The Pint Sized iPad For the Arm

Author's Rating:

Pros: Slimmer design; Wi-Fi; amble storage; beautiful screen

Cons: None thus far.

The Bottom Line: 
The iPod Touch (4th) Generation is a winner in my book.

Author's Review
Microsoft.  I make my living installing, configuring, and supporting the company’s products, but when it comes to portable MP3 players I’m all Apple.  The Apple name has become known for innovative products that just work and work well. Sure they’re a little more expensive than their competitors, but the company’s product are well worth the entry price.  Products like the iPod Touch (4th) Generation 32GB MP3 Player I recently purchased from Amazon.com.        

The iPod Touch (4th) Generation 32GB Facts

The iPod Touch (4th) Generation is just one of the many MP3 players offered by Apple. The top-of-the-line unit features an Apple A4 processor, 3.5-inch (diagonal) Retina widescreen Multi-Touch display with 960-by-640 pixel resolution, and can hold up to 8,000 songs, 40,000 photos, or 40 hours of video at the 32GB memory level.  The 0.19 pound iPod Touch (4th) Generation is notably thinner than the iPod Original, and weighs far less.  Other features include: two cameras, one rear facing, the other front facing now ship standard with all models; Wi-Fi and supports AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store), MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats; H.264, MPEG-4, and Motion JPEG video codecs in M4V, MP4, MOV, and AVI formats. 

No matter what hardware version (8GB, 32GB, or 64GB) you chose the Ultra-Portable, iPod Touch (4th) Generation is a simple device with very few moving parts.  The power button sits on the top of the device on the right, while a standard 3.5mm headphone jack is situated on the bottom to the right left of the proprietary USB power port.  Along the left edge of the ultra-thin (0.28”) iPod Touch (4th) Generation you’ll find the volume control switches.  The USB port is proprietary so, no, like the iPod Original you cannot plug a USB memory stick into it, but with the provided cord you can plug it into your computer and sync with iTunes and charge the device.

First Impressions: 

I really, really like the iPod Touch (4th) Generation 32GB.  I bought it to use at the gym because I was so tired of listening to the same tired music Bally’s provides and I wanted a good reason not to have to talk to anyone while I worked out.  And since I can also listen to Podcasts on the device, now is a good time to catch up on all of the Fresh Air episodes I have missed this part year!  And with 32GB of storage I have plenty of room for music, Podcasts and loads of useful Apps like Pandora when I get tire of listening to talk radio and want to listen to a little R&B, or I want to chat with my friends or family, or watch a movie via Netflix.  Or of course listening or watch over-the-air programming requires Wi-Fi connectivity.    

Setting up Wi-Fi is easy enough; when on the antenna continually looks for new Wi-Fi connections.  I have memberships at two gyms; one has Wi-Fi access, the other does not, but the iPod Touch (4th) Generation “sniffs” out new Wi-Fi connection readily enough.  Sweet!

Heat & Noise

There is neither of both; end of story.

Conclusions

The iPod Touch (4th) Generation is a winner in my book.  Probably because it’s like a micro iPad with all of its functionality only its seriously portable and fits easily on my forearm (with appropriate strap of course).  I very much like the portability of the device, the ease of use, and the utilitarian nature of the unit, thanks in large part to the plethora of Apps that can be down loaded and utilized for the MP3 device. 

True, I don’t use all of the Apps (FaceTime) that ship with the iPod Touch (4th) Generation, and I do not use the cameras at all, but that may change.  So far I am very pleased with the iPod Touch (4th) Generation; the Apple device, like all of the company’s offering these days, has more than lived up to my expectations.