iPod Touch. Head-turner or Head-ache?
Hello everyone. As this is my first Blog entry, let me first tell you all, what exactly compelled me to start blogging.
I have a friend studying in the US and I requested him to get me an iPod Touch [8GB] Second Generation from there itself as it was about 5000($100) rupees more expensive in my country, India.
Having received the iPod on 6th of July, 2009, I had made a few assumptions about the iPod and expected it would have all these things. But, as soon as I saw the poly bag that contained the packaged device, my expectations grew as it was super-shiny milky-white bag with a silver Apple logo printed exactly in the middle. My dad even asked me to give him just the bag, for he had paid for the iPod afterall!!!
So, here I was, opening the NEW iPod casing, with a little clue as to what exactly is to be done to open this well-packed device. First of all, there were no instructions written anywhere on the box except a small piece of tape waiting to be pulled. So, having found nothing else, I simply peeled the tape off and saw my iPod covered with another black tape on the screen that had a screenshot of the original home screen. My dad started to think this is the actual screen and started to touch it everywhere. I peeled off this second tape as well. Finally we did see the iPod, packed so cheaply, and stuck between two hinges. The real thing now started... How the hell do we get the iPod out from the case, and completely onto my hands?? We tried a lot of ways...pulled it, tried to slide it sideways, but it was all in vain. How the hell could they not print the instructions?? Even Microsoft has complete instructions printed on their Vista DVD pack. LOL.
Finally, me losing my temper, and also in excitement, tried to break one of the hinges by pulling it backwards. It was only then that the iPod popped out and we saw instructions printed on the BACK of the plastic sheet that held the pod. How ridiculous! How would anyone get to know its written there. Apple’s Innovation afterall.
Now that I was over with unpacking the iPod, I finally realised a few things, one being that there was no iTunes CD inside, and there was no dock as well, the packing was utterly cheap, and even the USB cable did not have the plastic caps they had earlier. The earphones that I got with the Touch start producing a distorted output at the highest volume with Sound Check feature off.
So much for the things I didn’t like. Now let us see the other side. The display of new iPod Touch is simply breath-taking. The Cover Flow feature is the best part of having an iPod Touch and not any other iPod. It responds beautifully to all your gestures and the accelerometer has been very well programmed. Watching videos is so much fun too, again thanks to the 3.5-inch Widescreen display. Another great thing about Touch is its thickness... just 0.33-inches. WOW!! It’s extremely light-weight and weighs just 115 grams or so. It has the Wi-Fi(802.11 b/g) support and browsing the web on Safari is sheer pleasure.
Since the bill date of my iPod Touch says 30th June, 2009, I should’ve got the Software Upgraded in my iPod Touch as upgrade was launched on 17th June, 2009. But to my surprise, the Touch still comes with Software 2.2.1 and not 3.0. Check yours before buying.
However, since the Quick Start guide that I got with the iPod was completely useless, I had to do a bit of net-surfing to find out solutions to some of my queries... while others I figured out myself, thanks to my Apple-Freak friend Souvik Das Gupta. I am posting the solutions to few things that I think should’ve been included in the Quick Start guide (The guide is also too small to be read properly).
- Customizing the Home Screen.
- Resetting the iPod Touch.
- Taking Screen Shot of iPod Touch.
And ya, you need a Credit Card, with which you can pay in dollars as well, to register your iPod Touch online, be able to download the Apps for iPod Touch, free ones as well, and also to download the Software Upgrade 3.0 for approx. $10.
So much for now. I’ll keep posting as my personal experience with Apple’s iPod Touch grows and develops.
Lucky dog!!
ReplyDeleteHaving the instructions on the inner side of the case is so stupid. I was surprised to find such a thing on an Apple product. And thanks for giving a new title, esp something that has nothing to do with how fat I am or how stinky I am!!
Good one Varun. A nice start.
ReplyDeleteAnd Souvik even if Varun missed it, you made sure there was a mention of your uniqueness in terms of being fat and stinking.. Way to go man!! :)
Not sure about the Software update, but you don't actually need a credit card for registering your iPod, just a US address. I have had an iTunes account since many years, just that I had registered the address of some building in New York. Now I have changed it to my original US address and all is well! :)
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