Etechnopedia

On 1 September, Steve Jobs came back out on stage in one his traditional keynotes to show us the renewal of the of iPods (except classic), iTunes, the Ping network and although they left the musical character of the event, the second generation of Apple TV.

Almost at this time in 2009, he had a similar keynote, as well to introduce new models of iPods, iTunes 9 and the availability of iPhone OS 3.1, so we returned to see in society Steve Jobs after having been away recovering from his liver transplant. Clearly, the keynote of September 9, 2009 can be regarded as historic for the return of Jobs, but that does not diminish the importance of September 1, 2010, which served to produce, among other products, the fourth-generation iPod touch The iPod sold around the world and the product on which we will discuss below.

 



 
The iPod touch has been updated annually since it was introduced in 2007, although the models of second and third generation did not introduce significant changes, such as those of iPod touch 4G. We discussed at the time that the three pillars on which rests the success of the iPod touch is the reproduction of music and videos, browsing the Web using Safari and has become the portable game player with the most titles available ( in the App Store) in the world.

 


 
In the center of the image we have the iPod touch 4G surrounded (see right) by the third generation iPod touch (upgraded to IOS 4.1) and the iPhone 4 (on your left).
 
The fourth-generation iPod touch continues to rely on these three pillars, but add two more. We discussed the possibility of making video calls (FaceTime Apple's terminology) with other 4G and iPod touch with iPhone 4, and HD video recording or taking photos with its 960 x 720 pixel resolution camera.

 


 
The 4G iPod touch (right) is smaller and thinner than the iPhone 4 (left). Exact measurements of the iPod touch 4G are 111 mm (H) x 58.9 mm (width) x 7.2 mm (thickness) and 101 grams, compared to 115.2 mm (H) x 58.6 mm (W) x 9.3 mm (thickness) and 137 grams of iPhone 4.

But this is not just all that is new on the 4G iPod Touch. In its quest to look more and more like an iPhone 4 it also incorporates Retina Display, a new Multi-Touch display 3.5-inch diagonal and a density of 326 pixels per inch, so that the human eye can not distinguish an individual pixel, thus both ebooks, such as mails, and text from the web or even pictures look much better. Retina Display is LED backlit and has an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness to provide the best vision with less battery consumption.

 


Now is the time to compare the iPod touch 4G (left) with the iPod touch 3G (right). Although they may look alike, there are differences. The most obvious is the thicker silver bezel of the  third generation model iPod touch and the 4G has a front camera on top. As for its height and width are very similar, but the fourth generation model is thinner (7.2 mm versus 8.5 mm thick) and lighter (101 grams vs 110 grams).

Changes in hardware 

As long as Apple is launching a new product, people at iFixit put it on its "cutting room" so that we know all its components. With the fourth generation iPod touch would not be an exception and the first thing we have seen is that Apple is taking advantage of its A4processor that we find in the IPAD and the iPhone 4. Of course, while the iPhone 4 the RAM is 512 MB, which seemed to suggest that the 4G iPod touch should have the same amount however we find that it was left with 256 Mbytes, the same as the iPad. Anyway, thanks to the change of processor, because Apple has made games run much faster with its A4, also opening the door to a new generation of titles with a realism never before seen in the iPod touch.

 


 
The back of the iPod touch 4G (left) also has several new features when compared with that of the iPod touch 3G (right). To begin with, the dock connector near USB dock we find a speaker, as well, volume buttons are separated in the 4G and the plastic window with WiFi antenna similar to the 3G has been changed for a rear camera and the microphone in the fourth generation model. Finally, the power button of the previous generation is located to the left of the top if you look in front of the iPod and to the right (even if seen from the front) in the 4G.



 
In the back of iPod touch 4G we have the main camera with a resolution somewhat disappointing because its 960 x 720 pixels, equivalent to 0.7 megapixels.

Related to the two cameras of the new 4G iPod touch that can make video calls was a rumor that when receiving a call via FaceTime will trigger its internal vibrator. Well, it has been confirmed that this is not the case.

iOS 4.1, the best complement to the touch
 
Since last September 9, iOS 4.1 version of Apple's operating system was made available for mobile devices that had already come from the "factory", but we're sure most users of iPhone (3G, 3G or 4) or second generation iPod touch have already installed it.

 

 
The three icons that have joined the screen of the iPod touch 4G are FaceTime, the camera and Game Center.
 
Regarding the iPod touch 4G, the most interesting aspect of the 4.1 version of IOS is multitasking (for access to applications that already are open, just double click on the Home button and it will show on the bottom strip of the phone, then clicking on any of the applications displayed, we can switch the application without closing the previous one or return to the home screen), creating folders (all you have to do is click on any icon on the screen and wait until you start to tremble, and then if you drag an application over another it will be grouped in a folder that we create), access to a unified e-mail account to read messages all our accounts, creating new playlists and easily rename them, and, of course, the possibility of making video calls and FaceTime and Game Center.

 


 
Game Center is the new application from Apple for the iPod touch also supports multiplayer gaming.
 
Regarding FaceTime, making a video call with a 4G iPod touch is extremely simple. The important thing is that the device that emits the call and the recipient are connected via WiFi. To configure the service, just have to get an email (obviously ours) on the iPhone 4 to identify the 4G iPod touch, to make calls from the touch 4G to the iPhone 4, establishing the call using the phone number from apple mobile as an identifier.

4G and iPod touch has two cameras, the front is designed to use FaceTime and focus primarily on the user's face, but what's interesting here is that with the back camera we can share our surroundings, just press a button to change the view type.
 


From the Camera application you can record or take pictures.
 
Game Center, it is a new application after logging in, you can play with friends. Interestingly, it lets us create a different alias to be visible to our friends and other players as well as assign multiple addresses to make it easy to find at Game Center. Once inside you can download all kinds of games or start them directly.

 


 Surf the Web with iPod Touch using Safari, using a WiFi connection is a rewarding experience.

 
Conclusions

The new fourth-generation iPod touch is available in three types: 8GB for 229 Gbytes, 32GB (the device tested) for 299 and 64GB for 399 Gbytes. What can we say about the iPod touch, other that it is by far our favorite of all. In the past we have analyzed the second-generation models and third-generation, and in both cases, we have given it a score of 9.4, an outstanding device, of course, worthy of our "Best Buy".
 


 

As you see, we have not mentioned the two cameras of the new iPod touch 4G as a great achievement by Apple. Here we have mixed feelings because although the ability to record video (with his audio) at 720p up to 30 frames per second in great detail, we believe the main camera remains low with 960 x 720 pixel resolution. Moreover, unlike the iPhone 4, no LED flash,  fundamental for indoor shots.

Bonus Unboxing Video 

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