I originally bought this product to expand my iPod collection around 1 year ago and a half ago. I bought it used from a friend, half off, and in relatively good condition (no major scratches, dents, etc.). Since then, it's been a very valuable buy great for not only using it for music and video, but for other things as well. In this in-depth review, we'll be covering, the good, the bad, the summary, and why you would buy it!

THE GOOD:
*** QUALITY OF PRODUCT ***
Design:
Design on the iPod touch is very nice. If you're not familiar with it, it's about the same size of the iPod classic, only slighly longer and slightly skinner. On the front we have the touch screen, that when off is a dark gray, surrounded by a black border, with a center button on the bottom of the screen. On the back, it looks like any other iPod which is a that weird shimmery silver that has "Apple iPod" on the back and tells you what memory capacity you have, etc. This area is very prone to show smudges, and other marks much more then the actual touch screen. The port for connecting the device to your computer and the port for your headphones can be located at the very bottom.

It should also be mentioned that there are 3 other buttons. When holding the iPod right side up, to the top left of the device, there are two volume control buttons, and one power off button all the way at the top.

Of course, the design itself is pretty much been the same for all four generations, but none the less; the sleek black design with the rounded corners feels smooth and fine in your hand. Could it be sturdier? Maybe. It's surprisingly thin (or at least, I was surprised). But it works fine just the way it is. I suggest getting a cheap silicone/flexible plastic cover/wrap like I did, that covers the back and surrounds the edges. It adds more grip of the iPod, so it doesn't go flying out of your hand, and makes it a better fit when you're holding it in your hand. You could probably find one for $10/£10 or less.

Design: Simple easy to use; buying a cheap cover could be a great investment to enhance use. Great - 8/10

Durability:
This iPod is not as durable as previous models, unfortunately. I liked with how my 1st gen nano, I could (practically) throw it across a parking lot and not suffer any damage. This one, while durable, it isn't. If you're not careful, serious damage will occur (I hope you got the warranty ;-D ). The screen will scratch more likely than other models. Not to mention that since it's slim, it will crack if you drop it the wrong way, or sit on it (I have a friend who sat on his and the screen shattered).

Suffice to say, a drop on carpet will be fine, a drop on hard wood would be dangerous, but a few drops on concrete every now and then would be a very bad idea or anything else that might hurt your device. Be careful when using, and see if you can try it, before buying.

Durability: Not quite as good as previous models. 6.5/10 - Fragile/Average

@@@ Quality of the physical model/Recap: 7.25 - Good, but thicker material should be used to prevent damage. Look into buying a case for it (and a good one at that). Design is simple though.

*** EASE OF USE ***
Screen:
Response with the screen is just as it should be after 1 year and a half of use. I'm happy with how nice this part of the iPod has stayed. It's a great size, nothing is hard to see, or anything. Touching an icon or something should be easy, but when typing letters, like in Safari, for example, it's very easy to accidentally hit another letter, to which you'll have to delete the accidental letter, and try and re-type it. (Remember that when you stick it in your pocket, stick it away from your leg or else you might do some accidental screen tapping too!).

Screen: Great size for whatever you're using it for. 8/10 - Great

Interface:
Interface is mostly like other iPods (if you're familiar with them), where at the top you have the time you're currently in, a battery icon, or other things at the top, with your main content at the bottom.

This one is a little different of course because there's no click wheel (duh, it's called the iPod TOUCH). This is a definitely good thing though because without it, it becomes lot more aesthetically pleasing. The music section, for example, adds two additional "menu"-bars at the top and bottom allowing for simple navigation and faster way to get to what you want to listen to.

I can safely say that all other "normal" apps (one's not from 3rd parties), such as weather, settings, video, safari, etc. work fine and are also easier to navigate. The iPod touch improves accessing anything on your iPod beating any other iPod by a long shot.

Interface is very easy to use for anyone, though it may take a little time to get used to. 9.5/10 - Excellent/Amazing

Battery life:
It is said that digital playback can have the iPod going for up to 36 hours and video playback for only 6 hours, which is pretty weak. I find that I'll need to recharge it every 12 hours of use or so. This greatly depends on how bright you make the display though. The brighter it is, the faster it will suck up the battery. So always remember that. For my day to day use, this battery life is fine, but if you're on a long plane ride or car trip, it may or may not be quite enough.

Nice life so far. 8/10 - Great

Buttons:
The four buttons, volume control, power, and center button all work fine. The center one has a nice click, when you use it while the others don't. Other then the center buttons, these are small at times.

Fine. Nothing bad, nothing good either. N/A

@@@ Overall User-friendliness/Recap:Despite being one of the older models, it still is very easy to use. 8/10 - Great

*** USE WITH ITUNES (6 Years later) ***
Software updates:
Updates work fine. Nothing new. ;-) 7.5/10 - Working as expected.

Adding content:
Adding songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and other things such as games or photos to this iPod and playing them back on your iPod is fine. No playback issues of occurred with glitching, freezing, except for one thing.

Some of my songs, I will try and play and it automatically, and doesn't play it (not a second) and then goes back to the menu. I think this is a problem with syncing and itunes, but otherwise I haven't had problems.

7/10 - Occasionally weird, but otherwise fine.

@@@ Itunes usage/Recap: 7.25/10 - Average, some problems might occur, but probably not.

*** EXTRA FEATURES/APPS ***
Games:
The App Store is the reason why people have, continue, and will continue to buy iPod touches. The App Store has an infitive number of games for everyone. Some dumb, some excellent. These are great when you're on a train or subway. Pretty much the best part of the iPod (or at least I think so. ;-D ).

10/10 - Amazing

Other:
The normal apps included, like photos, calendars, clocks, etc. also are great. These can be very useful at times.

Not to mention all the apps that aren't games, you can get all sorts of ones from flashlights, to help with learning a language to a Taylor Swift App (if you want it that badly!). A great addition as well. 9/10 - Excellent

I forgot also that you do not need headphones to play music, there is a built in speaker, while soft, is good when you want to show someone a video, or particular song. 9/10 - Excellent

@@@ Bonus things to the Touch: 9.5/10 - The Apps are what make the iPod touch. You'd be crazy to grab a few of them. Ooooh, speaker are nice too.

### THE BAD ###
There are three main things I don't like about the iPod. Two I mentioned earlier in this review, and one I'll mention now.

1. The durability, like I said, isn't as great as some of my other iPods. They're a couple small scratches on the touch screen, and a few good scratches on the back, as well as a small dent in the top right hand corner. Be careful with the device. I've had many careless friends who've had to buy new ones. Get the warranty or a case is my suggestion. 3/10 - Disappointing

2. I haven't talked to anyone else who's had this problem so I'm not sure if it will apply to anyone, but the playback issue. I've had to delete songs off the iPod, and then re add them to fix it. This can get pretty annoying. Talk to people and see if they have the same issue. ???/10 or 3/10 - Annoying

3. One thing that I've noticed over time is the response time of when I turn the screen to which from vertical to horizontal, or vice versa, works when you don't want it to, and never works when it does want it to. If you turn it on its side, response time gets slow and it's taken me a few tries of just turning it on it's side just to get it the way I want to. To which it will just start freaking out. ???/10 or 3/10 - Annoying

@@@ Bad things/recap: Overall, not very many bad things I can say about. Durability and response time for turning it on its side can be tricky. I've never occurred anything else major YET so, be sure to check back to this article in case it updates over time. 3/10 - Disappointingly annoying.

*** SUMMARY ***
The Good:
- Simple design makes it not too hard to understand how to use it.
- Easy of use to navigate iPod is better than any other model.
- Apps are half of the reason you buy it. New and exciting ones always come out which will continue to entertain you.
- Great for endless hours of entertainment and fun.
- Nice memory size for casual iPod users.
The Bad:
- Caution must be used when accidents are prone to happen. Durability maybe an issue. Don't be stupid! Be careful not to obliterate iPod!
- Weird playback thing has occurred.
- Response time for switching from horizontal to vertical has degraded over time.
Overall score:
7.5/10 - Good, solid, quality, product. Not as good as I hoped, you just have to be pretty careful with it.

??? WHY WOULD I STILL BUY IT ???
Great question!
- A great reason to buy it is because it's a portable media device. You can check facebook, send emails, send out tweets all on this little mobile device. This works great especially if you do not own a cellphone.
- A great reason to buy it is for an older kid or young teenager who's not interested in something like a Nintendo DS, but would like an iPod while still having the ability to play games..
- A great reason to buy it is that you'd like to get an iPod touch, but not wanting to shell out all the money for a new model.
- A great reason to buy it is you don't want the click wheel. The touch is so easy to use, it suits your style more.
- A great reason to buy it is it's just a great product and you respect quality!

Be sure to pick it up for whatever reason. Apps are the best, though. Heheheheheh. May I suggest DoodleJump? It's so much fun! ;-D

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this very in-depth review; happy listening, watching, surfing, playing or whatever! Bye now! ~TMM