Apple has reloaded the iPod. The world's most watched gadget maker can now legitimately claim that the new version of the iPod touch is more than just an MP3 player.

Most notably, the device now includes the "Face Time" video conferencing service, allowing users to telephone over the Internet.

The iPod touch, the flagship of Apple's MP3 player line, always looked similar to an iPhone. All that was missing was the cellular service component. The fourth generation of the music player, now hitting the market, remains something less than a full-featured smartphone, yet now it too can use the Internet to make phone calls. And the device, measuring in at just 7.2 millimeters in thickness, supports "Face Time" videoconferencing -- the same wow factor introduced by Apple for the iPhone 4.

At the same time as the fourth generation of the iPod touch hits the stores, Apple is also releasing completely reworked versions of the smaller iPod nano and iPod Shuffle models. "Anyone who claimed that the iPod has reached the end of its life cycle was completely wrong," said market watcher Michael Gartenberg after seeing the iPod presentation from Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

The features list for the fourth generation of the iPod touch resembles that of its bigger brother, the iPhone. It starts on the inside, with the A4 chip developed by Apple. The unit now features the "retina display" (960 x 640 pixels) that has earned the iPhone 4 a healthy dose of praise as well.

Only the camera in the new iPod touch lags a bit behind, unable to match the fine optics of the iPhone. That said, the iPod touch matches the iPhone 4 in the ability to take HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos. To do so, the device shoots three photos in quick succession under different lighting settings, and...

2010-09-22 01:11:23