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,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) [Previous Model]
Customer Review: Enjoyable to the max. 4.5 stars.
Summary: 5 Stars
The iPod Touch, Generation II graced this earth sometime in September of 2008. I wanted one sometime after, but didn't get around to getting one until about a week ago. But it was worth the wait!
The black device known as the Touch is great. It has a gorgeous glass screen that displays colors perfectly and beautifully. If you turn to the back of the device, you can see that it is indeed an "iPod" and how many Gigabytes the iPod has. For kicks, I even use the back for a mirror!
The sound on the iPod is pretty good. Even without the headphones, if there isn't any/much noise and clatter going on, you can hear the music or video or movie pretty well without headphones so people complaining about the sound without headphones are insane. It's not a car you are in, it's just an iPod. And for that, the sound works great.
The actual touch screen feature, unless you have a touch-featured phone takes a bit of getting used to at first. I, having an Apple iPod nano 4 GB Silver (3rd Generation) OLD MODEL for a year and a half or so, and knowing it pretty much inside and out, was still a bit confused for a little while. But I got over it. Picking songs or videos, moving it from the up side to its side to switch from cover flow mode to album mode is not only easy but cool-looking.
The applications (or apps) and their ideas seem pretty cool, but the games (that I have played so far) don't really cut it. I haven't played many at all, but if it's not geared towards a little kid (I'm soon to be 25) it's something that loses its novelty fast. The apps I looked forward to are the iTunes store or even the weather app which I used for the first time today. I also wanted to check out the amazon app which I do have and used today but was disappointed that you can't rate other peoples' works. I know it's just an iPod Touch though and it's a minor quibble.
Battery life isn't bad. It could be better, but I get decent play on mine and it lasts some odd hours. Not 8, 10, or 12 like it SAYS it does, but maybe 5 or 6 while playing music and the odd video or two.
Wi-Fi is a peace of cake when the connection around you is open. It automatically loads to what app you are trying to use that requires the internet once you open that particular app. I haven't any other experience with, say, a private connection. Not yet at least. I will update this once I get a router and play around with my Touch some more at home (if this review is even relevant still). :D
All in all, it's not a good device but an extraordinary one. I have some minor problems with it (and this won't matter to anyone but me) but updating from a nano to a Touch, when looking at the composers to a song, the names no longer slide slowly so you can see who composed that particular work (or in my case, who wrote that track because I put the actual lyricists down instead). Although radio kinda sucks these days, I think it'd be nice to tune into the local radio stations with an FM Tuner but sadly, the Touch lacks that too. Also, the battery life could be a bit longer. However, on the upside, the thing charges pretty fast.
I must say it was 258.11 well spent!
Customer Review: No customer service from Apple
Summary: 1 Stars
I had my ipod touch for 5 days before I returned it. During that time I spent at least 15 hours trying to figure out how to get it to opperate correctly. I do not know if it was something I was doing wrong, or if there was something wrong with the ipod. I am sure that someone at apple could have resolved my ipod's issues, however my attempts at contacting their customer service failed. I had no choice but to return it.
The ipod touch came with very little instructions on getting started. My coworker, who has one, even admitted this. However, I was able to load in some albums and some pictures without too much trouble. One of the problems was that in itunes there was a file for music, and a file for videos, but no file for photos. I was not exactly sure how they got loaded in the first place. But the real problem was with loading some videos that I had created. They would not load at all, and I was not getting an error message.
I spent many hours searching apples web site trying to find out what the problem was. I got the answer from another ipod touch user, not from apple. Apparently videos need to be converted to a format that the ipod recognizes. Although according to apple, the 2nd generation ipod touch, which is what I had, is suppose to automatically convert the videos without having to go through a middle process, you just drag the video from the computer into the itunes video file and the conversion would happen automatically. Since that wasn't happening, I down loaded a trial version of a conversion software the ipod touch user recommended. This worked partway, it allowed me to put the video in the itunes file, but it would not sync to my ipod. Also I believe this somehow corrupted my ipod, because after that, my albums stopped syncing.
To make a very long story a little bit shorter, I spent many hours trying to fix the problem, including resetting the ipod twice. All this without the help of apple support.
I tried to contact apple several times. They have this process where you make an appointment to have someone call you back. On the 2nd page of this process they have you put in the ipod's serial number, and then the date that you purchased it. When I did this I got a message that said the purchase date appears to be incorrect. So I put the date that the purchase cleared my bank. I got the same message. I bought this item from amazon, so I am not sure how apple would know when I purchased it. In any case it said that I could do this part later and that a service rep could help me with it. So I advanced to the next page of this process. There I selected from a drop down menu which apple product this was referring to. After that there was nothing. No messages. Nothing else to click. No more pages. Nothing. It just ended. I waited for a while thinking that it might be processing. Still nothing.
I fully admit that my inability to get my ipod touch to operate correctly could easily be something I was doing wrong. But without any customer support I will never know. I feel I put in an extraordinary effort to solve it on my own and that a little apple support was well earned. Right now I have very negative feelings towards apple. It will be a long time before I consider buying one of their products again.
Customer Review: Do I need it? No - Do I want it? YES! *Update - Now I have it!
Summary: 4 Stars
Over the last 4 years I have been very content with my Apple 30 GB iPod AAC/MP3 Video Player Black (5.5 Generation). That was until my son received the Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) LATEST MODEL for his birthday. Now being that I paid for a large portion of this gift I found it only fair that he let me borrow it and try it out for a couple days.
Physically the biggest difference was the size and weight. My 80GB is over a 1/2 inch in depth compared to the iPod touch at 1/3 inch and slightly more than 2 ounces in weight. It seems like such a small amount, but it is a huge difference when it comes to carrying it in a pocket or small purse.
I have to say that the iPod touch is very user friendly. After my son initially synched it with his iTunes account he was having trouble connecting to our wi-fi. He handed it over and within 2 minutes I had it connected and started surfing the web. Although I had never used it before, I found the Safari browser easy to adapt to. For the next half hour I checked my email, facebook, shopped here on Amazon, performed several google searches and when it came time to give it back to my son, well...I didn't want to and that is what led to me taking it for an extended test.
Overall in my opinion the best feature about the iPod touch has to be the unlimited amount of apps available out there for download. I was amazed at what you could get! From fun to functional, business to humorous and everything in between. This is something that I do not have the ability to do on my iPod and wish I did. My son has downloaded so many I had several screens to maneuver through just to find what I was looking for - music!
Now after 3 days of playing with the Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) LATEST MODEL am I going to buy one? Not yet. The original reason I purchased mine was for music and TV shows and this version hasn't improved so much that I feel the need to switch. Do I want one? Well as I said in the title - YES! The "fun" factor for me is a big part of that. Do I need to be able to surf the web when away from my computer, do I need the apps and games? No, but they would be nice.
My suggestion is that if you don't already own some version of a video iPod and are looking to get one - GO FOR IT! You won't be disappointed and I think the price is worth it. Additionally if you're going to invest in one, by all means pick up a protective case and screen cover. My son bought these and they will definitely protect his investment.
Incipio dermaSHOT Silicone Case for iPod touch 1G (Translucent Blue)
Durable Mirror Reusable LCD Screen Protector for Apple Ipod Touch Itouch 8GB 16GB 32GB 2G 2nd Generation
*9/24/09 - Finally got my own this last month and I'm loving every bit of it!
Customer Review: What Are You Doing With Your iPod?..... Just Learning Some Chinese Phrases
Summary: 5 Stars
Anything that you could do thanks to the internet is now made available to you at the swipe of your sophisticated fingers. Only a sensitive touch is now required for you to access web content, emails, view your photos or listen to your music.
The Device: The iPod touch is the next generation of ipod (in case you didn't notice) and now allows you to operate your device through the medium of quite a sexy touch screen. Rather than it simply be an ipod with a larger screen that makes it better for watching videos, it implements a lot more technology which enhances the usability of the contraption. One of the biggest differences from this ipod to the others isn't the screen, rather it is the introduction of wifi capability. This now allows the introduction of the famed Safari web browser for complete internet browsing in a wifi zone. You can also sync up your email account to your ipod touch so you can check them on the go (as long as your in a wifi zone).
Other Additions: The introduction of Wifi has also allowed for other cool applications to be brought in. The maps application is especially interesting as wherever you are, it allows you to locate yourself on the map and even set a route so it can give you directions to a given destination. The app store opens up a lot of possibilities as some of the apps may seem utterly pointless and silly to some yet may seem genius to others. Some of the better apps I have seen so far are solitaire, google earth and of course Facebook. A calendar, clock, notes taker and stock checker also allow you to keep on top of your daily routine. You can input entries onto your calendar, take a quick note and keep track of your stocks.
The iPod Stuff: When flipped on its side and going through your music you're given the cool feature of cover flow as you can swipe across the screen to reveal the album covers for your chosen song. Of course, sometimes the album covers may not be instantly available with your chosen song but luckily itunes has a cover search capability. Rotate it the vertical way and you're given a pretty basic list feature for those who just want to pick a song. Videos are much more pleasant to enjoy as thanks to the much larger screen, it gives you much more of a reason to add videos due to the fact that you can actually watch them now without straining your retinas.
The Look: Oooh shiny shiny, as with all apple products these days this just looks way ahead of his time. I wonder if Steve Jobs has a time machine, goes into the future and gets the technology for these devices from our future humans. One problem with the screen being all touchy and shiny is that it is easily scratched, or if you're a bit dirty there is the possibility that you could leave all sorts of finger prints on the screen. There are protectors, but of course that just means more money spent so if you buy one and don't want to spend more money then simply be careful.
It is a wonderful device and thanks to the itunes store being featured on the touch itself you can download songs straight to your ipod touch. Possibly the only device better than this has to be the iphone and that is truly something.
Customer Review: Bag the PSP, sell your 30 GB iPod Video, love the iPod Touch.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was introduced to the iPod Touch/iPhone interface last summer when the iPhone 3G was released. My wife purchased and iPhone with a new cell phone contract through AT&T and I had my chance to play around with the device. The little I did play with it I absolutely enjoyed.
For the longest time, I've had multiple media devices all for doing different functions. Every time I would travel over night, I'd have to pack my:
- iPod Video for music and movies.
- Sony PSP for games.
- Blackberry Curve for my email.
- Laptop for internet access.
What a hassle. Last month I figured that I had had enough of the multiple-device life and sold my PSP and gave a family member my iPod Video. I used the money from the Sony PSP to purchase the iPod Touch 16 GB. And I've never regretted the decision.
For Gaming:
I'm not a huge gamer, but I do like to "button mash" a decent platformer or play some video poker when I'm sitting in a hotel room or on a plane. With the Sony PSP (or even the Nintendo DS in this case), any time I wanted to play a new game, I'd have to get in my car, drive to a game or retail store, purchase a disc, take it home, insert it and play the game. With the iPod Touch, I simply need a network connection, I surf the App store, I pay for whichever game I'd like to play, it downloads and automatically installs onto the device. Once I've beaten the game, I can erase it off the device and install it at a later time should I decide to play again. Goodbye Sony DMDs. And the game variety is surprisingly ample and of decent quality.
A few games that I have found to be exceptional:
- Hero of Sparta
- Firemint's Real Racing
- Gameloft's Assasin's Creed
- The New York Time's Crossword Puzzles.
- Rolando
- 2XL Games Supercross
For Other Media:
Obviously playing music isn't an issue on the iPod Touch. The sound quality is good, and I like the multiple viewing options available for viewing albums. Video is also much better than on the iPod Video. The screen is brighter, larger and more crisp.
I'm also a big fan of the Amazon Kindle software for the iPod Touch. Granted that I would not like to read an entire book on the small LCD iPod screen, it's sufficient enough to read a few chapters of whatever novel I'm reading in between meetings or on lunch break.
I also highly recommend:
- Apple Software's Remote
- Air Mouse
The Good:
- Apple's App Store.
- The screen (clean, clear and crisp).
- WiFi enabled.
- Slim and portable form factor.
The Bad:
- The battery (seems to not work as long as advertised).
- No GPS functionality (although Google Maps is sufficient).
- No Bluetooth.
The Ugly:
- Nothing.
All in all, the iPod Touch exceeds my expectations. The release of the 3.0 OS will be a nice addition (regardless of the cost to iPod Touch users). Boy, for an all inclusive package, Apple has done a phenomenal job.