I bought the 8 GB iPod Touch (3rd gen) from the iStore by Reliance Digital in Greater Kailash at Rs. 12, 400 with 1 yr. warranty.
Now, let me clear the confusion about the models and their specs. The 8 GB one has the same hardware as the 2nd gen iPod Touch and actually isn’t a 3rd generation. It just comes pre-loaded with the new iPhone OS 3.1 . On the other hand, the 32 GB(Rs. 18, 400) and the 64 GB (Rs.24, 400) are the actual 3rd generation models with a 50% faster processor and Open GL 2.0 which improves loading time for games and have support for better game graphics. They come with the remote-and-mic headphones and have a Voice Control application and also have improved Accessibility options.
So, that is a summary of the models and their features.
Now, coming back to the point.
The iPod Touch comes with a minimalistic packaging encased in a hard plastic shell. Out of the box, it looks a beauty. It has a shiny, glossy back which easily attracts fingerprints and scratches. So, I would suggest investing in a case. The box contains the apple standard earbuds, usb cable, dock adapter and a quick-start guide. All music, videos, movies, podcasts, etc. are synced to the iPod through iTunes which I think is a very robust music organization software once you get used to it.
MUSIC PLAYBACK: Music playback on the iPod Touch is simply amazing, though I seriously recommend investing in better headphones coz the standard apple earphones sound really crappy. But with proper earphones, audio quality is excellent. All your music is shown in cover artwork when the ipod is held in the horizontal position and you can browse through them with a flick of your fingers which is very pleasing to the senses and the album art are real eye-candy. It also has a "Genius" feature which makes Genius Playlists and Genius Mixes of songs in your library that sound great together, and I really like this feature. So, thats it on the music front.
VIDEO PLAYBACK: Videos and movies look simply stunning on the iPod Touch’s 3.5 inch screen. It is the best display i’ve seen on a device of its size. You can switch from widescreen to full-screen by double- tapping the display. But videos are played only in the .H264 and .mp4 formats so you’ll have to convert your videos in other formats to these using 3rd party apps. (i use the Videora iPod Touch Converter, Google it)
PHOTOS: Photos also look very good, you can zoom into them by pinching gestures which is very awesome. The screen is ultra-responsive to your touch and gestures and everything works just blazing fast.
PERFORMANCE: The iPod Touch comes with a zippy fast processor and everything just flies. Menus just flow like water and overall the experience is great. You just cant get this sort of an experience on any other device in the market save the iPhone. Games work great with the accelerator that swiftly responds to the tilts and most applications work without any hitches.
INTERNET: The iPod Touch has built-in wi-fi which lets you access the internet at wi-fi hotspots like airports, CCD, Barista, hotel lounges etc. It has the Safari web browser which is widely known to be the best browser on a portable device. Web pages load up very fast and it connects to most wi-fi hotspots without any hiccups. Browsing is a great experience on this device. You can zoom into web pages by pinching and swiping, you can buy apps from the App Store and download podcasts from the iTunes store. The iTunes music store is not available in India. Overall, the web browsing experience is mind-blowing, all you need is a wi-fi hotspot.
GAMES n APPS: The App Store has loads and loads of free and paid games, and quite a few of them are real good time killers. Racing games are awesome to play using the Touch’s accelerator. You also have board, adventure, sports, strategy and other categories. There are apps other than games like productivity apps, utilities, medical, educational etc and all of these can be downloaded directly to the ipod touch or can be downloaded to your computer and then synced to it. The App Store has more than 14 lakh apps, so you can imagine the vast possibilities.. I just love the App Store.
Its been two weeks since I’ve bought it and I cant let this baby get out of my hands. If you want the BEST music, video and browsing experience(its light years ahead of the competition) and can do without an fm radio and a few other features, then I definitely recommend it.
I wanted to give it 4.5 stars but since Mouthshut does not allow that, I’m giving it a 4. Please rate and comment on my review, and I hope it helps you.
Cheers,
Akash.