Apple iPod touch 2nd Generation (32 GB) MP3 Player

My husband and I normally do not exchange Christmas gifts. We usually opt to get something for the house or family. But this year he surprised me with an iPod Touch.

What You Get
This is a second generation iPod Touch with 32 GB of memory which stores approximately 7000 songs, 25,000 pictures or 40 hours of video. Besides the iPod, in the box you will find earbuds, USB 2.0 cable, a polishing cloth and a Quick Start guide. The 4 " X 2 " iPod itself features a 3.5" touch screen, audio jack, docking port, external speaker and Wi-Fi connectivity and weighs in at just a hair over 4 ounces. The lithium ion battery takes 4 hours to fully charge (but reaches 80% capacity in only 2 hours) and provides up to 36 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video. The iPod supports a number of audio and video formats including AAC, MP3, AIFF, WAV, m4v, mp4 and mov. The iPod comes loaded with several apps, including weather, mail, calendar, notes and Safari, iPod's internet browser.

Controls
I find the controls very easy to use. Most of the interface is done via the touch screen. Slide your finger around and the screen moves with it. Flick your finger and the screen scrolls. With some applications, you can shake your iPod Touch for a response. Tap on an area requiring text input and a full keyboard appears on the screen. If you hold the iPod horizontally the screen turns with it. It is all very natural and easy to understand. There are only three "hard" buttons on the entire iPod. The top on/sleep mode button, the toggle volume button on the side and the home menu button on the front, which allows you to navigate betweens applications. While you can fill your iPod with page after page of all kinds of apps Music, Video, Photos and iTunes always remains anchored at the bottom of the page for easy access to these most frequently used features.

My First MP3 Player
I was thrilled to receive a new toy but I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I had never owned any type of MP3 player before and now here in my hand lay this slick silver and black technological wonder. With the help of the quick start guide I found my way to the Apple website for a more in-depth tutorial on using my iPod, included a software update via iTunes, the Apple store, where you must register.

And then I was finally ready to add some music from the mountain of CDs I own. I admit I was a little miffed at having to load the music onto my computer and then from the computer to my iPod. This makes no sense to me. I don't want all of that music on my computer but as of yet I haven't figured out any other way. Either you can't do it or the method isn't intuitive enough, either way it stinks. With 200 songs loaded over the course of the a few days I pleased to see that I had hardly made a dent in my 32 GB of memory. I purchased a few more songs from iTunes and then I was ready to see what else my iPod could do.

I took a look at the App Store, with its convenient icon on the front page of my iPod. If you can imagine wanting to do it with your iPod Touch someone has probably written an app for it. Are you handy? You can download a level, ruler and unit convertor. Trying to stay healthy? Track your weight, calories even when to take your medication. And of course there are lots and lots of games. Most apps run for less than $5 with a good many under $2 and some decent ones for free. You can choose to browse and download from your PC, but I find it much easier to use the Wi-Fi connection and download directly to my iPod. After my initial setup, my iPod recognized my home wireless connection automatically; all I had to do was enter my network password.

How I Use My iPod
My iPod Touch has become my "how did I ever live without it" bit of technology. I do use it primarily for music. I love being able to see what music is on my iPod, sorted by song title, album or artist. I love the Genius feature which where you pick one song and it auto-generates a playlist for you, and of course you can make your own playlists. I have one for when I'm running on the treadmill, walking outside and just trying to wind down after a long day. For songs that I have purchased I do like seeing the pictures of the album covers.

The music is rich and clear and sounds great through the earbuds and other headphones I have. There are a variety of built in equalizer settings to ensure you get the best playback from a variety of outputs no matter what type of audio you are playing. Ever song sounds great everytime. And I never have to listen to a bad song. If i don't like it I can just press the touch screen to go on to the next song. The songs are automatically organized by artist and album so when I am in the mood for something specific it is easy to pick an artist from the list.

I love my list app that lets me keep track of groceries and other lists. When I think of something I need I just add it, no matter where I am. No more forgotten lists since my iPod is always with me. It is also a wonderful way to pass the time. I play games while waiting for a doctor's appointment and read books while my kids are at gymnastics. You can even get a free Kindle app for books via Amazon.

I also use my iPod for surfing the web, although admittedly it is not as user friendly as my laptop. However my laptop isn't as convenient. We often watch the news in bed before going to sleep and there is always something that triggers a question. I can pick my iPod up from the nightstand and have my answer in seconds without turning on the light or getting out of bed. The tap and zoom feature makes it easy to read most websites with ease. I have stepped into a book store more than once while shopping to connect to a Wi-Fi to do some product research via Epinions, although I wouldn't try and type a review on my iPod Touch.

When possible, instead of using Safari I try to download apps for websites I use the most. These apps are designed for use on the iPod Touch making them easier to navigate with the interface. I have set the built-in mail app for easy access to my gmail account. Personally I think this app makes gmail even easier to use than on my computer. The Facebook app is a great for making updates and staying in touch. Most of these website specific apps, like Twitter and IM programs are free to download.

Battery life is great as far as I am concerned. For music, it seems to play forever. When I only use it for music I find I only need to plug it in and charge it once a week or so. When I am using it for surfing the web, playing games or watching videos the battery does seem to drain rapidly and I need to recharge it at every night. Although 3.5" is certainly a small screen I find myself watching a fair number of videos on my iPod Touch. This is certainly meant for personal viewing not for a group to watch a movie. The resolution and quality of the picture are excellent and this feature served me well on a recent cross country flight.

Some Drawbacks
Of course one of the iPod Touch's limitations is that you must have a Wi-Fi connection to use the web. When you need directions most you probably don't have an internet connection to get a map. And if you are trying to find a restaurant in a strange city you are going to need an internet connection for that too. So far it really hasn't been a problem for me. I seem to always be able to find a bookstore, coffee house or fast food restaurant that I can tap into for whatever I need. Having an iPhone would eliminate that problem, of course then I would be paying the monthly fees for it as well. I simply don't use my cell phone enough to warrant an iPhone instead of an iPod Touch.

I am disappointed in the external speaker. I actually use it quite often and would use it more often if it were better quality. The volume, even when all the way up isn't loud enough unless you are in a very quiet setting. The sound coming from it is very tinny. Still I put up with it since I don't always want to wear the earphones. I hate the little earbuds that come with the iPod Touch and even though I have nicer ones, I don't always want to wear them.

I was also a little dismayed at what does not come with the iPod Touch. While the iPod may be beautiful it is slick and not always easy to hold on to. You are going to need some sort of protective cover for it. You are also going to want some way to hold onto it other than your hand and there is no clip. The only way to charge it out of the box is to plug it into your PC. I usually want to charge it at night, which means I have to leave the computer on as well. Once you have all of your music loaded up you are probably going to want to play it in the car; earbuds are out and the speaker doesn't overcome road noise. All of these problems can be overcome with additional purchases. So far I have added on an armband for exercising, protective cover and a car player/charger unit. I am hoping to purchase a home docking station so I can charge it at home without a computer and also play it through some decent speakers. Accessories aren't cheap for the iPod Touch and so far I have found the quality of some brands to be poor.

The one feature the iPod Touch lacks that would make it absolutely perfect is a camera. I'd readily accept a heavier and thick iPod for the luxury of a camera. Like many parents I like to show off pictures of my kids and it would be so nice to capture them with my iPod. I have an older, bulky digital camera that I don't always want to drag with me and I end up missing photo ops because of it. Perhaps this is something that will be added for the third generation iPods.

Final Thoughts
For my use, my iPod Touch is nearly perfect. There are some things that could be improved, specifically the external speaker and it is missing a camera. Otherwise my iPod Touch couldn't be better. I'm not sure that I will ever come close to using the 32 GB of memory, but it does give me lots of freedom to download whatever strikes my fancy at the moment. A great, albeit expensive toy that I didn't know I really wanted and even needed until I had it.