| Product: |
Apple iPod touch (2G) 8 GB |
| Date: |
06/09/09 (87 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Portable Entertainment in a Cool Slick Package
Disadvantages: Back is easily scratched
I'm not really into listening to music through earphones, I never had a walkman , so wasn't remotely interested in the iPod when it first came out.
However, I DO love Apple, macs in particular, so admired the design and functionality. I was in the Apple Store in New York last year when the Chromatic iPods were released and was seduced be the purple one (I know - what a girl!) and when I came to, was trotting out of the beautiful glass box of a building - a convert.
Needless to say I never used it and prompting sold it on Ebay.
THEN I was travelling with a colleague and saw her iTouch!!!
Wow, I loved it and could totally see how it would work for me. It looks very cool, thinner than an iPhone (not to mention cheaper), yet has all the presence and benefits for someone not wanting to commit to an expensive monthly contract.
The touchscreen is large enough to properly view photos and videos, with crystal clear clarity. The nifty feature of flipping the photo to portrait or landscape when twisting the iTouch is a typical Apple quirk. The applications open verrrry smoothly (it's soooo sensuous!) and the simple icons make it incredibly user friendly. (A bit too user-friendly, as my 3 year old can testify). When not touched for a few seconds, it automatically locks, but a quick slide of the bottom bar wakes it up.
As with all Apple products the iTouch is beautifully designed. It's ergonomic and eye-candy in equal measure. Downsides are that the back starts life as a mirror, but quickly gets scratched and that can't really be avoided.
A protective film can be purchased to protect the screen and I'd highly recommend that.
Reading other's reviews of the iTouch, it strikes me how versatile it is. I don't use it for games. Surfing the net, I find nye on impossible. The screen is too small to accommodate a page - or even half a page, so I don't bother. While I read my emails, I don't need to reply to them, which is good as I would find typing on it a chore.
Sound quality is good through the - admittedly rubbish - earphones, though very tinny without them. I find the battery is fine unless I watch alot of video.
What the iTouch is great for, is storing and viewing photos (there is a zoom function, by placing 2 fingers together on the screen and pushing them apart, then dragging them back together to zoom out - genius); watching videos and TV programmes (I downloaded "Lipstick Jungle" as I don't have Sky!) and of course music. So for me it is the perfect travelling companion.
I've used it whilst running a couple of times, though only in conjunction with my (now broken) Nike Plus. It was good for checking mileage and speed, with the female voice charting your progress, though a bit cumbersome.
My OH has recently bought an iPhone and thought I would want one, but I honestly don't. I would then probably use it for texting and emails, and other staid activities.
Instead I like keeping my iTouch for kicks! iLove.
Summary: Slimline and Brilliant for Travelling
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