 The iPod touch used to be the second fiddle device to the iPhone. It looked like an iPhone, only a bit goofier, like it was made with leftover parts. With the new generation, however, Apple has staked a new flag in the sand and declared the Apple iPod touch 2G it's own distinct device, with its own benefits and shortcomings. Foremost among these, the new iPod touch 2G is maniacally thin, much thinner than the Apple iPhone 3G. The entire body seems more polished, with a more definite sharpness and steep curve to the edges. It's taken the new iPod nano aesthetic to the larger touchscreen form.
Best of all, it does almost everything the iPhone 3G can do. There's no cellular radio and no GPS sensor, no Bluetooth for handsfree, but that's about it. Most of the games and apps, and all of the e-mail and productivity tools work great on the iPod touch 2G, and because you're relying on Wi-Fi for browsing, it feels even faster than its cellular cousin. The iPod touch looks great playing movies, and handles just as smoothly as the iPhone does on its best days.
For folks who crave the iPhone experience but don't need the actual phone part, the iPod touch is a compelling solution. There are obvious drawbacks, including the lack of stereo Bluetooth, and we'd always like to see more storage. Larger mobile internet devices, like the newer devices from Archos, have Web browsers that can handle flash videos, and most similar PMPs can pair with a cell phone through Bluetooth to help with call handling while your tunes are blasting. It's probably why Apple doesn't want to confuse things by including these features on the iPod touch, though it is clear that Apple wants to distinguish this device by including unique features, so the iPod touch 2G gets Nike+ iPod support, without the iPod nano's need for a dongle to use the jogging app.
We're glad to see Apple distinguish the iPod touch from the iPhone in a few ways, and we'd like to see them go farther, without splitting the system in two. But we think there are unique hardware opportunities for this device, and we definitely see an audience in folks who, for various reasons, are resisting an iPhone purchase. Release: September 2008. Price: $230.
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