ipod touch review
Pros
- superb touch screen interface
- attractive look
- wifi
- applications including safari and wifi itunes store
- excellent widescreen display
Cons
- metal back prone to scratches
- restricted to iTunes store for purchases
- no videos on the Australian iTunes store
- restrictions on importing other media like movie files
- more expensive compared to other electronic media players
I'm a heavy iPod user so decided to upgrade to the iPod touch late last year, which is basically a version of the iPhone without the phone capabilities. The following is an updated version of a preliminary review which appeared on the Meatz website.
Lets begin with the new touch interface which is superb. There are only two external buttons with the remainder of user input done via the touch screen like the Nintendo DS, except you don't use a stylus but rather your finger. With the jog wheel removed, the screen has been expanded to cover almost the entire face of the iPod which is a major improvement for viewing videos and navigating the interface. Gliding your finger across the screen to unlock the phone and browse albums is intuitive, fluid and just plain cool. My initial concerns about the touch keyboard are misplaced - its works superbly and exceeds any other mobile interface i have used. There is some impressive tech behind the keyboard software with the target area for keys changing depending on the probability of that letter appearing next given the possible words (based on the previous letters you have typed).
Another improvement is the glass face which is much more durable that the old iPod’s screen. Despite general usage and being placed in my pocket unprotected while going for walks it has not received any scratches (unlike my original iPod which was scratched after 1 day). A massive disappointment though is that they have retained the polished metal back which is prone to scratches like my classic iPod. Given that i have no desire to keep the Touch in a pouch it looks like the back will eventually be scratched to bits. The other disadvantaged with the metal back and glass touch interface is that the touch is a magnet for finger prints, so you will be polishing this one endlessly.
Another impressive feature is that accelerometers inside the touch identify when you turn the device on its side, and depending on the application you have running, it automatically rotates the screen to widescreen. For instance, where surfing the net you can turn the device on its side and the screen will rotate to widescreen which improves the viewing for most webpages. This is where the touch interface comes into its own. Simply slide you finger up on the screen (as if you are sliding the webpage up) and you scroll down the page. Hold two fingers together and spread them apart to zoom in. Simply fantastic for a portable device.
As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the touch comes with a web browser (Apple’s Safari) which takes advantage of the inbuilt wifi - another great feature. The wifi was incredibly easy to set up: it detected my home wireless network and all I had to do was enter the password to log on. Why can’t my consoles and PC be as easy to set up? Within seconds of connecting I was browsing the Meat n Two Veg site and eventually managed to log in after I finally remember my password. I also went to Youtube from the built in link on the main page of the user interface and watched a Youtube video in widescreen.
Another nice application is calendar, which can be synced with the calendar on my iMac (and specific calendars on windows based pcs). Furthermore is the inclusion of the iTunes wifi music store which lets you purchase music wirelessly.
A big drawback at the time of my original review was the lack of an email application. This was subsequently addressed with a January software upgrade which included 5 new applications: Mail, Maps, Weather, Notes and Stocks. Mail - the most useful - supports standard IMAP and POP3 mail systems. I was easily able to set up my Gmail account and have become accustomed to checking my mail while simultaneously watering the garden. Maps is a Google Maps style application which has the added ability to locate your position based on Skyhook Wireless Technology, which triangulates your position using local WiFi access points. Unfortunately this technology is not currently available in Australia, which is another disappointing example of a feature that is not available to international customers. While the new applications bundled as part of the January are welcome, an annoying aspect is that existing Touch owners had to buy the update at a cost of $24.99.
On the negative side, iPod’s continue to have the problem of locking you into the iTunes store for purchasing online music. While this is not a problem for me, for some people it will be a significant negative. There are also problems with importing songs that are not ripped through iTunes directly from cds. Furthermore, while I haven’t tested it yet, I’m sure there are also problems with importing videos, such as downloaded tv shows.
I was also disappointed that the touch did not come with a power point adaptor meaning that I have to rely on the usb cable to charge the device. Luckily can use the adapter from my original iPod to charge the touch from a powerpoint. But it’s a disadvantaged for newcomers. And this raises the other common complaint against iPods – the use of a non-user replaceable battery which requires the device to be sent to apple for battery replacement. Surely some user replaceable system would be superior.
The other drawback is that the touch is a little on the expensive side. It comes in three sizes with the 8 GB version sold at AU$399, the 16 GB version at $499, while the more recent 32 GB variant is available at $629.
Despite these later drawbacks, the iPod Touch is a wonderful digital device for playing music. The touch interface is slick and well implemented. There is scope for improvement in some areas and I expect there will be significant improvements with future versions of the device which is typical for most apple products.