My iPod Touch Review

Yes, I know. There are more reviews out there than Jabba takes trips to the buffet. But here's one more anyway. I'm sure you can suffer from another one.

I got my new iPod yesterday when I got home from work. The box was so small, I actually thought it was the cell phone battery we ordered on eBay. I opened the box, it was my new iPod. I soiled myself.

The first thing I did was to plug 'er into the Mac via the USB port. For my 12 GB worth of stuff, it took about half an hour. I was dying to play with it, so the half an hour seemed like half a day, or like sitting through a cat owner telling a "funny cat story".

When it was done, my finger stroked the glistening metal and glass longingly. My eyes widened. I trembled with anticipation. A sense of fear overcame me, how would it react to my touch? Do I employ a gentle caress, or probe it aggressively with my fingertip? Anyway. I digress.

The first thing I noticed was how damn thin it is. Thinner than an Oreo cookie. But it looks really cool, like a piece of art. After synching it, I methodically checked out the rest of the features:

Wi-Fi / Safari

The Wi-Fi discovery feature works just like an ordinary PC, it lists the networks who broadcast their SSID's. I found mine, then punched in the passcode (which is "igocommando4ever"). Safari was then a "go", so I surfed a few sites. Very cool. Using a double-tap, or a pinch, you can zoom in and out. I was surprised at how snappy it was.

Movies

The screen is watchable. Pay no attention to those myopic reviewers who gripe about its size. The quality makes up for its lack of size (why is this sentence sounding like I've heard it before?). I loaded in an artsy movie, a "film" actually, starring an Austrian actor, called "Commando". Looked fine. Watchable. But very detailed, good quality.

Photos

Depending on how you orient your iPod, the pictures will adjust. It reads minds. Picture in landscape mode? Hold your iPod horizontally and it adjusts. You meander through your photos with a flick of the finger. Like the browser, you can re size photos with the double-tap, or pinch technique. Tres cool!

Using it:

I was really worried about my reliance on the ol' click-wheel. I had that thing down PAT! I was the click-wheel MAN! Although it takes some getting used to, I'm already whipping through the tunes with some degree of efficiency. Unless you are a one-armed person, you won't find this a problem.

Other:

There's a dedicated "You Tube" button. This is a direct pipeline to the world of You Tube, it is not a Browser shortcut. This surprised me, how nifty it was. The iTunes music store is also a button tap away. Sooooo easy to impulse buy a song, so be careful. All the other stuff, I care only mildly about: Calendar, Calculator, Contacts, "yawn". So I'll play more later.

Conclusion:

Overall, no buyer's remorse. I needed a new one. The old iPod was showing its age, and as Society says: "We must discard that which is old. It is no good." It was a good purchase. I've only had it for less than 24 hours, but I have a good feeling that this is the start of a beautiful partnership.

Thumbs up!

Sure Looks Cool, So Where's Mine?

I've been somewhat successful as of late in blocking my new iPod out of my mind. Last week, I went to the Apple website and watched the iPod Touch demo a few dozen times, each time adding to the excruciating agony of "the wait". So I resolved to try to be like those nut-jobs who walk on the red-hot rocks to demonstrate their mental ability to block out external pain. I'll just "forget" that I'm waiting for this delivery.

Well, as of this morning, that pain was re-introduced. My office mate brought in her new iPod Nano and was showing it off this morning. So how was it? Quite honestly, it was very impressive. I checked out the iPod's new "Cover Flow" interface and was pleasantly surprised. It didn't seem gimmicky at all, once you select your album, it flips around and shows you the song, as if you were flipping over a real CD case. Pretty Snazzy. It definitely ups the bar.

The next logical thing to check out is the video capability. The screen is admittedly not huge, but I would say that its watchable. I didn't appreciate the "adult-oriented" video she had playing for demo purposes, so I asked her to put on a music video. The Michael Jackson video was actually pretty crisp and clear. For catching up on a TV show: fine. For watching a feature length movie: challenging.

So my torture will continue for the next few weeks. Keep in mind that the person that showed me her new iPod, affectionately known as Jabba, is pure evil. She KNEW that I was trying to put it out of my consciousness. Vicious woman! How she ended up getting hitched to a fine, upstanding, law-abiding, hygienic, individual I have no idea. Life, eh?

Again, as stated in an earlier post, I am accepting notes of encouragement and good-will. Please send at your convenience.

The Wait is Killing Me!

The iPod Touch is now available at some Apple stores in the US, according to AppleInsider.com. Now, this causes me some discomfort. The fact that some guy who just strolled into an Apple store and bought one at the counter and took it home, sort of irks me. As soon as the new iPods were made available through the online Apple store, I whipped out my MasterCard at lightning speed and ordered one. However, sadly, online customers will have to wait until the Friday after next, Sept 28, for their goodies to start shipping.

This does me no good. I'm facing a 9 hour flight two weeks from now and could have really used it. But there is a slim bright side to this. As the new iPod Touch finds its way into the public's hand, almost immediately the reviews come pouring out of the tech pundits and reviewers. Fortunately, I read a very favourable review in PC Magazine who gave my new toy their highest rating. This eases the ol' "buyer's remorse" twinge.

But this waiting thing really fries my bacon: unboxing photos everywhere, video reviews posted online, tech website reviews. Its all driving me insane! Its torture. Aside from this, my fellow iPod aficionado, Jabba, who has her new iPod Nano, is in full taunt-mode. Damn!

So, please, send your notes of support and encouragement when convenient. It would help.

Kipper Deal Sounds Likely

Hockey Hearsay on Sportsnet seems to buy in to the "Kipper to sign soon" theory. Signs seem to point to the guy liking the City, and the teams chances at hoisting a cup soon.

Read Hockey Hearsay article here
Read Calgary Herald article here

FYI: The Flames are deep in goal, so the future seems bright in the crease.

Brent Krahn - 5 years of AHL seasoning. High save pct.
Curt McElhinney- Never had a save pct under .900. AHL experience.
Leland Irving - Junior all-star with WHL, and National Team.
Matt Keetly - Proven playoff performer. Good clutch goalie.

Things are looking up, Flames Fans!

I Am Weak

When I bought my first iPod, I had absolutely no idea what an impact it would make on my everyday life. Being a transit user, I use the thing every single work day. Even at work, when I have to work with mind-numbing spreadsheets or some other project deliverable, I pop in the iPod, crank up the Manilow, or the Streisand, and let it work its magic.

But it was purchased in '03. It's been showing its age, the battery barely holds a charge, the screen is all scratched up, she spontaneously reboots for no reason. Time for a change. I had heard of the Apple media event "The Beat Goes On", so I decided to check 'er out. I've been disappointed by these "events" before, but I did decide to give it a try. I made a promise to myself: if the iPod is updated to a widescreen, I'm in!

I logged on to engaget.com's coverage of the event. Jobs begins with his usual update about how Mac software is taking over the world. This is up 100%, that is up 300%, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da. Then comes the new iPod intros. He unveiled the "fatty" (iPod nano), the iPod Classic, then Steve Jobs did something that made me damn near soil myself...

He introduced the iPod touch.

It was a religious experience. After the event was over, I immediately, like a mindless lemming, went to the Apple store with credit card in hand. DAMN! It was down. But rest assured, it did come up again a couple hours later. HALLELUJAH!! Once I was able to get on, I feverishly typed in my delivery info and credit card numbers into the site. How I didn't soil myself during this, I have no idea.

I found out later that a gal that I work with bought a new iPod, someone we fondly refer to as "Jabba". She bought the "fatty". Go figure.

So now, I wait. Sadly, my order was actually a PRE-ORDER. It starts shipping at the end of September. It should be in my trembling hand the first week of October. I've already threatened my children with hand-dismemberment if they touch it.

So I'll wait.

... and wait.