iPod Touch 2G - A Lot of Touching

The iPod touch was received with it's full pckaging still intact. The unit came with the standard Apple iPod proprietary connector, earbuds, users manual, cleaning cloth, and a piece of it's docking device which I have no idea how to use. Apple does a good job in packing their iPods. It's quite intuitive and very presentable as well. There are no polybags, corrugated carton, tie wires, and silica gel. It's perfect for displaying in stores since customers can already see the product without removing them from the packaging.

The cable that came with it was truncated loosing the clip release button. The earbuds were standard but it would be great if it already came wth the foam since this somehow improves the sound quality most especially the bass. I love to listen to high quality music that is why I choose players which deliver deep bass with rich high and midtones.

The capacitive display is very responsive and does'nt seem to loose its integrity. Compared with my HTC Touch Viva this device is meant for entertainment. Its large 480-by-320-pixel LCD screen is perfect for viewing pictures and videos. The pan & zoom function is an awesome way to view pictures and is quite responsive in every way. When viewing videos the orientation is always a default full screen mode. You cannot rotate it if you want to view it in portrait mode. But there's no problem in doing playback you just tap the screen then appears the controls and the volume slider control. One thing I love about this device is it's ability to automatically adjust the screen brightness depending on the ambient light so this helps prevent eyestrain.

I tried using the Wi-fi and found it quite slow compared to my HTC Touch Viva. It also has a built-in Youtube program. It loads video thumbnails quite slower than the Viva. The built-in Map is very useful and faster than other internet programs. I found the map of our house in no time. Other programs are also useful like Notes, Calendar, and contacts but I'd rather store these types of information in my Viva instead.

The music function is the most important thing since it is the soul purpose of the device, to play music. The sound is sparkling to the ears compared to my Creative N200. Although it came with the standard earphones I still recommend buying a more high performance earbud or headphones maximizing it's standard 3.5mm input jack. For cheap and high quality earphones I'd recommend Sony MDR-E818LP series. Since these are older models they are much cheaper. I bought mine in Hong Kong for around HKD35 (PHP250) and it had never failed to impress me. Compared to other higher priced equivalent, to me, it still sounds better. My friend bought a pair of Senheiser and another bought a Pioneer both costs around PHP700 but still my Sony Earphones sounded superior. Just always install the included foam for a much richer bass experience.

The Touch is quite big and a slight discomfort in holding it was observed. But maybe this is due to the thin and flatness of the device which takes getting used to. It requires to be operated both hands to get the correct function you want. Although you can still use one hand but to me it seems not quite comfortable. Most especially the playback controls which requires the lcd screen. It would be more better if it had external controls just in case you need a backtrack of something. The back of it is a stainless steel covering and is a fingerprint magnet. The model labels were laser printed and is not a hinder to the beauty of the device.

The iPod Touch 2G is an ultimate portable entertainment device and can also be a personal organizer. It has capabilities that other media players don't have. Despite Its gorgeousness, it is difficult to operate when not looking on the screen so you'll be forced to use both your hands. The automatic screen brightness adjustment function works perfect and really is eye friendly. This baby is quite expensive but does it's job well but if you love viewing in a bigger screen with higher definition then this device is for you.