With the launch of Leopard last week, myMacBUZZ and the whole internet is filled with Leopard’s news. Let’s just give the cat a rest and take a look at something else like the iPod Touch.

After my first encounter with the iPod Touch when Apple Malaysia had a preview for the media, I knew that I have to get one and indeed, I got one!What I have is the 16GB iPod Touch. I’ll be giving a mini review based on my usage since the internet is already swamped with reviews.

Box Shot

Hello World!

First Impressions and unboxing

It’s sexy, sorry, I meant SEXAAY! How on earth did the desginers of the iPhone (which is what the iPod Touch is based on) build something this sexy? There are only 2 buttons on the iPod Touch, the Home button and the Power/Standby button.

Hey Sexy!

The back of the iPod Touch is glossy, so glossy that you could use it as a mirror!

That’s me and my camera.

If you are planning to use it right after you open the package, you’re in for a disappointment. You have to set it up with iTunes first before anything else. Setting it up was seamlessly easy though. No hiccups there.The package includes the iPod Touch (obviously), earphones, sync cable, an acrylic stand, a dock adapter and user manuals.

Box Contents

Opening the manual sleeve, you’ll find the usual manuals and a cleaning cloth, which will be VERY useful.

Manuals and Cloth

Close up of cloth

By default, the standby screen is a picture of the blue marble. The infamous “slide to unlock” is there. You’ll never be bored with it. I am still amazed at the sliding to unlock feature!

Blue Marble

The main menu has the usual icons but there is no Starbucks icon on it. This Apple support document says I need to be in a “participating Starbucks location” to use the feature. Oh well.

No Starbucks!

Usage

Using the iPod Touch is bliss. Never have I used a device like this before. I am not saying this because I am an Apple fan boy but everyone I’ve shown the iPod Touch is amazed at its interface from how you slide to unlock the iPod, to its automatic switching from landscape to portrait, to its finger pinching to zoom in and out of photos and web pages.

Browsing on Safari was great! I’ve never enjoyed surfing the internet on PDAs and phones but with the iPod Touch, I am savoring every second of it. The reach of its Airport is good. I’ve tried comparing the iPod Touch’s WiFi with a few PDAs and the Touch usually could detect more access points.

The iPod Touch is, after all, an iPod. Listening to music is inevitable. I am no audiophile but the iPod Touch music quality is good! Too bad there is no loud speaker for it.

Watching movies and video clips on it is great! The screen is big enough and with proper encoding, the video quality is great! I’ve downloaded a few episodes from iTunes Music Store on my Macbook and sync them onto my iPod Touch. It played flawlessly.

The iTunes Music Store on the iPod Touch is a nice implementation. You could listen to a sample of the music before you decide if you want it or not. I do not have credit on my iTunes account so I couldn’t test its download speed and also syncing the songs from my iPod Touch to my Macbook.

Viewing photos on the iPod Touch is amazing as well with it’s finger-pinching-zoom-in-and-out function. My friend’s 3 years old sister was enjoying the pictures of my recent trip to Sydney. She didn’t need any help in using the function! Even a 3 year old could use the iPod Touch!

Despite all the bells and whistles of the iPod Touch, there is a few gripes on it.

• Safari doesn’t have a Flash player. Flash based websites like DiGi’s are totally out.
• The iPod Touch runs awfully hot after 15 minutes of web surfing.
• No loudspeaker for video and music
• Fingeprint magnet (I have to wipe mine with the supplied cloth everytime I touch it!)
• The back is easily scratched (mine has a few minor scratches after only 1 day of usage)

Other than that, the iPod Touch is a must get. I got mine, when are you getting yours?

The iPod Touch is available at all Apple resellers in Malaysia for RM1,739 (16GB) and RM1,339 (8GB).