Wednesday October 29, 2008
A really nice touch
PAPER THIN: The new iPod touch has lost quite a bit of weight while retaining a smooth yet elegant form. The second-generation iPod touch is said to be the most fun iPod yet, now sporting a sleek design and more features.
By CHONG JINN XIUNG
APPLE’S second-generation iPod touch crams many features into a simple device and it’s certainly not difficult to believe that it’s one of the “funnest” portable music players in the market.
When we first came across the iPod touch last year, it was little more than a pared down version of the iPhone and strangely lacked several useful applications.
The new iPod touch, available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes, remedies this with a better set of features and an attractive design.
HEAD TURNER: The latest iPod touch packs in more features. Look and feel
They say looks isn’t everything, but the iPod touch is so attractive that I just couldn’t stop admiring its slender metallic body which is only 0.3in thick.
Sure, it looks very much like the old one, but there’s a lot to be said of the little changes made to the new model that makes it even more stunning.
After a side-by-side comparison between the old and new model, I am pretty convinced that the new one is thinner, more stylish and has more curves.
Though it looks thinner, the iPod touch doesn’t feel much lighter than the first-generation model. Still, I found it more comfortable to hold due to its rounder shape.
Plus, it now has a stainless steel back that is just gorgeous. My only complaint with the otherwise flawless design is that the steel back still attracts smudges and scratches after prolonged use.
ADDED AUDIO: The iPod touch has a tiny speaker hidden underneath the Home button. New additions
Among the major improvements to this year’s iPod touch includes a dedicated volume control button on the side and a built-in speaker for casual listening of music or playing games.
I found the addition of a volume control button especially helpful because in the older model I had to unlock the screen before I could adjust the volume.
The built-in speaker is good if you want to play games on the iPod touch without having to wear headphones.
However, the speaker has a very limited audio range that really suffer when playing songs with a wide variety of instruments playing.
Also, the speaker is just too soft, so don’t expect to use it in a crowded area.
Great for music
Primarily designed as a music player, the iPod touch doesn’t disappoint in delivering quality audio for your listening pleasure.
To get started with the iPod touch you are going to need at least version 8 of the iTunes media player.
Once installed, it is a relatively simple task of linking the iPod to a PC or Mac to begin syncronising music, videos and applications.
Acting as the primary hub for your music, iTunes is still one of the best ways to manage music playlists.
Music support for the iPod touch spans across various formats such as AAC, MP3, AIFF, WAV, Apple Lossless and audio books, so you get a pretty wide variety of sources to choose from.
However, while we have an iTunes store in Malaysia but it is still not possible to purchase music online.
When using the iPod touch as a music player, I certainly wasn’t disappointed with the wealth of options available.
The interface is still the same — I could browse through tracks by artist, album, genre and rate songs using the same easy-to-use menu system. And the Cover Flow feature still looks impressive for browsing through albums.
And if you can’t decide which songs to listen to, you can now let the iPod touch do the thinking for you.
Called Genius, this technology instantly creates a playlist of songs from your collection, though not necessarily from the same genre, that blend well together.
We got a taste of Genius when we reviewed the iPod nano recently, and we are still impressed with it because it is a great way to rediscover forgotten songs in our vast collection.
However, it still could use some work as there are still songs in my library that don’t seem to work with this feature.
As far as sound quality goes, the iPod touch performed well in delivering a well balanced, great sounding tunes regardless of whether I was rocking to Linkin Park or relaxing to jazz with Diana Krall.
Music isn’t the only thing the iPod touch is good at, as it is also great for watching videos on the small screen which has a maximum resolution of 640 x 480pixels.
The new iPod touch benefits from a significantly brighter screen that makes watching videos and sitcoms on the small screen even better.
However, the screen has a slight yellow overcast though it didn’t ruin the overall viewing experience.
A whole lot of fun
The iPod touch is much more than just a standard music and video player, as it’s a versatile device that packs many of the features found on PDAs.
Part of the whole experience in using the iPod touch revolves using its intuitive multi-touch interface, which is completely driven by finger gestures such as tapping, flicking or pinching to enlarge photos.
Also, the iPod touch has undergone major improvements since it was first released as several frimware updates have been released in the past that included new applications that allow you to check weather, stocks, e-mail and more.
The review unit had the latest firmware, which allows the iPod touch to run third party applications downloaded from the iTunes App store.
With so many different applications that you can download from the iTunes App store, there is so much to see and do with the iPod touch.
Like a kid in a candy store, you are just spoiled for choice in choosing the myriad of games for the iPod touch.
If you are up for some fast and furious action, there are racing games like Crash Kart and MotoChaser to satisfy your need for speed.
On the other hand, if you prefer a thinking man’s game then you can’t go wrong with puzzle games such as Sudoku and Critter Crunch.
Even popular games for the console and PC have made the transition over to the iPod touch and now you can play Spore Origins and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
For more serious users, there are business applications that allow you to keep track of accounts and client information.
Needless to say, this adds a new dimension to the iPod touch as the applications make it even more versatile.
Moving on, browsing the Web on the Safari browser was fast and easy, and would have been great if it had supported Flash playback.
The interface for the web browser is simple to use, and websites can be viewed just like they appear on a desktop browser.
And using finger gestures it is quick and easy to zoom in and out of webpages.
Also, the web browser will switch to landscape view should you hold the device horizontally, giving you a better view of a page.
Another minor addition to the iPod touch is the support for various products such as the iPod earphones with voice recording and the Nike + shoes, which is great if you like to listen to music while working out.
The verdict
The new iPod touch doesn’t feel like a breakthrough because many of its features have been slowly rolled out through the many firmware updates, which are also available to the older model.
And although the addition of a built-in speaker and volume control buttons are welcome improvements but the speaker is just too soft.
Nonetheless, the iPod touch is still great at delivering fantastic music and video playback, and speedy web surfing.
Plus, now it supports tons of third-party applications which expands the capability of the device, whether you use it for work or play.
All in all, the iPod touch has a lot going for it — stylish design, cheaper price, and tons of features.
And if you are looking for a device that does more than just play music and videos, you can’t go wrong with the iPod touch.
Pros: Attractive design; smoother web browsing; supports numerous third party applications and games; great music playback; brighter screen
Cons: Built-in speaker too soft; Safari still doesn’t support Flash videos.
iPod Touch (Apple)
Portable media player
Supported formats: MP3, AAC, protected AAC, Apple lossless, WAV, AIFF, H.264 video (up to 640 x 480pixels), MPEG-4 video,
Storage: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
Interface: USB 2.0
Battery: Built-in lithium-ion
Other features: Multi-touch display, WiFi, Safari browser, YouTube, weather, e-mail, stocks, maps, calendar, calculator, contacts, photo viewer, alarm clock Bundled accessories: Earphones, USB sync and charge cable
Dimensions: 110 x 61.8 x 8mm Weight: 115g
Price: RM949 (8GB), RM1,229 (16GB), RM1,629 (32GB)
Website: www.applemalaysia.com.my
Review unit courtesy of Apple Malaysia, (03)2711-1888
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