Apple iPod touch 16 GB (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $499.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $80.00 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod touch 16 GB (1st Generation) OLD MODEL
Customer Review: So much more than just an iPod
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded to the 16 GB iPod Touch from my old 2 GB first generation iPod nano about a week ago and I couldn't be more satisfied. This is truly a state-of-the-art media player, Internet device, and, with the $10 purchase of the iPhone 2.0 software, mobile computing platform. This device is so much more than just an iPod. If you can't afford to pay AT&T's insane monthly iPhone rates ($70 without text messages last I checked), this is as good as it gets.
Before I get too in depth, I just want to strongly recommend that you forgo the cheaper 8 GB model and go for the 16 GB. I was seriously considering the 8 GB model because, hey, I was only upgrading because my iTunes library was just over 2 GB. I am very glad that I went for the 16 GB now, however. If you would like to put podcasts, video files, and iPhone 2.0 applications on your iPod, they are going to take up more space than you would think. I currently have over 9 GB of stuff on my iPod even though my music library is only about 600 songs (about 2.25 GB).
I know that it's a little pricey to go for the 16 GB, but I actually bought mine used on eBay for less than the price of a new 8 GB (with a hard shell case, screen protector, and the original box to boot). Plus, you'll be much less inclined to want to upgrade in the future as long as you have plenty of space on your current device. I would even say go for the 32 GB if your budget can handle it.
The iPod Touch is not only a great device for music, but an even better device for video. The 3.5 inch widescreen display is very sharp and not as small as it sounds. It's great for watching video podcasts and even full length TV shows and movies.
The internet experience on the iPod Touch is just phenomenal. You're not just getting the "mobile internet", you're getting full web pages exactly the way you're used to seeing them on your computer at home (minus flash and the big screen of course). The multi-touch navigation of web pages is very slick and easy to get the hang of. This is a mobile browser that you'll actually use.
Also, if you are planning on purchasing your iPod Touch new, please make sure that you get the iPhone 2.0 software from Apple so that you can get access to the "App Store". I was lucky enough to already have it installed on mine when I bought it, but the upgrade costs $10 if you buy your iPod new.
Even though some of the apps cost $5 or $10, the majority are free. Some cool apps that you can download on to your iPod for free include AOL Instant Messenger, eBay, New York Times headlines, Wordpress, and Facebook. There's also an app called movies that will list all movie showtimes at the theaters in your area, as well as a super cool baseball app that gives the baseball geek access to the past century of statistics or trivia wherever he may be. The list goes on and on for the cool stuff that you can install.
Now, while the iPod Touch is the closest thing out there to the iPhone experience, it still has its disadvantages compared to Apple's smartphone. For example, while you can access the Internet, read and send e-mail, etc on your iPod Touch, it is only possible when you are near WiFi. On the iPhone, if you are on-the-go and not near a wireless internet connection, you can do all of this over the celluar network which is available almost everywhere you are. The opportunity to use WiFi, on the other hand, doesn't present itself as often as you may think. If you're traveling and want to check your e-mail, it means stopping at a Starbucks or a Borders, and you won't get alerted right when your e-mails arrive like an iPhone user would.
All those are things to consider if you are thinking of the iPod Touch as your way of getting around AT&T's rate plans. While the iPod Touch is the best iPod available, you won't have all the conveniences of an iPhone user.
Another minor annoyance is that there is no volume button on the outside of the iPod, and when the iPod goes to sleep, you have to "slide to unlock" in order to use the touch volume controls.
All in all, though, I am very happy with my iPod Touch. It's the best portable media player out there and it does so much more than just that. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Cool and amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
Purchased the 1G, 16GB iPod touch last week, should have purchased the 2G at the same price instead. In any case, I have gone through a bunch of MP3 players including a 40GB unit, but this is my first video player and my first Apple product. And an amazing, cool, powerful product it is, there is nothing like it on the market, at lease for now.
When I first unboxed touch, the user's manual is nowhere to be found so I needed to go online and download Safari and iTunes, intimidating for a PC user. Couldn't use the touch without iTunes, and iTunes wanted a credit card number to register the touch. Steve Jobs is so clever and devious, what a money making machine having access to your credit card at all times. Great if you have AAPL stocks.
iTunes is a little buggy, giving couple of error messages already and seems like having less control than I like relative to other MP3 player interfaces. My CD audio books were interpreted as songs and no way able to get it into the Audiobooks folder, unless it's purchased from iTunes. The maps GPS is not really a real GPS, like the ones for cars. Continuous wi-fi signals are not available along the freeway or even on the streets, so it's useless for real time directions on the go. Nonetheless, the touch GPS is cool and useful in other ways, hope to be updated to a real GPS. If a website require a download like Adobe Flash Player, I don't know how to do it without hacking into the touch and void the warranty. Battery replacement is around $100 by Apple, not a user replacement part. If you still want to do it, about $15 for the non Apple battery, you need to do some surgery, removing many parts and solder the battery leads on the pc board. If you are not careful and not know what you're doing, you just might render the unit useless. Why can't Jobs provide a quick disconnect terminal for the battery, so much easier. Deleting movies from the touch do not reclaim memory, and re sync the touch after deleting does not reclaim memory either, a restore has to be done. To reclaim memory, use delete from iTune via sync, not from touch. Emails are shown only in letter mode, will not rotate to landscape so fonts are small and difficult to read. For older guys like me, email should default in landscape where the fonts could be enlarged without scrolling to the left or right of the screen. As for scrolling, the touch screen is so small and my finger so big, its too easy to touch a hotlink and off you go to another website. Unfortunately stylus doesn't work on this touch screen, just too bad especially you needed to type a lengthy memo. In youtube, the video and text commentaries are gone on the touch. I'm not able to get movies to play on H.264 on any settings, has to be on mpeg4 at 320 width. Anyway, going from my 62" TV to 3.5" touch screen isn't too bad, its just not anywhere close to HD. Forget about reading subtitles, couldn't get it anyway after conversion to Mpag4. Must be doing something wrong, still learning the touch. Don't bother to use touch on a bright day, the screen washed out just like the laptops. Podcasts only play one at a time, than you have to manually start the next one, not a problem unless you are on an active mode like running. The screen is such a smudge magnet needed to clean often and the stainless steel casing is just too soft with a thousand micro scratches accumulated in just a few days. But it looked so cool! For my use, a few movies and bunch of podcasts, could have got away with an 8GB unit and let iTunes swap in and out the files.
Still such an amazing unit pack with so many advanced features. I'm looking forward to use Word and Excel with it and other applications that are already available. The free stuff on iTune is worth the cost of the touch alone. A very strong 5 stars!
Customer Review: A neat little gadget to get excited about... but...
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to begin with a brief disclaimer: I got the I-Phone, and I kinda regret not getting TOUCH...
Though they're very similar, the big problem arises when you realize that while this is a GREAT device, there's no doubt that before you notice it, the next generation will be out, and it'll be ALL the better... only us I-Phone users will be hunkered down with mobile phone service contracts and I worry that jumping from one to the next will require tons and tons of paper work... Additionally speaking, who in the world wants to be interrupted by phone calls when playing with a neat little gadget like this...? I'm serious... Imagine: You're listening to your favorite group, playing some video game or using some app you downloaded, and next thing you know, the lil' bugger is ringing and you have to hold it up to your face?
So all this said: If the issue is TOUCH vs. PHONE... I say: TOUCH !
As for the device itself: I'm told by people who've had it longer than me (and not THAT long since its pretty new here in Japan) that you get used to the quirks... The quirks for me include that the screen might be BIG by i-pod standards, but in terms of the keypad factor, its rather small if you have big fat fingers like me, so as a result using the keypad can be a rather clumsy process (*and just when I was getting used to using the cell phone alpha-numeric keypad for texting!)... In addition, the screen gets schmootched up pretty easy... I mean, as much of a slob as I am, the greasy looking fingerprints can get to look a bit nasty after almost minimal use... They do give you a cleaning thing to clean it off with, though I have to admit feeling a bit insulted that it didn't come with a carrying case (I bought one for around $30.00.)
In addition, like an I-Pod, don't expect the energizer bunny to be on your side... By the end of an 8 hour work day (which included an hour train ride) the battery was frightfully low... Luckily I was able to drop by an electronics store and get a battery charger... This really upsets me, because most people work about 8-9 hours a day, plus might have an hour or two travel time: so in an ideal world with ideal technology, 12 hours would be more on the money.
So all this said, what's my personal verdict:
Well, if you love your i-pod, and would rather have MORE features than memory (in other words, an overall carry it with you i-pod entertainment center), this baby is IT... and you can download some pretty cool aps. (I check my e-mail, study Japanese, play a few games... I also use it as an alarm clock, check the weather quite frequently, and do lot's and lot's of other stuff. There's also a YOU TUBE link, but honestly speaking the video qualities aren't so great.
As for the downside: I really wish it had a pointer pen... I had some networking problems... and typical to I-Tunes, it had "quirks" which initially made sync-ing difficult. In the end, I wonder if I'm the only person who has a love-hate with the whole I-Pod thing anyway - - Its a really neat device in concept, but in someways the "chic simplicity" requires dire improvements, and I would not mind a slightly clunkier device with more "analog" type features... (Know what I mean?) It would also be cool if the back of the device was made out of something less prone to the "schmootz" factor... say some kind of rubber or something like that...
All in all... I know its going to get better, am frustrated with one or two things, but heck yeah... I'm glad I didn't wait!
Customer Review: A pocket computer that's also a music player
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was in the market for a new iPod to replace my aging and filled-to-the-brim iPod nano, I went to a brick-and-mortar store to look at the iPod lineup in person. I had intended to get the 80GB Classic, but that one was parked right next to the iPod touch on the display shelf, and I made the mistake of playing with both iPods side by side.
The Classic and nano are excellent MP3 players, but next to the iPod touch, they look outdated and tawdry. The LCD on the iPod touch is incredibly sharp and clear, and after navigating with the touch screen for a few minutes, going back to the mechanical controls of the other iPods felt like a step backwards.
The hardware is simply beautiful. The iPod touch looks sleek and classy, scoring a clear 10 on the "Shiny" danger scale of impulse acquisitions. I ended up talking myself into the 16GB iPod touch, which didn't take much rationalizing at all.
The 2.0 software update turns this thing from a capable audio/video/picture multimedia device into a full-fledged pocket computer, the ultimate iteration of the PDA. You get a full web browser that will render any web page out there (albeit without embedded flash media), a mail client, a calendar, mapping functions, Contacts, a clock with alarm and stopwatch/countdown functions, and a load of other things--and that's before you hop on the App Store and discover how many other excellent applications are available for the iPod touch, both free- and payware. I now have mobile clients for Facebook and eBay, a bunch of games, an e-book reader, an AIM client, and a load of other applications on my iPod touch, and it's getting to the point that the music and video capabilities are almost secondary functions now. This is what a Palm handheld could have evolved into if Palm had put some brain grease into development.
All in all, this is a terrific little device that can serve as a very capable substitute for a laptop in a pinch. Mine holds all my music, a half dozen feature-length films, all my photos, and enough e-books to keep me reading for months, and I still have about 5GB of the formatted capacity of 15-ish GB available. (My only regret is not having dropped another $100 on the 32GB version, but even the 16GB should last me for a good long while.)
My only niggles are the battery life (great with just music at 20-some hours, but with WiFi on and constant application usage, it's more like 5 or 6 hours), and the fact that Apple insists on making the back out of polished stainless steel, which is incredibly easy to scratch, and it collects fingerprints like mad. The front of the iPod touch is glass, and the whole thing is extremely tough, but you'll find yourself using the included screen cloth multiple times a day. If you buy one of these, get a nice case if you want to keep it pristine-looking. I use mine without the case because I love the thinness, but if you do that, you'll have to put up with lots of little scratches on the shiny back.
The iPod touch is a top-shelf geek toy, and the most polished handheld multimedia device on the market, with seamless integration, flawless function, and a very well designed interface. With the addition of the 2.0 software, it's also the best PDA on the market, with functionality that can compete with that of a Netbook.
Customer Review: IPOD touch is like a pda
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked out the IPOD Touch 16g because of the reviews. It was just what I have been looking for to replace my PDA. I have use Palm and Dell PDAs in the past. This is much easier to navigate than either product. It is a fraction of the size and does everything I need it to and more as I gain experience with it. I didn't get the one with the phone. I just didn't need that product.
It has an easy to navigate calender with a list feature. Using this I can quickly see all upcoming appointments. It has an audible alarm.
Putting in contacts and associating birthdays is easy too. Then it associates the information with your calender. I can also use notes in the contact section to put in peoples clothes sizes or kids names or whatever I want.
To synchronize or charge I just plug it into my computer and I don't have to give it any commands. I put books on tape, bible on CD, prayers, and all kinds of music on it. It sorts them easily so I can find any thing I need with a quick touch even with the 20 years worth of CDs I have collected. They are easy to delete too.
It has a simple calculator which is handy. I never need graphing functions at work, just basic functions. It has all I need.
There is a note feature. I can keep lists on it. I use it to keep track of movie and book recommendations people give me. I use it for my gift list for Christmas. I use it to carry measurements of my windows and rooms in case I find furniture or curtains I don't have to wait to measure to see if they will fit. I also keep notes with all my family vaccinations and health information. It is really handy not having a bunch of slips of paper to thumb through and loose.
It surfs the internet faster than my own desk top, but the font is small and the trick of super-sizing it took me about a week to learn. I have bookmarked important sites and you tube videos I have wanted to share. When I am done, it is easy to delete any book marks. Typing comments on blogs or other information took me a week to learn. The keyboard requires a certain touch. A little practice and there is nothing to it. I have wide fingers and have found the right way to hold it to type without errors. No stylus is used. I use it everyday to check my AOL email account.
The battery runs down quickly when using the internet. If I want it to last a whole shift at work, I have to turn off the wifi connection. It takes 3 quick clicks to do that. No big deal.
Several nurses I work with have taken a tour of my IPOD and are getting their own. My only regret is not getting more memory. I have never needed more with my other PDA, but this does so much more and is more fun. I want to use it every day. This is a wonderful product for the older adult who may have a hard time learning how to use new technology. And it is a product my children wish they could have.
I am looking forward to playing games on it in the future.