Customer Reviews:
 iPhone or iPod Touch? January 2, 2010
Tom Cat © (Earth)
354 out of 361 found this review helpful
I had a dilemma that I guess many are having - picking between the iPhone and the iPod Touch as an every day P.D.A. Both devices can sync seamlessly with the iTunes library, Address Book, Mail, and iCal applications from my MacBook, and as well as a host of other similarities, I soon realised that the more important question was, "What does the iPhone offer for all that extra money?"
I now realise that there is actually very little difference. Aside from the obvious Phone functions, the 3G connection is the only other useful feature missing from the iPod Touch, and I see no reason to pay 'at least' twenty pounds a month, on top of a handset charge (which is far more expensive than this device alone!) for that feature. Dilemma over - as I saw it, this is far better value for the sake of carrying my mobile in a separate pocket.
From the moment you open the, admittedly, tight clam-shell packaging (kudos for Apple's concern for the environment), the Touch feels wonderfully different to any other device you'll buy. The stainless steel backing is a finger-print/scratch magnet from the start, so do invest in a cheap case to protect the unit. In the box, you'll also get the new Apple Headphones, small pamphlets, a USB cable, a charging cradle and the usual Apple stickers.
This iPod Touch features the new Apple Headphones, which offer an in-line microphone (that you can use for Voice Control/Memo's a examples), Volume control and Play/Pause button. These come in handy as the Volume buttons on the Touch itself are quite hard. Another simple addition is the clip that keeps the two ear bud cables together now can be urn-clipped from one cable so you don't even have to pull it all the way up and down. The 8GB iPod Touch does not feature these headphones.
So what about sound quality? First, lets take into consideration that the Apple Headphones are spectacularly average. You're never going to get the full experience (or intended sound) of the music, as they have an almost 'tinny'/flat output, being that they lack plugs to keep the buds in your ear, resulting in that sound leaking out easily. Many people probably won't care as we are not all tuned in (forgive the pun) to the enjoyment of high quality audio, but for the Touch's basic activities, these are headphones are fine.
Once you do connect the Touch to some quality speakers/headphones, it outputs beautifully and rivals my 2 year old Sony Walkman. I have absolutely no arguments with this being, as a stand alone music player, a darn cite better than the majority of other competitors. Accessing your music is easy via the 'Music' app, and the presentation of your music collection can be completely customised with ease. You can even turn the iPod into landscape viewing, and Cover Flow magically appears! Your music can be accessed when using any other App etc, and the Touch even has the ability to act as a 'Remote' for your iTunes library.
The Home Button, typically of Apple, makes the Touch operations dummy-friendly. Press it once to access the 'Home Screen' - your first page of 'Apps' (Applications). Many Apps are already installed ready for you, including things like Mail, Calendar, Photos, Contacts, YouTube, Maps, Weather, Memos... The list continues. From the Apps already installed, you already have a mass of communication and information ready for you to either 'Sync' with your computer, or access on the iPod.
The truth is, the iPod Touch is a very accessible P.D.A, which marketing wise, Apple is reluctant to spread evenly between the iPhone and iPod because the iPhone brings in more bucks...
You can have up to 11 Pages of Apps, which you organise either from the iPod or iTunes. Apps are essentially bite-size looking programs that can be as simple as a game of 'Checkers', as extensive as a 'Collins French Dictionary', or as huge as the popular game 'The Sims'. They don't all cost either - but do bare in mind that, across the 90,000 available, there are just as many poor ones as quality ones. But on the whole, you'll find an App for anything - whether it be Education, Productivity, or Fun ("The Fartulator").
Connectivity is the only area the iPod misses out the iPhone. The Touch only uses a Wi-Fi connection for streaming internet data/information, meaning you 'have' to be in a Wi-Fi zone. The iPhone on the other hand has 3G, meaning you can access the Net anywhere providing your contract allows you to. But more establishments these days have Wi-Fi hotspots, so its not all bad news.
And if you download the Skype App, the unit becomes a very different story. Providing you have your Apple headphones, you basically have a telephone providing you're in a Wi-Fi area, and the other user has Skype in some means.
The Wi-Fi is obviously the icing on the cake for this being a suitable P.D.A. "Maps", one of the pre-installed Apps, lets you plan a route from your current location to a specified destination whilst connected to Wi-Fi. But Maps is brilliant - it remembers your route, so when you drive down the Motorway (in no Wi-Fi zones), all you need to do is follow the steps on screen!
The screen is 'very' sensitive and tracks every minute touch. Using the default QWERTY keyboard is, surprisingly, very easy and only took a couple of minutes to adjust to. The screen supports "Multi Touch Gesture". As quick examples, 'pinch' a webpage, and it zooms out... Spread your thumb and finger out, and it zooms in. The unit also sports an 'accelerometer' - a clever set of components that register the movement of the device as you hold it - like a Nintendo Wii remote.
To complete the sale for me was the 'Video' playback - the iPod Touch lets you watch any kind of .MP4/.MPV movie file on the go, which has been an absolute joy. I've ripped episodes of The Simpsons/Disney films, even home made videos on my MacBook's HDD, and then upload them onto the iPod. Playback is beautiful for such a small device. But be aware that, like other powerful Apps, these features drain the battery. As usual, Apple have been very... 'proud' of their battery life estimates, and as such I find it hard to believe where they get their figures from.
Summing up, why go for this 32GB model? I feel it appears the best value for money and for using the capacity compared to the 8GB and 64GB models. Films are roughly 1GB each, Apps themselves are usually at least 3/5mb, my entire iTunes library of Film, TV and Music is using just under 16GB. Buying the 8GB model for Fifty Pounds less doesn't seem good value, but even worse is that 64GB model, which I highly doubt most people would fill. Also don't forget that the formatting of the memory means you get around 29GB, not 32GB.
If I haven't convinced you enough to buy this wonderful gadget, then just read the other comments. Apple have always been ahead of the game, and the iPod Touch isn't just a product of modernity, its a sign of things to come, as Apple have once again set the standard for technology thats just as beautiful to look at as it is to use.
The bee's knees November 8, 2009
M. C. Mitchell (Oslo)
72 out of 73 found this review helpful
Very happy with the purchase. The ipod touch is very responsive, never freezes, and is very user-friendly. Thousands of possible applications, some excellent, some useless, can be downloaded for free or pretty cheap. The touch screen is a joy to use, although when keying in information using the keyboard can sometimes be tricky - I usually hit the wrong letter at least a couple of times.
It's main drawback compared to the iphone is that it is dependant on a wifi network, and if you're not within range of one, then many/most of the applications do not work. At home, this isn't a problem, but when you're on the move, you have to bear it in mind. My only other gripe is that it should have an FM radio - I don't think that would have been difficult for the Apple boys to include, and it would have brought it closer to the perfect portable media player.
But all in all, an excellent wee piece of machinery providing unrivalled ease of use and countless hours of listening, surfing, map-plotting, fun and even making phone calls (via Skype)
Love it! October 28, 2009
Mr. B. Greenway (Hastings, UK)
129 out of 133 found this review helpful
I got my iPod touch earlier this year and I have to say, it is very nearly a faultless piece of technology. Obviously there are some drawbacks to it, and the main ones I have found are:
- Not being able to watch videos on websites that don't play them through Quicktime
This has the potential to be quite annoying as I like to watch user submitted videos on websites such as MPORA, which are streamed through a different provider.
- Putting a low quality (at high volume) speaker on the model
The speaker is useful at a fairly low to medium levels of volume if you want to show someone a song out loud, you cannot get any personal pleasure from listening to this speaker.
- The shake to shuffle feature doesn't work while iPod is 'asleep'
While this is good for when you're walking when the iPod is shaking all the time when driving it is pretty annoying that I have to take my eyes off of the road to unlock the iPod then change the song.
Of course all of these are just nit picking at the iPods clearly superior technology, but if those few points were improved - for me it would be the perfect piece of technology.
So in conclusion if you are considering between the iPod touch 32gb 3G and a different similarly priced mp3 player. Go for the iPod straight away. Trust me its worth it!
More than an ipod November 4, 2009
T. Starmore (United Kingdom)
46 out of 48 found this review helpful
I upgraded to the Ipod Touch from having the Ipod Classic 80gb. The first thing I noticed was how user friendly it was, music quality is excellent as you would expect from Apple. The amount of applications that are downloadable(Most are free or for a small fee) are more than you would ever need. I have watched several films on mine now and the picture quality is outstanding. The games are easy and fun to use too.
Easy to use and superb quality, one of the best buys I have ever made.
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