Apple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

Apple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL
Alright, so Best Buy got the 32GB iPod Touch 4G in stock so I drove an hour to go get one. I was not disappointed. I will run through the features I have come across so far.

Body: Aside from moving the sleep button to the right and making the back of the device slimmer and more flat, not much has changed. Yes, the chrome back is still there erg! It was so pretty for the first 30 seconds.
Ram: The Ram on the iPod Touch is only 256 MB, so do not believe the talk of 512 MB, it is simply not true.
Wireless: Fully supports A/B/G/N
Vibration: There is no vibration, so do not expect that.
Multitasking: Works real well and very smooth transition
Display: While the display on the iPod is not IPS like the iPhone do not think it suffers in anyway. This display is so beautiful and crisp to look at. I cannot even distinguish the pixels, and text on a website is like you are reading out of a book, it's so refreshing. I played a digital copy of "UP" on here and the colors practically jump off the screen, very nice. Apple's icons are so much more vivid and sharp, while 3rd party developer icons who have yet to make an upgrade for the new displays shows what a step up this new screen has to offer.
Speaker: I am not sure of the quality of the speaker on the 3G iPod Touch, but on my 2G iPod Touch it was very tinny and I only used it for game sound. Here on the 4G there is a new spot on the bottom left for the speaker and it has risen in clarity. Music is very listenable and clear, however nothing replaces a good set of earbuds, but when you're in a jam, you won't be gritting your teeth with this speaker.
Processor: The new Apple processor is a sure win for this device. Everything loads very fast and switching from one screen to another is very swift and smooth. Crash Bandicoot finally has a nice framerate to play with on this iPod  and for once I did not regret buying that game.
Front Camera: This is the camera that is primarily used for Facetime. It's resolution is at 640 X 480. After taking a few pictures with it, you will notice how it is really not for taking stills, but works fine for videochatting (which I have not tried, but did run some video tests with it). Obviously Facetime will work better in well lit areas, but then again, doesn't any camera?

Rear Camera: Again stills are just so so. What really bugs me is when you go to take a picture, you see how crisp the preview is, then you take the picture and you can see it blur. The tap to focus works nice for adjusting exposure and well lit photos look very decent on the display. It's when you upload them to your computer when you notice how not so decent they actually are. While this may be a negative for many people, if you are like me, you want to just upload photos with this device to FaceBook and capture funny moments with the video camera. If I want to take a really awesome picture, I'll pull out my DSLR, but for me this iPod's capabilities are more than adequate for my quick shooting of certain events. The video captures quite nicely, while not superb like an actual HD camcorder does enough for me for again, capturing fun moments. Don't worry, you don't cringe while watching the video, it's more than adequate and produces vibrant colors and a fast framerate. Some may complain on this, and believe me those reviews will be here shortly, but then again why not buy an HD Camcorder that is made for HD content? (I'm not ignorant to HD quality either, I'm a huge fan of it. I run a 3D 65'' 1080p display with Blu-ray and Dolby Tru-HD decoding surround sound system)

Microphone: Testing out Skype my friend told me I was coming in loud and clear. I also played back a video I made on the iPod on my computer and the microphone captures top notch audio. Very crisp and clear, I was quite pleased.
Battery: While I haven't tested out Apple's claims of 40 hr. of music, let's be honest who really does that? I'm sure Apple's claims are quite credible in their battery life depending on how the device is used.
One note I should also make, my iPod Touch 2G accessories, (car charger, wall charger) work with my iPod touch 4G. Apple sometimes changes stuff like the charging pin on the iPod's to make a person have to buy new accessories. Anybody remember when the iPod Video A/V cables had the Audio and Video switched around so people couldn't use their cables with the iPod? Well they could, they just had to switch the audio and video cables in the port around. Anyways, away from this funny piece of marketing history.
preview more Apple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

Apple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

Having had a chance to spend a little time with a review model gives me a chance to share the experience with you a bit early. We'll go hands-on with the new model, plus I'll share from my two years of iPod touch ownership altogether, especially for those who haven't yet owned (or been owned by) one of these mobile gems.

In the review, I've also hidden a treasure trove of info on how you can legitimately download tons of quality apps for free. First though, let's quickly cover what's new.
+ Faster 1GHz A4 Processor - to keep up with the high demands of multitasking

+ Ultra high resolution "Retina display" - packs a 960 x 640 resolution at 326 pixels per inch

+ 15% longer battery life - 3.44 Whr/930 mAh plays 7 hrs of video & 40 hrs of audio

+ Rear-facing camera - supports 960 x 720 sized photos (0.6 megapixels), plus 720p HD videos

+ Front-facing VGA-quality camera - VGA-quality is a resolution of 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels)

+ 3-Axis Gyroscope - allows for higher precision and more motion gestures

+ Wireless N - Connect faster and go farther than ever, with this WiFi device (requires a router with 802.11n)

+ Built in microphone - but Apple reverted back to using the remote- and mic-less earphones

+ Game Center - Apple's own social gaming platform

+ Sleep/Power Button - it's been moved to the right, but not improved beyond that

+ Thinner, lighter than ever

* Note - Memory remains at the same 256MB despite several unconfirmed sources touting 512MB. There is also no vibrate module.
Unlike last year's iPod touch update, this one's a complete overhaul to the entire line. Last year, the new models didn't change in appearance. On the inside, faster processors and double-memory were added to the 32GB & 64GB models, but the 8GB got left out. Not this time. Buying the new 8GB iPod touch indeed gets you all the new goodies. You'll also pay thirty bucks more than before, so consider buying the 32GB model instead. You'll get 400% more storage space for only 23% more coin!

I'm a mobile app developer who's created a few apps and games for the iPhone, iPod Touch and now iPad. I was initially drawn to the iPod touch because of the popularity and capabilities of its mobile Web browsing--I was primarily a Web developer at the time and no other device could surf the Web so well. After I got one, I was hooked. I racked up over a hundred bucks in app purchases within the first month, and before long, I found myself learning how do develop native apps for the device.
Indeed, if you have never had an iPod touch before, you're in for a real treat. Of course, if you have, then you know first hand: it's is worth its weight in gold--no, in platinum. And now, with the latest generation, it may even be worth its weight rare gem stones! I digress.

The iPod touch is frequently called an iPhone without the phone. However, until now there have been several other features also missing in the iPod touch besides the phone: a camera, GPS, magnetometer (compass), and some newer amenities from the iPhone 4: front-facing camera, high resolution "Retina display" as it has been dubbed, and the powerful 1GHz A4 processor--indeed a necessity to keep up with multitasking.

That all changes, now. The 4th gen iPod touch brings with it some new features and amenities, some of which have been anticipated by iPod touch fans and developers alike, including myself, for several generations of the device. From a developer's perspective, the more hardware features we can get our hands on, the better and more innovative apps we can create, and the more users that can download, use and enjoy them.

===== In With the New =====

The striking new design of the latest iPod touch is definitely a looker. Apple has made it even thinner (and I thought it was already too thin before) complete with a beautiful chrome back. While the super thin design is certainly attractive, I've found it slightly difficult to keep it well-gripped in your hands. The usual chrome back looks great too, but it's scratch-insistent. Yes, it's incredibly easy to scratch it all up, even after the first few days. For these two reasons, definitely get yourself a silicone skin.
For ages, the main feature topping everyone's wishlist for the iPod touch has been a camera. Check! It handles HD video too... bonus! Given, its not the 5 megapixel camera that the iPhone 4 sports, but again, the new iPod touch thinner than ever, making it somewhat of a miracle that we even got a camera in the first place, let alone two! Yes, Apple went the extra mile so we could make video calls with our fellow iPhone toting friends, via their Face Time app. Brilliant! So, for having not had any camera on the iPod touch before, and now having TWO cameras on it, we can't really complain can we? Nah.
I'll have more details on the quality and capabilities of both cameras later, but what excites me even more than the cameras is the new much-higher resolution screen--dubbed "Retina display". You may not think much of it if you haven't used an iPhone or iPod touch before, nor have an older model nearby to compare it to, but for those that have and/or do, the difference is clear! (pun intended)
Where this really comes in handy is in browsing the Web and reading non-mobile-formatted PDF e-books. Now, I can see things so much clearer at the default zoom level (which shows the full width of a Web page or document). Granted, my vision isn't spectacular by any means. I just don't mind seeing things smaller on the screen, because it allows me to see more content without having to scroll. So yes, the Retina display was the #1 feature I never knew I wanted (until I saw it in the iPhone 4 of course).
Other newness includes: Longer battery life, HD video recording and editing, wireless-n for nearly double the WiFi connection speed and distance, Game Center, which is Apple's new social gaming platform (which seems to be Apple's attempt to kill-off third party social gaming platforms like OpenFeint and Plus+), a 3-axis gyroscope sensor, which complements the existing accelerometer sensor, both of which handle the rotating, swinging and other motion gestures of the device respectively (previously, rotation support was achieved via a very rough calculation of accelerometer data), and new placement of the sleep/power button on the right (but still as difficult as ever to press).
Features still missing include: 512MB of memory, the 5 megapixel quality camera with flash (it'd also be neat if it could be used as a flashlight, like Android does), magnetometer (compass), and the GPS, the latter of which I'd happily trade the thinness of the latest iPod touch to have. WiFi based location detection is just not accurate enough, and the GPS doesn't need a WiFi or cellular connection anyway, it just needs to see the satellites in the sky.
 preivew moreApple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

Apple iPod touch 32 GB (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

The big screen. On the small screen.

With iPod touch, movie nights can happen anytime of day, anywhere you are. Carry hours of video with you and watch them on the amazing 3.5-inch color widescreen Retina display. Shop the iTunes Store and choose from thousands of movies, TV shows, and video podcasts to fill your iPod touch. From Hollywood blockbusters to indie favorites, there's something for everyone. Download and watch movies with a few taps. Prefer TV shows? Get a single episode or an entire season's worth all at once. With iPod touch, you can travel far and widescreen.

Control how you watch.

While watching your video, tap the display to bring up onscreen controls. You can play or pause, view by chapter, and adjust the volume. Or use the volume controls on the left side of the iPod touch. Want to switch between widescreen and full screen? Simply tap the display twice. It's just like your TV remote. Except you never have to fight over it.
iTunes. Keep yourself entertained.
Need some entertainment for your next flight or road trip? With iTunes on your iPod touch and a Wi-Fi connection, you can buy movies and TV shows on the fly. You can also rent shows for just $0.99 an episode, in case you're not sure if one is a keeper. And of course, you can also purchase movies and TV shows on your Mac or PC, then sync them to your iPod touch. Popcorn not included.
See friends while you talk to them with FaceTime. Shoot, edit, and share stunning HD video. Play games against friends, or unknown foes, with the new Game Center. And do it all on the Retina display—the highest-resolution screen on any mobile device. It makes graphics and text look even more amazing. The new iPod touch. It’s state-of-the-art fun.


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