Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

thinner), there are a few drawbacks.
The first drawback I noticed was that Apple switched materials used for the back of the device (it was a soft, scratch-free, almost matte-like back on the iPhone while it's a glossy aluminum on the ipod touch and scratches VERY easily).

The next problem came in connecting it to a PC - my first try didn't go as planned as I received errors stating that the device driver could not be loaded (and therefore could not be recognized). This is a new higher-end PC purchased in February 2008, so to have this type of problem was upsetting (all other devices have run without problems). After troubleshooting, I ended up reformatting to solve the problem (which worked), so I won't deduct any points for that.
I have had some trouble with the device crashing while in coverflow - too often to call it "bad luck", and the trouble has forced me to go into text-view when searching for music on the device.

After loading the device, I finally get a chance to use it and immediately notice that something is "off" in the colors. Everything had a visible yellow tint to it (as if the color temperature was set incorrectly). This was very annoying as blacks appeared green, white appeared yellow, and people appeared gold. I tried to look past it, but compared to the iPhone screen (and even the 5G ipod), the difference was VERY noticeable and very distracting. I returned the iPod to amazon, only to experience the same issue. I took that one to the Apple Store and, again, same issue. I'm starting to believe that this is a problem with all 32GB models (as the 8 and 16GB ones I tested, looked fine). My 3.5 star review is assuming that this gets fixed in a future update (either by adjusting the temperature, or offering a way for the end-user to do so - apparently this was the case with earlier 16GB models).

Next problem: Sorting
The iPod touch is obviously designed for video. Using it for an audio-only player seems to kind of defeat the purpose of that great screen. Why, then, does all content appear in a single list with no way to sort (Podcasts, Movies, Music Videos) or even jump to specific areas?
The way the Video application is designed is to provide one long list with Movies on top, Music Videos in the middle and Video Podcasts at the bottom. The problem here is that I have 350 music videos that I have to scroll through each time to get to the Podcasts section. Another issue is that there is no way to "Play All," you must manually select each video after the previous ends.

Audio lets you sort by:
Playlists / Artists / Songs / Albums / Audiobooks / Compilations / Composers / Genres / Podcasts
Why doesn't video let you even sort by Movie/Music Video/Podcasts?

The Photo app is very nice for showing off your photos, but another missing function here is the Camera. I think that the iPhone camera would've been great to have on here, and it isn't a phone-specific feature that would be useless for ipod users.

The Calendar function is useful - I don't have too much of a use for it so I didnt explore it much, but it is functional. The same goes for other apps like Weather, Stocks, etc..

Mail and Safari are by far my favorite apps, but since they require a wifi connection, I havent had much of a chance to use them (and instead use the iPhone on edge). If you have wifi access where you commonly travel, these are excellent programs. Youtube has gotten much better also (expanding the amount of videos available on the mobile version), maps is a perfect representation of Google Maps and the Calculator is just that. These applications are fantastic but also useless if you live in an area without many wifi hotspots. With that said, the mobile safari browser is the best mobile browser I've ever seen.

The notes function is one of my most used, however, it doesnt allow you to sync your notes to it (at least on a PC). Very disappointing! The Clock application lets you view world clocks, set a timer, alarm or use it as a stopwatch (which brings me in to my next disappointment). The iPhone speakers have been removed, so to listen to any audio you must use headphones (this is usually used with videos/youtube when you want to show video to others or to multiple people.. disappointing that you cannot do this without either passing earphones around or buying an external speaker set). The noises are now replaced by bleeps and bloops (like you'd get from an old-school 8-bit gaming system).

The design is very slick. However, I feel that they went for looks over functionality on this one. The touch has just 2 buttons: Power/Sleep and Home. This is nice for looks, but bad for ease of use. The iphone, while also minimal, at least had physical controls for volume on it.
This is very important when the device is out of view -- one big use for my ipods has always been as a radio/cdplayer replacement for my car. In the past I've always been able to adjust volume or tracks by touch (either with a touchwheel or physical buttons like the shuffle), with the ipod touch (and iphone) I'm unable to adjust tracks without double tapping home and then physically looking at the screen to locate the 'next track' buttons. This also affects you if the ipod is in your pocket and you wish to change tracks. This is probably some sort of plan to get us to shell out another $50 for a remote control once they release one, but then again I might just be paranoid ;)
On a serious note though, I am a bit disappointed in the AV cables for the iPod touch - they require all new cables (meaning 5G ones won't work here), cost $49.99 for either Component or Composite and max-out at 480i or 576i (not even progressive).

Going back to the positives, unlike the iPhone which came with a dock for holding the device vertical, the iPod comes with a very small piece of plastic which is actually a stand for holding it vertical or horizontal - very compact and well thought out.

The keyboard is great and the predictive text can be as well (although you will find some words that it INSISTS on changing to incorrect ones, which can really frustrate you), overall it's fantastic. My disappointment here comes from the fact that the device requires a physical touch (meaning no stylus or other devices), which then means massive fingerprints covering the screen.

As expected, the device requires all content be converted and transferred through itunes - great if you have your content in that format, but if you just want to add some video files, you must convert them to the specifications that it understands (hopefully they allow 3rd party codecs with the 2.0 release, but again it's expected so I won't knock any points for it).

The device has great file support, including office-type documents (through weblinks and email) but for whatever reason, does not like you transfer these documents to the device. Very disappointing here, and again a change I hope is made in 2.0.

I also don't like the idea of charging for what should be considered "free software updates" - Sony has added fantastic features to the PSP for years, yet apple charges $20 for a few extras that are included free with the iPhone? If this becomes a trend, I see them holding back content and selling it to you later on (much like recent downloadable content on the videogame consoles)


I know I seemed to go more into negatives in this review, but we've all read the positives (which I agree with) and felt that some of these important negatives (to me at least) should be mentioned.
Overall I am satisfied with the device, but for the high price and disappointments, I can't give it a score much higher. Fix the software problems (including screen tint) and it's a solid 4.5 from me.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

thinner), there are a few drawbacks.

The first drawback I noticed was that Apple switched materials used for the back of the device (it was a soft, scratch-free, almost matte-like back on the iPhone while it's a glossy aluminum on the ipod touch and scratches VERY easily).



The next problem came in connecting it to a PC - my first try didn't go as planned as I received errors stating that the device driver could not be loaded (and therefore could not be recognized). This is a new higher-end PC purchased in February 2008, so to have this type of problem was upsetting (all other devices have run without problems). After troubleshooting, I ended up reformatting to solve the problem (which worked), so I won't deduct any points for that.

I have had some trouble with the device crashing while in coverflow - too often to call it "bad luck", and the trouble has forced me to go into text-view when searching for music on the device.



After loading the device, I finally get a chance to use it and immediately notice that something is "off" in the colors. Everything had a visible yellow tint to it (as if the color temperature was set incorrectly). This was very annoying as blacks appeared green, white appeared yellow, and people appeared gold. I tried to look past it, but compared to the iPhone screen (and even the 5G ipod), the difference was VERY noticeable and very distracting. I returned the iPod to amazon, only to experience the same issue. I took that one to the Apple Store and, again, same issue. I'm starting to believe that this is a problem with all 32GB models (as the 8 and 16GB ones I tested, looked fine). My 3.5 star review is assuming that this gets fixed in a future update (either by adjusting the temperature, or offering a way for the end-user to do so - apparently this was the case with earlier 16GB models).



Next problem: Sorting

The iPod touch is obviously designed for video. Using it for an audio-only player seems to kind of defeat the purpose of that great screen. Why, then, does all content appear in a single list with no way to sort (Podcasts, Movies, Music Videos) or even jump to specific areas?

The way the Video application is designed is to provide one long list with Movies on top, Music Videos in the middle and Video Podcasts at the bottom. The problem here is that I have 350 music videos that I have to scroll through each time to get to the Podcasts section. Another issue is that there is no way to "Play All," you must manually select each video after the previous ends.



Audio lets you sort by:

Playlists / Artists / Songs / Albums / Audiobooks / Compilations / Composers / Genres / Podcasts

Why doesn't video let you even sort by Movie/Music Video/Podcasts?



The Photo app is very nice for showing off your photos, but another missing function here is the Camera. I think that the iPhone camera would've been great to have on here, and it isn't a phone-specific feature that would be useless for ipod users.



The Calendar function is useful - I don't have too much of a use for it so I didnt explore it much, but it is functional. The same goes for other apps like Weather, Stocks, etc..



Mail and Safari are by far my favorite apps, but since they require a wifi connection, I havent had much of a chance to use them (and instead use the iPhone on edge). If you have wifi access where you commonly travel, these are excellent programs. Youtube has gotten much better also (expanding the amount of videos available on the mobile version), maps is a perfect representation of Google Maps and the Calculator is just that. These applications are fantastic but also useless if you live in an area without many wifi hotspots. With that said, the mobile safari browser is the best mobile browser I've ever seen.



The notes function is one of my most used, however, it doesnt allow you to sync your notes to it (at least on a PC). Very disappointing! The Clock application lets you view world clocks, set a timer, alarm or use it as a stopwatch (which brings me in to my next disappointment). The iPhone speakers have been removed, so to listen to any audio you must use headphones (this is usually used with videos/youtube when you want to show video to others or to multiple people.. disappointing that you cannot do this without either passing earphones around or buying an external speaker set). The noises are now replaced by bleeps and bloops (like you'd get from an old-school 8-bit gaming system).



The design is very slick. However, I feel that they went for looks over functionality on this one. The touch has just 2 buttons: Power/Sleep and Home. This is nice for looks, but bad for ease of use. The iphone, while also minimal, at least had physical controls for volume on it.

This is very important when the device is out of view -- one big use for my ipods has always been as a radio/cdplayer replacement for my car. In the past I've always been able to adjust volume or tracks by touch (either with a touchwheel or physical buttons like the shuffle), with the ipod touch (and iphone) I'm unable to adjust tracks without double tapping home and then physically looking at the screen to locate the 'next track' buttons. This also affects you if the ipod is in your pocket and you wish to change tracks. This is probably some sort of plan to get us to shell out another $50 for a remote control once they release one, but then again I might just be paranoid ;)

On a serious note though, I am a bit disappointed in the AV cables for the iPod touch - they require all new cables (meaning 5G ones won't work here), cost $49.99 for either Component or Composite and max-out at 480i or 576i (not even progressive).



Going back to the positives, unlike the iPhone which came with a dock for holding the device vertical, the iPod comes with a very small piece of plastic which is actually a stand for holding it vertical or horizontal - very compact and well thought out.



The keyboard is great and the predictive text can be as well (although you will find some words that it INSISTS on changing to incorrect ones, which can really frustrate you), overall it's fantastic. My disappointment here comes from the fact that the device requires a physical touch (meaning no stylus or other devices), which then means massive fingerprints covering the screen.



As expected, the device requires all content be converted and transferred through itunes - great if you have your content in that format, but if you just want to add some video files, you must convert them to the specifications that it understands (hopefully they allow 3rd party codecs with the 2.0 release, but again it's expected so I won't knock any points for it).



The device has great file support, including office-type documents (through weblinks and email) but for whatever reason, does not like you transfer these documents to the device. Very disappointing here, and again a change I hope is made in 2.0.



I also don't like the idea of charging for what should be considered "free software updates" - Sony has added fantastic features to the PSP for years, yet apple charges $20 for a few extras that are included free with the iPhone? If this becomes a trend, I see them holding back content and selling it to you later on (much like recent downloadable content on the videogame consoles)





I know I seemed to go more into negatives in this review, but we've all read the positives (which I agree with) and felt that some of these important negatives (to me at least) should be mentioned.

Overall I am satisfied with the device, but for the high price and disappointments, I can't give it a score much higher. Fix the software problems (including screen tint) and it's a solid 4.5 from me.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

and works great. 90% of the time I can connect to some network - in Vermont that is very impressive.
I can't say enough about this life changing item. OK maybe that's a slight overstatement, but it is really that good.
Here is something to think about. I have a 60 gig that I load up with Movies and movies. I put very little music, TV shows and Movies on my iPod touch. It really makes me think about what I am going to want to watch or listen to. That way I have some choices that are not ruined by having less storage. So that works for me. We have a shuffle and a few nanos that we also have around the house that we use for skiing, snow shoeing, biking and other activities that are more robust.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

as a flash drive too. In fact, this was a consideration when I decided to spend extra for the 32MB version. iPods have always been able to mount as a drive in past versions, so I didn't think to look this up first. There are some 3rd party solutions but they are not free.

2) It would be very nice to have a way to control the Touch without having to touch it. I really dislike having to unlock my iPod Touch to pause or to skip to the next song. It would be nice if Apple could find a way to control pause, skip, volume up, volume down by adding a dongle cable with some control buttons between the headphone port and the headphone jack... OR... add BlueTooth the the Touch.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

as a flash drive too. In fact, this was a consideration when I decided to spend extra for the 32MB version. iPods have always been able to mount as a drive in past versions, so I didn't think to look this up first. There are some 3rd party solutions but they are not free.



2) It would be very nice to have a way to control the Touch without having to touch it. I really dislike having to unlock my iPod Touch to pause or to skip to the next song. It would be nice if Apple could find a way to control pause, skip, volume up, volume down by adding a dongle cable with some control buttons between the headphone port and the headphone jack... OR... add BlueTooth the the Touch.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

my evaluation up to five stars. Even without that, I am pleased.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

down all those important memos when you don't have a pen

- Weather...to see the local forecast or any other set location

- Mail

- Stocks

- Maps...so you never get lost (as long as you have a WIFI connection)

I have also noticed the WIFI connection seems to hold much stronger than the 16GB model I owned before this. It no longer cuts out and sends me back to the home screen. I'm not sure if I had a defective model but this new 32GB Touch has yet to drop a connection even when the signal strength isn't that great to begin with. Quite an improvement.

The only gripe (what review could be complete without them) is again...the price tag. $500.00 for a handheld media player is, to say the least, a little expensive. With a price like this many consumers will view this as an extravagant item and will pass on it until the price drops or Apple comes out with an even better model with more features or both.

All in all the iPod Touch 32GB is a decent model and will satisfy most consumers need for more flash drive space. If the price doesn't shake you, this iPod will not disappoint.

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

come soon)
+ Wireless searching and video on mode can be disabled to extend battery life
+ Great interface for Safari web browsing with easy Wifi hotspot setup
+ Headphone jack compatible with standard phones, unlike iPhone
+ New apps work great and give you stocks, maps, email, notes and weather
+ Supports both NTSC and PAL video out
+ Very nice size of 32GB stores good amount of video
+ Works with some legacy iPod accessories (except standard A/V cable and some docks)
+ Diminishing price tag in terms of $ per GB of space
+ Unlike iPod classic, all flash memory means less failures and breakage
+ Flash memory also awesome for running / working out, though I use my nano for that ;-)
+ Coverflow actually works nicely on the Touch, much better than on the iPod nano
+ Slightly better sound quality than 2nd generation iPods
+ So far seems to have lower error rate than other iPods
+ Apple reputation is highly deserved
+ Plenty of free video and audio teaser content available on iTunes
+ Easy access to iTunes right from your device over your local wireless internet!
+ Apple SDK being made available which means more apps are on the way!

Cons
- Touch design is almost too minimal without hold button or easy volume adjustment
- Very difficult to adjust or use without looking at it; some earbuds include controls that help
- Screen requires "real touch," bad for those of us in cold weather cities
- Data port seems more cramped than other models and difficult to seat on many dock ports
- The headphone jack is strangely placed right next to the data port; ok for landscape mode, awkward in portrait mode
- Not backwards compatible with legacy docks and cables; Universal dock now required for video out
- Battery life still shorter than other iPods due to WiFi and video power needs
- No expandability or SD card slot like Sansa View or Creative Zen
- iTunes software with limited native formats (MP3, MPEG4, AAC) and high overhead
- Some poor interface designs, such as volume control only available when upright
- PDA functions such as calendar syncing and contact management still need work
- Playlist and music groupings are lacking and need many improvements
- Still lacking some features such as built-in FM radio & voice recorder
- Missing Zune features such as the ability to share songs with other iPod Touch units
- No Bluetooth for peripherals and accessories
- No wireless synching or wireless access to iTunes WLAN libraries
- No WiFi viewing of live iTunes PodCasts
- Still no local viewing of PDF or other common document formats
- No mode to use as disk storage?!?!
- Roughly 2GB of space taken up with iPod software alone!!!!
- STRANGE Apple business practices - ie, charging for software features included with the iPhone????
- While the cost is slowly coming down, still quite expensive in total $ terms

Looks and Design

Aesthetics and design have always been Apple's greatest strengths, along with Steve Jobs' marketing savvy. The iPod Touch is solid but light. It has a longer body than either the latest iPod nano Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Black (3rd Generation) or the iPod Classic Apple 80 GB iPod classic (Black). Yet it's slightly shorter than the iPhone. It's nice and thin, though not as thin as the new Nano.

The big 320x480 pixel wide-screen is simply gorgeous, and the instant landscape mode combined with high quality video resolution makes this the first truly beautiful mobile video player. The old Creative Vision W Creative Zen Vision W 60 GB Widescreen Multimedia Player (Black) had a lovely display, but was MUCH thicker. The Touch blows everything else away in terms of looks and design.

The metal back common to most iPods still attracts fingerprints, but you will be too busy staring at the screen to notice them. The screen too attracts smudges. I've heard it's almost impossible to scratch it, but I still bought screen and body protectors before I ever touched it.

Apple did away with the hold button and the click-wheel. While I really love the touch interface, it's impossible to change tracks or volume without looking at the player, an awkward trait. Get a nice pair of headphones with integrated controls and you won't notice the omission as much.

Sound and Video

Sound quality is slightly improved from previous models. The included headphones are the same as other models. I actually think the included phones are fine in terms of sound, but not so much in terms of comfort. Upgrade your phones only after doing a lot of research. For the Touch, having phones with volume control and additional buttons is a huge plus.

This guy really showcases video, but the sound is still very good and improving with the last few models. I expect this trend to continue.

Most video encoding is done at very high bitrates, which has the added benefit of better sound. Use the highest quality bit-rate you can stand if sound quality is your primary desire. As for me, I have been through frequent hardware upgrades to add more disk space and finally try to collect all my music and videos in one place.

Features

The features in the iPod Touch were in development for 3-4 years. I was one of those who read the rumor mills daily waiting for all those features to come out in one bang. Well they didn't.

The first Touch seemed to artificially remove some features already available in the iPhone, which was very disappointing. Now with the software update, at least a few of those things have been added back in. It really sucks that they charged 16GB early adopters for those features, but luckily they are included with the 32GB iPod Touch.

The main improvement is of course the increased capacity. That feature alone was long overdue and far outweighs most of the cons the player still has. Even though you can't load a lot of video at once, you can finally load enough to satisfy even demanding users. This is a huge plus over the 16GB model, which is available with or without updates. Apple iPod touch 16 GB without Software Updates

The device's battery life is still shorter than one would want, but longer than the iPhone and more than adequate for an average day's usage. Users will notice their battery indicator going down, but probably won't get cut off before they get home.

Apple's software is still a weakness with very limited direct control over your device library and few file options. No external disk function, no native WMA support? With key features disabled, such as use as an external hard drive, it makes you wonder. Hopefully some of these features will be added back into this device with time.

Coverflow works MUCH better than on the iPod nano and actually helps when scrolling through your videos. Press your selection and the cover flips over to show you which tracks are available.

It's still buggy and there are some UI features that are lacking. Elapsed time and track length aren't shown for podcasts, and volume adjustment only shows up in portrait mode for some reason. Still, hopefully some of these more intricate details will be added in a FREE patch as opposed to a fee update.

The Safari web browser is THE killer feature of the Touch. Most of the other widgets, including the new ones, are stuff that you can get through the internet. The widgets added back to the Touch which are available on the iPhone just make some of those common functions quicker. Quick stock quotes, instant weather. Not bad.

The video out signal options are a nice addition and can be set to either NTSC or PAL. This is great for those who travel or have some foreign hardware, like me. ;-)

Finger-based scrolling is very intuitive and you will be navigating with ease in no time. I'm less happy with the virtual keyboard and I can't wait for an alternative to appear. I have to use it very seldom, so I can live with it.

The 802.11b/g built-in WiFi antenna connects to most hotspots, though I hope wireless n will be included in the next version. The antenna works well, though with a seemingly limited range. You can turn off wireless scanning to save battery life.

It would have been awesome to have Bluetooth for wireless headphones or other accessories. Some of those Zune-like features would also help, such as wireless syncing, music sharing or access to WiFi playlist libraries or live podcasts. Zune 80 GB Digital Media Player Black (2nd Generation) Even basic staples like a built-in FM radio tuner, voice recorder and an expansion slot are also missing.

Both the Creative Zen Creative Zen 16 GB (Black), which is much thicker, and the Sansa View SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB Video MP3 Player (Black), which is taller, have some of those added components built in. Newer Archos players has many of those players plus much greater format support Archos 705 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (160 GB). Yet none of those players have the level of wireless internet capability that sets this unit apart. Even fans of competing players will agree that the iPod Touch more than makes up for missing features by utilizing the features it does have VERY VERY WELL.

Conclusion

Overall this device is an HUGE improvement. Apple's sleek design impresses once more. With time, hopefully the kinks and omissions will be worked out. Despite everything, it's very difficult not to give this player 5 stars. The good far outweighs the bad.

Enjoy!!!!

Apple iPod touch 32 GB with Software Upgrade

...

physically rotate the iPod....? Amazing!!!!

32GB is an extremely reasonable size and especially since it is designed for movie and TV show viewing. I really would highly recommmend this over the 16GB and definitely not the 8GB. By the time you load music and photos, you'd like to have enough for more than a movie or two at a time. 32GB is comfortable and to double your memory for an extra $100 is probably a very good investment. So glad they brought out the 32GB, perfect size.

I'd like to finish by finding flaws since it provides a more objective review but really, flaws are very limited here. Its too impressive to disappoint in any way. I guess I'd say the button size when surfing online can be a little uncomfortable if you have big fingers, in which case using a random stylus could certainly do the trick.

I love mine probably as my most prized possession right now.