HP Ipaq, Asus, and the Palm Zire Z22. I discovered that PDA's are all but extinct in 2008, being as they are rapidly replaced by versatile smart phones such as RIM's Blackberry and its competitors including the Apple iPhone 3G and Nokia/Motorola offerings. I also came across the iPod Touch only because of recommendations made by Apple iPod users. I assumed the iPod Touch was more of a portable media player due to the "iPod" designation, rather than a minicomputer or even a PDA. My generalization was very wrong. I soon discovered the iPod Touch was essentially an iPhone/3G without the phone, digital camera, or Bluetooth systems. The iPod still retained the touch interface, and was actually manufactured in a slightly smaller package. It was capable of playing videos, music, and even browsing the web using the WiFi network adapter. Apple is selling a firmware update for 2.0.x for $9.95 on iTunes, which adds many more features to the iPod. Since my iPod came with 1.1.5, it already met all of my expectations and I did not see the need to pay $10 to use lousy apps at the time. I may upgrade in the future if I see the need, but for now - on to the meat and potatoes of the review. From the exterior, the Touch is slightly larger than a credit card and about as thick as a stack of credit cards (8mm). There are only two mechanical buttons on the outside of the unit. One is to turn the unit off, put it to sleep, or to wake it. The other is the "home" button, labeled with a simplistic square icon. The back of the Touch is polished metal. Many users complain that it gets easily smudged or scratched. I find that it makes it rather attractive and possibly adds some heat abatement capability for the battery during charging. Even though it has a Li-ion battery pack, batteries in general like to be kept cool during operation and charging. I never owned a regular iPod other than the Shuffle, but I was told the Touch uses the same cable as the regular iPod. There is also a 3.5mm stereo jack on the lower right of the Touch. I am amazed at the amount of stuff Apple was able to cram into the tiny Touch. The battery life was not that impressive though. When WiFi is enabled, the battery life drops dramatically especially while being used. Apple claims up to 22 hours of operation for listening to music, and up to 5 hours of operation while watching a video and I tend to agree with this. If you want to maximize battery life, I recommend turning off the WiFi until you need it. The first time you connect the Touch to your computer, it asks you to load up iTunes to register the Touch. The main menu shows 12 icons on the top, and 4 icons on the bottom. They are self-explanatory, but the key features are the Safari web browser, mail, calendar, and settings icons. You can use iTunes to synchronize the contacts list with your Outlook or Gmail contacts. You can also use iTunes to synchronize the calendar with Outlook or iCal. The Touch also allows you to check your Gmail account, Yahoo account, or even set up a custom mailbox. The Google maps and Yahoo Stocks applets also come in handy when you have access to open WiFi. The touch interface is EXTREMELY intuitive and easy to use. The only complaint I have is that I tend to tap the wrong key on the virtual keyboard while trying to input text. A stylus would make it very precise, but I think Steve Jobs wanted an all-inclusive portable minicomputer that did not require external apparatus for inputting data and I feel he accomplished this feat. You can flip the Touch sideways in most modes and it will automatically rotate the screen. The virtual keyboard also becomes wider in this mode. You can set a pass code for unlocking the Touch in the event you want to prevent prying eyes at the office or in your home from viewing your information. The compact size and minimal weight of the Touch makes it extremely portable. I highly recommend it for people who travel a lot, since it is easier to handle through airports and offers the bulk of what you need to maintain contact with the rest of the world: your schedule, email, web access, YouTube, weather, and contacts list. Granted you do not have an optical drive, applications like Microsoft Office or other software you would need to conduct business, it still allows you to communicate with people as long as you are in an open WiFi area. Many hotels, airports, and even municipalities now offer free WiFi access. I visited a contracted work site and was able to request guest access to their WiFi, allowing me to send emails and search for topics on Wikipedia all without having to schlep around a 3-6 lb notebook computer. The video quality, resolution, and speed were astounding. Watching YouTube clips shows how powerful the Touch is, especially for such a small device. Overall, I feel that the Blackberry and similar smart phones will become obsolete in the near future as they are replaced by the iPhone 3G and similar devices that offer superior usability and intuitive user interfaces. The navigation wheel and keyboard on the Blackberry is so 2000s, the iPod Touch and iPhone 3G just blow them away. Pros: Extremely compact, sleek, stylish, easy to carry around especially through airports. Perfect for the traveler, commuter, and office worker. It does the job of a PDA and a small computer when in the vicinity of a WiFi signal; otherwise, it still performs superbly as a PDA especially with its intuitive Touch interface. Cons: Apple wants $10 to upgrade the firmware to 2.0.x, and you may want a $20-$30 travel charger that can charge the iPod through 12 VDC (auto) or 120/240 VAC (home), along with a $10-$30 case. The screen and metal case is easily smudged. The virtual keyboard keys might be too small for people with large fingers, although the widescreen keyboard is easier to use. Battery life is quite impressive but still drops dramatically when being used and with WiFi enabled. Li-Ion chemistry also means the battery itself has maybe 2-3 years tops before you have to replace it. Overall: The ultimate in modern PDAs and is not just a media player. If you want a cellphone, digital camera, and Bluetooth capability, look at getting an iPhone 3G instead. The HP Ipaq and Asus "PDAs" are huge compared to the iPod Touch and I feel the Blackberry is obsoleted by the iPhone 3G. Note: I make comparisons between the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch because they are quite similar in many respects such as the user interface and overall appearance.
Problems Ordered for my son's birthday. The Ipod had several bad pixels. Returned it for a new one. Same problem. Had to send both back.
Customer Review iPod Touch 8GB
- By C. Franz
I'd like to make one thing clear from the beginning: this device is the best portable media player I've held to date (I received mine on Sept 25th). *This* is how it should be done. That doesn't mean that it can't be improved (this review shows a number of misses), but in the iPod Touch so many good things come together the right way, it's embarassing how clumsy suddenly all the other devices seem (other iPods included). I have extensive experience with a myriad of other players (I own(ed) *lots* of those: Nomad, iRiver, Zen, Rio, iPods, Zune) and now that I'm holding it, it's blindingly obvious how much better the new interface works. I am really happy with this iPod. Still, there are some annoyances, idiosyncracies and downright silly limitations in this device. So, let's begin: First - unless you've recently held a new 'Nano', you won't belive how thin the Touch is. The glass surface feels different from my iPod Classic (yeah, I'm a *serious* MP3 player addict, and have that one, too). I can't really put my finger on it (it's hard to resist puns like that), but it feels somewhat softer when tapping it with your finger nail. Surprisingly (for me at least) the Touch does not respond to finger nails - you need to touch the surface with your finger's skin. This can initially be confusing when you are used to pressure-sensitive touch-screens, and can become difficult when using the virtual keyboard. The touch-sensitive font plate has (so far) proven to be scratch-resistant (i've been carrying it around in my pocket for the past three days). In my hand it feels surprisingly hefty (sonsidering it's sleekness), and it is noticeably longer than the Classic. Like most other iPods, the Touch has a polished backside that magically attract fingerprints. This backplate also holds the customized engraving that Apple applied free of charge to my iPod. The headphone connector is on the bottom, and accepts any normal headphone jack (unlike the iPhone). The position of the connector would have been annyoing if you wanted to use it upright in a gym (natch, iPod nano!). But movies are viewed in landscape orientation, and the iPod's interface automatically detects it's orientation. Now that's design for you. The earbuds are the same that come with other new iPods (classic). They are ok, but unlikely to be your first choice. I use the those earbuds for running (with my shuffle), but third-party (B&O) earphones with the classic and touch. I'm no audiophile, so sound quality usually is good for me (this holds true for all my devices). But then, according to some people I'm only listening to trash anyway. I therefore recommend that you look at other reviews if you are in search for a tone perfect device. I like it. Controlling the iPod is a strange - great when you are looking at it, annoying if you can't see it (i.e. if it's in your pocket). As with all touch-interfaces that have no tactile feedback there is no way to 'blindly' control it, and sadly the Touch does not have a remote nor real buttons except 'sleep' and 'home'. The Touch desperately needs some hardware volume control. Looking at the screen I have to say that I am amazed at the clarity of the image. 3.5 inches is still too small for me to comfortably watch a lengthy movie, but the 320x480 pixel wide-screen display is stunningly crisp. I re-ripped some TV shows that I originally ripped for the Classic and watched them on the Touch. The problem is that files ripped for the Touch's resolution are roughly twice as large as for the Classic - but the Touch has only a fraction of the available storage. Thus, I can't envision myself using the Touch for lengthy movie watching - but it is excellent for watching shorter clips (while I'm no youTube fan, I do have a lot of short clips shot with my handheld camera). The Touch's sceen is very bright - I can't confirm initial reports of 'inverse black' or other artifacts. It appears to have a light sensor built-in that dims the screen when in darker surroundings, and brightens the screen when in the sun. One small annoyance though: there is no way to control a movie's contrast. The docs claim that the Touch can play 5 hours of video on a single charge. I'm prepared to take this on face value - I'm certainly not going to stare into that small screen for so long just to verify this. It's long enough for one-and-half normal movies, but won't last a transatlantic. Nor would my eyes, though. Coverflow is drop-dead beautiful, and a real show-off. It requires that you add artwork for all your CD-ripped tunes, though. Otherwise missing covers are replaced by generic grey ones. It's a great way to browse your music if you don't know what you want to hear next. It's a silly way to look for a particular album, though. For this, however, you can still (luckily) use the normal artist/album/song browser with the (again drop-dead intuitive) new gesture-based interface. It works reall, really well. Like all iPods the Touch can play a large variety of file formats with the (expected) exceptions of WMA (protected and otherwise) and Ogg. I don't have to add that it plays AAC protected (iTunes). It can also display an impressive array of image and movie formats, even though I have the suspiction that some of the listed formats are transcoded on-the-fly by iTunes during sync. The Touch provides video out signals that can be set to either NTSC or PAL. For Europeans like me this is very important, but may be of limited use for people living in the US. What *really* annoyed me was the fact that Apple chose to change the video out cabling, and thus forced me to purchase new cables to connect the Touch to TV sets or beamers. On the up side, the Touch does work with my (Audi) car integration without any changes. iTunes integration is exemplary, as expected (this is the part that break most other digital music players: integration with your media library). Synching the Touch with a computer works like with any other iPod: Plug it in, iTunes starts, and you select the stuff you want synched. A strange relict from the 5G iPods: I found out that unlike the newer iPods, the Touch can't use playlist groups. Annoying (my best playlists are built from smaller lists). While synching the Touch I encountered my first big disappointment: no wireless synching. I would have expected this ability, or at least the ability to connect to a shared iTunes library on my home network (I have a wireless access point at home). Alas, no. The iPod must be physically connected to synch and cannot wirelessly connect to a shared iTunes library. When you synch you can choose to synch music, movies, photos, contacts, web bookmarks, and calendars. Sadly, you can't sync notes (why the heck not?). Synching is done with USB 2.0 (sadly not FireWire) using the Apple-provided USB Dock Connector (no standard USB connector). When looking for the 'enable disk use' checkbox I was baffled to find out that the Touch can't be used as a mass storage - unlike any other iPod I own, and with the exception of Zune unlike any other digital music player I own. Why? (I suspect this is to lock down the device to prohibit tinkering with it. It feels like an arbitrary, spiteful limitation, though). The interface is largely similar to the iPhone. It's not as ghastly colorful as the new (G6) iPod interface, but still uses a little too much colors for my taste (I *really* liked the G5 color interface). The gesture/finger-based interface is easy to learn, and is even more intuitive than using a mouse (it took about one 'pinch' and one 'flick' to convince me). As I mentioned above, the drawback is that there is no tactile feedback, so you must always look at the screen while changing a setting (e.g. volume, skip, rewind). The virtual keyboard is OK to use, and I'm happy to see that it automatically changed to Switzerland's 'QWERTZ' layout. So far, fingerprints on the surface have been a non-issue for me (they do look ugly on the back side, though). The keyboard has an optional 'clicker' that provides (very welcome) aural feedback when you press a key (as the other iPods, the Touch has a small clicker built in that can produce simple sounds). As iPods before it, there are some additional applications provided, updated for the touch interface: Calendar, Calculator (this one is new), Contacts, Settings, and Clock. Calendar holds one the most unfortunate, narrow-sighted and arbitrary product decisions Apple has made in a long time: you can't add new Events. The reason this is unacceptable to me is because the exact same application on the iPhone *has* this ability, and it was taken out as a concious decision; it was not an oversight. Clearly this is an attempt at artificially differenciate the Touch from the iPhone. Shame on Apple - I really hope that subsequent updates will rectify this. Another disappointment is that there is no Notes application, as this would have been a natural for the gestured-based interface and virtual keyboard. Again, this application exists for the iPhone, but was removed. Sad, sad, sad. In the same vein, it would have been great if I could load PDF documents for off-line viewing onto the touch -- Safari comes with an *excellent* PDF viewer (presumably the Touch's version of Preview). I'm using this feature through a work-around: convert a document to PDF, publish it on my home Mac's web server, and then load it in the Touch's Safari (e.g. 'http://mintel.local/myDoc.pdf'). That way I can read this document offline (did so this morning while being driven to a meeting) - but only this one PDF document can be in-memory. I tried to open a second browser window, and the first document was not retained in the cache, forcing a re-load. So a document viewer (and PDF management from iTunes?) would be a great addition. Also, the games that I had to re-purchase for my Classic (yes, re-purchased because the Classic can't use games for the 5.5G iPod) will *NOT* run on the Touch. Arrrgh! It looks as if I'll have to re-re-purchase those games again (I'm addicted to Bejeweled and Sudoku). Up until here, the Touch has been a natural evolution of the iPod -- the first, and long-awaited 'true video iPod'. But the Touch offers one more thing that I feel makes it a killer product: productive WiFi integration. I'm not talking about some half-baked song sharing feature (although that would have been welcome too) but actual useful net access. WiFi The Touch has 802.11b/g (but not 'n') WiFi built-in that can connect to the internet through normal hotspots. Since you can expect the iPod to be in many different locations, hooking it up to hotspots is an important feature that must be easy to use. The Touch can (and will) remember hotspots it has connected to, and asks when it connects to a new hotspot very much like your Laptop does. Connecting to open Hotspots is a snap: scan surroundings, pick from list, (enter password when protected), connect. You can turn it off for airplane travel or to conserve battery life. You connect to protected hotspots (using the virtual keyboard for password entry). Also you can use Safari for those annoying web-page-to-enter-billing-info based hotspots that hotels seem to like (and every one else hates). Connecting to a closed and secure WLAN is a bit more complex. My WLAN is configured to require any device to be known by MAC address, and looking up this info wasn't as intuitive as I thought it would be (I found it in the Info tab). I then entered Network Name and Password, and a few seconds later, my Touch had access to my WLAN. But what is so special about WiFi? To me, having access to the Web is a killer feature. I'm not talking about music here - but access to Google (but not the Google Apps just yet), Wikipedia, CNN, Amazon, and my web mail account. With just a little tap on the screen I can look at news, check my mail, track a package, fire off a note to someone, or answer a silly question that just entered my head. Anywhere, anytime (when in range of a hotspot. In Switzerland that's practically everywhere). To repeat: this is a killer feature. It turns this digital media player into a nearly fully fledged PDA. The Touch version of Safari is great (even though Google Docs does not yet support it, and there currently is no support for Flash), and very responsive. Using the virtual keyboard takes some time to getting used to (again the missing tactile feedback is annoying). Navigating the web is quick (provided you have a good connection), and using the gestures to move the obscured parts of web pages into view becomes natural after only a few moments. The touch also comes with a special version of iTunes, the 'WiFi Music Store'. It allows you to instantly purchase a song (very, very nice). Strangely, once you sync, songs purchased with the Touch will appear in their own 'Purchased on Touch' group (what on earth for?) in your main (iTunes) library. The WiFi store's selection does not provide access to PodCasts (lame!), nor any video content. And don't get me started on iPod games again... Still, navigating the WiFi Store is natural, and the design is intuitive. It's also very robust -- I purchased a 75 track (classic) compilation using the WiFi store. Of course, some time during the transfer the connection dropped, and I switched off the Touch. Later, at home, the Touch resumed download as soon as it re-connected to the net. The WiFi iTunes store is also where allegedly the 'Starbucks Thing' is happening. I'm (somewhat) sorry to say that I havn't tried out this feature beacuse a) I don't frequent Starbucks and b) even if I did, Switzerland is not yet upgraded for this feature anyways. So let's look at the remaining applications: I'm (again) seriously disappointed to see that Apple chose to cut Mail from the application list (the Touch would have been a great Blackberry replacement - and arguably might be too close a competitor to the iPhone if it had that feature), but at least I can use web mail as a work-around. Apple does include a dedicated youTube application which I have to admit I never used. I simply don't "get" youTube. Summary: The Touch is (currently) the best flash-based media player around, with a stunning (even revolutionary) new gesture-based user interface that works. I would have welcomed a significantly larger main storage, but it's very good as it is now. As a media player it's main drawback derives from the purely touch-based interface: it could have profited from a tactive rotary controller for 'blind' control. The feature that separates the Touch from the rest is the addition of another killer feature: WiFi web browsing. WiFi based music purchase is a nice bonus. The Touch also comes with a number of (sometimes artificial) limitations that I hope will be resolved in the future. All in all I'm very, very satisfied with the Touch, even though the Touch experience can clearly be improved (e.g. by removing application restrictions, being able to pull in shared iTunes Libraries, sharing songs wirelessly, syncing wirelessly etc.). PLUS - great "video" iPod - WiFi web browsing with Safari (killer feature) - wide range of supported file formats (audio, video, images) - great display - phenomenally sharp images - drop-dead gesture/touch interface - both NTSC and PAL video out (important for us Europeans). - iTunes store wirelessly - TV PAL and NTSC out MINUS - no playlist groups - difficult to use 'blind' - no contrast control for movies - no disk mode (huh???) - non-standard AV connector (again!) - artificial limitations on Calendar application - no Mail, Notes, Games applications - can't access iTunes shared libraries on WLAN - can't share songs with other Touch iPods - no wireless synching - 16GB can be awfully small when ripping movies for Touch's resolution - no WiFi iTunes PodCasts Things I'd like to see in updates - Wireless Sync - Access to iTunes shared Libraries - Notes - Off-line viewing of PDF documents - Games - Third-party software development kit (SDK)
2.By Mr. J
I've had it for a few days now (8GB version). I chose it over the 8GB Nano because I figured the extra bells and whistles (larger screen, touch sensitivity, wi-fi, etc.) were worth an extra hundred bucks. I will share a few things I've discovered in my first week of ownership. First, the weak points (which most people want to hear first): Sound quality is on par with the Nano but doesn't seem as good as my wife's iPod video. Wallpaper can only display when unit is coming out of sleep mode, browsing while music is playing causes music to stop, the screen will be a horrid mess of greasy finger prints after only a few minutes of use, there is no visible way to determine charging status without pushing a button because the screen goes completely black when charging. Video seems more pixelated and not as sharp or crisp as the new Nano (They're not lying when they say the Nano has the sharpest display of all iPods.) The lack of accessories hurts, mainly because I'd love to cover the smudge-prone body more than anything. Also, the dimensions of this thing basically scream "drop me" and I'm clumsy enough to do it if I don't get a good belt clip or at least enough protection to confidently slide it in my pocket. As for the good things: Wi-fi was super-easy to configure and I get a strong signal throughout my three-story home. I like the web browsing. Pinching to zoom and adjusting pages with your finger makes surfing the tiny screen much much easier. The Safari browser is quick and efficient at loading pages. The touch screen is very responsive (although big-fingered people such as me will have a difficult time trying to select letters on the tiny keyboard. I had to hit backspace quite a bit for incorrect characters). it didn't require multiple taps or finger drags (not counting deleting mistaken characters). The photo album is really cool. The thumbnails are well arranged and image manipulation with your fingertips is just as fun as web browsing (I just wish the wallpaper could be viewed on the home screen and not only when the device is locked, as mentioned above). The video is pretty good (even if not on par with Nano). Lastly, the organization of everything is really intuitive and well executed. You are pretty much one button-push away from anything you want; much better than endless sub-menus. In my opinion, the bottom line for having an iPod is the music. if you have a huge music collection (over 15GB), I would strongly suggest going with the Classic. Trust me, unless you REALLY feel you'll use the extras such as wi-fi and maybe the PDA features beyond the first day, there isn't much else to justify sacrificing the capacity. Even if you want the touch for movies, the storage limitations prevent any serious mobile collection. The coolness factor took all of ten minutes to wear off for me. However, I've never needed more than a 4GB iPod, (I have a meager collection of music ripped from my CD's. Call me old-fashioned). Therefore, I think I'll keep it, only because my alternative has the same capacity and I actually do plan to ocassionally check my email from the backyard without needing to lug out my clunky laptop. I just figured I'd put that out there for people on the fence about whether to get a Touch or Classic. Also, I like the PDA-like features of the touch. Even though much has been made of the so-called "crippling" of the calendar, I don't plan to use it as a full-fledge PDA anyhow, so the fact that it synchs with Outlook and makes my appointments and contacts readily available is good enough for me. Lastly, much has been made about the "negative-black" screen issue. I have a week 38 model with Corrine Bailey on the box (if you've spent any time at all researching the screen issue, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If not, stop by Apple's iPod Touch forum and you'll quickly find out). I've had no problems whatsoever (other than a little blocky video at times). No dead or stuck pixels and blacks look just fine. I honestly think it is a much smaller issue than people are making it out to be.
3. By Mark "Technology, Music and Movies"
Apple's 32 GB iPod Touch has finally given the mobile device market a media player with a great combination of quality, features and capacity. Of course it arrived shortly after I was given the 16 GB iPod Touch that I had put off buying for so long. Still, the extra capacity gives this unit the last piece of the puzzle it needed to be a must-have item for me. The awesome video, sleek thin body and web capability make it stand out despite a high price and some missing features. Pros + Great design with a sleek thin body!!! + Beautiful 320x480 pixel wide-screen provides pleasing video viewing + Turn to the side to view video using the full wide screen width + Orientation detection changes view to landscape mode automatically when turning iPod! + Enough capacity to finally be worth replacing some of your disk-based players in earnest + Brighter screen with great contrast and crisp sharp images + Wireless access via 802.11 b/g compliant antenna (hopefully `n' will come soon) + Wireless searching and video on mode can be disabled to extend battery life + Great interface for Safari web browsing with easy Wifi hotspot setup + Headphone jack compatible with standard phones, unlike iPhone + New apps work great and give you stocks, maps, email, notes and weather + Supports both NTSC and PAL video out + Very nice size of 32GB stores good amount of video + Works with some legacy iPod accessories (except standard A/V cable and some docks) + Diminishing price tag in terms of $ per GB of space + Unlike iPod classic, all flash memory means less failures and breakage + Flash memory also awesome for running / working out, though I use my nano for that ;-) + Coverflow actually works nicely on the Touch, much better than on the iPod nano + Slightly better sound quality than 2nd generation iPods + So far seems to have lower error rate than other iPods + Apple reputation is highly deserved + Plenty of free video and audio teaser content available on iTunes + Easy access to iTunes right from your device over your local wireless internet! + Apple SDK being made available which means more apps are on the way! Cons - Touch design is almost too minimal without hold button or easy volume adjustment - Very difficult to adjust or use without looking at it; some earbuds include controls that help - Screen requires "real touch," bad for those of us in cold weather cities - Data port seems more cramped than other models and difficult to seat on many dock ports - The headphone jack is strangely placed right next to the data port; ok for landscape mode, awkward in portrait mode - Not backwards compatible with legacy docks and cables; Universal dock now required for video out - Battery life still shorter than other iPods due to WiFi and video power needs - No expandability or SD card slot like Sansa View or Creative Zen - iTunes software with limited native formats (MP3, MPEG4, AAC) and high overhead - Some poor interface designs, such as volume control only available when upright - PDA functions such as calendar syncing and contact management still need work - Playlist and music groupings are lacking and need many improvements - Still lacking some features such as built-in FM radio & voice recorder - Missing Zune features such as the ability to share songs with other iPod Touch units - No Bluetooth for peripherals and accessories - No wireless synching or wireless access to iTunes WLAN libraries - No WiFi viewing of live iTunes PodCasts - Still no local viewing of PDF or other common document formats - No mode to use as disk storage?!?! - Roughly 2GB of space taken up with iPod software alone!!!! - STRANGE Apple business practices - ie, charging for software features included with the iPhone???? - While the cost is slowly coming down, still quite expensive in total $ terms
4.By B. Davis
I was given an IPod touch as a gift last fall when they first came out. At first I used it only for music then I started purchasing TV shows from ITunes. Television episodes, music and movies on the "touch" pixelated in the middle of watching/listening and threw me back to the home screen. The onscreen controls were not responsive so I couldn't get back to the spot where the skip happened. I sent my IPod in for service and it came back saying "we couldn't replicate the problem". As soon as I tried it the behavior started again. I exchanged my engraved gift for a refurbished unit at the Apple Store and it had the same problem. I went back again yesterday and they gave me a brand new unit. So I'm on my third "touch" since last fall and if you check Apple's forums you'll see this is a common problem. I just can't recommend this neat little player until they fix the problem.
5.By Domenico Bettinelli
The iPod touch is the Internet computer in your pocket the futurists have been predicting for decades. I haven't jailbroken mine, and I anticipate the advanced functionality of the upcoming 2.0 software (due for release on June 9). But even today I use plenty of iPhone/iPod-ready web apps that do an amazing job. The Safari web browser is the best web experience on a handheld ever. I wish Mail let me bulk-delete messages. Deleting one by one is very tedious. Synching using iTunes on a Mac is seamless, not a single problem yet. I wish I could have afforded the 16Gb or 32Gb so I could carry more music, movies, and photos (not to mention the forthcoming applications) so if you have the cash, do it.
6.By Matthew McHugh
OK... here's the iPod Touch in a nutshell: PROS: - beautiful screen - nice interface - decent sound - excellent Web browser (when WiFi works) - perfect for watching videos purchased from iTunes CONS - Can't save text to it in any form (ASCII, PDF, RSS, HTML... nothing!) - Virtual controls make it impossible to adjust music without looking at it - WiFi doesn't support LEAP protocol, commonly used by corporations with secure networks - No ability to download applications, information... nothing, except content purchased from iTunes Basically, the iPod Touch is a portable video player. If you want to watch TV shows or movies on your morning commute, and are comfortable with the iTunes buying experience, it works very well. You want to actually use it as a mobile computing device? It's useless. Apple has deliberately hobbled it so it won't compete with the iPhone. The fact you can't save any text to it is beyond ludicrous. How incredibly useful this device would be if you could load it up with news clippings or books or web content or e-mails or friggin' notes you typed up yourself... but you can't. You can buy movies and music from iTunes. That's really all it's designed to do. I feel seriously cheated by the iPod Touch... cheated by a 16GB handheld computer that won't let me load a lick of ASCII to it (contact and calendar sync notwithstanding). Never would have bought it if I had realized that. It's a major screw-the-customer job from Apple that I can only hope they rectify with a upcoming software update.
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