What's Hot? - The 2nd Generation iPod Touch

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.


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.

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.

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.

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 to synchronize with music, videos and applications.Music support for the iPod touch spans across various formats such as AAC, MP3, AIFF, WAV, and audio books, so you get a pretty wide variety of sources to choose from.

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 firmmware updates have been released in the past that included new applications that allow you to check weather, stocks, e-mail and more.

With so many different ­applications that you can download, there is so much to see and do with the iPod touch. 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.