Product face-offs
Apple iPod Touch 8 Go
| Ecran LCD | 3,5'' (8.9 cm) |
| Résolution d'écran / Couleurs | 480 x 320 pixels / Oui couleurs |
| Stockage | Flash 8 Go (+cartes NA) |
| Dimensions / Poids | 11 x 6,2 x 0,8 mm / 120 grammes |
| Batterie | Lithium-ion |
| Formats supportés |
AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, H.264,.mp4 et .mov |
Finally a real video player from Apple
While we could express some reservations about video playing on the iPod Nano and Classic, for the Touch this isn’t the case. The new format is really enticing and we gladly tackled this part of tests. It was the same for photos. The automatic transition from portrait to landscape mode depending on how we held the player was impressive as well as the simple zoom function by sliding the fingers. It’s quite fun...
On our first impression, it was almost the perfect player and already an office favorite. Tested by the part of our staff which is ''anti-Apple'' (borrowing this term from the opposition in our offices), the Touch really captured our hearts...before we started audio tests.
Michael Jeulin-L
Test date: 2007-10-08
Test date: 2007-10-08
The iPhone has spilled a lot of ink for a few months now being deemed an extraordinary product, revolutionary, etc. However, in our opinion, the real winning Apple product this fall is the Touch, an iPhone « light », without telephone or camera capabilities. It offers fewer functions, but those available are all of high quality. It serves as a portable audio and video player, agenda, web navigator (if you find wifi access), and a photo album. Also like the iPhone, the command dial has disappeared and all piloting is now done with your fingers (no stylus).
Handling
As for its finishing touches and design, it’s difficult not to be seduced by this multimedia player and it would be rare to find someone who wouldn’t exchange their current model for the Touch. The metal finish is superb, the large screen displays very detailed and contrasted images, and it magnifies photos as adeptly as it does videos. We do, however, have three reservations:
• The glossy screen: sometimes it’s difficult to see images and we have to change the Touch’s position to limit reflections.
• The screen shows finger smudges: it has to be regularly cleaned for which our shirt sleeves often came in handy. This is unfortunate for a product which is touch navigated.
• Videos : the transfer via iTunes is much too long. The conversion of video takes forever and it’s better to go through one of the utilities offered on the web. We used the very practical iPod Video Converter and were successful each time in conversion and subsequent reading. The only problem, and also valid for video converted with iTunes, larger titles were properly displayed but not the smaller ones.
Once videos are converted the transfer is fast. For a 5 minute clip, it took around 30 seconds. We also find the function described in the Nano’s test, the automatic transfer of podcasts to watch the daily morning news or weather in a waiting room or boring meeting.
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Handling
As for its finishing touches and design, it’s difficult not to be seduced by this multimedia player and it would be rare to find someone who wouldn’t exchange their current model for the Touch. The metal finish is superb, the large screen displays very detailed and contrasted images, and it magnifies photos as adeptly as it does videos. We do, however, have three reservations:
• The glossy screen: sometimes it’s difficult to see images and we have to change the Touch’s position to limit reflections.
• The screen shows finger smudges: it has to be regularly cleaned for which our shirt sleeves often came in handy. This is unfortunate for a product which is touch navigated.
• Videos : the transfer via iTunes is much too long. The conversion of video takes forever and it’s better to go through one of the utilities offered on the web. We used the very practical iPod Video Converter and were successful each time in conversion and subsequent reading. The only problem, and also valid for video converted with iTunes, larger titles were properly displayed but not the smaller ones.
Once videos are converted the transfer is fast. For a 5 minute clip, it took around 30 seconds. We also find the function described in the Nano’s test, the automatic transfer of podcasts to watch the daily morning news or weather in a waiting room or boring meeting.
Audio reproduction: our only potential reservation. And even then, if you change earphones...
To fully take advantage of this player, replace the earphones. They produce a dry, unrefined sound, lacking in mediums. Good headphones immediately make a large difference and at this point 95 % of users will be satisfied. This is especially true if you take the time to choose your headphones in function of their use, adapted to the type of music you listen to: good basses for electro and more neutral and detailed for jazz or classical.
Then there is that handful of users that concentrate on the details and which will notice that highs are « whistled » and extreme basses are sometimes saturated. All portable music players are more or less subject to these limitations. However, very particular users or purists will find that the iPod Touch (moreover, like the Nano and Classic) shows its limits a little too quickly compared to the best Creative or Cowon models. This is confirmed by the below profile which we recorded at the source. At any rate, only perfectly encoded tracks with a higher debit will make these differences apparent.
It’s subtle but the Touch saturates a little more than the Creative on this (very demanding) test sample. Of course, the latter also has its defects, but only the most sensitive users will hear the difference. However, attractive as it is, the Touch is a portable player for which we can’t expect the same quality as a hi-fi stereo. 90% of MP3 users are iPod owners for its design and ergonomics and at least the same percentage wouldn’t exchange it for anything else. In our opinion, this Touch deserves the same infatuation.
To fully take advantage of this player, replace the earphones. They produce a dry, unrefined sound, lacking in mediums. Good headphones immediately make a large difference and at this point 95 % of users will be satisfied. This is especially true if you take the time to choose your headphones in function of their use, adapted to the type of music you listen to: good basses for electro and more neutral and detailed for jazz or classical.
Then there is that handful of users that concentrate on the details and which will notice that highs are « whistled » and extreme basses are sometimes saturated. All portable music players are more or less subject to these limitations. However, very particular users or purists will find that the iPod Touch (moreover, like the Nano and Classic) shows its limits a little too quickly compared to the best Creative or Cowon models. This is confirmed by the below profile which we recorded at the source. At any rate, only perfectly encoded tracks with a higher debit will make these differences apparent.
It’s subtle but the Touch saturates a little more than the Creative on this (very demanding) test sample. Of course, the latter also has its defects, but only the most sensitive users will hear the difference. However, attractive as it is, the Touch is a portable player for which we can’t expect the same quality as a hi-fi stereo. 90% of MP3 users are iPod owners for its design and ergonomics and at least the same percentage wouldn’t exchange it for anything else. In our opinion, this Touch deserves the same infatuation.
- Design and ergonomics
- Easy handling and very intuitive navigation
- Very high quality and enticing screen!
- At 8mm, it's very thin
- Screen size
- No memory extension possible. Therefore limited to 8 or 16 GB.
- iTunes not very practical for video conversion
- Saturates a little more quickly than the best Creative and Crown players
- Quality of headphones, replace them.
- Screen smudges easily.
Once again, Apple sets itself apart with a revolutionary concept. It’s just too bad this iTouch is launched in the shadow of the iPhone, because it could have stolen the show. Finally, here is a real video walkman, practical, attractive and equipped with a big screen.
Return to the Introduction : Product Survey: Portable Audio and Video Players
