The iTouch is Apple’s latest portable multimedia iPod device. The iTouch includes the usual music playing features, but adds video playback and WiFi connectivity to its arsenal. We took a first look at the iTouch recently and here is what we found. The next step of course is to crack it open and see what it looks like on the inside.
An artist named Macy Gray is on the box cover – I have no idea who that is – but then I’m not really hip anymore.
Apple continues the tradition of sparse documentation. Tips on how to use the iTouch are going to have to come from somewhere else.
Apple packages the iTouch with plenty of protective plastic — too bad that as soon as you start using it the greasy fingerprints will never go completely away.
The screen is crystal clear and bright — I almost hated to touch it.
The only other button on the iTouch is the power button. There are no external controls for volume, pause, next on the playlist etc.
Movies on the Apple iTouch are not high-definition obviously, but they look pretty good. It is hard to tell from these pictures, but the screen is just about the right size for palm-of-the-hand viewing.
The movie interface is simple but effective, but I would still like to have some physical buttons to press.
For Star Trek: First Contact, which i downloaded from iTunes, the screen was easy to see. Much better than the iPod Video Nano which was way too small.
Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the information technology industry, software, hardware, gaming, finance, accounting, and technology geekdom for more than 30 years.
