Pros: Beautiful screen, responsive interface, lots of music and videos via iTunes.
Cons: Calendar can't be edited on iPod, only your computer. iPhone Notes feature missing. Fingerprint smudges.
The Bottom Line: The iPod touch is worth the purchase, if the storage is enough for you. It's a great portable music/video device. Screen seems very scratch resistant.
stonecutter2's Full Review: Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) MP3 Player
I'm extremely pleased with my iPod touch. The 16GB is perfect for several movies and TV shows, and music. I don't really care for carrying all of my music with me, I like to change it up, so having a smaller capacity is perfect for me.
First, the box contains the following:
iPod touch
Apple white earphones
USB 2.0 cable
Microfiber dusting cloth
2 Apple stickers
iPod touch stand (small clear plastic stand)
Dock adapter
I've always enjoyed Apple's packaging, and the iPod touch is no exception. The box actually has a very interesting texture to it, and everything is efficiently placed inside of it, with the touch on top once you've lifted the lid.
The touch itself has a power button on top, to the left, and a "home" button on the front, towards the bottom. The dock connector and headphone jack are on the bottom edge of the device.
Setting up the player is easy, just make sure you have the latest iTunes version and then plug the iPod touch into your computer using the included USB 2.0 cable. It asks you to name your iPod, and then asks if you want to register it.
An important note: when you sign in to register your iPod, using your Apple account, if you get a message that says "This person record requires harvesting" here is your answer - you need to log in to your Apple account using apple.com and make sure you've answered the question regarding your birthday (month/day) and password questions.
The touch interface is very responsive, quickly switching between menus and functions. The home page has the following buttons available:
Safari (web browser - requires wireless internet)
YouTube (requires wireless internet)
Calendar (syncs from your Outlook calendar on your computer)
Contacts
Clock
Calculator
Settings
Along the bottom edge of the homepage, you have these shortcuts available, which are mostly self-explanatory:
Music
Videos
Photos
iTunes (only available via wireless internet)
If you go to settings and set up your wireless connections, you can go online with Safari, YouTube, or via iTunes and actually buy music and videos wirelessly, which is a new thing for an iPod. This is the only way to connect the iPod to the internet, but it's a fun way to surf the net. Since my workplace wireless network is password protected (and only for work), I usually connect at home. I like jumping onto webpages mentioned on TV, it's fun and having an internet device in your pocket is very handy. I can't wait to jump online at coffee shops or someplace with a wireless connection, as the touch seems to be a very capable portable internet device.
The internet speed is a tad slower than you'd expect from your home computer connection, but it's generally very responsive. Safari is a full-fledged browser, so a lot of web pages will load fine, although things with Flash will not. In Safari you are presented with a thumbnail kind of preview of the page, and then you zoom in with a tap of the screen in the section you want to zoom. Tapping and dragging will move you around the page easily. Tapping and "flicking" will move you around the page faster.
The screen size is perfect for watching video conveniently, it's a nice size screen and pretty bright, with good contrast and detail. I think it's a great portable video player, and the iTunes downloads for movies and TV shows are really convenient (and reasonably priced). The video experience is one of the things most people seem blown away by - the quality of the picture definitely has the "Wow!" factor. I plan to use the video for lunch breaks at work, or during air travel.
Having used the iPod touch for several days now, I wanted to say that the screen seems pretty scratch-resistant. I've had it in my pocket (empty aside from the touch) and tapped things against it, yet haven't seen a scratch or nick appear on the front. Unfortunately, the back of the touch is the same chrome finish as other iPods, which is rather prone to nicks and scratches. The back of my iPod touch does have some scratches, but it's the screen that's most important, and that remains pristine (aside from fingerprints).
My other favorite feature is Cover Play, which is a copy of the album cover of the music you're listening to. You can "Get Album Artwork" as a right-click option of a song in iTunes. If you turn the iPod touch 90 degrees, the display shifts from a typical iPod menu to displaying the albums in your music collection in a 3D type fashion - tapping and dragging the albums will flip you through your music collection. It's great for browsing your tunes! One tap on the album flips it to reveal the track listing, and then a tap on the next album, or the little i (for information) in the lower right corner returns you to the album cover.
I'm really happy with my purchase of this device, but there are some cons which others have noted. See the Cons section for some of those. None of them have made me regret having an iPod touch, but they are minor annoyances. The biggest is the fingerprint issue, as the screen can get smudged pretty easily (but is generally very easy to wipe off with the included dusting cloth).
All in all, a great little piece of gear and a gorgeous screen - if 16GB is enough storage for you between syncing something else on the device, go for it! The price is a little high, but it's so fun to play with, I'm not upset with that at all.
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This player is the iPod touch, not the Apple iPhone; iPhone software is not included with this iPod touch but is available for download at apple.com 1...More at Amazon
This player is the iPod touch, not the Apple iPhone; iPhone software is not included with this iPod touch but is available for download at apple.com 1...More at Amazon Marketplace
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