Apple iPod touch 32 GB (1st Generation) OLD MODEL Review

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(More customer reviews)Apple iPod touch 32 GB

Apple's 32 GB iPod Touch has finally given the mobile device market a media player with a great combination of quality, features and capacity.Of course it arrived shortly after I was given the 16 GB iPod Touch that I had put off buying for so long.Still, the extra capacity gives this unit the last piece of the puzzle it needed to be a must-have item for me. The awesome video, sleek thin body and web capability make it stand out despite a high price and some missing features.

Pros
+ Great design with a sleek thin body!!!
+ Beautiful 320x480 pixel wide-screen provides pleasing video viewing
+ Turn to the side to view video using the full wide screen width
+ Orientation detection changes view to landscape mode automatically when turning iPod!
+ Enough capacity to finally be worth replacing some of your disk-based players in earnest
+ Brighter screen with great contrast and crisp sharp images
+ Wireless access via 802.11 b/g compliant antenna (hopefully `n' will 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 yourselection 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...Read more›

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Product Description:
iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. With great new applications, now iPod touch is even better. Watch a movie you rented from iTunes. View rich HTML email with graphics and photos displayed inline. Open PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel attachments. With Maps, find your location and get directions from there. See where you are on a map, a satellite image, or a combination of both. Make Web Clips for your Home screen so you can visit your favorite websites in just one tap. Fill up to nine Home screen pages with Web Clips and arrange them however you like. Browse YouTube videos, follow your stocks, check the weather, and take notes. With the new iPod touch, tap into even more.

Glide through albums with the iPod touch's amazing Cover Flow technology. View iPod touch dimensions.

Browse the Web with the included Safari browser. Or fire up a YouTube video and enjoy the show.

The iPod touch responds to your movements; turn it sideways and your video is presented in widescreen mode.

Incredibly thin at just 8 millimeters. The mail application lets you view rich HTML email with graphics and photos displayed inline, as well as PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel attachments. Rearrange the icons on your Home screen. Even change the Dock. Mark specific locations, find the best route between them, and search for points of interest along the way with Maps.

Music, Movies, and More
Flick through album covers and find your music. Download and watch your favorite movies, rentals, TV shows, and more from the iTunes Store. Tap into thousands of photos. All using incredible multi-touch technology on a beautiful 3.5-inch display.

Music
If a picture says a thousand words, think of what all the album art in your collection might say. With Cover Flow on iPod touch, flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. When you do, just tap the cover to flip it over and display a track list. Another tap starts the music. Even view the lyrics while you're listening to the track.

Video
The 3.5-inch display gives you video like you've never seen on a portable device. Watch your favorite movie or rental from the iTunes Store. Catch up on TV shows anywhere. Enjoy video podcasts. Play music videos. All using multi-touch technology. With a tap, bring up onscreen controls to play/pause and view by chapter. Turn your iPod touch to switch between widescreen or full screen.

Photos
iPod touch holds up to 25,000 photos you sync via iTunes. Flick to scroll through thumbnails. Tap to view full screen. Rotate for landscape format. Or perform some sleight of hand by opening two fingers to zoom in. You can even play slideshows, complete with music and transitions. Set any photo as your wallpaper to personalize your iPod touch . . . with a touch.

iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store
With iPod touch, discover new music anywhere. Its built-in wireless capability gives you access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, where you can buy songs with a tap. Browse New Releases, What's Hot, Genres, and Top 10 songs. Or find exactly what you're looking for with a quick search. Tap a song to preview it, tap Buy to purchase it. Even redeem your iTunes gift cards and gift certificates. All from anywhere you happen to be.

Starbucks Music
You walk into a Starbucks. Order your latte. While you wait, you hear a song wafting from the loudspeakers. You love it. So you get out your iPod touch and buy it over Wi-Fi. Just like that. The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store on iPod touch tells you what's playing in select Starbucks and lets you buy it along with other featured Starbucks content. So you can sip, shop, and listen.

Home Screen
Make the iPod touch Home screen your own. Change what's in the Dock. Rearrange the icons. And make room for even more. You can add up to eight Home screen pages and fill them with Web Clips.

Internet
Surf the web. Send email. Get directions and find your location with Maps. Check stocks, weather, and more. iPod touch is not just an amazing iPod. It's the Internet in your pocket.

Safari
iPod touch is the only iPod with wireless access to the web. Safari is built in, so you see websites the way they were designed to be seen. Search the web using the touchscreen keyboard. Zoom in and out by tapping the multi-touch display. Switch between portrait or landscape view, depending on how you hold your iPod touch. Sync your bookmarks. Better yet, add them to your Home screen. iPod touch can automatically create a Web Clip on your Home screen from any of your favorite websites. So just one tap takes you directly there.

YouTube
Got a bit of a YouTube addiction? iPod touch feeds it from anywhere with a special YouTube player built right in. Watch featured videos, check out the most viewed, search for something specific, then bookmark your favorites for future reference. It's all the fun of YouTube--pocket-size.

Mail
iPod touch is the first iPod with Mail. And it's the best email you've ever seen on a handheld device. This mail application lets you view rich HTML email with graphics and photos displayed inline, as well as PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel attachments.

Maps
Get directions and check traffic with Google Maps. Even find yourself, wherever you are. Using some local Wi-Fi networks (if Wi-Fi is turned on), iPod touch finds your approximate location and gives directions from there. Mark specific locations, find the best route between them, and search for points of interest along the way. With a hybrid map and satellite view, you can see major street names on top of satellite images.

Widgets
Widgets are small, incredibly handy applications you can use every day. Three of the most useful widgets now live front and center on your Home screen:

Weather
Get a five-day weather forecast, including highs and lows, for cities around the world. Save your favorite locations so you can check the weather anytime.
Notes
Take notes, make a to-do list, or jot down a reminder using the easy-to-use touch keypad. Then save or email them.
Stocks
Check your stocks and track the market over one day, one week, one month, three months, six months, one year, or two years.
High Technology
iPod touch features the same revolutionary interface as iPhone, the most advanced software ever engineered, and state-of-the-art technology. With the multi-touch display, you can control everything using only your fingers. If you rotate your iPod touch from portrait to landscape, the accelerometer automatically changes the way the content is displayed. And with wireless technology, you can connect to the Internet from any Wi-Fi network, anywhere you are.

Multi-touch
iPod touch features the same revolutionary interface as iPhone. Built to take full advantage of the large 3.5-inch display, the multi-touch interface lets you control everything using only your fingers. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flick through photos and enlarge them with a pinch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page. And iPod touch features a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard perfect for browsing the web in Safari, getting directions on a map, searching for videos on YouTube, finding music on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, or adding new contacts.

Ambient Light Sensor
The iPod touch display has an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness to suit the ambient light in your surroundings. The result? A better experience for you and battery-saving efficiency for iPod touch.

Wireless
Connect to the Internet anywhere there's a Wi-Fi network. Send email from a coffee shop. Surf the web at the airport. Browse, buy, and download music from the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at select Starbucks locations or other wireless hot spots in your area. iPod touch finds wireless networks and connects you to the Internet.

Accelerometer
An accelerometer detects when you rotate iPod touch from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display, so you immediately see the entire width of a web page, your music in Cover Flow, or a photo in its proper aspect ratio.

Read Kindle Books on the iPod touch
Read Kindle books on your iPod touch.

Shop for Books on the Kindle Store on Your iPod touch

What's in the Box
32 GB iPod touch, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter, polishing cloth, stand, quick start guide.