Apple clearly knows a thing or two when it comes to industrial design, but like the iPhone before it, the new iPod Touch is the most breathtakingly gorgeous electronic device we’ve ever seen. From the wraparound chrome back to the single sheet of glass that covers the front, it just oozes high-tech allure.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Touch’s design is how thin it is — a mere 8mm. This is the result of Apple switching from 1.8” hard disks to solid state flash memory, but this isn’t entirely without compromise. Flash memory is still comparatively expensive and to keep the Touch affordable, Apple is only offering it with 8Gb and 16Gb capacities.

The lack of moving parts does make it rather more robust than previous iPods (though no less susceptible to scratches and greasy finger marks), and it has a positive effect on battery life, too. When playing audio, the Touch lasts for around 25 hours, though this drops to 16 if you enable Wi-Fi. Video playback lasts for an impressive seven hours

With only a power and a ‘home’ button adorning the case, all of the Touch’s features are accessed using its touch-sensitive screen. This is magnificently bright and clear, and only responds to a fleshy fingertip — so you can slip the Touch into a pocket without worrying about something on-screen being pressed inadvertently.

The home button below the screen displays the Touch’s main menu, no matter what application is being used at the time. The music navigation system has been completely overhauled and you now scroll through lists of albums, artists, songs and playlists simply by swiping a finger up and down the screen. It’s all very intuitive, but there’s one final trick up the Touch’s sleeve. Rotate it 90 degrees and the screen flips into landscape view and displays the same ‘cover flow’ view used by recent versions of iTunes, so you can flick through albums by looking at their cover art.

Though it’s essentially a phone-less iPhone, the Touch still has Wi-Fi — and for good reason. Apple has already expanded the iTunes Music Store to allow purchases directly from an iPhone, and you can now download tracks with the Touch, too. You browse, preview and buy with a dedicated iTunes application, but the Touch also has a web browser in the form of Safari.

Most handheld web browsers struggle to deliver even a close approximation of the desktop browsing experience, but not Safari. You can flit between full-page and variably-zoomed views with just a gesture, and even complex pages are displayed quickly and accurately. The only omission is support for Flash, but a dedicated YouTube application takes care of everyone’s favourite time waster.

So, what’s not to like about the iPod Touch? Well, not much. Since there’s no remote control, having to look at the screen to control playback is a pain and the maximum 16Gb capacity is meagre compared to other devices, particularly since there’s no way to expand it. This is, however, by far the easiest media player to use and no other model comes close to the iPod’s seamless integration with iTunes. In short, this is the best media player by quite some margin.

Apple iPod Touch

Specifications

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daNiel  - my ipod touch has..   |10/01/08 11:09 PM my ipod touch has email and maps application just like the iphone all you gotta do is jailbreak it its worth you Reply | Quote

daNiel  - sorry   |10/01/08 11:11 PM i meant to say its worth it Reply | Quote

iPhil  - Mr?     |09/04/08 2:20 PM Does anyone know if you can use on of those wireless USB dongles with an iPod Touch? The kind that T-Mobile, Three and all the major mobile phone networks now offer. That way you could access the web on the move without being reliant on a wireless network. Reply | Quote

Julian Prokaza  - @iPhil   |09/04/08 7:04 PM No, you can't - there's no way to connect a USB device to an iPod Touch. If you want mobile internet on an iPod, you'll need an iPhone. Reply | Quote

iPhil  - re: @iPhil   |10/04/08 10:36 AM Thanks for the prompt reply. A pity because it has a USB port on it, and quite a sophisticated operating system of sorts. An extra pity as I'm not that bothered about making phone calls and since I have the iPod Touch I just wanted easier access to email and the web on the move. Reply | Quote

Grant  - WOW! JUST WOW!     |11/05/08 1:47 PM Well, today i turned 16, and i got am ipod touch for my birthday. JUST WOW. I used the Ziphone to jailbreak it, and now i have aq few games on it just to keep me busy, since it does not have a built in game feature, and itunes does not support touchgames. Anyways, i highly recommend gettin an 8 gb, or even a 16 gb, becuase the games dont take up much space, but if you have like 40 games, it eats up ur disc space. ANYWAYS, great buy, very worth it. AND OH, get a DLO videohell at best buy, great protection, and comes with a protective sceen. AWESOME. also, it has a freaking kick-stand which is awesome, but a little hard to open back up, as you need a coin to do it. Reply | Quote

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