Touch it...you know you want to! (Apple iPod touch 8 GB)

Member Name: chardy89

Product:	Apple iPod touch 8 GB
Date:	13/03/08 (588 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good qaulity screen, Confortable and Easy to use

Disadvantages: Low memory, Pointless aplications, Could - be - better touch screen

Apple are always one of the first companies to fully market brand new technologies which they either develop or partner companies, such as Intel, create. The Apple Ipod touch is no exception to this.

The feature which makes this mp3 player stick out the most is the use of a full touch screen. This means that the unit can be controlled by 2 buttons and the main screen without any problem. The touch screen also gives the MP3 player a PDA (personal digital assistant) feel to the device. This allows for a full qwerty keyboard to be displayed on the small device. Although this feature sounds impressive, it can be very hard to use. Most people believe that the touch screen on the Ipod touch is the same that appears on the later released Iphone. However, I would say that the Iphone has a more reactive screen which senses the touch of fingers better than what the Ipod touch does. As the quality of the touch screen is reduced for the Ipod, the features are harder to use and less worthwhile because of it. Therefore, the internet feature isn't really a good alternative to ones you can find of traditional PDA devices or micro computer systems.
Despite the screen not being as it should be, we must all remember that this device is mainly for playing video and sound. In this area the Ipod touch excels beyond most other MP3 players on the market.

Every Ipod touch comes standard with a 3.5 inch display. Now I'm no expert on how to identify the quality of handheld device screens, but I think i'm petty close to the fact when I say that this device has one of the best screens ever manufactured on a portable device. I have loaded many films and clips onto my ipod touch via a Mac program called Handbrake, and I have to say that the quality is true exceptional. As I travel a lot, I have always wanted a device in which I could carry around with ease and then watch when I like without straining my eyes. I have used many other devices such as PDA's, handheld consoles and mobile phones but none of them have come anywhere near to the ease and comfort I have experience from the touch. I can now sit on the train, hold the touch in one hand and have the other hand free. I can also hold it quite a distance away from my eyes and still happily watch my favourite films or video Podcasts. Long gone have the days where I had to hold a portable video device up to my head and watch the small pixelated screen dance about in front of my while trying to work out what they are trying to represent. Operating and selecting videos can't really get much easier on the device. When 'videos' is selected from the main menu, a full list of video you have on the device comes up with video podcasts separated into a different category. From this screen, you can just click on the video you want to watch and it start playing in the horizontal mode. To stop the video, all you have to do is tap the screen and press the pause button. When you have finished watching the video, it will automatically take you back the video's menu screen. However, if 'done' is clicked then the screen turns back to the video menu screen not matter where you have watch the video to. This is all the same for the Youtube feature however there are different touch buttons across the bottom of the screen (in vertical mode) which allow you to search for Youtube videos.

The music part of the Ipod touch is also very good. Most tracks I have loaded onto the device appear to be crisp and clear through the supplied apple earphone. However, to recognise the true quality of the devices sound, you have to plug in some more expensive and better developed headphones. I brought a pair of Bose in-ear headphones from New York last year. These give of such a good sound on the ipod touch compared to the supplied head phones. However for $100 you would expect them to on most MP3 players. This is not strictly true though. I have tried them on a £20 MP3 player which was brought from boots over the Christmas holiday season and I have to say that no headphones can make the cheaper MP3 player sound much better. This proves that the quality of the device and the headphones put together have an overall impact on the quality of the sound. To operate the music player is very simple on the device. The normal play, pause touch screen buttons are present along with the go to next and previous track. You can also use your finger to slide and jump to different parts of the track. The main music player screen also show the album artwork of the track and with a touch of a list button on the screen you can view all the tracks on the selected album. If the device is turned up vertical, the music menu buttons can be seen at the bottom of the screen just above the main menu button. These can be change and edited to suit the individuals needs. On my Ipod touch I have artist, albums, songs and podcasts along the bottom.

The Ipod touch allows you to purchase music from the device itself on the onboard version of itunes. This means that you don't have to have a computer to use the ipod touch to load music onto the device. However, you have to have a computer to load on the touch's software at the start of the installation process so beware of this if your planning to buy one for someone who might not have a computer to plug the unit into. If this is the case, I would recommend finding someone to load the software onto the device or go to a local apple shop where I'm sure they will be more than happy to help you get your touch up and running.

Since I have had the touch I have come across many different problems with the device. One of the main problems is the theft risk. With previous models of the ipod, you were able to switch the ipod track over in your pocket. However, this is nearby impossible on the touch and there is no way of detecting where the touch button is without looking directly at the screen. As this is the case, you have to show you Ipod touch in full view of everyone while changing your track which obviously show everyone what you have in your pocket. A £200, highly wanted mp3 player! However, there is a security feature on the device where you can put in a 4 digit code so if people see this then that should put them off from trying to steal it. But we all know that security can probably be broken on these devices by somebody out there.

I have also notice that a lot of the features on the touch are either rubbish or unnecessary. The alarm clock is way to quite to wake anybody up. I have used it a few times now where it hasn't gone of. This also appears to drain the battery overnight so beware if you want to use it as more than a morning alarm clock. The calculator on the device is ok but again the touch screen lets it down. Other features such as the address book can also be proved pointless in this world as most of use have all our number stored on our phones and lets be honest, if you have a £200 mp3 player then your going to have a mobile phone. The calendar is ok but nothing really special or that beat a traditional mobile phone.

The 8gb memory can also be a problem with this version of the touch. After you have loaded 1 movie and a couple of album onto the device, most of the memory has gone. This means that you have to travel around with less media than other Ipods, such as the video, and therefore you have less choice to chose and have to resort to going back onto your pc to load more thing on each time.
Be aware that you must have a computer which is connected to the internet to download itunes which is the only software that will properly work with the Ipod touch. I know I mention that you can probably get the touch up and running at a apple store but you can only download music and not videos or podcasts at the present moment.

There are new features that come with the new Ipod touches such as email, stocks and maps. I have not downloaded these features as the cost around £20 for the people who brought the ipod the first mouths it comes out and don't believe they will make much of a difference to how I would use my ipod. However, if I get good feedback from this review I will consider buying them and add another review to the 8gb Ipod Touch.

Overall, the 8gb ipod touch is a good portable music and movie player. I would give it 8/10 as its good but defiantly not perfect yet. However, I would recommend it to anyone wanting to listen to music or watch movies as you can't really be disappointed with it.

Summary: If you want the best on the market, choose Ipod touch!

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