Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5779 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Apple
• Model: MB533BT/A
• Released on: 2008-09-18
• Dimensions: .35" h x 4.33" w x 2.43" l, .25 pounds
• Native resolution: 3.5 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163
• Display size: 3

Manufacturer's Description

The New iPod Touch
With a stunningly thin, contoured stainless steel design, iPod touch feels even better in your hand. And the new volume buttons and built-in speaker give you more to love. Groundbreaking technologies built into iPod touch — such as the Multi-Touch display, accelerometer, and 3D graphics — immerse you in the action. The new Genius feature turns iPod touch into a highly intelligent, personal DJ. With a few taps, it creates a playlist by finding songs in your library that go great together.

	More ways to play. iPod touch games and applications are nothing short of amazing. And the App Store is where you’ll find them all. The world’s best developers are taking advantage of groundbreaking technology, including Multi-Touch, the accelerometer, real-time 3D graphics, and 3D positional sound, to create games and applications made especially for iPod touch. So whether you’re a gamer or into something else — chatting, social networking, news, sports, finance — there’s bound to be something just for you.
	Volume controls. Volume buttons are built into the left side of iPod touch, giving you easy access to the most frequently used controls.
	Built-in speaker. A built-in speaker lets you hear the music, dialogue, and action without headphones, perfect for casual listening.
	Longer battery life. Now you can keep on rocking (and watching and playing) even longer. Improved battery life means iPod touch provides up to 36 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback — enough to watch three or four movies between charges.
	Music Remember what it felt like to flip through your CD or record collection? Cover Flow brings that feeling back. Just turn iPod touch on its side and flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. Tap the cover to flip it over and display a track list. Tap again to start the music. Even view the lyrics while you’re listening. A musical Genius - say you’re listening to a song you really like and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. The new Genius feature finds the songs in your library that go great together and makes a Genius playlist for you. You can listen to the playlist right away, save it for later, or even refresh it and give it another go. Count on Genius to create a mix you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.
	Movies + TV Shows Everything’s a must-see. Carry hours of video with you and watch it on a crisp, clear 3.5-inch colour widescreen display. Download and watch TV shows from the iTunes store. Buy a single episode or an entire season’s worth all at once. While watching your video, tap the display to bring up the onscreen controls. You can play/pause, view by chapter, and adjust the volume. You can also use the new volume controls on the left side of iPod touch. Want to switch between widescreen and full screen? Simply tap the display twice. Need some entertainment for your next flight or road trip? With iTunes on your Mac or PC, you can sit at your computer and choose the TV shows you want to sync to your iPod touch.
	Internet iPod touch is the only iPod with 802.11b/g wireless access to the web. Whenever you’re connected via Wi-Fi, you can access you’re favourite websites to read news, check scores, pay bills, and go shopping. Pod touch syncs your bookmarks from your PC or Mac, so you can access favourite sites quickly. It has Google and Yahoo! search built in, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for on the web. Get a closer look at any web page by zooming in and out with a tap or a pinch of the Multi-Touch display. View websites in portrait or landscape. Rotate iPod touch 90 degrees and the website rotates, too. If you check a website frequently — a favourite newspaper, blog, or sports site — why not create a Home screen icon for it? Make Web Clips with Safari, and your favourite sites are always just a tap away.
	High technology Built to take full advantage of the large 3.5-inch display, the Multi-Touch touchscreen 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, zoom in and out on a section of a web page, and control game elements precisely. The Multi-Touch display layers a protective shield over a capacitive panel that senses your touch using electrical fields. It then transmits that information to the LCD screen below it. iPod touch software enables the flick, tap, and pinch. iPod touch features an intelligent touchscreen 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. It analyses keystrokes to suggest words as you type and correct spelling errors automatically. And because it’s software based, it changes its keys to support typing in multiple languages.
	Rock ’n’ run with Nike+. Pod touch now includes built-in Nike + iPod support. Just slip the Nike + iPod Sensor (available separately) into your Nike+ shoe and start your run. The sensor communicates wirelessly with your iPod touch, tracking your time, distance, and calories burned. It even gives you voice feedback on your progress.

Box Contents
iPod touch
Earphones
USB 2.0 cable
Dock adapter
Polishing cloth
Quick Start guide

Customer Reviews

A marked improvement on the 1st Gen

If you have the 1G, is it worth upgrading to the newer version?

Well, I think so, yes. But only if the differences are as useful to you as they are to me. I had the 1G (my first ever Apple product!), for a couple of weeks before upgrading to the 2G. I then upgraded again to a larger capacity and I think this model is definitely an improvement on the 1G iPod Touch.

Size/Shape: I found the square edges of the 1G slightly uncomfortable in my hand - nothing major, but something I was always aware of. The 2G edges are slightly curved and it fits more easily in my palm.

There's also an external volume button. Call me lazy, but the fact is it's faster and more convenient to be able to adjust the volume with one press of a button. I really like having this little extra.

Battery life: It's noticeably longer, although not quite the extra 14 hours quoted. I'm getting around 8 hours more compared with the 1G - but to be fair, I do play around with it a lot. If you want to maximise battery life when you're just listening to music, then switch OFF the wifi... and you'll squeeze at least another 4 hours out of it. It makes a lot of difference.

Other extras: A built-in speaker and future compatibility with a microphone input. Okay, the speaker is very basic and tinny - but it's fine if you just want to listen to a song sample, for example.

Sound quality: I bought it mainly for the wifi and video capabilities as I have a Sony and Zune for music, but I loaded a few albums on, and I'm not sure if it's my imagination or not, but the 2G seemed to sound a little better than the 1G, with a fuller presentation. It's still very neutral though, and I don't think I'd like to use it with a pair of analytical earphones like Etymotic or q-JAYS. Also, I'm not that impressed with the eq presets, so I just leave them off. But the sq is not nearly as bad as I'd been led to believe.

Ease of use: It's simple! The touch screen is very responsive and it's easy to personalise the home screen and make it your own. If you want to change the appearance and move your applications around - simply hold down one of the icons for a few seconds, wait till they start 'shaking', and drag the icon to where you want, then 'set' it by pressing the home button.

wifi/video: Both features work very well for me. Video display is clear, bright, and big enough to avoid any eye strain. And the wifi is fantastic. I can check for new emails and browse the internet without even having my computer switched on. It's so convenient that it's hard to think how I ever lived without it :)

A tip! To turn off the Touch completely, make sure you press down and hold the sleep/wake button at the top until the 'Power Off' message appears. Otherwise, it is still on and using up battery.

To summarise: A very nice improvement on the 1G. An external volume control, longer battery life, curved edges, and built-in speaker make this even more fun to use than before.

UPDATE! Still loving it, but I noticed how quickly the screen became smudged, so I bought an Apple anti-glare screen protector. It's really good. Not only does it stay smudge free, but it's a lot easier to swipe because it doesn't retain the grease from your fingertips. And in bright sunlight, there's no glare at all. It makes it even nicer to use :)

An OBJECTIVE plus (+) and minus (-) review. Please read this if you're making up your mind.
This is an impartial review based on my experience of the iPod Touch 2nd Generation, and other Personal Media Players.

Strengths:

+ WiFi and Safari Browser. Superb mobile browsing experience. For example, you can stream BBC iPlayer to the Touch perfectly. A real joy.

+ Youtube widget for playback of youtube videos.

+ Integrated Nike + Support, so that you can use the device as a training tool for exercise.

+ App Store. You can download from thousands of Apps on iTunes, including games, and stream internet radio, for instance.


+ Superb capacitive glass touch screen. Older touch screens use `resistive' technology. These work on a different principle, and are less responsive. (The Archos 5 uses a resistive screen. The Cowon S9, however, uses a capacitive one like the iPod Touch).

+ Incredible User Interface. Beautifully conceived and implemented. Music and Videos are organised with an astonishing attention to the user's goals, and you regularly feel that Apple designers have read your mind when you go about tasks.

Here's an example: you wish to download a podcast. You go to an internet address in Safari. Safari automatically grabs the address, boots you into iTunes (on the device itself), and takes you to the podcast listing within the iTunes store. Two more clicks and you're downloading your content. That's the way things should be done.

+ Advantages over the previous generation include a dedicated volume rocker, slightly more curvaceous design, slightly improved battery life, integrated Nike + support and mini speaker.

Weaknesses:

- Very, very average sound quality. Now it is a mystery to me why so many users and reviewers overlook this issue. Having owned the Touch, I have come to the conclusion that it is a stylish Swiss Army Knife whose MAIN BLADE is blunt.

It is true that many people will have no issue with the sound quality probably because their only reference point to the world of personal media players is the iPod brand. This is useful ignorance, because I would challenge anyone not to be thoroughly crestfallen with the sound of this device compared to something as cheap yet beautiful sounding as the Sansa Clip.


- Video playback. If you are happy to be locked into the iTunes universe, then you will love this device. You will endlessly pay for movies and will enjoy them on this device. If like me, however, you like to play your own physical DVDs in DivX format,in addition to a range of movie files in various formats and codecs, then the Touch is simply not your friend. It only supports a few video codecs, which means as a device for video playback, it is somewhat paralysed.

- Terrible battery life. Three hours of mixed use, and the Touch is wheezing for a recharge. It's great being a Jack of all trades, but Jack gets tired rather too quickly sometimes!

- Being `locked in' to iTunes. There are some Apple hating brand lunatics who simply disparage anything Apple for the sake of it. For me, I feel that iTunes is an excellent software (especially on a Mac) but it is also limiting. With iTunes organising my device, I can't just drag and drop files onto the Touch, and this is a bit of a pain. But you may feel different, so this one is up in the air...

Conclusion and buying advice:

Having owned it, the Touch is either superb or mediocre depending on whether you wish to buy it as 1) your mini WiFi web browser with an App Store, or as 2) your multimedia player.

1) As a mini browser, it is excellent. Browse the web, download podcasts, stream iPlayer, etc. (But remember, when you're not near a WiFi signal, none of these capabilities count for anything).

2) But as a genuine media playback device, it just does not cut the mustard. Think of it as a second rank device in a field of stellar performers. The sound quality for music playback is just average, and in some cases, embarrassing when listened to devices made by Cowon, Sansa, iRiver and Sony. And its Video playback is equally crippled by its lack of codec support.

So what is the bottom line?

Well, I owned this device but decided to sell it when I bought a £20 Sansa Clip and stopped listening to music on it because the sound quality was so much superior on the Sansa. This is not hyperbole, and I do not hate Apple. In fact, I love Apple, so do take this as objective advice.

I simply realised that my priority was sound and video quality, and that I would get all of the extra features of the Touch most important to me (namely WiFi and a stunning User Interface) when I buy a Macbook in the future.

I have since purchased a Cowon O2, which is a stellar sounding device (admittedly without the Touch's `extra' features) but in a league of its own in terms of sound quality for music playback, and movie playback. (It supports a cornucopia of music and video files and in this regard is a much more accomplished device).

So then, what are you after?

A mini WiFi enabled device with music/video as an extra? Well then buy the Touch! Go for it. You'll love it and enjoy its brilliance.

But if the answer is an audiophile experience of sound and video, do not buy this device. Start investigating a Cowon O2 or S9, or an iRiver Spinn.

Hope this helps.

- Written by a non-partisan audiophile.

It's good but...
Let me get the negative out of the way first. Prior to buying the new 2nd generation iPod Touch I owned a 5th generation 80GB iPod Video. The first thing that struck me about the iPod Touch was the inferior sound quality compared to that of my video iPod despite using the same high quality Sony headphones.
I did a google search and apparently Apple now use a digital to analogue convertor (DAC) chip from a different manufacturer in 6th generation iPods than those used in the 5th generation iPods. You can found out more about this on Apple's support forums.
Despite this though, the playback quality is still on the right side of good enough.

Everything else about this gadget is just brilliant.

I had no problems connecting it to my wifi, and the safari browser is really quick compared to other mobile browsers I have used in the past.

The screen is bright and beautiful, music videos, YouTube videos and the BBC iPlayer look really fantastic, like having a miniature HD television in your hands. It's brilliant for catching up with television or watching YouTube while laying in bed.

The iPod Touch/iPhone versions of the App Store and iTunes are really easy to navigate and like the browser load very quick. With iTunes you can listen to a 30 second preview just like on the PC version and any music you download direct to the Touch downloads as quickly as it does on the PC (depending on ISP your connection speed obviously).
The App store is full of great applications, all sorts of stuff from games to music creation, even ebooks and comics. There are some really great free apps on there too like Google Earth, or Mini Piano for the times when you have the odd few minutes to spare.
Some of the Apps are a little rough around the edges but many are quiet cheap, starting at 59p, plus you can download any upgrades for free once you have made a purchase. I downloaded the Crash Bandicoot Kart Racing game and I am very impressed with it, you turn corners by tilting the iPod Touch and fire missiles or jump by touching the screen, and it all moves along with a decent smooth frame rate, all for £3.49.

I was surprised at how small the packaging was that it came in. It is a small high quality plastic case with all the ingredients tucked away neatly inside, very smart.

The iPod Touch is very light and slim, it does feel delicate so you might want to buy a case for it, if you are one who likes to keep their gadgets in pristine condition you will probably handle it with kid gloves until you get it into a case. I bought a Griffin iClear case for mine which fits snugly so now I feel more secure taking it out and about.
Also you can get a firmer grip on the ipod because without a case the iPod Touch is very slim and feels like it could easily slip out of your hand, especially if you have larger hands.

One thing I do miss from the video iPod is the clickwheel, you could just put your hand in your pocket and move on to the next track but with the touch you need to look at the screen to see what you are doing.

I would have given this five stars but because the playback quality isn't as good as the 5th generation iPod I owned I have given it 4, though I would rather give it a 4.5 and only knock half a point off for the reduced sound quality because it is still good enough.

Edit. Some reviews state that the new iPod touch will not charge in docks. I just thought I'd let you know that the Apple USB mains plug which I used for my video iPod still charges the 2G iPod Touch if anybody needs a PC free method of charging.