Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) [Previous Model]
by Apple Computer
![Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) [Previous Model]](/images/Apple-iPod-touch-16-GB-2nd-Generation-Previous-Model-B001FA1NZU-L.jpg)
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Our Price: $394.50 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $109.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) [Previous Model]
Customer Review: The search for the perfect portable radio
Summary: 5 Stars
Summary:
Xm & Sirius great but personal portable radio models are way too expensive for the technology you get. Slacker G2 good concept but too new with inadequate support and bugs not worked out. iPhone/iTouch I am the happiest. Read on for more detail:
I first started with satellite radio xm to be exact.
What I like: unlike an iPod you can unlimited streaming music. And a selection of 100's of radio stations to choose from. And what was really great was based on what model of handheld you have you could store your favorite songs and make playlists right from the unit. And you get all this for a quarterly fee of under $40. Also depending on the model you can transfer your own MP3 songs to the unit.
What I didn't like: The portable radios where extremely expensive and low tech compared to an iTouch, or Slacker personal radio. I have owned several models through the years starting Pioneer XM2Go original model which was good. Then bought the Samsung Helix which was more small and compact with more features however lost the tuner cartridge which you needed to get satellite radio and it was just too many pieces to have and lose to make it work. Then my final purchase was the Delphi SkiFi radio. If you are reading this DO NOT BUY THIS! It was complete junk. It constantly froze up worked 25% of the time. Tried updating the software and it did not take. Sat on the phone for 1 hour for tech support and was still on hold. And the reception was horrible in the vehicle. And for paying over $150 and having it less then a year I had enough.
This then brought me to the store to shop for a new xm or Sirius radio. I then was introduced to Slacker radio G2.
What I like: Is that you had streaming music just like satellite radio. However you didn't need a separate receiver to make this happen it runs off wifi. So if you have a wifi connection your good to go and if you didn't have a connection if you where traveling etc. it has 15 hours stored of music for you to listen to. And what was cool was you can make customized radio stations. All you had to do was type in an artist you liked for example Madonna and it would add similar artists you might like such as Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilar, Pink, etc. This was all for free and if you wanted to pay extra you can store songs to and create play lists.
What I didn't like: Of course I wanted it all so I bought the premium plus subscription. What I didn't know was that the G2 was not compatible with Apple computers so if wanted to download my MP3, create playlist, etc. that was not possible with an Apple computer. That's o.k. I had two other Windows based computers. However the firmware that you need with from Slacker would not download on either one of those computers. I tried contacting the tech support however you can only do it via e-mail or chat which is only available during the weekdays. And trying to solve a problem that way can be quite frustrating. I paid close to $180 and for that I should get the service I deserve. I feel the concept of this is good however it's so new and there problems have not been worked out yet and they do not have adequate support. I was at my friend's house and saw her iTouch and for what she paid was close to the Slacker but more function in addition to radio.
So I returned my Slacker G2 because it did not do what it said it was to do and exchanged it for an iPhone.
What I like: It does everything and anytime anywhere no additional gizmos needed. Keep this in mind the difference between the iPhone and iTouch is that the phone of course is a phone but you can get internet wherever you can get phone service and phone plans have a fee. iTouch has all the same options but you need wifi to do any internet functions. I just bought the iPhone because I needed a new phone too. So in addition to streaming radio you can get other applications like facebook, podcasts, games, etc. There are so many to choose from, some of them are free, some of the are not. It's virtually a personal computer in the palm of your hand.
What I didn't like: I can still use Slacker streaming radio however you can't save or store songs you have to purchase them from iTunes then make a playlist. And battery life isn't the longest but what do you expect with all you get?
Customer Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
There are numerous extremely well-written and thorough reviews of this device on here, so I'll keep this brief. I'm basing this on my iPod 2nd Generation 16GB model that I purchased.
The Good: Although I purchased this device to use solely for music, its online capabilities, and a couple of games, I've ended up having a freakin' blast with this thing! It's intuitive and extremely easy to navigate. Being a musician, I had no idea how many cool apps were out there for this thing! Virtual guitar, keyboard, drum, etc. applications that - while you can't use them like their full-blown relatives - allow you to expand on an idea or just see how one works out when you're out and about, sans instrument! This - in and of itself - is worth its weight in gold. I won't go into all the applications there are, because I'd be here all day. Case and point, the appliations make this device worth so much more than I could've imagined. Although I could certainly have leveraged 32GB (I'm one of those guys with about 4TB of data between movies, games, music, etc.), I've found 16GB to suffice quite nicely! Oh, and jailbreaking the device is really simple, so long as you make sure you know what you're doing. Although I work in tech. support and am a very tech-savvy individual, I read up on it for an hour or two prior to doing it (on Vista x64, no less, which is the least optimal environment at the moment for jailbreaking, lol).
The Bad: As far as the device itself goes, the only, "bad" thing I can think of is an issue I've noticed others have had: applications randomly quit working. You'll go to load a purchased application and just before it starts loading its data, it'll kick you back to the home screen. Solution: After you've synced your applications in iTunes, delete the applications you've downloaded (on the home-screen, press and hold on any icon until they all start wiggling, then click the X's with circles around them to delete) that are effected, then re-sync your iPod with iTunes and they should reinstall and work just fine!
You can't create playlists within the device; you have to do it from iTunes. I don't really leverage playlists, though, so I have no isssues with this. My problems from here on out have nothing to do with the device itself, but rather, iTunes. First of all, it can take FOR-EVER to transfer MP3's to your iPod, due to iTunes', "feature" where it makes it so that songs have gapless playback. It pisses me off that Apple doesn't allow that functionality to be disabled, but I'm just one in a long line of people on that bandwagon. Also, I've noticed iTunes hangs a LOT for no apparent reason. I've even given ALL Apple processes running the highest priority below, "realtime" and it STILL hangs! This is on a powerhouse dual-core x64 machine with 4GB RAM, so I have the resources.
Anyway, my main gripe is with iTunes and its interaction with the iPod.
The Beautiful: The device itself. The interface, its usability, its exterior... Apple tries hard to focus on the UI and UX of its products and this device is exemplary of how they succeed.
Overall: 5 Stars! I'm a technophile, so I'm used to the notion that not all devices coming off the same production line will act exactly the same in any and every scenario. Though I've had the application issue once and iTunes is a fairly horrid application most of the time, I don't deem either to be a reason to rate this any less than 5 stars. Why? Because the good WAY outweighs the bad... for me, at least.
This rating has been brought to you by an avid Microsoft fan. I don't partake in the OS Wars (I think they're stupid; use what works for you and I'll use what works for me and we're all happy), so I'm giving Apple credit where credit is certainly due. I absolutely love my Zune, but I think I'll start calling it, "Woody" and my iPod touch, "Buzz Lightyear". lol. (Toy Story reference, if you have no idea what I'm referencing)
-Stephen
http://www.uxevangelist.net
Customer Review: My very first 5 Stars
I just lost my iPod virginity. I was never a fan of Apple. I thought that Apple was a complete rip off, too expensive, and too restricted. That all changed when I bought the 16gb. I gave in to the whole iPod mania. It is an extraordinary piece of technology. I would recommend buying the 16gb or 32bg, because during setup it uses 1.5gbs.The look and feel of the Touch is great. Fits perfectly in your hand. Its very light weight and the screen size is perfect. Now yes, it is a smudge magnet. I've read some of the other reviews and the same thing everyone complained about is that it smudges too much. Of course it does, if you have dirty greasy fingers, its gonna leave finger prints all over the screen. Apple included a cleaning cloth. Wipe it off and stop bitching about. I would recommend a case for the Touch, it does scratch very easily.
The sound is great. Some of the other reviews said its not the best, I beg to differ. It sounds like any other mp3 player. I have the Creative Zen, (which is great if your looking for a very basic mp3 player) and it sounds exactly the same. I don't know what some of the other reviewers were expecting, the sound is good enough for me. Now, the speaker. Its pretty umm, not good, I don't wanna say bad, its just the speaker isn't useful for playing music. I wouldn't use it for playing music because its not loud enough, it sounds like its going to bust, and its very distorted. Its good for the alarm, email alerts, games, but its not good enough to play music on.
The music is great. The way the player is setup is something ive never seen. Tilt the screen sideways, you have coverflow, just slide through album covers. Tilt it upwards, you can scroll through songs, or artists, or play lists. The genius play list I don't care for. There's no point of it. I don't need it to randomly pick songs when im listening to one song. Its seem to be a version of the shuffle feature. The volume buttons are on the side, you can use it whenever your browsing through the Touch. No need to go to the player page and adjust the volume on the screen, just use the button on the side.
Wifi. If you really wanna enjoy the whole experience of the Touch, you have to have wifi!! I know some people who don't have wifi, and only use it for the music, which makes no sense. You need a router, you don't have one, get one before buying the Touch. The wifi is probably the most important feature in the Touch. You can do so much with it. Email, Youtube, Safari, AppStore, itunes store, Maps, Weather. Without wifi, you will have a very boring and pointless Touch.
Safari is really good. You can stroll through all websites. It doesn't support Flash, which sucks, that would have been great. Maybe the generation of Touches. Not much to say about the safari, its just the internet. Youtube! Works very well. Search any video as you normally would on the computer, watch anything you want on youtube. Email, check email, sent or receive. I have aol email setup on the Touch and its pretty damn good.
Now App Store and iTunes music store. I would recommend buying a prepaid itunes gift card. You will get addicted to buying songs and games on the Touch. Limit yourself when searching the iTunes store. The whole entire library of music is in your hands. Downloading music is very fast and again, addictive. There are tons of FREE apps available in the App Store. I have Myspace mobile, Facebook, AOL radio, (yes real streaming radio, and it has local radio stations) iTv, and sooo much more. Tons of games, a lot of them are free.
I don't know what else to say I know im leaving out a lot, (Nike, if you don't have the right Nike shoes and don't run, then there's no point of the Nike feature) and probably most of you didn't read the whole review. It's a great mp3 player that does everything.
In simple words for those looking for an extraordinary mp3 player:
iPhone - AT&T = iPod Touch.
Customer Review: Solid New Features + More Affordable
Summary: 5 Stars
The iPod Touch debuted only one year ago, and this is the first update. I was excited to pick up the new iPod Touch at the Apple Store because I had never owned a first generation, though I do own iPhones.
I want to concentrate primarily on the new features:
First, physical volume buttons are now placed on the side of the iPod Touch as they are on the iPhone. This is very convenient. It allows you to adjust the volume of your music, without having to pull the entire device out of your pocket and activate the screen. A time saver.
Second, many people requested a built-in speaker for the iPod Touch like is available on the iPhone. Apple listened. However, there is one important point to make on this! The iPod Touch is incredibly small, and Apple is forced to put an incredibly small speaker. The speaker in the iPod Touch sounds worst than the speaker in the iPhone. I have compared it side by side, and it's fairly significant, and the iPhone speaker isn't that great to begin with. However, in a quiet room, the speaker is still useful for previewing a song you might want to buy, or for playing games. However, still, if you want great sound, you need to connect your headphones.
Genius - This new feature is really surprisingly good. When you're listening to a song you enjoy, select the genius option. It will create a playlist for you, with songs that go together nicely with the one you started with. It helps you rediscover great music from your collection with a playlist suited to the mood you're in. I didn't think it would do a good job compiling this list, but it has been quite impressive.
Applications - It's great to have the ability to buy (or get some free) applications right on the iPod Touch. Furthermore, with the software update this new iPod Touch comes with, the Application installation process is so much smoother than it had been even on my iPhone. It now works how you want it to, seamlessly. I like having a weather application that includes doppler radar images, and that is free. I also have several games on it. There is a great variety of applications available from hundreds of third-parties right on the iPod itself, so you are certain to find something that interests you. I really like the new release of Spore, for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Apple is really pushing the games and quietly suggest they are challenging Nintendo and Sony. They are innovative and interesting games, but I think they have a ways to go, to challenge those game makers.
Nike + is now built in too, so if you have the shoes and the puck, the iPod Touch is ready to receive the data from it. Battery life is improved to 36 hours audio and 6 hours video according to Apple. I find the audio number fairly accurate if you don't light up the display much, but the video number is a slight bit harder to achieve.
Of course, the new ipod Touch does look and feel even better than the first generation, from my small experiences with the previous one. I also think it feels cooler than my iPhones, but obviously your interpretation may very. I like the metal back on the iPod Touch. It looks classy, though it is prone to scratches.
One of my favorite features continues to be, when in my home on Wi-Fi, to reach down for the Touch, use Safari web browser and look something up. It's great.
Overall, it was a solid update for the iPod Touch. I wish the speaker could be better on it, but I believe that is due to the physical restrictions of the small device. I could have knocked it to four stars for that, but I think most people realize a built in speaker isn't the way you want to listen to most audio on an iPod to begin with. I'm impressed by the second generation iPod Touch, and I think with the third party applications getting better and becoming more popular, more people will consider the Touch.
Customer Review: Good wi fi portable thingie, average music player, poor gaming machine
Summary: 3 Stars
Ok, here is the thing. I never owned Apple's ipod before. As some one that has played with mp3 players way before apple launched the first ipod I have always found a good reason to stay out of shopping one.
So let me start by explaining where I am coming from on this review: I was not looking for a good music player. If you are, then this is not for you. Go and look for a more economic player that will do the job as a music player better than this ( and that is not an ipod nano by the way). I wanted a large display device that could connect to my wifi network to navigate the net and check email, without firing up a laptop. Up to today, There are no devices out there yet that can do this as well and as portable as the ipod touch.
The device connected to the wifi network easily without fuss. the Browser is great. with finger gestures to zoom in and out on areas of interest, makes this unit may favorite to check quicly my emails and browse the internet before I decide that I need to fire my laptop. Playing my music, audible books, and podcast is a plus for an all in one device that fits in my hand.
Good:
- Wifi connectivity. No other mp3 player is as compact as this and can browse the interned with an excellent browser for a portable device.
- Apple Store: I love it. It is well populated with applications and some are free. I got a dictionary, and a game. but there are other things that pick my interest. No need to connect to a computer for this. Just connect to wifi network.
- keeping up with my podcasts without connecting to the laptop is another great thing. Well done.
Average:
- Music player: not a great sounding music player. Apple continues its philosphy that adding a good equalizer will confuse the poor apple sheep. This is not a big deal for podcasts and audible books. But again, if your first need is for a good music player then stay out of this one and do some reasearch on non-apple players. They do it better and you get more features for usually less money.
- Cover flow is just a gimmick. Looks nice in the adds but I ended prefering the old index listing way.
- Itunes: It has become a bloated software. My machine fires up quickly the windows media player when I want to sync my Sansa Fuze. iTunes will not give me an hourglass for a few seconds to let me know that I have double clicked the software to launch it. I have given it the avarage rating because after the program is loaded makes syncing as easy as windows media player (that is right: people that tell you itunes is easier to use than anything else are fanboys and a statement like that should dimiss anything else they have to say)
Bad:
- Gaming machine: I have loaded a game that is a really good time killer, and there are many games in the apple store that I might be tempted to try out. But here is the problem: The battery does not last as much as you would like for a gaming machine. The Playstation Portable has been hammered for its poor battery life compared to nintendo DS, but the Touch runs through the battery much faster. This might be because it has a much lower capacity battery in that slim body than the nintendo DS.
So I am not throwing away my other portable gaming machine.
- iTunes Store: My opinion on this one is basically my preference of opennes. I buy my music from DRM free sites like Amazon ( I should get discount coupon for this plug). Seriously, you want a library that can be moved across non-apple devices as I do, and pay less while you build it up, you should look elsewhere. iTunes is too expensive and that music is locked on an apple device only, unless you go through the trouble of re-ripping your music. I think not, I rather extend the life of my laptop cd player/bruner, I bet it is cheapy anyways so I dont want to stress it out.