Apple iPod touch 8GB (Launched Sept 2009)

Rated by Crafty Marie, Cambs on 9th November 2009

I was looking for a small device which would let me play music, audiobooks, surf the Internet and email. After reading lots of reviews, I narrowed it down to Archos 5 120GB Internet Media Tablet WiFi 5",High Resolution Touch Screen 800x480 pixels,convenient leg stand. and the Ipod Touch. In the end the fantastic price of the ipod Touch won me over and I'm glad it did. There are always going to be people who argue, it doesn't do this, it doesn't do that. But what it does do is an incredible amount of functions and does them all very well. At the apple app store you will find many free and low-priced apps which are great - including games. I certainly recommend you get the free battery magic app which shows you in detail how much battery life you have left and how many hours of audio, www or games that translates into. Had no problems hooking up to our wireless broadband to get on the Internet. Surfing the Internet is very easy and you can quickly zoom in and out of pages with a finger pinching movement over the screen. You can open multiple windows which you can't on some small devices. Typing on the screen (say if you're on a forum) is much easier than you'd think and fast. I've written quite lengthy posts with it. You can set up multiple email accounts to download your messages onto your ipod - very easy to do. There is a calendar where you can set up birthdays and events. The clock function is brilliant, it also has a timer alarm and I've used it several times to remind me when to remove puddings from the oven. Music-wise brilliant (if you use your own headphones and not the supplied ones!) although I mostly use it for audiobooks. It remembers where I last listened up to and resumes from there. If you download a free app called Stanza, you can read ebooks on the device. You might think reading off a small screen is too hard but it is very comfortable and stanza lets you adjust text size to suit. Great for whiling away the time if you're stuck waiting for something. All-in-all this is the best gadget I own - no it doesn't take photos or video but I'm glad about that because if it did it would a have to be a lot bigger and b would cost a lot more. Great item :)

Rated by Ray Sturgess, Wilts England on 3rd November 2009

After giving my MP3 player to my daughter found I missed not having a way of playing portable music. My son having an I Pod I went for the 8GB version, am so impressed cant believe what a fantastic piece of tech this is. The wifi conductivity is very useful allowing access to E Mails, News, Traffic info and lots more, the number of useful available apps is amazing, many free. So much more than a music player, great for games too. And the price of the 8GB version an absolute bargain.

Rated by Y. Aktar, UK on 17th January 2010

I'm not a 'techie' type person. I was a bit baffled when my brother gave this to me for my birthday when it first came out. At the time, I thought the music would come in handy (though I didn't like the size for gym use - compared to my sony mp3 player!). As I played about it with it, I've come to really love this little devise! Here is what I like (or have discovered to like!): - the wifi connects fast (faster than my laptop does) - easy access to e-mail, with an option to add more e-mail addresses should one wish - update your facebook (though I am no longer on facebook) - internet browsing (safari). Loads pages easily. However, as one reviewer said, there is the issue of flash player/adobe, though it still functions well when those are not required. It's easy to tap in what your after. I've found that I no longer need to open up my laptop nowadays to check e-mails, to use googlemaps, to check the travel situation etc etc. It can be done pretty easily via the itouch (whether you set up the e-mail address or check via the safari) - music storage is great! - video, youtube! - itunes has LOADS of brilliant (and FREE) videos and audios. You can get many catergories, such as politics, religion, sports news, education, catch up from BBC radio etc. I recently listened to a university history lecture on why in 1647, Christmas was not celebrated in England!! There is lots to gain from the itunes! -etc, etc Hope the review helps. PS if you go ahead with it, make sure you purchase a screen protector/shield to prevent any damage and preserve it's beauty!

Rated by R. Andrews on 22nd November 2009

Was a little worried that the 8GB would be too small, but the memory is more than enough for a huge amount of music and films. Not sure why anyone would ever need the larger memory. Fabulous product.

Rated by Mr. John B. King, Camberley, England on 3rd February 2010

Received the new 3rd generation touch, as always very speedily from Amazon, and have already noticed the improvements over the 2G version. It appears to do things that much quicker than before and even the web based apps are speedier, so all is looking good so far. I think that the battery lasts longer too, so is worth upgrading, I think. Out of the box, the 'touch' needs to be synched with the PC once ITunes is installed on it and you have to create an Apple id etc. Because I was swapping my older version with my new one and had been synched up before, I could run a restore and left it to do it's thing. This worked perfectfully for me, so after an hour or so, my touch was setup exactly the way my old one was, (which incidentally found it's way into the bath last year and never fully recovered, hence the replacement)so that was a bit of a bonus. A word of warning, keep your ipod touch well away from any liquids, as it is not under warranty for any water damage at all, so a dunking in the bath destroys the battery and it cannot be repaired very easily. I tried and failed to do so.

Rated by Creative Critic, London, England on 28th October 2009

I have never really been an Apple fan, but they have got it right with this device. Everything that I have ever done on a Windows-based PDA or Smartphone is totally overwhelmed by the user experience in the touch interface on this device - things install and uninstall seemlessly, apps are cheap or - more often - free, the orientation works well, the video capabilities are great, the browser (Safari) handles most websites really well. Being able to dab at the screen with my oversize digits, without needing to pull out a stylus, is a real gift. Even iTunes, which is necessary to put your music and other data on the device, can be set to be relatively unintrusive on your PC. However, a few things that bug me are the "walled garden" inside which everything works - I, being a bit techy, would like to see more of the inner workings - how much memory is being used, how efficient the file system is, whether or not uninstalling an app really clears it from the memory etc, but we are protected friom analysing any of this data. Secondly, this device has a photo viewer, and photo software, but no camera. Even the new iPod Nano has a camera, as does the iPhone - why not one in the iPod Touch? The device does not support Flash - this is a major problem, given how much Flash is used on the web - come on Apple and Adobe, sort it out - even my Windows phone and my Wii support Flash, and Flash Video is the ubiquitous standard for video on the web. Although this does have Wi-Fi capabilities, sometimes I want to use web-centric apps (which, face it, are most of the apps!) when I am not in a Wi-Fi area, but do have 3G coverage on my phone. I have found I can pair this very successfully with my Windows Phone (running WM WiFi Router) to create a local Wireless LAN that the iPod Touch can use to browse the web etc. Final comment - even though the battery life is good, buy a 2nd charger to use wherever you go - work AND home is a good plan. Oh, and it doesn't come with any protection - so get a good case and screen protectors too.

Rated by Mark Baker, Santa Clarita, CA United States on 14th November 2009

I wasn't really in the market for an iPod Touch, but I was given this one. Man, I absolutely love it! I've had it for a couple months now, and I can't imagine going back to life without one. Basically, this is the non-phone version of the iPhone, which means it can do anything they can do. You can check e-mail (I have three accounts set up in it). You can search maps. You can play lots of fun games. You can download apps. You can surf the web on Safari, Apple's browser. Of course, the catch with all of these things is that you must to connected to wireless internet to do them. You'd be surprised at just how many networks there are out there you can join. Most require a password, but many businesses offer it these days. True, it isn't a substitute for a real computer, but it is dang close. Oh yeah, it also plays music and movies. I haven't used it for a movie, but I have found that it is nice for music on the go. Granted, my only other portable music device is an iPod Shuffle, so the ability and choose songs as I am listening to them seems lovely. Here again, however, it would be nice if it came with a case or armband. As it is, all you can do is stick in your pocket if you want to carry it around. Yes, it is expensive. But it would be completely worth it to me. After playing with it for a couple of months, I don't want to give it up at all.

Rated by Mr. Alex Robinson, South Wales on 21st December 2009

I know that I am not alone - I have resisted for years the temptation to get an iPod mainly on the basis that you have to use iTunes and can't sync your library of DRM downloads. Both of these ARE still issues in my book but....I have finally given in! This IS a marvelous piece of kit. Beautifully built, excellent features, easy to use. The WiFi connectivity and access to loads of free/cheap 'apps' have me hooked. Whilst my Sony MP3 player is excellent as a music player (and if that really is all you want I can highly recommend them), the iPod has so much more to offer as both an entertainment and an information center. Yes it should come with a case/cover of some sort and a screen protector - Apple are a wee bit mean and you will need to get these seperately. And yes it would be easy to mark it down because of the iTunes and DRM issues...But you simply cannot deny the device itself is an absolute masterpiece and must have 5 stars.

Rated by Dismal Angel, Scotland on 17th May 2010

I had been so conflicted for so long about buying an iPod. Especially when they were so overhyped back when they first came out. I had been hoping for a while that the hype for iPods would burn out and they'd all go lower in price and that would be when I'd pounce. Sad to say, never happened, however, in the end I decided to buy this with a bunch of money I recieved for my birthday and it wasn't until I'd finally got it up and running properly that I could fully appreciate that this gadget is worth EVERY penny you pay for it. Things might want to know or think about before buying iPod Touch 3rd Gen: * The iPod's operating system, built in applications (known as 'apps'), links and configurations already whap off a whole 1gb of the space before you've even put your music on (once you have iTunes installed, it will tell you exactly how much space you have on the iPod). * You MUST have the internet at some point to use iPod touch 3rd Gen. Starting the iPod up for the first time, you will find that it is locked and unconfigured and the only way to configure it and get it running is to install iTunes which you can download for free. * iTunes is absolutely NON avoidable in using your iPod. You can't just transfer songs to this using windows explorer...you have to synch the thing to your computer in order to get anything on it. * It WILL accept your CDs and let you transfer them to iTunes (and eventually to the iPod) without you being charged anything; sometimes you will even recieve the free cover art. * Be wary of speaker/dock products that claim they fit this model; some actually don't at all. * There is a noteable bug with this model that comes from iTunes (that Apple apparently refuse to recognise) that causes your iPod to inform you that there's no music on it. Is easily fixed by removing/adding songs and resynching to iTunes...but you may see it occasionally. * Not all the apps cost a fortune. Several are free, and are incredibly useful. Even full games are available. * The charger given to you only hooks up to a computer USB port and not a plug socket; the charger is flimsy and prone to splitting. * Has a built in speaker so you don't even need to use the earphones. iPod Touch 3rd Gen isn't incredibly loud but it's audible enough to listen to without it being plugged into a speaker. * Is multifunctional; plays music, videos, lets you view photos, has a built in calander that lets you schedule things like events or remind you of things like parties or appointments, has a clock in it that lets you set alarms, has a calculator that is very quick and easy to use, has an email app installed that can be used with various web-based email addresses (gmail, yahoo, etc). Also can play games on this, find out the weather forecast, surf the net, check your stocks, keep all your contacts secure, and even has a notepad app which is handy if you get caught needing to write something down when you have no pens or paper around; it also has Google maps built in! * Touch screen is very sensitive, very easy to use, no fiddly buttons to muck about with and even using the touch keyboard it provides is easy to use (and provides spellchecking and replacement as you type). * Screen flips to landscape mode if you turn the iPod Touch 3rd Gen on it's side; this is so sensitive, that during games you barely have to tilt the screen to make movements on your game occur. This truly is a masterpiece of modern technology and an incredibly handy thing to have; it provides hours of entertainment no matter where you are and it plays music while you do other things like surf the web or use your email. This would be the ideal MP3 player for someone who is always on the go to have, as it has so many handy features that instead of carrying a MP3 player, a scheduler, a notebook, a gaming device, a map and address book, you can have them all in ithis incredibly cool and slim device that barely takes up any room in a pocket or a bag. It's like a PDA that costs half as much. Very good for someone who wants to have all these things without actually having to learn to use all kinds of different buttons; finding what you need is as quick as just tapping on the screen...no one can get lost navigating on this thing... I used to be very cynical about Apple and the iPOD, but I'm a convert...I'm sure many other people will be soon to find themselves in the same shoes.

Rated by A reader, UK on 27th November 2009

This is a fantastic device. I already own a classic iPod for playing music. This adds email and all the other resources already outlined by other reviewers. My main additional use is for downloading free ebooks from the Stanza app. Go the the Guttenberg project link and there are books out of copyright for free. Download at a push of a button. Although it seems to be a small screen to read them on I read for hours very comfortably. Fits in the pocket and never without a read. I have downloaded Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Katherine Mansefield, and the complete works of Shakespeare among others, all free. There are other more recent books you can buy also but not needed to yet. And, download the Independent every morning to read over breakfast or on the train. And yes that is free and gratis also. If you are a reader it pays for itself very quickly. Buy this wonderful device.