Appearance
The iPod Touch is
beautiful. There is no way around it. It is
significantly smaller than the iPhone (only 60% as
thick). It is only a bit thicker than the new iPod Nano.
The screen is essentially the same as the iPhones. The
difference being that the quality of blacks is arguably
a bit washed out (this is a complaint only given by some
of the buyers and will probably be fixed by apple. If
your iPod Touch has any issues Apple will replace it).
The iPod touch is all black, whereas the iPhone has a
metal bezel around the front - this makes the Touch a
bit better of a media playback device.
Battery Life
The battery, as
with all iPods before it is not really removable. If
your battery starts losing its gusto in a couple of
years, it will be possible to change it out. It is rated
for 22 hours of audio, 5 hours of video, and 5 hours of
WiFi internet browsing.
Interacting
with the Device.
The multitouch
display is one of the most striking features of the iPod
Touch. It allows for really cool control, especially for
internet and photo browsing. Unfortunately, multitouch
is not completely an improvement. The Touch lacks any of
the other controls that even the iPhone includes. It is
essentially impossible to change tracks or volume
without taking the player out of your pocket and
watching as you control the device. There are no
external speakers or microphone on the Touch.
Software
The touch seems
to have it all... but comes up short with a few
features. The audio, video, and web browsing is all
great. It could have features to make it more of a pda
or to make it more of an internet device, but it does
not.
Internet
The internet
browsing on the iPod Touch works over any WiFi point to
which you have access. The Touch uses Safari and is just
as good as the iPhone in terms of its internet
functioning. There are a few drawbacks, as of now, there
are no dedicated mail app nore is there an ichat app
(this will probably change as apple will be coming out
with updates). This is a bit of a disaster because Apple
has already delivered this programs on the iPhone. The
Touch also is different than the iPhone in that it
cannot access the internet on mobile networks.
iTunes WiFi
store.
The iTunes WiFi
store comes up a bit short, but is a step in the right
direction. Over a WiFi network, you can buy songs
directly to your iPod Touch. What you can't do is
download videos or podcasts over WiFi. This is bull, but
it should probably be fixed by apple in a future update.
Problems
with the iPod Touch
-Doesn't support
video out through the headphone jack, only through the
30-pin plug which means you have to buy new accessories
to play it through your tv.
-No disk mode,
can't use iPod to store your computer's data.
-No physical
volume buttons on the outside, so you have to pull it
out of your pocket to change volume (the iPhone has
buttons on the side).
-Can't download
videos or podcasts wirelessly from the iTunes store... yet.
RATING 9.7 out of 10
