This player is the iPod touch, not the Apple iPhone
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
Music downloads from iTunes, Wi-Fi web browsing, and 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display
Rating: - The Gold Standard of iPods
This is probably a tad over-reviewed on Amazon, and if you were going to buy it, you would have bought it already by now. Still, if you can reach one person....
For starters, this was my first iPod, so the whole iPod experience was new to me. The 8GB is not a draw back for me. I can always have a cross section of my music collection on the unit, without any danger of using up too much memory. Not being a portable music fan, the biggest selling point for me was the wireless internet access. That is fantastic, and unless you live in the desert, or the North Pole, you're always going to find a wireless connection available, usually for free.
Most of the negatives have already been resolved by a simple $20- software update. You should purchase the update the minute your iPod Touch arrives in the mail. Here is a list of complaints people have had, and how Apple has addressed them:
1) Touch screen can be a bit frustrating: I have never noticed this as a problem, and besides, that's what the backspace key is for!
2) No email: That's been resolved with the software update. Just about every email provider, commercial or private works with the Touch now. It takes seconds to set up.
3) Too few applications: You get a bunch of new applications with the update, plus, many new applications are being made available every day.
I use the iPod Touch daily. It is my primary source for portable internet access and email, even though I have both on my cell phone as well. I have no problem carrying around a cell phone and the Touch. They both fit easliy in your pocket!
My only complaint will probably not be addressed until the next generation Touch, if then: no external speaker. I'm really not a headphones person, and it would be nice to have an external speaker, especially for that super Youtube feature!
Rating: - IPod Touch Review
In a word really cool. I just love this device. I use it to surf the web, listen to music, watch movies and videos and listen to my share of podcasts.
The multi-touch interface is very cool. The only things I have against it is that my finger are just to big for that tiny on screen keyboard, but given the size there is not really much they can to there. Also I was a bit upset that I had to pay $19.95 for the google apps, but they were worth it. One additional complaint is the lack of bluetooth and the difficulty in finding a set of bluetooth earphones that are small and lightweight for it. I hate wires and in the cellphone world we have moved to bluetooth headsets, but in the mp3 world we seem to love wires. Anyway, the IPod touch has the coolness factor all over it. It tempts me to replace my Blackberry with an IPhone.
Rating: - Nice features and intuitive; quite impressive
I bought one of these recently after using a friend's, and I'm still amazed by this device. Besides being able to play music & video, this device is almost a hand-held computer. It has built-in wireless networking capabilities, which allows web browsing and web-enabled applications. These are some of the things I think are innovative and useful about the iPod Touch:
- Multi-touch touch screen interface: Provides an intuitive interface, allowing you to scroll applications by moving your finger across the screen, activate buttons by tapping them, etc. Its use of gestures are pretty cool; for example, you can zoom in on web pages by moving 2 of your fingers apart on the screen, and you can zoom out of web pages with a "pinching" motion with 2 fingers. The concept of gestures are used in some other applications for other functionality.
- On-screen virtual keyboard: This actually works better than I thought it would. When you need to type, you click on the input, and the keyboard appears. The virtual buttons are big enough to get used to fairly easily, although they are small enough that sometimes it can be easy to push the wrong button. The virtual keyboard works fairly well though, and a bonus of being virtual is that you can switch to a foreign language easily.
These useful applications come with the iPod Touch:
- Apple's Safari web browser: A fairly functional version of their web browser, although it lacks Java and Flash support.
- YouTube: Lets you browse, search, and watch videos on YouTube (something not supported by the built-in web browser due to flash restrictions)
- Calendar
- Calculator
Also, the following applications were added via Apple's January 2008 update (built into new iPods, but costs $19.99 otherwise):
- Mail: A basic but functional email application with support for Yahoo, Gmail, .Mac, AOL, and standard POP/SMTP email (unfortunately, Hotmail is not supported, but you can still access Hotmail via the web)
- Google Maps: A special application just for Google Maps
- Weather: Displays weather reports for specified locations
- Stocks: Displays stock information
- Notes: Lets you keep notes
Granted, the only reason why you need special internet-enabled applications is because the web browser doesn't handle Java and Flash very well; however, it's nice to have a small device that you can install applications on. The user interface is fairly easy to use, too.
A built-in accelerometer allows the iPod Touch to determine whether you're holding it vertically or horizontally. Applications that respond to this (such as the web browser) can automatically rotate the view to match the orientation.
I am impressed with the user interface - I think this is an area where the iPod Touch shines. Since the multi-touch interface is fairly new, it can take some getting used to, but you can get used to it fairly quickly. It is rather intuitive for some things.
I also like the aesthetics: It uses OS X, so everything has a nice appearance. The screen is crisp and clear. I've read that the screen's surface is glass, and it seems fairly scratch-resistant.
The wireless networking seems to work fairly well. It supports 802.11b/g (up to 54mbit) and supports password-protected networks.
The 16GB capacity accommodates my 13GB of music, although it would always be nice to have more storage for videos and such. One thing that's nice about the storage is that it's solid-state, making the iPod Touch ideal for exercising.
As far as application support, Apple does restrict how you install applications and where you can get them. Based on my observation with their January 2008 update pack, costing $19.99 (but worth it in my opinion), you can't just go out and download software and install it like you would on a desktop computer. Apple's business model seems to be that new applications are meant to be purchased from Apple.
On a related note, there is an online community centered around hacking the iPod Touch (known as "jailbreaking" in the community). Hacking the iPod Touch is not for the faint of heart - you need to be patient and follow the instructions very carefully - but hacking the device allows you to easily download and install 3rd-party applications, including ones that are normally available only for the iPhone, as well as other applications created by other people. This opens the door to making the iPod Touch a truly versatile device, allowing new applications to be installed easily. Also, jailbreaking is a relatively safe process and won't damage the iPod. If needed, you can restore it back to factory settings using iTunes.
I should probably list what I think are some of the downsides to the iPod Touch:
- The battery & storage is not user-serviceable. If the battery wears out (as all batteries eventually do), or if the storage goes bad, you'll need to send the iPod to Apple to get it fixed. But this is true for most iPods.
- You need to use iTunes to manage the media on the device. It would be nice to be able to just copy the files to the iPod as if it were another hard drive, as some other music players allow, so that you don't have to rely on any specific software or operating system to use the iPod.
- Unless you decide to hack it, Apple restricts what software you can use and where you can buy it. It's a closed system; however, Apple plans to release a developer kit in February 2008, which should hopefully officially open the door to making the iPod Touch a little more open.
Overall, the iPod Touch is a nice gadget. It's especially handy if you travel a lot and are often near wireless hotspots. I am impressed.
Rating: - Awesome Portable Media Player
I ordered this product for my birthday, and have been using it for several days. First impressions: well built and solid, it needs some protection to keep the back from getting scratched. with a decent set of earbuds it sounds really good. I have been downloading ABC news video podcasts to watch when I get home, and the Touch is great to watch anything with; it's like a big-screen TV in your hand. The touch interface takes some getting used to, and it takes only a slight touch to work. Overall, it is a very impressive media player and internet device.
Apple iPod touch 8 GB, Old (1st Generation) Reviews
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