Customer Reviews:
 Great upgrade from 8GB December 20, 2008
I used to have the 8GB version. I am really glad I upgraded to the 16GB version. The extra storage really comes in handy when you start using more videos. With the recent 2.2 update this size also comes in handy when downloading podcasts and apps from the iPod touch itself. This is the best gadget I have ever owned. A very good investment. This is a very versatile media player. From internet and email to pda funcitons to gaming to video to music and photos. If you have the 8GB version and cant decided whether to upgrade to the 16GB. You should your library of songs, videos, photos and apps is always growing. So you will always need more storage. Its better to have more so that you can use this ipod for atleast 1 to 2 years without having to upgrade. Ideally its best to upgrade to the 32GB version but if you cant then upgrade to the 16GB version. Also make sure you update your software to the latest even if it costs you about $10 its worth it with all the capabilities it has.
So very close to perfect December 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Apple clearly made some choices about what to put into the iPhone's stepsibling, and not all those choices were good. Some say the ipod Touch is the "iPhone without the phone." (It also lacks the iPhone's camera, microphone and speaker, as well as Bluetooth connectivity.) But although I may be in the minority, I really don't want my cell phone running off the same battery as my entertainment system. My cell phone is mostly for work, and I don't want to worry that every song I play now might mean a missed call later.
The Touch has the same innovative interface as the iPhone, with its multitouch screen and single home button. As I've said, it lacks the phone, which I see as a good thing (although net connectivity via cell networks might be useful when I can't get wi-fi). I also see the lack of a camera as a good thing -- my work has taken me to too many places that make you surrender your camera phone at the door. Although it wasn't available at release, the App Store now means that you can select from thousands of third-party apps that allow your iPod to do things that the iPods of the past could only dream of.
But it could be better. What's the point of criticism if not to point out ways to improve, after all? The iPod Touch doesn't have any form of external storage. It would be great if it had an SD card slot, or some other flash media format. Or even a USB port, so you could connect a hard drive, or maybe even a keyboard. My point is that the only ways to get things into or out of the Touch's memory are via the network and via synching with iTunes. And that is probably why these features don't exist -- Apple chose not to include any such thing, probably because of licensing agreements with application and media publishers, so they could maintain tight control over what data you can move into and out of your device.
I'd say the same reasoning is why they chose not to include Bluetooth, except that the iPhone *does* include Bluetooth. I'm not sure why they left it out of the Touch. But if the Touch did have Bluetooth, that could wirelessly address the lack of a USB port -- you could use a Bluetooth keyboard, perhaps, or Bluetooth external storage, which wouldn't be fast but would be better than nothing.
The lack of an internal speaker and microphone is sometimes a problem. Yes, you can attach external speakers, as with any iPod, but what if I just want to share some funny YouTube video with my friends? I don't want to carry a speaker system around everywhere I go; the point of the iPod is portability. And as for the microphone, the Touch doesn't even have a jack to connect an external mic to. The lack of a microphone means that many network voice chat possibilities are eliminated, including the possibility of using the Touch as a VOIP phone -- and I suspect that Apple's agreement with AT&T that allowed it to make the iPhone may have included noncompetition language that is, basically, the reason why the Touch has no mic.
Another issue is the storage space. Using solid-state flash storage is a better option than hard drives with moving parts, I agree -- you get a more durable iPod. But nobody wants to step down from an 80GB video iPod to an 8GB or even 16GB iPod Touch. Where do you keep all your stuff? Especially with its beautiful screen, great for watching video in a travel context, you'd think there would be more space to put video in. The only reason they didn't double or quadruple the storage space has to be to cut costs. I don't think Apple should be focusing on flash storage until flash storage's prices come closer to having per-gigabyte parity with hard drives.
In the end, the iPod Touch is awesome. But it could be super-awesome, if not for Apple's choices not to include the super-awesomeness because of licensing and legal factors. In my perfect world, the Touch would have a USB port and be able to access media stored on external devices, as well as some kind of flash storage slot, so you could basically have an unlimited media library and connect a keyboard so you could type for real. It should have an internal speaker and mic as well as a microphone jack, so you could use network voice chat and VOIP. And it should really have more storage capacity, at least as much as the video iPods.
And while I'm dreaming, how about some sort of Flash player in Safari?
 Great iPod!!! December 17, 2008
I love my iPod Touch!!! It is wonderful! I have not had any issues with it, it works great. It is a breeze to add items, delete items, play, etc. I like the touch option, that is great. I think the picture quality on the screen is really good. I watch movies on it all the time now and don't have any viewing problems. The colors are awesome and really pop out at you.
I like the datebook option, it is much easier to use then previous iPods. The internet works great, pretty fast for such a small devise.
The one thing I would suggest is to purchase a skin when you buy this product, the fingerprints accumulate VERY fast and just make the back look dirty. I bought a skin the 2nd day I owned it.
The battery isn't bad, I use my iPod through the day then charge it at night. I don't the internet option all day though so I am not sure if the battery dies quicker when you do. Usually if I am listening to music, watching a movie or playing a game I can do that all day and still have about 1/3 of battery left when I plug it in at night.
I love putting pictures on it, that is really cool. Plus when you turn the iPod, the picture will change from portrait to landscape, that is cool.
I do not regret purchasing this item. It is awesome and well worth it.
Excellent multi-function entertainment device December 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
First of all, there is so little difference between this and the 2nd gen Touch that I opted to get a refurb. Lots of gear is available for the 1st gen and it's now cheaper since it won't fit the 2nd gen as well so you'll save money on cases, etc.
There are a lot of things you can do with a Touch that you can't do with other iPods or most MP3 players. I also have an Archos 605 which is much better for watching videos since it has twice the storage capacity, a bigger screen and will play a much wider variety of video formats. And you'd have to have great vision to try to watch a movie on the smaller screen on the iPod Touch so I only use it for music videos and short films. For video playback I'd have to give the Touch a mere 2 stars, due to it's small screen and very fussy taste in formats, even some files I got thru iTunes won't play on my Touch which just seems foolish to me.
But other areas shine with a Touch. About half the time I use it as an e-book reader and it's vastly superior to the Kindle (which I've tried) and the Sony Reader (which I own). It's backlit screen is a lot smaller but it's extremely portable and comfy in the hand so there's little chance of dropping it and I only need a few lines on the screen at a time so screen size is not a big issue. It's much much faster than the Sony at loading and turning pages and I like being able to switch between portrait and landscape mode, but it is annoying that it does change this on it's own if you move your hand very much. I'd like an on-the-fly way to lock into into one mode for reading. The reader app I use is free so far (Stanza) and has as many features as the reader on my PDA and changing font sizes is done with a quick finger motion which can't be beat. Putting books on the device is more of a pain but that may improve, for the moment it's a tedious matter for each book and again I wish you could just drag and drop files to the device.
It's obviously a great MP3 player but I don't like being locked into the iTunes software which is 'too' easy to use, meaning it requires you to do things Apple's way. Even Windows Media Player 10 is better in my opinion but having the store and apps so easy to get to is a plus. You can organize your music in many ways but I tend to just playback via playlist most of the time. The Genius function is very interesting and a good way to find music you might like based on music you already listen to a lot. There is some flexibility with equalizers but not as much as some other players as far as my ears can tell. I like coverflow and the fact that it starts up on it's own when you turn the device horizontally.
It's also a very nice photo viewer and if you download comics or scan them it's easy to view a comic strip panel in the widescreen display though larger pages are more difficult and require scrolling or amazing eyesight.
I hadn't expected to use it to play games, my choice was between the Touch and the PSP and I opted for a smaller, lighter device and assumed I'd give up a gaming option. But there are a lot of cute and fun games for the Touch, many of which are free or under a dollar right now. It's accelerometer opens up a lot of possibilities for fun and the sharp display makes them even better. They're not complex games like you can find for the PSP but for casual gaming while waiting in line or at a dental appointment it's ideal.
The App store is something I expected to dislike as much as I have always disliked iTunes so I was surprised to find I enjoy browsing for new apps to put on my toy. Some are very silly like a toaster where you just make toast from bread, muffins or bagels, some are more serious like news readers, calculators and mini-wikipedias. A lot of apps have a free version you can try out, usually with a smaller screen or other limitation but it lets you try it out before you buy. Very few things seem to be more than $6-$10 and there is a lot that's under $2. I hope more of my old favorites from my PDA days get ported over and they seem to be selling for a fraction of what they cost on my PDA as well.
You can listen to the radio as well with an app that uses internet radio stations, you can listen to local stations in many cases or even international stations if you're so inclined. Some apps offer stations with a theme such as 80s New Wave or classic country and so on, so you're likely to find something you enjoy and you can listen to the music (or talk) for free just like on the radio.
Using the web or email is very easy with the included apps but it still doesn't support flash videos which is inexplicable and annoying. So many of the videos on the web are in flash I just don't know why they can't make it a supported format on the Touch. There are specialized apps that let you access particular info or websites as well as RSS newsfeeds.
Battery life is better than my Archos, it's much smaller and lighter as well so unless I'm going on a long trip I leave the Archos and Sony Reader at home now and take the Touch and it fills in for both devices, and my MP3 player as well. It's taken me years to succumb to Apple's wiles but I'm glad I did, the Touch does just what I want and it's very easy to carry, affordable and thus far my refurb seems as good as new.
Be sure to get a good case and a screen protector and put them on the moment you take it out of the box to prevent scratches and smudges. I use the Griffin case, I've liked them in the past and the one for the 1st gen Touch is well-made and a lot like putting armor on your new toy. Crystal and silicon cases also work and let you 'wear' the Touch but I attached a lanyard to my Griffin case to make it easier to hold onto instead. If I go running or to the gym I use my Nano fatty since it's smaller but if I walk or use an exercise bike I switch to the Touch so I can read as well.
The multi-touch screen, accelerometer, ambient light self-adjustment and wi-fi are all well implemented and I have no complaint about any of them, they make using the Touch very easy and fun. The screen is sharp and it's a sleek and thin device that drops into any shirt pocket. The headphones are not good but that's always the case with MP3 players so I'd suggest you add a volume control or remote control and keep that plugged in, then add whatever headphones you like. That way you're less likely to wear out the headphone jack which seems to be the main problem owners of the Touch have reported.
 Ensure you remain under warranty! December 14, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was given the 16G iPod iTouch for a gift less than a year ago. The extended warranty was never purchased and now the earbud jack on the unit is loose, cuts out one channel and Apple says I have to purchase a new iTouch as I was 4 days out of warranty. My bad; however, I don't understand Apple's inability to fix it. "It's a hardware issue, no can do." It worked fine for about 11 months. I think it would be rather expensive to buy one per year.
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