THE NEW IPOD TOUCH

First, the volume switch on the side is a fantastic addition. Having used the original iPod touch almost every day for the past year, I immediately loved how easy it was to turn the volume up or down without having to think about it. The other reason why this feature matters — apps. Some apps, like Aurora Feint didn't add a soft volume slider on screen, so when headphones are plugged in on the iPod touch, it's unbearably loud and can't be adjusted.

The second key feature is the built-in speaker. Sometimes, you wanna show a friend a video or new song without forcing them to use your dirty earbuds. This speaker remedies the problem. It's not terribly loud, and will never replace your headphones, but its good for the aforementioned scenarios. But it also means we're all likely to end up next to some asshole on the train who refuses to use his headphones.

The new general shape of the iPod touch v.2 is nice, with the bezel and back all being one piece—looking like it's borne from the same DNA as the iPhone 3G—but I could live without the shiny chrome. It gets smudgy and scratched up and gross looking. You could get a case for it, but that effectively negates its anorexic shape, not to mention its aesthetic value. This is a minor complaint, but compared to the original iPod touch, the home button feels kind of cheap. It's less springy, more plasticky, and noisier (on a relative scale). Obviously, that doesn't make or break the device. But it's something you use enough to notice.

It should also be noted that the screen on the new iPod touch looks the same as the iPhone 3G — which is to say it has an intentional yellow tint. While some may not like that, I prefer it to the blue hued screen on the original.