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Ten Things You Need to Know About iPod touch
The iPod touch has arrived, and as always, we immediately started to put it through its paces. In advance of our comprehensive review, we wanted to help early potential buyers get some quick important facts on how it performs and compares with other iPods, and the iPhone.
(10) Screen Differences: Though it shares the same resolution and size, the screen isn’t exactly the same as iPhone’s. The screen’s contrast initially seems a bit better, with darker blacks, but it’s easier to make blacks go negative on the wrong viewing angle—more so than on recent hard disk-based iPods, too. Like iPhone, iPod touch still has a brightness sensor with automatic adjustment as an option; there still aren’t contrast or color controls.
Top, Bottom: iPod touch, iPhone screens; iPhone looks better when viewed off-angle, as shown here
(9) Control Differences: iPod touch’s home button is a little smaller than the iPhone’s. As reported earlier today, double-clicking it brings up a music control menu that looks a little different on iPod touch’s home screen, where it blends into the time and date bar, than it does elsewhere, where it floats as a window. This feature is supposed to act as a substitute for iPod touch’s lack of side volume control buttons, which made automatic level adjustments easy without having to dig through menus.
(8) Synchronization: iTunes synchronization is iPod-style, not iPhone style. You can still activate manual management of songs, videos, and TV shows rather than being forced to synchronize playlists a la iPhone. We noticed that transfers are on the very slow side relative to the iPod classic and nano.
(7) No Disk Mode: Disk Mode is gone. Consequently, you won’t be able store data files on the iPod touch without third-party software. Mac users also don’t have to wait for the iPod touch to be reformatted as a Mac-ready disk, like the iPod classic.
(6) Sound Quality: We’ll have more to say on this soon, but the iPod touch is more like the iPhone than the iPod classic, with a higher level of background hiss than the classic.
(5) Better Accessory Compatibility, Save Video: The remaining combination car charging and audio kits that were hassled by the iPhone work properly with iPod touch. We really hope that the same support is added to the iPhone, as it really detracts from that device. However, video docks fare no better here than with the iPod classic and new iPod nano: there’s not even a TV-out setting to resist toggling. And the iPod Radio Remote does not work with the iPod touch. It comes up as an unsupported accessory, just as it does with the iPhone.
(4) Applications, with Tweaks: iPod touch ships with software version 1.1, which is obviously subject to change over time. As shown in our videos, iPod touch’s first slate of applications look almost exactly like iPhone’s, minus e-mail links, the occasional absence of editing buttons, and tiny changes. For instance, the Clocks application has a number of new alarm tones that, unlike the iPhone, aren’t based on ringtones. Checkmate, Jump, Time Passing, Time’s Up, and Up Down are all simple beeps passed through the headphone port and tiny built-in clicker speaker, and it would be generous to call them anything but annoying. The odd Safari Developer option we discovered at the Apple Special Event is still in the iPod touch menus, too. There are no other surprises we could find in the Settings.
(3) iTunes Wi-Fi: The iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store seems to be working pretty well right out of the gate. Though page loading responsiveness isn’t what it should be, previewing and buying clips is as simple as can be, and the iPod touch automatically grabs your iTunes Store account data from your computer for purchases. Hope you’re not prone to losing your iPods (or having them stolen).
(2) Battery: With Wi-Fi entirely off, our first battery test of iPod touch suggests that its video run time is not going to touch the iPod classic’s. After four hours of pure (not multi-tasking) video playback with our test iTunes Store videos—the same ones, and under the same conditions that saw 6 hour, 46 minute run times on the 80GB iPod classic and 9 hour, 28 minute times on the 160GB model—the iPod touch put up its “10% battery capacity remaining” warning window. After 4 and a half hours, it died, underperforming Apple’s 5 hour promised run time. More on this, soon.
(1) Body: The single most impressive thing about iPod touch is its thinness. As we’ve previously said, it’s less than a third thinner than the iPhone, but it feels half as thick. However, it also feels more fragile thanks to its polished metal back, which is more prone to scratching, and we’d gladly have traded extra thickness for more battery life and storage capacity.
We’ll have much more on iPod touch very soon. Find unboxing and iPod/iPhone comparison photos here, and comparison videos below:
iPod touch versus iPhone Interface Comparison: See the iPod touch and iPhone interfaces running next to each other—everything minus music/video playback, Safari, and iTunes.
iPod touch versus iPhone Safari Loading, Body Comparison: See both devices side-by-side loading pages from Apple.com, then physically compared to one another, then loading YouTube.
iPod touch iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store: See the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store being accessed briefly from the iPhone.
iPod touch and iPhone Music and Video Playback: See how both devices play music and video content, including the iPod touch’s new double Home button click feature, which brings volume and track controls to the screen even if it’s in Hold mode or in the midst of another application.
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1
There’s one thing I need to know: Do you really need an iTunes Store account before you can use the iPod, as it says in the Features Guide? Since this is supposed to be their first “worldwide” product, I think you can see how it would suck for people in regions without an iTunes Store.
Posted by Guillermo in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 5:58 AM (CDT)
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You need iTunes software on your computer, but NOT the iTunes store.
Posted by bookcase in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 12:20 PM (CDT)
1
I haven’t heard or read anything definitive regarding access to e-mail using the iPodTouch’s wi-fi capability. Does anyone know if we’ll be able to access Yahoo, Hotmail, Outlook e-mail services as read only, read/write, etc?
Posted by Pragmatist in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 1:08 PM (CDT)
1
Does keyboard work in landscape mode with more Apps than the iPhone?
Posted by aswitcher in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 2:16 PM (CDT)
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Got mine today in Virginia. Here’s some unboxing goodness for you:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LRdezDXycWA
Posted by Boswellian in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 9:22 PM (CDT)
1
During the video test, what was the screen brightness, and was WiFi on? Gizmodo claims to have gotten 6 hours and 45 minutes of playtime on their iPod Touch with WiFi off.
@aswitcher: Only Safari supports a landscape mode keyboard.
@Pragmatist: Gmail works fantastically on mine!
Posted by vertigociel in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 10:36 PM (CDT)
1
50% brightness, Wi-Fi totally off, two iTunes Store videos (Incredibles and Star Trek II). We were as surprised as anyone.
Posted by Jeremy Horwitz in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 10:47 PM (CDT)
1
So the Radio Remote doesn’t work. I want to use this remote but I don’t care about using the radio. What about the buttons on it? Can you use them regardless?
Posted by Japester in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 11:35 PM (CDT)
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I’d like to know if Safari can view and download PDFs to the iTouch?
Posted by shryn in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 14, 2007 at 11:36 PM (CDT)
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@Shyrn: You can view PDFs online, but not download them. However, if you’ve got a PDF loaded (and it can handle big PDFs - the 9 MB iPhone book loads fine), and you leave your WiFi area, Safari will keep it in cache as long as your iPod doesn’t totally turn off (sleeping is fine), and as long as Safari doesn’t crash (which has happened a couple of time in the 24 hours since I’ve gotten mine).
@Jeremy: Wow, that is surprising. It’s the first time I can remember an iPod failing to meet Apple’s advertised figures. I think I’ll try it out on mine this weekend and see what I get.
Posted by vertigociel in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 15, 2007 at 12:44 AM (CDT)
1
Does it work with mac os 10.3.9?
Posted by blackmacbook in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 15, 2007 at 3:58 AM (CDT)
1
Thanks @vertigociel. It would seem that’s another reason for me to wait until Jobs opens up the iPhone and iTouch for us who want to be productive in non-WiFi areas.
Ex-Newton User.
Posted by shryn in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 15, 2007 at 6:04 AM (CDT)
1
I got my touch this morning!
I love the cover flow, However, I may have discovered a bug.
After playing with cover flow for about a minute (just scrolling the cover around) I see that the covers go “low res”.. that is, fuzzy and blocky.. like it was running out of memory or something.
It goes back to normal after rotating the Touch upright and then sideways again.
Very annoying.
Posted by Vince Chan in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 16, 2007 at 1:34 AM (CDT)
1
I’m 15, and my dad won’t let me get the touch unless the safari application has parental control. Does anyone know if it does?
Posted by Zack04 in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 16, 2007 at 9:26 AM (CDT)
1
No Disk Mode is bad. I use that regularly with my 4th generation 20 gig iPod.
If I decide to get a new iPod it’ll be one of the Classic iPods, which still have that feature. If Apple enables Disk Mode on the Touch in the future, and puts more storage on it, I’d consider one.
Posted by FloydC in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 16, 2007 at 9:27 AM (CDT)
1
Got a touch yesterday… my wife has a iPhone. I’m really happy with it. side by side it is alot like my wifes iphone. To me it is best described as a phoneless iPhone! 1 bummer… the webmail my wife uses for work pops up a new window for composing and replying to email. Safari on both of these devices CANNOT handle that. Huge bummer… i need to come up w/ some sort of work around.
Posted by angusshangus in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 16, 2007 at 7:16 PM (CDT)
1
my ipod touch safari internet won’t load up after entering a username and password?
says your be redirected in 10secs or re enter in URL but even if i do that the internet still won’t load up?
confused???!
Posted by Josh in East Amherst, NY, USA on April 28, 2008 at 12:40 PM (CDT)
1
i have the current 80GB ipod classic en its fantastic i mean cover flow made song surfing in my ipod fun and quick. the song search facility dat was a real quicky but crazy it makes a song show up like an internet pop up. iknow i sound lyk a CAVE MAN but good job on this one imean thumbs up on this one.
Posted by nckx in East Amherst, NY, USA on May 8, 2008 at 10:24 AM (CDT)
1
my ipod touch got spilled with soda and now when u want to touch to unlock it dosent do it seems like it dont want to slide to unlock it , it does charge i can see the green battery full charge and give time but that is it where can i take it to get it repaired and affordable need help ?
Posted by mona mendoza in East Amherst, NY, USA on May 25, 2008 at 9:51 AM (CDT)
1
What 3rd party software can i use to allow me to use my ipod touch for data too?
Posted by c. green in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 28, 2008 at 9:50 PM (CDT)