Digital Trends

Apple iPod Touch 16GB December 2nd, 2007 | by Jason Tomczak

Features and Design

The most obvious point of attraction to the iPod touch is the stunning new design. Based on a cross-breed of theiPhone and the 3rd generation iPod nano, the iPod touch has a super thin body that measures only .31" (8mm) thick; it's much thinner than the iPhone. Overall dimensions are - 4.3" x 2.4" x .31", or 110mm x 61.8mm x 8mm. The entire iPod touch weighs only 4.2 ounces.

The iPod touch, like the iPhone and the updated iMac, represents an official shift from Apple's signature white plastic product designs to a new, stylish black, glass and metal configuration. Apple clearly has a knack for making already-gorgeous products even more striking and elegant.

The iPod touch has a seemingly huge 3.5" color LCD screen that has "Multi-touch" technology built in. Multi-touch tech uses a thin membrane grid underneath the glass iPod screen. It's like a super tight mesh net that covers every last square millimeter of the LCD. It's sensitive to the tiny electric current in the human body, and when touched by any live part of the body, the multi-touch activates and sends an "I was just touched here, here and here" signal to the iPod touch interface software to respond by opening menus, zooming in on images, etc. Multi-touch does not work with typical PDA styli, pens, fingernails, teeth, etc. It needs skin contact to activate. Indeed, you can control the iPod touch with your fingers, nose, toes, your elbows or other parts we may not want to know about.

The Apple iPod Touch (notice the cover flow interface)

The iPod touch, thanks to its Multi-touch interface, has a full on-screen keyboard that can be used for typing in website addresses, updating contacts and calendar events, entering , wireless network passwords, Google searches, online forms, mobile blog posts, etc.

The iPod touch has an internal accelerometer - a tiny device that senses whether the iPod is being held vertically or horizontally, and flips the contents of the display accordingly. This makes watching widescreen movies and viewing horizontal (landscape) photographs much more functional and enjoyable.

The iPod touch also has an ambient light sensor, which can tell whether it's bright or dark out and will adjust the screen brightness accordingly. This can be more comfortable on your eyes, plus it helps save battery life.