The Best Designed mp3 Player (Apple iPod touch 8 GB)

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	Apple iPod touch 8 GB
Date:	07/10/08 (120 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks Great, Easy to Use

Disadvantages: No mains charger

Apple's range of iPod's have recently been given a facelift. In the case of the iPod Touch, it's actually more than a just a cosmetic improvement - the 'second generation' design now features a speaker and external volume controls - both of which increase the functionality of the designer mp3 player.

I previously reviewed the 32gb version, which I briefly owned before selling on eBay. This review concerns the cheapest of the three 'touch' options - the 8gb version, although the features I describe apply to the range as a whole.

I first purchased an iPod Touch when I went away on holiday at the start of the year, and needed to keep up to date with my work emails. Yes I know holidays are supposed to be for relaxing - but the impending vacation gave me a chance to buy a new gadget (any excuse!) and Apples iPod Touch was the one I chose. Sleek, and beautifully designed, it's a multi-media device of the highest quality, with the majority of its controls accessed via the touch sensitive screen.

The 8GB version will hold approximately 1,750 songs - although it really depends on the quality with which you compress your mp3 / AAC files.

The screen is made from tough glass which is very difficult to scratch - unlike some of the cheaper mp3 players, which can be a bit fragile to say the least. Watching movies and music videos is a pleasure on the large bright screen, as the picture quality is of a very high standard. The 'second generation' screen has actually been criticised by some users who say that the white tones look yellowy. I don't actually see this as a concern - as it's not something I would have noticed.

New users to the iPod touch may find it takes a while to get used to the novel control method. I myself took a short time to adjust, but soon I was navigating my way around the interface with ease. You can pinch your fingers inward to zoom out of a page, and then do the opposite to zoom in. Whilst fairly intuitive, I now find the double-tap option of zooming to be the easier system.

The web browser included with the iPod Touch is Apple's Safari. It's a quick browser which handled the majority of the websites I visited without any problems.

There are little programs known as 'web apps' which you can download to the start screen - I suppose many of these are like glorified bookmarks - for example the BBC iPlayer app - which takes you straight to the site without having to open the browser first.

You will need to use a computer for the iPods inititial configuration - although I can't see this as a problem, as we generally all have one nowadays.

Battery life is good - although unlike many of the earlier iPod models, it only comes with a USB computer charger, rather than with a plug adaptor. This is only a problem if you are away from a computer for a long time though.

You can get hold of the 8GB iPod Touch from Apple for £165 - or cheaper if you're willing to look on ebay. This particular model is highly recommended by me, as it's a versatile and high quality device.

I'm impressed by the second generation changes which Apple has made to this product, and i'm happy to claim that it's the best mp3 player available.

Summary: Excellent Device

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