Review of new iPod touch 2

Different new iPod touch:
New iPod touch 2 gets new volume control buttons, full Nike+ integration and a built-in loudspeaker. It's not a radical change, but it's better.

New iPod touch 2

When Apple first released the iPod touch, it was with its Wi-Fi capabilities and touchscreen interface - much more than an iPod. With new iPod software updates, Apple brought the apple iPod touch 2’s applications in line with the iPhone.

And there is also third party iPod software update as new iPod apps: Wondershare iPod Video Suite, which convert DVD and all popular video formats to iPod Nano new, new iPod Touch, iPod Classic and iPhone.

Price:
The latest iPod touch 2 model:
8GB capacities for $229;
16GB costs $299;
32GB costs $399
They also ship with the latest iPod touch 2.1 software.

Nike+ iPod integration:
First and foremost I love the Nike+ iPod integration.
The iPod touch 2 is quite thin and would work well as a small waist - or arm-banded device for workouts and not having to have a tiny little dongle hanging off the end is excellent.
Apple will also be selling the little Nike+ pucks separately now.

New iPod touch 2 game:
The second chance is gaming. This is a great opportunity for Apple to enter the casual handheld gaming market as a winner, not an also ran. Some of the other Apps are hit or miss, but it’s nice to have choice.

Volume controls and built-in speaker:
1. Volume controls
Press the top of the rocker switch and the volume goes up. A press at the bottom of the switch causes the volume to decrease. Apple’s headphones that carry the Play/Pause switch and microphone— the Play/Pause switch works with new iPod touch 2. (It doesn’t on older iPod touches, even with the new 2.1 software.)


2. Built-in speaker
As Steve Jobs said, this speaker is for “casual listening.” It clearly sits on the bottom left of the device and is fairly directional, the sound from the iPod touch 2 comes from no particular location—it seems to just seep out of any holes on the device.

In the Sound setting, where you can find the addition of the New Mail, Sent Mail, Calendar Alerts, Lock Sounds, and Keyboard Clicks entries. You can also hear a camera sound when you take a screenshot of the display by pressing Home and Sleep/Wake. It's less springy, more plasticky, and noisier.


The Genius playlist:
1. What’s Genius playlist
Genius playlist is one of the marquee features of the new iPod nano and iPod touch 2. It is a scheme for selecting a track in iTunes library or iPod and intelligently creating a playlist of related music. The Genius feature is also available from within the Now Playing screen.
You can read more about the Genius feature in this first look at iTunes 8.

There is a list of all the songs on your iPod touch, when you first invoke the Genius playlist. Tap the Music icon at the bottom of the Home screen, tap Playlists, and at the top of the Playlists screen you can see a Genius entry. Tap a track and the iPod creates a list of 25 related tracks and starts playing the track you originally selected.

2. Create Genius playlist?
How to create a different Genius playlist based on that same track?
Just tap Refresh and the playlist is created. And you can also select this playlist and edit it by tapping the Edit button. How much the playlist is refreshed depends on the tracks on your iPod touch 2.
Note: The new iPod touch is possible to stump the Genius.

After creating a Genius playlist you can refresh it with new material based on the same source song or start over by tapping New.

When you sync your iPod with your computer, any Genius playlists you’ve created are synced to the computer and appear under the Playlists heading in iTunes’ Source list.

The new iPod apps:
The new iPod touch 2 includes the iPod touch 2.1 software, which is a free update for those who’ve purchased the 2.0 software update and a $10 update for those running the older 1.x update.

It’s availables for both the original iPod touch and the new iPod touch 2, software 2.1.1 introduces the Genius automatic playlist generator to the device, as well as complete Nike+ integration.

More:
Apple claims that the 2G iPod touch offers better battery life than the original touch. I haven’t had the 2G iPod touch long enough to test its alleged audio playback time of 36 hours and video playback of 6 hours, but will as I delve deeper into the device in preparation for my full review.

Apple New iPod nano, touch, iTunes 8 and MORE

New design for the nano, iPod touch gets thinner, "gem" called Genius playlist and then some. Apple has just announced updates to their iPod lineup and other important stuff surrounding the iTunes, App Store, etc. Plus, we've a brand new version of iTunes to download giving access to a new feature called "Genius" - which helps you create a playlist of related songs instantly from your own library. iPod nano:
Also announced were the fourth generation iPod nano - the thinnest iPod ever till date with a sleek new design, curved aluminum and glass enclosure. Available in 8GB and 16GB version, there are nine vibrant colors to choose from ...including a (PRODUCT RED). 4G iPod nanos will incoporate Genius playlist feature and Cover Flow while still offering 24 hours of audio, 4 hours of video battery life. It also includes a built-in accelerometer, eco-friendly components, voice recording capability and 'shake to shuffle' awesomeness. Shipping as you read, the 8GB and 16GB 4G nano will retail for $149 and $199 respectively. But video to iPod nano is H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.

iTunes 8:


Available for both Mac & PC immediately, iTunes 8 includes the new breakthrough Genius feature, allowing you to automatically create playlists from songs in your music library that go great together with just one click. You can even create Genius Playlists on-the-go with the new iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone. The Genius sidebar appears right in iTunes and recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don’t already have, based on the songs you select. iTunes 8 also offers a new visual browsing interface which displays your music and video libraries using your album and video covers, and also provides a great way to navigate your movies, TV shows, iPhone apps, podcasts and audiobooks.

iPod classic:


Apple has discontinued the thicker 160GB iPod classic and even the older 80GB model. Now there will be only a single 120GB iPod classic available in either black or white. Design is more or less similar to the older 80GB model but the new 120GB unit will support the Genius playlist feature and Cover Flow. Pricing is firm at $249 a pop for both the 120GB black and 120GB white models. Still cool to convert DVD to ipod classic.

iPod touch:


Second-gen iPod touch also went official featuring a thin contoured metal design compared to the predecessors. The screen, WiFi, Multi-touch, accelerometer, etc. are still intact but Apple has thrown in the much needed volume control buttons and built-in speakers (already found on iPhone). More interesting and graphic intensive games should be hitting this new "console". And so as DVD video to iPod touch, it supports for 480p and 576p component TV out, H.264 video with 640 by 480 pixels and AAC-LC audio.

The new iPod touch also features built-in Nike + iPod support making it an incredible workout companion. Users simply place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19 US) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with the new iPod touch to track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment. As you'd except, the iPod touch also works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature. 2G iPod touch will also come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models for $229, $299 and $399 respectively.

Other minor tit bits:
NBC Universal returns to the iTunes store. So you can now enjoy Heroes, The Office, Battlestar Gallactica and other great shows through iTunes. Pricing - $1.99 per episode for SD and $2.99 per episode for HD.
Also revealed that App Store has gone through the abuse of 100 million app downloads from iPod touch and iPhone users.