General Features

Compatibility: The iPod touch is compatible with both Macintosh and Windows operating systems with the following minimum requirements:

• Operating System:
  • Windows: Windows Vista or Windows XP (Home or Professional) with Service Pack 2 or later
  • Macintosh: Mac OS X version 10.4.10 or later
• USB Port: USB 2.0 High Speed (USB 1.1 ports, including those on most keyboards, do not have enough power)
• Software: iTunes 8 or later (software not included, free download from Apple iTunes website)
• Internet Connection: Broadband recommended

Note: The iPod touch comes with no software. You must download the latest version of iTunes music management software from the Apple website before you can setup or operate the unit.

Storage Capacity: The iPod touch has a built-in 16 GB flash drive, capable of storing up to 3,500 songs (4-minute song average--recorded in AAC format at 128 kbps), up to 20,000 pictures (iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes), or up to 20 hours of video. In addition to storing audio, you can use the flash memory to store data files as well.

iTunes Syncing: With the iPod touch, it is easy to have instant access to your music, video, downloaded applications, and other iTunes library content. iTunes can sync all this information to the iPod touch, and your contacts, calendars, and your browser bookmarks as well. You can set iTunes to sync any or all of the following - Music and audiobooks, Movies, TV Show, Podcasts, Photos, Contacts, Calendars, Email account settings, Webpage bookmarks, and Applications purchased or downloaded from the iTunes Store.

Auto-Synching: Each time you connect the iPod touch to your computer, the unit's Auto-Synch feature automatically updates it with any changes made to the iTunes program on your computer, including any new music purchased at the iTunes Music Store. If you prefer, auto-sync can be turned off.

Smart Touch-Screen Display: The 3.5" widescreen multi-touch liquid crystal display has a 320 x 480 pixel resolution at 163 pixels per inch. The multi-touch interface uses the same technology as the ultra-popular iPhone, and allows you to scroll through playlists or album art with the swipe of a finger. You can view the Internet, videos, photos, or album art in either a portrait or landscape orientation. The display automatically changes when you change the orientation of the iPod touch. The display can be oriented vertically or horizontally by rotating the iPod touch.

Screen Brightness: Screen brightness affects battery life. In the menu, you can dim the screen to extend the time before you need to recharge. You can also choose Auto-Brightness, which uses a built-in ambient light sensor to determine the screen's brightness.

Display Off: You can easily turn off the display altogether when listening to music to extend battery life.

Controls: Unlike previous iPods, the iPod touch does not have the traditional Click Wheel control. There are only three buttons on the unit: the top-mounted Sleep/Wake button, the side mounted volume control, and the "Home" button just below the screen. All of the other controls involve touch screen commands. You can drag your finger up or down the screen to scroll through lists. Flicking your finger on the screen allows you to scroll quickly. As lists are scrolling you can tap or touch the screen to stop the scrolling. Once the scrolling has stopped, you can tap an item in the list to select it. There is also a "back" button on the screen in the upper left corner showing the name of the previous list. You can tap the button to go back to it. While viewing photos, you can zoom in and out by double-tapping the screen, or using a pinching out or pinching in motion with two fingers.

Customizable Home Screen Layout: You can customize the layout of icons on the touch's Home screen including the Dock icons along the bottom of the screen. You can also add links to your favorite web-pages on the unit's Home screen. You can create up to nine customizable screen to choose from when you use the iPod touch. The number of dots at the bottom of the screen show the number of screen you have and indicates which screen you are viewing. 

On-screen Keyboard With Dictionary: You can use the on-screen keyboard to enter text, such as contact information. The intelligent keyboard automatically suggests corrections as you type to help prevent mis-typed words. Keyboard are available in 14 different languages, and supports the following keyboard formats: QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, QZERTY, and Japanese IME. The iPod touch uses its active dictionary to suggest corrections or complete the word your are typing. The iPod touch has dictionaries for English, English (UK), French (Canada), German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. The appropriate dictionary is activated automatically when you select a keyboard on the unit. The On-screen Keyboard can be viewed in horizontal or vertical orientation.

Headphones: The iPod touch comes with earbud-style headphones with 18mm drivers using Neodymium magnets. If desired, you can use any headphones with a 3.5mm mini-plug.

Built-In Speaker: The iPod touch features an integrated speaker behind its touch-screen panel for listening to your music or movies. There are volume controls along the left side of the unit.

Volume Limiter: You can select a volume limit for the iPod touch with a lock code to prevent the setting from being changed. Setting a volume limit only limits the volume of music, podcasts, audiobooks, and videos, and only when headphones, earphones, or speakers are connected to the headphone port on the iPod touch.

Clock Functions: The iPod touch has an internal clock with time/date settings, a calendar, an alarm clock and sleep timer. You can have multiple clocks for different time zones. The calendar can be advanced a day at a time or a month at a time. The alarm clock (or multiple alarms) can be set to any minute and the sleep timer can be set to automatically turn the unit off in a preset number of minutes.

Stopwatch/Timer: You can use the stopwatch as you exercise to track your overall time and, if you're running on a track, your lap times. You can play music while you use the stopwatch. You can also set a countdown timer for timing different events.

Calculator: The iPod touch features a standard calculator which allows you to add, subtract multiply and divide.

Notepad: The iPod touch features a Notepad function which allows you to use the unit to take notes using the iPod touch's on-screen keyboard. Your notes are then listed by date added, with the most recent at the top. You can see the first few words of each note in the list. You can use the unit's email feature to even email a note when connected to a Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) connection.

Nike+iPod Support: The iPod touch includes built-in Nike + iPod support. Just slip the Nike + iPod Sensor (sold separately) into your Nike+ shoe and start your run. The sensor communicates wirelessly with your iPod touch, tracking your time, distance, and calories burned. It even gives you voice feedback on your progress through your iPod touch's headphones. When you get back to your computer, sync your iPod touch via iTunes and transfer your exercise data to nikeplus.com, where you can track your workouts, set goals, and challenge friends. This feature also works with new cardio equipment available in many fitness centers. Just look for Nike + iPod compatible treadmills, ellipticals, stair steppers, and stationary bikes.

Dock Adapter: This unit comes with a white plastic dock adapter which allows the iPod touch to be docked in an accessory unit with an iPod dock.

Power Requirements: The iPod touch has a built-in rechargeable, non-removable, lithium ion battery. When the iPod touch is connected to your computer, the battery charges. When fully charged, the battery provides approximately 36 hours of music playback time or 6 hours of video playback. The battery charges to approximately 80% of capacity in 2 hours and fully charges in 4 hours. A battery life indicator appears at the top of the display.

Music Features

Audio Formats: The iPod touch supports the following audio formats: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store), MP3 (32 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, and AIFF. When you import music from a CD using iTunes, it can be converted to the AAC format.

Note: If you are using iTunes for Windows, you can convert non-protected WMA files to AAC or MP3 format.

Listening to Podcasts: Podcasts are downloadable radio-style shows you get at the iTunes Music Store. Podcasts are organized by shows, episodes within shows, and chapters within episodes. If you stop listening to a podcast and go back to it later, the podcast begins playing from where you left off.

Audio Books: In addition to music, you can download audio books from the iTunes Music Store (approximately 9,000 titles) or from Audible.com, an independent website with over 18,000 titles. The iPod touch will keep track of where you left off when you listened last like a virtual bookmark, and when you sync up with iTunes, the bookmark will continually update between the iPod touch and iTunes. You can also set the speed at which the audio book is played back.

Cover Flow: When you're browsing music, you can rotate your iPod touch sideways to see your iTunes content in Cover Flow. This allows you to browse your music by album artwork. To browse album covers, you can drag or flick your finger to the left or right. Once you have found the desired album, you can tap the cover picture to see a list of the album tracks. Dragging your finger up and down the list allows you to locate (and tap) a track title to begin playback.

Playback Functions: You can set the iPod touch to repeat a song once or over and over. You can repeat all songs in the list (album or playlist) from which the song was selected. You can also have the iPod touch shuffle all songs in memory, shuffle the songs on the current list (album, playlist, etc), or shuffle albums (when set to shuffle albums, it plays all the songs on an album in order, then randomly selects another album and plays it through in order). During Shuffle play, the songs do not repeat until all songs have been played.

On-The-Go Playlists: You can program the iPod touch to play the songs you want in the order you want. The songs are queued in On-The-Go playlists. In addition to individual songs, you can queue entire lists of songs (albums) in the On-The-Go playlist. There is no limit to the number of selections you can put in the On-The-Go playlist. If you sync the iPod touch to your computer, any playlists you have created are saved in your iTunes library and deleted from the iPod touch. You can retrieve the saved playlists from your iTunes source list anytime you are connected to your computer.

Genius: The iPod touch's Genius feature automatically creates a playlist of songs from your library that go great together with the song you are currently playing. It is like having a built-in DJ who knows your tastes well enough to make the right mix just for you. To use Genius on iPod touch, you first need to set up Genius in iTunes, then sync iPod touch with iTunes. Genius is a free service, but it requires an iTunes Store Account. You can make Genius playlists in iTunes and sync them to iPod touch. You can also make Genius playlists directly on iPod touch.

Equalizer: The iPod touch's built-in equalizer with EQ presets to change the sound to suit a particular music genre or style.

Video Features

Video Playback: You can purchase movies, videos and TV shows, and download video podcasts at the iTunes Music Store, and then download them to your iPod touch. If a video contains chapters, you can skip to the next or previous chapter, or bring up a list and start playing at any chapter that you choose. If a video provides alternate language features, you can choose an audio language or display subtitles. You can view and listen to the videos on the iPod touch or on a TV connected to the iPod touch.

Video Formats: The iPod touch supports the following video formats:

• H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second
• Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
• H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second,
• Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;
• MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Importing and Viewing Your Own Videos on iPod touch: You can view other video files on the iPod touch, such as videos you create in iMovie (on a Macintosh) or videos you download from the Internet. Using QuickTime, you can encode a video file for iPod touch, import it into iTunes, and then download it to your iPod touch just as you would download any video to iPod.

Watching Rented Movies: You can rent movies from the iTunes Store and watch them on the iPod touch. You can use iTunes to rent the movies and transfer them to your iPod touch. Rented movies are playable only for a limited time. The time remaining in which you must finish watching a rented movie appears near its title. Movies are automatically deleted when they expire.

Notes: Rented movies are not available in all regions

Watching Videos on a TV Connected to iPod touch: If you have an iPod AV Cable, you can watch videos on a TV connected to your iPod touch. First you set the iPod touch to display videos on a TV, then connect the iPod touch to your TV, and then play a video. The iPod touch can output the video in NTSC or PAL.

Photo Features

Compatible Formats: This 8GB iPod touch will hold up to 10,000 photos downloaded using iTunes software converted from JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG, and PSD (Mac only).

Auto Transfer: The iPod touch can automatically transfer photos using iTunes if you have iPhoto v4.0.3 or later (Mac), Aperture (Mac), Adobe PhotoShop Album 2.0 or later (PC), or PhotoShop Elements 3.0 or later (PC).

Viewing Photos: You can view photos manually one at a time by tapping the multi-touch screen on the Photo icon and the photo thumbnail. You can also browse through photo albums by flicking your finger left or right to see each succeeding photo. Zooming in or out requires a pinching in or pinching out motion with two fingers. You can change the orientation of the photo by simply rotating the iPod touch horizontally or vertically

Slide Show: Photos can be viewed automatically using the slideshow feature. When using slideshow, several settings are adjustable: Time Per Slide, Repeat, Shuffle, and Transition between photos. Background music can be added to the slideshow if desired.

Wallpaper: You can set any of your photos as a wallpaper background, visible when you first unlock your iPod touch.

Email Photo: You can choose from any of your downloaded photos to email from the iPod touch. The iPod touch must be connected to a wireless network and set up for email. If you have a MobileMe account, you can send photos directly from iPod touch to a gallery you've created. You can also send photos to someone else's MobileMe gallery if that person has enabled email contributions

Photo Contact: You can assign a photo to a contact entered into the iPod touch.

Wi-Fi Features

Wi-Fi: The iPod touch has built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) that allows you to wirelessly connect to the Internet. iPod touch can join AirPort and other Wi-Fi networks at home, at work, or at Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. When joined to a Wi-Fi network that is connected to the Internet, iPod touch connects to the Internet automatically whenever you use Safari, YouTube, or the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store.

Note: Many Wi-Fi networks can be used free of charge, however some Wi-Fi networks require a fee. You can usually open Safari to see a webpage that allows you to sign up for service if charges are required.

Safari Web Browser: Apple's Safari web browser is built right into the iPod touch, giving you full access to the Internet. You can also sync your bookmarks on your computer. You can search the web using the touchscreen keyboard to type in the URLs, including a "dot com" button for quicker browsing. Once you have reached a website, you can zoom in and out and pan up, down, left, or right with the tap or drag of a finger on the multi-touch display. You can bookmark web-pages so that you can quickly return to them at any time without having to type the address. In addition, you can add Web Clips for you favorite web-pages to the iPod touch's Home screen for faster access.

YouTube: The iPod touch gives you access to on-line videos from YouTube. You can watch featured videos, check out a list of the most viewed, search for something specific, and bookmark your favorites for future viewing.

iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store: Your iPod touch gives you access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, which enables you to browse and purchase music on the go. Whenever you're in a Wi-Fi hotspot, you can open the iTunes Music Store, hear a 30-second music clip and immediately download songs to your iPod touch. When you reconnect to your computer, the newly purchased songs automatically sync up to your iTunes library.

iTune Wi-Fi App Store: You can search for, browse, review, purchase, and download applications from the App Store directly to iPod touch. You can also install applications you have purchased or downloaded through iTunes on your computer when you sync with your iPod touch. Applications you download and install from the App Store on iPod touch are backed up to your iTunes library the next time you sync the iPod touch with your computer.

Gaming: The iPod touch offers gaming features such as Multi-Touch, the accelerometer, real-time 3D graphics, and 3D positional sound, so you can download video games from the iTune Wi-Fi App Store and play them on your iPod touch.

• Fingertip Control: Many games for iPod touch use Multi-Touch to give you precise, fingertip control over game elements. Use your finger to drag your pieces around the board in chess or dice games. Or pinch to enlarge or shrink your view, rotate your character left or right, or just tap to make a selection.
• Accelerometer: The built-in accelerometer actually responds to your movements, so you can tilt and turn your iPod touch to control the action. It's perfect for racing games, where your entire iPod touch acts as a steering wheel, and for tap-and-tilt games such as Super Monkey Ball, in which your character rolls to your movements.

Starbucks Music: Whenever you visit a participating Starbucks, your iPod touch automatically connects to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store for free. This allows you to see a playlist of the songs playing in the café or featured Starbucks Collections, select your favorite songs, and purchase them instantly. This service is currently available in more than 600 Starbucks in New York and Seattle, and will be rolled out to other cities in the future.

Contacts: You can use the iPod touch and iTunes to sync contacts to automatically keep your contacts up-to-date, whether you make changes on your computer or on the iPod touch. You can sync contacts with applications such as MobileMe, Microsoft Entourage, and Yahoo! Address Book on a Mac, or with Yahoo! Address Book, Windows Address Book (Outlook Express), or Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007 on a PC. (On a Mac, you can sync contacts on your computer with more than one application. On a PC, you can sync contacts with only one application.)

Mail: The Mail feature is a rich HTML email client that retrieves your email in the background while you do other things on the iPod touch. Using the iPod touch you can send and receive email using your existing email accounts. You can send an email messages to anyone who has an email address. You can send the message to one person or to a group of people. You can also view or read some types of files and images attached to messages you receive such as PDF, Microsoft Word, or Microsoft Excel documents.  The iPod touch works with MobileMe, Microsoft Exchange, and the most popular email systems including Yahoo! Mail, Google email, and AOL, as well as most industry-standard POP3 and IMAP email systems. You can sync email account settings from Mail on a Mac, and from Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007 or Outlook Express on a PC. Account settings are only transferred from your computer to iPod touch. Changes you make to an email account on the iPod touch don't affect the account on your computer. The Mail feature lets you send and receive photos and graphics, which are displayed in your message along with the text. You can also get PDFs and other attachments and view them on iPod touch.

Note: You must have an email address which looks like "yourname@example.com" to use iPod touch for email. If you have Internet access, you most likely have an email address from your Internet service provider. Email accounts are available from most Internet service providers. If you use a Mac, you can get an email address, along with other services, at www.mac.com or www.me.com.

Calendar: The iPod touch lets you enter appointments and events on  your computer and sync them with your the iPod touch. You can sync calendars from applications such as iCal and Microsoft Entourage on a Mac, or Microsoft Outlook on a PC. (On a Mac, you can sync calendars on your computer with more than one application on your computer. On a PC, you can sync calendars with only one application.) You can view the iPod touch's calendar in one of three views.

• List View: all appointments and events appear in an easy-to-scan list; you can scroll up or down to see previous or upcoming days
• Day View: scroll up or down to see hours earlier or later in the day; tap the arrow keys to see the previous or next day
• Month View: days with events show a dot below the date on an on-screen monthly calendar; select a day to see its events in a list below the calendar display

Maps: Using the iPod touch, you can see a street map, satellite, or hybrid view of locations around the world. You are even able to zoom in for a closer look and pan through the on-screen map image. You can use the Map feature to find your current approximate location, get detailed driving directions, and/or see current highway traffic conditions, as well as find businesses in the area in certain parts of the country (where applicable).

Weather: The iPod touch gives you current weather conditions and a six-day forecast. You can store your favorite cities for quick weather reports anytime.

Stocks: When you tap Stocks from the iPod touch's Home screen, the stock reader shows updated quotes for all your stocks. Quotes are updated every time you open Stocks while connected to the Internet. Quotes may be delayed by up to 20 minutes.