Apple iPod touch 2nd Generation (32 GB) MP3 Player

I've had a number of iPods over the years, from the standard iPod "classic" to the original shuffle to the nano. Though I've loved all of those units, I have to say that the 2G 32GB iPod touch is certainly my favorite.

It's claim to fame is it's touch screen. It's essentially an iPhone, but without the cell phone part, as well as the GPS and built-in camera. Side by side, they're nearly identical, though the second-generation touch is much lighter than the iPhone (since it lacks the aforementioned capabilities).

And when compared to the original touch, the second-generation touch is thinner and lighter, though the widths and lengths are pretty much identical. Beyond being thinner and lighter, the new touch includes some important physical upgrades, include the addition of a physical button for volume control (the previous generation touch required users to unlock the touch screen to adjust the volume) and a speaker for sound (more on this later). Other physical differences between the original and second-generation version include a shinier bezel around the edge and a smaller footprint for the wi-fi antenna on the back. The new touch also comes with updated software, which includes online access to the iTunes and Apps Store. Owners of older touches can download a software update to receive these capabilities for a nominal fee.

The greatest strength of the touch, whether it's the first- or second generation, is the ability for the user to upgrade and add programs to fit his or her taste and lifestyle. Within hours of receiving my own touch, I'd already downloaded a number of games and productivity programs. I downloaded news applications from the New York Times and USA Today, as well as programs to help me find restaurants and places to eat (Urbanspoon and Yelp). I also downloaded Bejeweled, a game that's become my wife's favorite. In fact, she's probably logged more time on the touch since she gave it to me for Christmas than I have.

The touch can integrate extremely well with a person's existing digital life. The mail application synchronizes with Yahoo! and Gmail, while the contacts and calendar on the touch can be made to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook. Coming from the Windows side, I had hoped to retire my PDA and iPod with a single device.

The touch is an excellent all around media player. The user interface for locating music is the best from Apple to date. Compared to my fifth-generation iPod, the touch's ability to allow users to effortlessly flick through albums with names and cover images is light years beyond scrolling through a list of names, especially when the number of albums you've got is more than a thousand.

For fans of podcasts, users can download podcasts without having to sync up with their computers -- very nice if you're traveling and don't want to miss an NPR podcast. The touch even allows users to delete a podcast once they're finished with it. The only real negative is that the touch doesn't know podcasts you subscribe to, so it won't automatically download podcasts like in iTunes.

Video on the touch is phenomenal. Using Digital Copy, I downloaded Pixar's Wall-E from the special edition DVD. The image was crisp and beautiful and totally captivating.

So what's not to like? Though the 2G touch is certainly Apple's best iPod to date, it does leave a few things to be desired. The touch's glass picks up smudges rather easily, and its polished aluminum back can easily scratch or get dirty. Although I can forgive the front glass as that's the interface, I would have preferred the anodized aluminum Apple is using for its other iPods. Still, I think it's better than the plastic backs that are used on the iPhone.

Another major negative is the lack of Adobe Flash support on the touch. Though a YouTube application is included, many Web sites that feature Flash won't render on the touch's built-in Safari browser. A smaller quibble would be the touch's inability to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook's Notes application. If the touch can do addresses and calendar, I can't see why Notes can't be done. A final software nitpick is the touch's lack of a copy-and-paste function. Users who want to copy and paste, say, an e-mail address will have to work around it in order to make it happen.

On the hardware end of things, a built-in mic would have been nice, if only to take advantage of available iPhone programs such as Shazam (which listens to snippets of songs and tells you the artists and title) and iTalk (a free voice recorder). Other users have asked for a built-in camera and GPS, and I think those would have been nice additions as well (though I'm not sure if that would have added substantially to the unit's production costs). A slot for a microSD card would have been nice too, as 32GB may not be enough for some users.

Space is certainly an issue on the touch -- of any capacity. Though the applications don't really take up a lot of space, when you combine music with a few movies, 8, 16, or 32GB tend to go pretty quickly. A 64GB flash memory based version would certainly be welcome, as would a hard-drive based version with an even higher capacity.

My single biggest disappointment with the touch is the fact that older accessories designed to dock with the iPods may not work with the new touch (or the new nano for that matter). We have two clock radios in our house from iHome, and the touch works fine (plays and charges) on the newer iHome, while on the older iHome (purchased in 2006) it will only play and not charge. In my Blaupunkt car stereo, the touch refuses to play or charge through the dock connector, but works just fine with the aux headphone jack. People who are looking at new iPods should check to make sure their existing accessories will work before purchasing the touch.

It's really strange how such a tiny device can change one's life. The touch's built-in mic allows me to use it as a bedside alarm clock. Though that's not a huge game changer in itself, having it by my bedside allows me to quickly check my e-mail, the weather, or even my Facebook page without having to boot up my computer or turn on a television.

It proved invaluable in New York City over the holidays as my wife and I sat at a Starbucks trying to find a true New York pizzeria. Using Starbucks' wi-fi, we used Urbanspoon to find an excellent little pizza shop two stops away on the Upper West Side. Using the Maps app, I was able to find the closest subway station to get us there.

The hardest thing for me was when we went out of range of free wi-fi or AT&T-sponsored wi-fi (our home gets AT&T DSL, and I can use any AT&T wi-fi hotspot in the country because of that, including Starbucks). Many of the touch's best applications require wi-fi to work, whether it was Urbanspoon, Safari, or even a few of the games. In some ways, I felt semi-crippled, not being able to check my e-mail or see exactly where we were (though the Maps app doesn't have true GPS, it is surprisingly accurate, within a city block or so). It just makes me wish that much harder for an iPhone!

The touch is certainly Apple's best all around iPod, though it may not be for every user out there. Folks looking for capacity may be better served with an iPod classic, as the price per gigabyte is significantly cheaper. Gym rats might be better served using a shuffle or nano, as both are lighter and more easily carried during a workout (though the touch does have the Nike+ built in for those who like to run).