| Apple will also be announcing the release of a new | | | | touch as a gaming device this time around, too - |
| iPod Nano 4 G on Tuesday. Apple says it may | | | | thanks to the arrival of the Wi-Fi accessible App |
| offer the feature in the future. Apple's | | | | store. I would pay good money for a few |
| much-anticipated launch of the iPod touch this | | | | minutes in a locked room with whoever thought |
| week heralds a new era for Apple's wildly popular | | | | calling it's the funnest iPod ever was a good idea |
| line of music and video players. The iPod, which | | | | but I at least agree with the sentiment, if not the |
| emerged first as nothing more than a portable | | | | grammar. Apple quickly recognized that some |
| music player -- albeit one dripping in cool -- grew | | | | customers didn't necessarily want cellular service |
| up to become a music and video device in | | | | on their iPhone and created the iPod touch- |
| adolesence and is now a semi-full featured | | | | essentially an iPhone minus the phone. The iPod |
| Internet tablet device. | | | | touch was available in 8GB and 16GB models |
| Apple addressed these missing software features | | | | initially , and later a 32GB model. Apple hasn't done |
| in a $20 package of apps that it offered months | | | | anything strikingly wrong with the second |
| afterward, and later bundled the apps on all new | | | | generation Touch. At the same time, they haven't |
| iPod touch units. Apple also differentiated the iPod | | | | done anything all that striking. |
| touch from the iPhone by changing the home | | | | Apple has integrated an accelerometer that |
| screen dock to appear more like the Mac OS X | | | | enables the device to flip into landscape mode |
| Leopard dock, complete with reflections (below: | | | | when displaying pictures and video. What's more, |
| first generation iPhone and iPod touch). Apple is | | | | Apple has used the accelerometer in another way |
| calling the new iPod Touch "the funnest iPod ever. | | | | a shaking the new nano shuffles to the next |
| I purchased the 32 GB version last week, and | | | | track. Apple gaming hasn't really caught on that |
| after playing with it for awhile, I'd have to agree | | | | much, but it looks like this time Jobs and company |
| with them. I use it to play music in my car, to | | | | are really putting a lot behind marketing the iPod |
| play games at work, and to surf the web when | | | | Touch as a gaming device. The iPod Touch |
| I'm away from home. Apple's inclusion of the | | | | certainly looks like it packs some considerable |
| Nike+ receiver and software on the touch will be | | | | graphical power under its hood. Apple was having |
| a big . It certainly does a good job of basics -- | | | | a special where you got the ipod touch free with |
| what you've come to expect on an iPod (with | | | | the purchase of a macbook. I was fortunate |
| maybe a slight bit more flair), but frankly, we | | | | enough to get in on that deal on the last day of |
| were hoping for more. | | | | the offer. |
| Apple is making a pretty big deal of the iPod | | | | |