Electronics Apple iPod touch 8 GB
Rating:  -
My friends tend to think of me as an early adopter -- meaning I'm usually body-surfing on the first wave of buyers for new products. Still, a product has to meet my needs, solve specific problems, and provide an acceptable level of value. Being "new" isn't near the top of my list of priorities.
Before I got my iPod touch, I knew it could play music and videos, display photos, and do a few other odds and ends. But I had no idea it could accomplish these tasks in a way that is simultaneously elegant, intuitive, charming, and just plain fun. Sure, we've all seen the commercials on TV, but nothing can prepare you for what you'll experience the first time you hold one in your hands and start listening to music, watching a video, or leafing through a photo album -- all without the need for assistance. But many other folks have already commented on how easy the iPod touch is to use, so I'll focus this review on new ways to use the touch.
I now leave my computer at home when I travel. Instead of schlepping a laptop computer through airport security, I take my little iPod touch. With 16 GB of memory, I can easily put about 10 full-length movies on it, plus my entire iTunes library, a few photo albums, and numerous programs (more on those later). What that means is that I can sit back in my straightjacket-like coach seat, plug in my noise-canceling headphones, and watch the movie (or listen to the music) of my choice while babies yowl and drunks bellow their life stories directly into the ears of the poor schlubs sitting next to them. Yeah, it would be better to watch a movie on a larger screen, but at what cost? I've now taken several trips with the iPod touch and found its little 3-1/2 inch screen to be crisp, clear, and very watchable -- even for 2-plus-hour movies. I just set it down on my tray table, and voila ... instant drive-in theater, without the groping. Since this little device features wireless networking, I'm able to send and receive email or access the internet wherever there's a hotspot, which is yet another good reason for leaving your laptop at home. I suppose if I needed to do keyboard-intensive tasks while on the road, I'd find the touch's tiny keyboard inadequate. But what I mostly need to do is email and take a few notes, which the iPod touch is perfectly suited for.
I'm a huge fan of internet radio -- specifically Radio Paradise, which I think is probably the best eclectic rock station I've ever heard. In fact, I've been introduced to many new bands through Radio Paradise, then gone out and bought their CDs. But I've always wanted an easy way to capture the internet stream on my iPod. Now I can. Mac users can purchase a fantastic program called TapeDeck, the interface of which looks just like one of those 70s-era shoebox-style cassette decks (hence the name of the program). Want to record an internet stream? Press the Record button on TapeDeck. Two hours (or however long you want) later, just press the Stop button. It creates virtual "tapes" which you can then drag into your iTunes music library, then plop onto your iPod touch (or any other iPod). When I've shown TapeDeck to people, their eyes light up at how simple it is to use. So now when I'm sitting in a crowded airport waiting area, I'll listen to a Radio Paradise stream. The way TapeDeck works with iTunes and my iPod touch is nothing short of a miracle. I would imagine that there's a program out there that provides the capabilities (if not the simplicity) of TapeDeck for you PC users.
Finally, there's the (relatively) new iTunes App Store that's available to iPhone and iPod touch users through iTunes. I've got to say, as good as the iPod touch was in version 1, version 2 of the operating system makes it an order of magnitude more powerful. Want a program that shows you good restaurants in your area? It's available in the App Store. Like to play games? There are hundreds waiting for your download. Got a specific idea for a capability you'd like on your new little gizmo? It's probably already there in the App Store. There are more programs than you'd likely be able to use in a lifetime -- and about 25 percent of them are available as a free download. It doesn't get cheaper than free. You can download these programs to your computer or directly to the iPod.
Want to know what else is cool? Say you're sitting in a Starbucks, sucking down a hazelnut latte. You hear a great song over their speaker system and wish desperately you could own that song. If you've got an iPod touch, you just press the Starbucks button and ... lo and behold, there's the name of the currently playing song and a list of the last 10 songs Starbucks played. Press the Buy button, and the song is downloaded directly to your touch. The entire process is just stunning in its simplicity and cleverness.
Do I have any complaints? Yeah, but it's so minor, I'm embarrassed to even bring it up. My one gripe concerns syncing. Other iPods allow you to simply drag items on and off your iPod through iTunes. The touch (and the iPhone) want you to put a check mark next to items in a list, then press a Sync button. It's a bit confusing (at first) trying to understand which data is going in what direction. On the plus side, say you update your Safari bookmarks or Address Book contacts. Press the Sync button and that new info is automatically transferred to your touch. Brilliant! So that's the yin and yang of syncing.
I suppose I'd also like to connect to the internet when wireless hotspots aren't available, but then that's the primary difference between the iPhone and the iPod touch.
You won't catch me complaining about the screen or keyboard size because ... well, what do you expect from a device this small? A screen that unfolds to the size of a 42-inch HD TV? No, it is what it is, and what it is is very, very useful.
I've now owned my iPod touch for eight months, and I'm still dazzled by its beauty, capabilities, and ridiculous ease of use every time I press the Power button. I've shown it to early adopters and the technologically challenged alike, and all are blown away by it.
Is it worth $399? It is if you need a product that will make its various capabilities easier and more fun to use than any other product out there. And it is if you're fed up with lugging a computer around on your trips because you need to stay in touch with email and the internet. I won't say that $399 is a pittance for such a device, since everyone has a unique pain threshold when it comes to discretionary purchases. As for me, now that I've integrated the iPod touch into my lifestyle, I wouldn't want to live without it. And there are very few things I can say that about.
Rating: -
Apple has always made superior top quality products, the I-touch is no exception...you will not be disappointed! Enjoy.
Rating:  -
I'm returning my iPod touch today for a full refund. It's the third one I'll be returning as well, which is why I'm not exchanging it... It's a bit depressing really, since I really wanted to enjoy it but was ultimately let down by performance.
The first touch worked pretty well, but would error constantly during music transfers that resulted in parts of the songs being lost, so to speak, during the transfer. The end product was listening to a song that sounded like it was skipping, or just having it stop abruptly before going to the next track. So I exchanged it.
The second touch emitted a loud, obnoxious crackling sound as soon as headphones were plugged in. I exchanged it immediately.
The third, and final touch was just bizarre. It would lock up, shut down, and adjust the volume without my input at all. Normally when you start the thing up its volume level is where you left it from a previous session, not so with this one. Half the time it would be up all the way, only the volume bar would be where I left it and adjusting it further did no good... You had to shut it down entirely and hope it didn't do it again. And surfing the web only to have it shut down while you're reading gets tiresome as well.
So today I'm saying goodbye to the touch, with hopes that its second gen version coming out in a couple days might be a better investment. And I'd also like to say that yes, I know what I'm doing with computers. I've built and sold many high performance models over the years, and I know bad firmware when I see it. Many of these issues could be solved with a "software update". However, apple seems more interested in adding bells and whistles instead of fixing the problem, since the current update seems to do nothing to help any problem (I had installed it on the first and third units), but instead allows you to add plenty of bug filled apps that generate even more headaches for users. I never even bother using them, reading reviews about them was enough to keep me away.
But even after reading this you still want to try your hand at one of these, do yourself a favor and pick it up at a local Best Buy. At least then if you have as many problems as I did returns/exchanges are a breeze. I hope this helps.
Rating: -
It has been all I wanted. At my age 77, it is easy to work with. Has so many features I am still working on. The sound and ease of downloading is increadible.
Rating: -
The ipod touch is the best piece of equipment I have! It does everything the iphone dose, just without the high monthly bill the iphone has. Sure the new iphone is cheaper, but you have to sign a 2 yr. contract where its $90 a month, that's $2160! Where as the ipod is $400-$530 depending on where you buy it from and that's it! I suggest getting a phone from verizon then getting the ipod touch! Its like having a computer in my pocket!
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