Introduction
So why is the popularity for this phone still up? Well, here’s the low down. This is one of the few smart phones you can get for Verizon without having to deal with the additional fee that will cost you if you get a Blackberry, etc. Verizon requires this fee and can’t be avoided if you get a smart phone. So why pay more monthly when you can get a good phone without paying extra? Let’s take a closer look at the phone by first examining the general look of the phone.

Aesthetics/Design (9/10)
Unlike most touch screen phones, the Samsung i760 comes with a hardkey dial pad and directional pad from the get-go. It definitely is a contributing factor to decreasing the the screen size, but with Windows Mobile ever lagging phone program, having a dial pad is definitely a big plus. Also, since resistive touch screens are not so accurate, we have to deal with the inaccurate typing of numbers if this phone didn’t have a dial pad. On the other hand, a huge con of this phone is the fact that the screen is debossed (lower than the border of the screen). This is very bad for people that have big fingers because the only way you’ll exit out of the program you are in is to press the X button that sits at the corner and it’s really tough. Every thing feels solid though and the after having dropped it several times and chucking it at a wall, it works just fine. Also, the spring mechanism that opens up the QWERTY keyboard also gets a bit loose after a lot of use, but it still is as sturdy as it always is. Next we take a look at the packaging and what comes in it.

Unboxing & Accessories (9.5/10)
This is an aspect that the i760 shines very well in. It comes with an AC adapter for regular outlets, AC adapter for cars, regular battery and extended battery. No phone now-a-days come with that many accessories. I mean, who includes an extended battery and a thin regular one just so people can choose whether they want that weight difference. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like that much of a difference, but you can really feel the difference when you hold it. Samsung did a great job thinking about the consumer needs. The only thing it doesn’t come with is a pouch or bag. But that’s ok, it’s not essential.

Windows Mobile & Customization (2/10)
Oh, Microsoft. When will you learn to improve your OS. It’s not that the OS is bad, well, I guess it’s terrible. Windows Mobile is operated so inefficiently, that it really limits the phone’s functionality. Here’s a phone that has great features, yet because Windows Mobile runs on it, it lags terribly. Sure overclocking programs make it significantly better, but then battery life suffers somewhat. Windows Mobile 6.1 and it’s threaded sms is a great add on, but in the long run, when texting and sending e-mails, the lags becomes a real hassle. The phone starts to lag more and more as time passes by and memory leaks consume the phone. By that time, you have no choice but to restart your phone and restart all of the customized programs that you have installed.

So here is a list of programs that I think are worth checking out for the i760:
- Pocket Hack Master (for overclocking the phone)
- iContact, iDialier (iPhone-esque contact list)
- Memsoft MemClean (cleans up the memory leaks on a scheduled basis)
- dcinobar (to hide the softkeys on the bottom of the today screen)
- SPB Plus (allows the x button on the top right corner to actually exit the program instead of minimizing it)

Here is also a video to my Youtube video that goes over everything in the Customization visually.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7HItjqKa3g

Conclusion
All in all, the Samsung i760 is a phone that has everything but a GPS chip and FM radio tuner. Besides that, the keyboard and the feel of the phone is great. It’ll withstand the terrible beatings that anyone could possibly give it, unless you smash it with a hammer or something unreasonable. The screen looks beautiful and if you want a good bang for the buck, this is the way to go. Here is a short list of pros and cons for the phone in summary.

Final Verdict: !Real Hot!

pros:

-lcd is pretty nice
-the i/o is actually good for its size (gigabit ethernet!)
-backlit keyboard
-128GB SSD is standard
-choice of either silver or black, depending on your taste

cons:

-its made by dell
-its not as thin as the apple’s, lenovo’s or msi’s ultraportable computers
-the screen akwardly isnt all the way placed in the back of the laptop….
-$1999 for crap insides – 1.2Ghz C2D, 2GB, integrated crap graphics (intel), hell, even the macbook air (overpriced apple crap as people say) has better specs than the adamo…and is priced LOWER than the dell!
-dell includes vista on this? what are they thinking? low-end cpu, barely enough memory, and a weak gpu = crap.
-no one is going to immediately think dell when they are looking for a high-end ultraportable computer
-came out too late, with almost no advertising to back it up

rating: 4/10. its meh in the tech world. great looking, with a nice screen and i/o, but as a computer, its crap.

my question is this – what is the point of this machine in the first place, when there are better computers out there for less money? I honestly think that everyone should stay the hell away from it. however, if you actually do end up buying one, you deserve to get punched in the stomach. repeatedly.

I’m done with the initial obsession with this phone. Want to REALLY know if this phone is worth getting? Read on to find out!

when i first got the phone, i did an initial review on my phone. now that i’ve had MUCH more time with it, here is my full review.
pros:

-its designed very well (to me at least)
-looks damned good
-HTC only put buttons on what people need, and didnt bother to put any added “fluff”, like a camera button, a hold button, etc.
-touchFLO 3D looks VERY good
-VGA resolution (640×480) on a 2.8″ screen
-fast cpu and tons of memory (528Mhz and 288MB of RAM – verizon’s model is crippled, as usual)
-best slide-out qwerty keyboard on any phone today
-3.2MP camera with LED flash and autofocus
-microSDHC compatible up to 32GB
-GPS works nicely with google maps and windows live (didnt try any others)
-its priced pretty cheap considering all of the features that come with it, as a businessphone
-good replacement for the mogul
-comes with tons of accessories out of the box – belt holster, 1GB microSD, extra stylus, etc
-easily hacked to make the performance much better
-can be hacked to whatever your heart desires – really. sound, theme, rom, startup screen, anything.
-works on the old sprint sero plans! (thank god)
-email works with any pop/imap inbox (including bastula.org!)
-built in youtube application (which works nicely)
-speakerphone is VERY loud, which is awesome for drivers on the go
-can increase or decrease system text – good for younger and older people
-does NOT require any certain plan
-mp3 trimmer is included!
-stylus is magnetic! so you will never ever lose it

cons:

-its windows mobile
-the speed was very….very….average for out of the box performance
-when you slide out the keyboard, you cant use touchFLO 3D, instead you are presented with a 8 boxes of options…well what was the point of touchFLO 3D if i cant use it when the keyboard is out?
-you have to modify the phone yourself to make the phone better, which takes time and some understanding of windows mobile (for non-techies)
-the screen protector that comes with it just sucks
-accidentally can accept/reject calls while the phone is ringing in your pocket (which is annoying)
-they gave it extra ram and a good cpu for a reason – windows mobile is a memory hog.
-battery life is random – my phone lasts a day with regular use (some texting, some calling, wifi and bluetooth are always off), and some days when i come home, it’ll be on 2 bars…without hardly doing anything on the phone. that = random.
-you can very slightly slide around the phone when its not slid out…feels kind of cheap
-prone to scratches, and if you drop it…ouch
-camera is too slow, same with video recording
-FM radio is locked from the start

and not to mention the HORRIBLE quality control that HTC has. don’t even get me started about it…

rating: 7.5/10 out-of-box experience/everyone who uses it stock. 8/10 for me because i customized it, minus a few lagging issues (gay windows mobile) and the absolutely bogus quality control.

if you want the best windows mobile smartphone with a slide out keyboard, this is the phone for you…as long as you customize it. if you are looking for this same form factor and looks, but without the keyboard, htc makes a version called the touch diamond. honestly, i think its the best smartphone sprint has, and possibly one of the best phones sprint has ever released.

Okay sorry but i cant help it….i would also like to mention that i’ve gone through 3 (yes THREE) touch pros since this review. the first one had a huge crack on the chrome casing and the camera stopped working, the second one had its keyboard completely fail, and now this one is starting to have its screen just fail. quality control at its finest here folks…and its not like i abuse my technology either – i really do take good care of it. oh well.

pros:

-1080p FTW
-very cheap to play both blu-ray and hd-dvd
-burns dvds and cds
-looks nice
-quiet while playing
-quiet while burning
-very fast reading of all disc formats
-4MB buffer, as opposed to 2MB you see on other drives
-SATA, so you can finally chuck that enraging IDE cable you have
-includes powerDVD, which is one of the FEW programs that plays back blu-ray and hd-dvd perfectly
-also comes with a firmware updater, which is nice so you could potentially hack your own firmware and put yours on it
-even though mine was OEM (just the bare drive, no manual or box), it still came with the utilities cd, a sata cable, a 4 pin molex cable to sata, and the manual!
-lightscribe enabled

cons:

-you need a decent computer (core 2 duo and 2GB of ram at the least)
-you need a monitor and video card that supports HDCP (over digital), which adds up into spending more money…unless you are using an analog connection (okay, you can get anyDVD HD which eliminates this con – the hdcp, but…whatever haha)
-blu-ray is still a bit more expensive than dvds
-why not make a beige or silver bezel for those geeks who have a beige/silver case?
-this model is being phased out, and LG is bringing out a blu-ray only reader (no HD-DVD)
-HD-DVD is dead, so the HD-DVD functionality and play-back is basically useless (see point above)

if you need a VERY inexpensive all-in-one reader for your HTPC or computer, this drive is definitely the one to get. it reads blu-ray, hd-dvd, dvds, and cds perfectly, and also can burn dvds and cds (burning blu-ray costs too much right now, especially for the higher LG models that support it). for less than $100, you cant go wrong with this drive. if anyone is building a computer and wants to playback HD movies, this is the drive for you. highly recommended.

rating: 9.5/10

i wrote this review a few months ago, like a week before palm announced webOS and the pre….

pros:

-excellent qwerty keyboard
-very fast operating system
-ev-do is pretty fast
-bluetooth works/connects/syncs with pcs, cars, headsets, and other phones perfectly
-freeware apps are pretty nice
-uses and supports SDHC memory cards
-easy to use interface
-texting is very intuitive and awesome (threaded texting FTW)
-phone is basically a tank, can survive multiple drops from various heights
-very good battery life
-320×320 resolution
-you can feel like a “professional” or a “businessman” using one

cons:

-just looks old
-much better phones for the price
-nothing really going for it
-stock music player just BLOWS
-stock video player sucks
-too many versions/models of the 700p, with hardly any new features
-nothing stands out when you get a palm OS phone
-palm desktop software is completely horrible, took years to get BETA support for vista
-no mac osx support, have to rely on 3rd party solutions (like missing sync)
-buggy update process
-updates always introduce MORE bugs
-awkward power connector and usb sync cable
-very bulky compared to todays phones
-palm os is HORRIBLY outdated
-no wifi
-can randomly reset/reboot for no apparent reason

rating: 6/10.

palm was good years ago, but they currently have no good phones. sure the palm centro has sold “millions” (apparently), but all it really is, is just a new look with the tried-and-true, yet horribly outdated palm OS. honestly folks, just stay away from palm unless you want a cheap, basic smartphone.

if you came to me 2 years ago, i would have said go for it…but these days, RIM, apple, and even windows have much better operating systems (and phones) that do WAY more than palm OS ever could.

pros:

-mgs4 (its a given)
-20GB/60GB have near perfect ps2 compatibility (80GB has like 75%-80%)
-hdmi and hard drives in every model from the start
-ability to upgrade hard drive without voiding the warranty
-ability to use different video and audio source at the same time (hdmi for video and optical for sound, or composite for video, and hdmi for sound, etc)
-gigabit ethernet
-psu is integrated inside the console, aka no massive power brick
-better gamepad for fighting games (im sorry, there is no d-pad on the xbox 360 controller, period. that “d-pad” is worthless on it)
-better gamepad in general
-60GB/80GB models have SD, CF, and MS readers, which is nice to view videos and photos on
-every model (except the 20GB) has wifi built in
-online is free and no restrictions like xbox live silver and gold has
-ps1 compatibility in every model
-no major hardware problems (RROD)
-playstation heritage
-slot-loading blu-ray player
-clean and simple interface
-pretty unique playstation store games to download (fat princess haha)
-best blu-ray player, as it is completely futureproof unlike most standalone blu-ray players
-can output 1080p from the start
-can output dolby trueHD and DTS-MA (music to my ears)
-blu-ray won out over hd-dvd basically because of the inclusion of it in every ps3
-awesome as a home theater/multimedia/all-in-one machine
-plays divx and other encoded formats of movies, and plays back audio perfectly
-life with playstation has potential
-folding at home rocks
-very quiet machine, even when reading from a disc
-usb peripherals work nicely on it
-internet browser! (yes youtube works perfectly)
-the playstation store actually looks good now
-ability to use memory cards (SD, CF, MS) to save and transfer saved games to/from it
-consistent firmware updates
-upscaling of ps1/ps2 (ps2 in 20/60/80GB models) games and dvds all the way up to 1080p via hdmi

cons:

-VERY expensive from the start, and still is today for people to consider as a gaming machine, especially when the 360 and wii are much cheaper and offer better “value” for gaming
-feels more of a entertainment machine first, and a gaming machine second
-had to go against the 360, which had a year head start, and the wii, which was 1/2 the price
-relied too much on ps1/ps2 heritage and then shot itself in the foot when it didnt sell nearly as well
-sony continues to lose money on each console sold, even today
-removed ps2 compatibility in the later models
-removed card readers in the later models
-gimped 20GB with no wifi at the start (now its standard)
-why remove the chrome trim from todays models? console looks cheap without it
-console exclusivity of some games are gone
-apparently, its hard to develop for
-costly to develop for
-still only comes in black in north america, but japan has had white, silver, and black for a while now
-launching with a rumble-less controller, saying rumble in controllers was “last-gen”, then putting it back in after a pending lawsuit and HUGE backlash from consumers
-calling the dualshock 3 as a “brand-new” controller, as its really just a dualshock 2 with motion sensing
-playstation “home” just sucks. period.
-felt underwhelming at the start – nothing really “stood” out from the 360 or wii.
-launch lineup of games just sucked.
-most of todays games on it just are underwhelming (except the obvious blockbuster ones – mgs4, uncharted, etc)
-online play is lacking compared to xbox live (MUCH better than wii though – gay friend codes)
-trophies are just a complete copy-off from xbox achievements
-blu-ray felt (sometimes still feels) like an afterthought
-still being outsold by the 360, wii, DS, and even its little brother, the ps2

conclusion: 8/10. if you want an AWESOME entertainment/all-in-one/home theater machine, the ps3 is for you. as of today, sony’s faults from the start have *mostly* been rectified, minus the removal of several features from todays models and the crippling of the original 20GB model. that is a stupid decision to make, but its “cost-effective” they say. yeah fucking right.

if you want the best ps3, track down a 60GB or a mgs4 80GB model. if you dont really care about ps2 compatibility, todays models will serve you just fine.

pros:

-looks VERY good, possibly one of the best looking laptops ever made
-you can choose from a matte or a “go fuck yourself and go to hell if you choose this option asshole because i like to see my reflection in the screen and i really hate to use my laptop outside when its sunny out and i like to see fake/”vivid” colors instead of the real and natural ones” glossy screen
-everything basically comes standard in terms of specs (cpu, gpu, hard drive, memory, etc), and they are all high-end specs too, like wireless N, gigabit ethernet, webcam, etc.
-backlit keyboard (automatically turns on when it gets dark!)
-firewire 800 and 6 pin 400 ports
-full size dvi-d
-ilife 2008 is included
-slot load dvd-rw drive
-handy apple remote (front row is included!)
-free upgrade to osx 10.5 leopard (if you bought it in late 2007)
-lightweight for a 15.4″ notebook
-one inch thin
-natively can install windows xp or vista right out of the box (legal/illegal copy of windows is required)
-magsafe power connector (no more tripping over cords and laptops falling)
-very small power brick
-resale value is VERY high, even after years of owning it
-OSX in general
-it just fucking works, no need to wipe/reinstall when you get it…means no bloatware at all
-if you buy applecare (extended warranty), EVERYTHING is covered for 3 years
-people WILL stop and look at you and your laptop, because it looks good and they probably havent seen it before and/or got intrigued by it. lolol

cons:

-outrageously expensive compared to other laptops of its class
-only two usb 2.0 ports (most laptops have 3 or more nowadays)
-pricey extras and add-ons if you do BTO (built to order/custom)
-gets hot WAY too quickly (too thin, not enough room to dissipate heat, and its aluminum!)
-fans spin up even if you are just doing something simple on it, like watching youtube
-difficult to access hard drive
-swapping/upgrading the hard drive voids the warranty
-doesnt support ddr2-800 memory, even though the cpu does
-easy to scratch
-the only reason people buy the pro over the regular macbook is because of the better gpu, high resolution screen, firewire 800, or the expresscard slot.
-some people just buy the laptop to use windows on it (which is true!)
-people wont see the reason of why the macbook pro is better than the regular macbook, other than a “bigger screen”.
-will get laughed at for spending $1999 on a laptop that a $1000 or less laptop can do.
conclusion:

even though this is last years model, i personally think that its the best laptop apple has ever produced, especially since the price that these go for are so low now. if you are in the market for a cheap macbook pro, definitely consider the old models, as they are the best value.

rating: 9.5/10

i changed the review format a little bit. no one has to follow what im doing, but i like this new method better. its just a hell of a lot easier to put everything like this, and not write paragraph after paragraph.

pros:

-finally including dvd playback out of the box.

-xbox live.

-halo 3

-everyone has one, so its easy to find friends

-integration with friends, console, online, and basically just everything.

-certain “exclusive” games

-ability to play music in any game.

-ipod works perfectly when connected to the 360

-wmp11 streaming works perfectly, as well as storage devices (flash drive, external hdd).

-first to launch out of the big 3 companies (2005).

-best value today.

cons:

-cheaply made console.

-looks like crap (IMO) compared to the wii and the ps3.

-avatars are a direct copyoff from nintendos mii’s. get your own idea.

-why is it so loud when running games? thank god they put the install feature in the NXE.

-4 fucking revisions internally to get the heat problems and RROD down.

-RROD in general.

-no internet browser still? cmon, even the wii has one.

-no original xbox accessories work with the 360.

-3 usb ports only. what if 4 people are using a play and charge kit? or if that person has the xbox wireless adapter? then what?

-huge-ass PSU. if the ps3 can get it in their console, you can too. no excuses.

-needing a hard drive to play old xbox games. wii doesnt need it for gc games, and ps3 includes a hard drive in every model to play ps1 (some models also can play ps2) games.

-120GB hard drive for $150? LOL what kind of joke is that? you can get a desktop size 1.5TB drive for $100, and a 500GB laptop hard drive for $100…probably even less now as we speak. even back in 2005, you could get at least 120-160GB for cheap.

-why use a proprietary memory card standard? use SD, CF, hell even memory stick! god i hate proprietary crap, fucking greedy pigs, even nintendo and sony didnt cheap out there.

-should have included every model with a hard drive, even the old xbox had a 10GB in it.

-where is the fucking wireless? cheapasses, making everyone pay $100 for theirs or getting a wireless bridge. again, the wii/ps3 has this built in. hell even the psp and ds have it built in.

-20GB is standard for a “next-gen” console? really? you could have easily put more in.

-took you 3 years to get the pro/premium model to 3x the storage? unacceptable.

-charging for live gold – this can be debated, but honestly, im coming from free online gaming (PC, wii, ps3) so no one should have to pay for that. DLC and the other xbox live crap whatever, but at least to play online? that should be free.

rating 6.5/10.

ideas for the next xbox:

-dont fucking rush the console only to beat nintendo/sony but cheap out on the materials. look on how much you screwed over people. now its commonplace for 360’s to fail and people expect it to last for just a year or two at most.

-make the console look better.

-shove the psu inside the box. i know you couldnt this time around because the heat inside the damn thing would have been too much for it. if you cant do that, make the fucking brick smaller. the ps3 has similar specs, yet it got the psu inside it, yet its much quieter. make it happen.

-FULL xbox 360 backwards compatibility, doesnt have to be hardware compatibility either.

-include every model with a hard drive, WIRELESS, and 360 backwards compatibility

-upgrade the 10/100 ethernet to gigabit ethernet

-make existing accessories compatible with the new xbox.

-no more fucking RROD, period. sort it out.

even though you wont implement any of those ideas, im pretty sure you’re going to pull a sony and just “ride on the success of the xbox brand”. thats okay, cause i’d love to see you guys fail because of it.

update: none of my ipods work with it. looks like microsoft broke that feature a while back. typical. and while the integration of your friends is very cool, sometimes it gets a little too…creepy. knowing what games, what achievements they’ve unlocked is a little bit too much. im sure people dont care, but its very weird knowing that whatever you do on xbox live, you can be tracked.

Before you start reading, this review was made in late october – the day i got the phone basically. Take everything with a grain of salt..lol

im not even going to bother writing an introduction for this one, because the htc touch pro is probably THE best phone available to buy right now. i dont care if you get it on sprint, verizon, at&t or t-mobile, its just…unbelievably good.

Design:

it looks so fucking good. chrome all over the phone, silver backing, and the edges are curved so it feels WAY more comfortable than the gsm touch diamond/pro models. to me, i think it looks better than the iphone. the touch diamond is also damn good looking, but god the touch pro just upped the ante. its possibly the best looking phone ive ever seen (or have seen in a long, LONG time). honestly, i think sprints touch pro looks way better than the gsm touch pro. and TouchFlo3D? it DEMOLISHES the default today screen of windows mobile. the home screen has ALWAYS amazed and wowed me. it just looks absolutely superb.

Carrier:

yes, i know some people hate sprint with a passion, and to be honest, i have never experienced any network issues at all with them. EV-DO always works, i always get great signal in my house, at the hospital, and wherever else i go. of course the signal varies from phone to phone, but in my case, there hasnt been any problems. besides, SERO fucking rocks. kudos to best buy for extending my contract for 2 years so now sprint can never change/get rid of my plan (if they ever do).

Operating System:

it has windows mobile 6.1, which is fully hackable/modifiable. yes its a bit slow and its unresponsive/weird at times, but it can be tweaked to however you want…then again, its windows mobile, so you have to take the time to modify it the way you want it to be. dont forget about cooked/custom roms, and the potential of installing android alongisde windows mobile (its already been done on the old touch!).

Display:

2.8″ VGA screen. most of todays cell phone screens are QVGA, which is 320×240. the touch pro has one of the highest resolution displays on the market today, at 640×480 (for comparisons sake, the iphone runs at HVGA, which is 320×480). pictures, movies, youtube, calling, just EVERYTHING looks good on the display. even if some of you have gotten “spoiled” by the ipod touch/iphones massive 3.5″ screen, the htc touch pro (and touch diamond) displays more pixels in a smaller display.

Sound:

in the beginning, the speaker volume was pretty low. the reason for that was because when you first get the phone, it has a plastic cover in the front to protect it from scratches and dust. removing that unmuffles the speaker so you can hear your caller much more clearly and loudly. otherwise, the speakerphone is excellent. htc did a good job of placing the speaker on the top so it sounds VERY clear and its VERY loud too.

Multimedia:

built in youtube application? yep. 3.2MP camera with LED flash? yep. microSD card slot with support up to 16GB cards? yep. everything and anything you could possibly want or need is in here. its totally multimedia oriented. and if something is missing, its just a simple download of a freeware program.

Keyboard:

this is the best phone qwerty keyboard ive ever used. its better than the trademark treo keyboard, its better than any phone keyboard (touch or physical) ive ever used. its backlit, with a number row, and is PERFECT for texting, gaming, or whatever else you would need it for.

Geek Talk:

802.11 b/g (wifi), EV-DO rev-A, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, accelerometer, physical keyboard, 3.2MP camera with LED flash, microSD card slot, touchscreen 2.8″ VGA display, 512MB ROM, 288MB RAM, TV-Out, what the hell else would you need in a phone? from a geeks point of view, this literally has everything you can imagine. if only sprint didnt leave out the FM radio, though that can be (hopefully) fixed with a cab update…

Bottom Line:

its the best phone thats currently out right now on sprint.

PS – i will be doing a full review soon.

PS2 – Yes, i am totally obsessed with this phone and am not considering any alternatives to it…yet.

PS3 – this review was made basically the day i got it, so take it with a grain of salt.

Introduction:

its hard to believe that the ipod came out almost 7 years ago (exactly too! i think it was late october 2001 when it first was launched). 5GB-10GB in the first model, with slowly yet steady increases in the capacity and decreases in the thickness all while increasing battery life. im sure most people were (and still are) completely satisfied with the ipod lineup. if you wanted a player with capacity, you went with the ipod classic; if you wanted a much smaller ipod but with a bit less space yet maintaining the same functionality, you bought an ipod nano (or mini at the time), and if you just wanted a mp3 player to listen to a few songs with, the shuffle was a good pick…

but people wanted more then that.

playing music, video, viewing pictures, and playing solitaire or music quiz got old pretty fast (or using the ipod to cheat during quizzes, and yes i know some of you people out there have done it before). people wanted their ipod to have bluetooth (for A2DP), wifi, use the internet, and have a MUCH bigger display that is also a touchscreen…they basically wanted an all-in-one device, and in january 2007, everyone got their wish; because the iphone came out and pretty much revolutionized the phone, music/ipod, and mobile internet industry. but some people didnt want the phone function of the iphone…they were left wondering when and if apple would ever release an “iphone without the phone”. so during september 2007, apple released the ipod touch. they claimed it was a “brand new” product that has never been seen before. steve jobs thought it was the best ipod they’ve ever released and frankly, i agreed with him………..right up until the moment i saw the price and features they obviously left out from the iphone. the first generation ipod touch is complete and utter crap because the second generation ipod touch is probably the best all-in-one device on the market today, hands down.

Looks:

no one can deny that it looks really good, ESPECIALLY compared to the horrid first generation ipod touch. the chromed outline surrounding the screen really compliments the player and i like the way how it doesnt feel as plasticky as the last one. everything feels like it was designed right, with no sign of cheapness anywhere. the previous generation felt as if it was designed in 20 minutes just to appeal to customers “dying” for a ipod touch. even the antenna on this years model looks WAY better and in-place, as opposed to last years randomly and awkwardly placed antenna. the 3.5″ screen is pretty damn good too, even though it is glossy (which i hate), but i can deal with it because its NOT a computer display. the screen is VERY bright even in the lowest conditions and can detect when to turn down (or turn up). the bad thing is that this thing is (as always) still a fingerprint and scratch magnet on the front and especially in the back. you’ll probably want to get a screen protector and case immediately, which again, costs more money. just bundle a case for it apple, or make both sides less prone to scratching and fingerprints.

Sound:

WAYYY better than any ipod ive heard. i dont know if its because my music is all encoded in 320kbps or higher, but nonetheless it sounds great. movies and applications sound great as well. i do wish i had a full adjustable EQ though, compared to the built in ipod/itunes gives you, but im sure since apple only cares about the consumers and not its pro users, they’ll never even bother/consider putting it in.

Interface:

easy to use, very responsive. think of the iphone interface minus the phone. anyone who hates this interface must either A: be a PC person and just feel like hating apple, B: be podar and hate anything apple or samsung related, or C: you are completely arrogant and/or resistant to change. i dont care what the reason is, but this interface is the best out there.

Functionality:

its basically a computer. it has the app store, and/or you can jailbreak the device so you can add and customize it however you want, and with wifi, it just gets even easier to connect to anything. NOTHING out there can compete with this (right now at least). game console emulators? check. SSH into a computer? check. VOIP so the ipod touch is basically turned into an iphone? check. hackable? oh yes.

Drawbacks:

FM radio. okay apple, even the zune has this, and even some cheap mp3 players do too. why the HELL do you need to charge extra for it? if you can fit a nike + ipod transmitter in the touch, you could have easily taken that out (or added alongside) and put in an FM radio instead. why you didnt do that is easy – you want more money. and whats up with charging people extra money for software updates, and leaving the iphone users gloating about it? i have yet to hear a solid explanation, aside from “software updates were included in the purchase price of an iphone”. what the hell does that mean? luckily some VERY generous people posted the 2.0 firmware on torrents so no extra money is needed. the prices for the ipod touch are much better than last year too, which i have almost no complains about except for the fact that 32GB is a little too expensive for everyone (although im sure that wont be the case next year when the prices of 32GB chips drop). lastly, why did you decide to put flash in here? why not put a hard drive version for those people who want the functionality of an ipod touch, but with the storage capacity of an ipod classic? im DEFINITELY sure people wouldnt mind the extra thickness or less battery life either.

Why is this second generation model better than the first generation:

cheaper prices by $80-$100? check.
side mounted volume controls? check.
integrated speaker? check.
nike + ipod built in? check.
genius? check.
WAY more battery life? check.
absolutely nothing removed from the previous generation models except improving on it? check.

Bottom line:

the second generation ipod touch is the best all-in-one device and mp3 player on the market today. with its touchscreen (that’s widescreen thank god) capabilities to how amazing it looks (with a much cheaper price to boot), the second generation ipod touch is what the first generation ipod touch should have been. its just a culmination of all these little things that other companies have done before (including apple itself), but its that extra 10-20% that apple does to make it SO much better.

9.5/10 if it werent for the fingerprint/scratch magnet, STILL no FM radio, charging people for software updates that should be free, but 99% of people wont care, because the device itself is just simply amazing.