Having to go several days without one’s primary PC makes one appreciate anything that can help replace the lost functionality. And so I spent a very intense couple of days with my new iPod Touch.
This second generation is very sexy. I’ve been interested in upgrading my Nano for a while, but couldn’t justify the iPhone to myself. As an all-in-one package for media play and portable web access, it really is a great device.
For me, the best thing about the media player capabilities of the new iPods is Genius. With so much storage available to us, I don’t have time to make playlists that suit my every mood. In a future article, I plan to discuss how I utilise Smart Playlists to keep things fresh, but Genius makes that even easier with its ability to suggest a list of songs that are (supposedly) complementary to the track you’ve selected. Sure, it may not be as smart as its name, and it may not always have enough data for the track you choose, but Apple promises it will improve as their algorithms receive more data.
The video playback is great. I was tossing up between the Touch and one of the new Nanos, and the reason the Touch won out was that the Nano’s screen was far too small to play videos comfortably (at least for me). Video playback is pretty good, and the screen is bright enough to watch in full sunlight.
The data capabilities are also great. I configured my Gmail and Daedalist.com mail (which is a Google Apps installation) accounts with no issues. Web browsing is pretty good, though I need to remember to rotate into landscape viewing instead of zooming. Mobile Safari does have a few standards compliance issues that regular Safari doesn’t, but I’ll live. Overall, it’s great to have in my pocket while I’m in the living room and not near my desk.
The WiFi receiver is pretty good. It gets better signal than my laptop does sometimes, and connects to work’s new WiFi network first time (don’t tell anyone ;-)).
Application support is pretty good. There’s a range of applications available for a similar range of prices. There isn’t a whole lot of functionality that I feel the need for yet (other than a little entertainment), but it’s good to have there.
Battery life is awesome. I’ve never used it so much in one day that I had to recharge, and have actually gone several days without connecting to a computer.
My one gripe is with the case, specifically the shiny metal back. It ceases to be pretty very quickly when the device is stuck in your pocket with your keys and change. Mine got scratched up quickly, especially since there were no covers available for several weeks. It’s protected now, but I have to say I wasn’t impressed.
All up, a great device for a good price. No major flaws that I can find yet.