Smaller Capacity, Less Expensive, But Still Packs a Punch

Author's Rating:

Pros: It's still an iPod Touch!  Built-in speaker, faster CPU than iPhone 3G (not 3GS though).

Cons: Managing content with iTunes can be a headache.

The Bottom Line: 
Don't have a huge media library, and need a portable web and gaming machine?  Well...

Author's Review
As you may know, my brother bought the first gen iPod Touch 32GB and was enjoying it for a good couple of months.  The smooth and slick touch interface won him over.  It was one of those impulse buys that net him one.  He did not regret it one bit.  Until he bought an iPhone, which then he quickly sold his first gen iPod Touch.

You may also remember that my brother bought the 2nd gen iPod Touch 32GB for my birthday.

So why did I get a 8GB version of the same darn thing?  Well, because it was almost free!  When I went out and bought my very first Apple MacBook, I was informed that I would get a free iPod Touch 8GB after an online rebate!  I took the bait, and got yet another one.  I figure I can sell it to recoup some of the money spent on the MacBook.

Differences
The first and second generation iPod Touch is very similar.  However, there are some differences.  They look the same from the front, but the back is different.  The two are about the same thickness, but the new one tappers toward the edges.  This give the back a curved profile and makes the device feel slimmer than it really is.

The new iPod Touch also have the shiny back extend a bit to to front, which gives it a bit of chrome around the edges, while the first gen is all black on the front.  Because of the tapered edges, the headphone jack exposes a bit of the headphone connector.  It looks a bit unfinished this way, but I'm sure Apple intended this.

I've also noticed the new iPod Touch is slightly lighter than the original.  Not to mention it now have a built-in speaker!  This is one of the best feature over the first gen Touch.  This allows me to view videos without headphones.  It doesn't sound very full (in fact it sounds tinny), nor is it very loud, but it's better than nothing.  The iPhone's built-in speaker sounds louder and fuller than the Touch's, but that's neither here nor there.  It's a phone, and a phone needs a good speakerphone.

Also, there is a hardware volume control on the left side of the unit. You don't have to rely on the touch screen to change volumes anymore!

Overall, they are still too similar in looks that we were mistaking our devices for one another.  My friends have iPhones, my brother has one, too.  And the fact that my brother, at the time, had an iPod Touch, and now so do I, we keep finding ourselves picking the wrong device up!

As far as the differences between the 8GB and 32GB version, there is none.  The 8GB is virtually the same in every way compared to the 32GB 2nd gen iPod Touch I already own, except for, of course, the capacity.

Packaging
As it is typical with Apple, the packaging is very meticiously put together.  It is always a joy to unpack an Apple product.  The box is surprisingly small.  In fact, it's smaller than the cardboard box the first gen iPod Touch came in.  The 2nd gen iPod Touch comes in a plastic box that is more like the ones found on the Nano.  Just like before, it's too small to include a software CD.  Nowadays, Apple does not even include their required iTunes software on CD for any of their iPods.  Instead, they instruct you download it from their site.

Included in the box, you get the iPod Touch 32GB unit itself, along with a small booklet that describes the limited warranty and a bit about getting the software off their site.  There is also the trademark white ear buds, a USB sync cable, a dock adapter, and a small microfiber cloth.  Missing from the box compared to the first gen is the small plastic stand.

One thing to note:  There is no charger included at all!  Apple expects you to charge it via the USB port of your PC, or you can purchase an accessory that plugs into a wall outlet and have a USB port for you to charge.  Basically, any USB charger will do, so you won't have to purchase an official (and expensive) Apple charger.

iTunes
When you first turn on the iPod Touch, the screen shows a graphic that is obviously instructing us to connect to a computer that have iTunes running (USB connector going towards an iTunes icon).  It won't let you get past that screen until you do.

So, I went to Apple's site and downloaded iTunes 8.2 (most current at this writing).  I had to create an iTunes account along with payment info for the iTunes Store.  Last time, PayPal wasn't an option, but this time it is.  I decided to go this route so that my credit card number is safe with me.

I won't go into iTunes too much since this is a review for the iPod Touch, and getting into the particulars of iTunes is outside the scope of this review.  It is only mentioned that it is required to get the iPod Touch to work the first time.

When I connected the iPod Touch to iTunes, it informed me that there is a new update available, which is the 3.0 firmware.  The cost is $9.95!  I declined, as I am looking to sell it soon anyways.  This is very much like my brother's first gen iPod Touch - Apple wanted $10 to upgrade the 1.x firmware to 2.x, which adds the App Store!  3.x will add the Spotlight search feature, as well as copy and paste.  There is also a Voice Recorder app, but it's useless on the Touch, since there is no built-in mic.

You will need an accessory like the one I bought here.

Interface
Once you're in, your finger is in for a treat.  When you first turn it on, it takes a bit to boot up.  However, once that is done, you'll rarely ever have to go through the boot process again.  The power button located at the top puts the Touch to sleep, which is as good as "off".  This gives the Touch an "instant on" feel to it.  Once it comes on, you see your wallpaper graphic and an unlock slider.  You slide your finger to let the Touch know that you are intentionally turning it on much like unlocking a phone when you turn it on.  Not coincidental, this is how you unlock the iPhone.

The touch control is very consistent once inside.  You can flick your finger back and forward to flip through pages of installed apps.  The response is so quick, it feels natural.  The forward momentum of a finger flick causes the page to continue to move until it looses momentum or until you touch the screen to stop it.  This control scheme is consistent (especially with the built-in apps).

Music
The Music applet allows you to use the iPod Touch as an music player.  It recognizes ID Tags and not file names, much like the other iPod products (Classic and Nano).  It allows for you to navigate your music using these categories: Artists, Albums, Songs (individual songs), Playlists, genres, Composers, Compilations, Podcasts, and Audiobooks.

You get four categories that are easily accessible on the bottom of the screen (Albums, Artists, Songs, and Playlists).  You can click on the More icon to access the other categories.  You can also go here to customize the bottom bar with your most used categories.  For example, I removed the Playlist icon and replaced it with Podcasts, since I watch and listen to a variety of tech-related podcasts.

Depending on how well you keep your ID tags, it can be a dream or a nightmare to use the iPod Touch.  The interface itself makes browsing through a huge collection really easy.  You can use your finger to slide on the side to slide through the alphabet for quicker navigation.  Turn the iPod on it's side and you get the famous flowing album cover interface that allows you to flick left and right through your album collection complete with cover art (as long as you ripped your CDs in iTunes or Windows Media Player).  As much as I try, I still find a few MP3s that are orphaned because a single field was different than the other files in the same album.

While the Touch only supports MP3, AAC, and protected AAC, the iTunes software is able to convert WMA files into AAC so that your iPod Touch can play them.  This is nice, but does add additional time for the conversion.  It leaves the original WMA files alone, which is good.

To fast forward through a song, you can drag your finger along the progress bar.  You'll have to change the volume the same way as the first gen iPod Touch does not have a dedicated volume dial or buttons.

The sound quality is very good with the included headphones.  There isn't much bass, but I didn't expect any with the included buds.  When I used my pair of Sony ear buds (the ones you can find with a wind-up case for $10 at most electronic stores), I found that I had to turn up the treble for it to sound natural.  In the car, I find myself turning the EQ off, which means the Sony ear buds are the one that isn't very accurate.  Even when hooked up to the Klipsch Promedia 2.1s desktop speakers, I didn't really need the EQ.

However, despite all that, I am currently using my favorite set of headphones, the Skull Candy Inkd in-ear buds.

Video
The Video applet doesn't organize by ID Tags, unfortunately.  It's strictly a list of your videos by filename, and organized in alphabetical order.  Thus, navigating through your videos is pretty straight forward.  You can swipe your finger through a video to delete (you can't delete music on the Touch itself, though), which can be nice if you want to delete a space-hogging video and your computer is not within reach.  Of course, you get a confirmation button and message so you won't delete your videos unintentionally.

To play a video, you just tap the video and it comes up.  All videos play in landscape mode.  You can flip your iPod Touch one way or the other and the video will follow the new orientation.  This is good if the headphone jack is in the way in one direction but not the other.

Just like with music, you can fast forward or rewind by dragging your finger through the progress bar, and the volume is changed the same way (the bar is located on the bottom near the playback controls).

The nice thing about the Touch is that when you stop, pause, or turn off the iPod in the middle of playback, it will start where you left off!

I found that iTunes does not transcode videos (or at least in my experience).  When you come across an MP3 or MOV files that won't play on the Touch, iTunes will warn you of such, but does not offer to transcode.  So it was no surprise that none of my videos in MKV, AVI (XviD and DivX), or other formats were rejected by iTunes.  Of course, if it doesn't get past iTunes, it won't get on your iPod Touch.

I found that there are 3rd party software that does a good job of transcoding videos to a playable format on the iPod.  ImToo is one of them.  Media Coder (freeware) didn't do the job, though.  Handbrake is free, but as far as I can tell, it can only work on unprotected DVDs (will need DVD Shrink to rip your movie DVDs first).  However, if you already have TV Shows in XviD/DivX, or even on Microsoft's own Windows own DVR-MS files, you'll have to go with ImToo (paid-for 3rd party software).

Internet Access
One of the biggest feature of the iPod Touch is the ability to surf the net on the included Safari web browser.  All of the internet-related applications seem to be a carry-over from the iPhone.  Instead of using the cell carrier for Internet, you will need to connect the Touch to a WiFi signal.  This limits the iPod Touch to places with hot spots.  I strongly believe that if Apple would strip the WiFi radio and all internet-related apps, put a 120GB hard drive in, and make it the size of the iPod Classic (just replace it even!), and Apple would have a great music player.  The touch interface really is the superior way to control than Apple's original click-wheel.

Internet related applets such as Google Maps seem to be better suited for something with mobile access to the internet, such as the iPhone.  It just doesn't make sense on an iPod.  It's a cool applet, though.

Surfing with Safari is a very nice experience.  You can pinch and expand your fingers to zoom in and out.  It's a great experience to surf the Internet on a small appliance-like device like you do on the desktop.  The pages doesn't get formatted in a weird way like you'd fine on the Palm Blazer browser, or even on Internet Explorer Mobile.  Adding bookmarks is a cinch, as well as opening multiple pages, since Safari have a tab-like concept down.  You can switch between multiple web sites, which is a surprising feature on an appliance-like device.

I do have a work-around for this.  It isn't very elegant, but it works.  I found a program that I can install on my Sprint HTC Touch Pro (a Windows Mobile smartphone) that allows it to become a WiFi router.  It takes the EVDO Internet from Sprint and allows any WiFi device to ad-hoc into your phone for Internet access!  My phone's battery will drain like crazy, and it gets super hot to the touch, but you can now use the iPod Touch as a true mobile Internet device!

Like I said, it's not very practical, but I must admit that I would go through all this trouble to avoid using Windows Mobile to surf the net!  That's now good the iPod Touch's interface is!  It's also much faster than surfing on the Windows Mobile device itself!

That said, it was cool to see it work, but I doubt I'll do it often.  I need my phone as a phone, and it wouldn't be any good to me if it dies from lack of battery power.

Other Stuff
You also get trivial stuff (that adds to the ooh and ahh effect) such as Weather, Notes, Calandar, Mail, Contacts, YouTube, Clock, Stocks, and Calculator.

You can sync your Calandar, Mail, and Contacts to your work Exchange server or to a local install of Outlook.  You can also use your iTunes to keep this information.

With the Mail app, you can set it up to get your Gmail, Yahoo, Exchange, Mobile Me, and AOL emails.  There is no way to set up a Hotmail account, however.  Per the message we recieved when we tried, Hotmail requires a paid-for service for IMAP access, which is what the iPod Touch uses to get access to your email.  Instead, you can get your Hotmail email through Safari, just as you would on your desktop web browser.  Surprisingly, you can open and view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF attachments!

YouTube is a really cool application that allows you to search through YouTube in a much friendlier way than through their web site.  The videos play only in one orientation, unlike playing videos stored on the Touch itself.  However, the playback and volume controls is the same.  Again, if you are at home or a friend's house, you'll already have access to a laptop or PC, so I don't see the point!  However, if you find yourself out and about but able to gain access to a public WiFi signal, then by all means, this is pretty cool.  But I find that it makes more sense on an iPhone.

It's still a very cool and functional app.  You can bookmark videos so you can show it to your friends.  However, you cannot view comments left by the YouTube community like you can on their full-blown web site, nor can you leave your own comments.  In fact, you don't ever have to sign in to use the app.  You just view videos anonymously.

Of course, if you are connected to the internet, the built-in iTunes app allows you to browser all of the iTunes store on your Touch.  Since you already signed up with your credit card info (or PayPal), you can buy things right on your Touch!  You can listen to samples of music before you buy.  Unfortunately, you can't search and download podcasts.  In fact, you're pretty much limited to just music (no videos or TV shows here).

The Upshot
This is a relatively expensive gadget, considering that you only get 8GB for the same price as you can get a HDD-based iPod (the Classic).  However, for the price, what you get is a great interface to navigate your music and videos.  You can also use it to surf the Internet around the house or near hot spots, but since you cannot take WiFi signals everywhere you go, you're limited to what you can do with the cool Internet-related apps.

I still don't think it's worth the money for just the interface.  If Apple would scale down the features more, but keep the touch interface (and make the price more reasonable - such as an iPod Classic replacement with the touch screen), I'd buy it!  However, there's a reason why you see more iPhones out there in the wild than iPod Touches.

I've actually sold the iPod Touch 8GB at the time of finishing this review, and this lady told me why she was getting it.  It was for her kids to play video games on.  She won't have much videos or music in it.  I think 8GB is a great size for a gaming machine with a bit of music and video on the side - especially for the kids (as long as they are old enough to be responsible with a device made of glass!).