| The iPod Touch is a compromised iPhone, perfect for those who can't get their hands on an iPhone yet. |
| This widescreen media player from Apple shares the same multi-touch screen as the iPhone and borrows its looks from the illustrious mobile device. Run down the list of iPhone's features and one discovers that almost everything has made it over to the iPod Touch. |
| Available in both 8GB and 16GB capacities, it has the same 802.11b/g wireless support as the iPhone. The single button on its face brings up the main menu and a small button on top that turns the device on and off. One of the most important features of the iPod's 3.5-inch touchscreen is it property of remaining scratch free. |
| Cover Flow, Apple's unique touch-based interface, allows easy flipping through the albums on player. Album art loads efficiently enough too. It is just as easy to put videos on the Touch as it is to put music on it. |
| Safari, Apple's own web browser, lets users play around with this new interface since it relies entirely on finger movement. Provided you have reasonable Wi-Fi access, the Internet experience on the Touch is comparable to that of any home computer. |
| The storage format has graduated from hard disk to flash memory, allowing for faster access, but it has limited the storage capacity. Wi-Fi has also been added to not only allow users to browse the web but to wirelessly purchase and download songs through iTunes. |
| Unfortunately the iPod Touch is not equipped with a camera, so no clicking pictures. Instead, it is possible to synchronise the pictures from your computer with the iPod Touch through iTunes. |
| Other applications like YouTube, Calendar, Contacts, Clock, Calculator make this media player a multi-utility tool. Battery on the iPod Touch stretches comfortably for a day or two. With wireless access, it could fluctuate between 5-7 hours. |
| You have to give credit to Apple as a company that knows how to make quality products that look and feel great. At Rs 17,700 for 8GB and Rs 23,600 for 16 GB, the Touch is may be expensive but it's worth every single penny. |
| It is also true that an MP3 player does not only mean having an iPod. Aigo's F585 MP4 player is a tiny media player that supports multimedia features that several of its counterparts in this price bracket do not support. |
| Aigo's player has the usual array of songs, videos, FM radio and voice recording features but at Rs 3,600 it is not a bad deal. A compact 1.8-inch 262K color TFT LCD panel, adds to the aesthetics. |
| There is nothing complicated about this one, with controls and interface being very intuitive. It comes pre-loaded with a 1 GB memory card and can play AV formats like MP3, AVI, WMA and MP4. Battery will be a dampener as it lasts a little over 6 hours. |
| The Zen Stone from Creative, priced at Rs 4,999, is another bite-sized player. Yes, the screen is small, so is the player, but it's enough to see what is going on with your tracks, choose the track that you want next and adjust the volume. |
| Often labeled as the iPod Shuffle killer, Stone comes with a storage capacity of 2 GB, enough for a 1,000 songs. So, play on in 2008. |
Top Section
Explore Business Standard