G5 iPod

Oct 29, 2005 23:40

Okay. I've had my shiny new G5 iPod with video for a week now. I am happy with it, as promised, I'm writing short review... for no reason other than I want to. o.O; This will be comparing my previous iPod (40GB 3G). Also, I've only used the iPod with my PowerBook, so no PC review from me (at least today).

I'll guess start with the boring stuff. The settings options haven't changed much. One thing I noticed is that they took away the option of having the clicker sound through the headphones. No big deal for me, I instantly turn off all traces of the clicker anyways because it's just... well... annoying. That is the only thing I noticed under the settings. I think they added some languages, too, but not something I care much about.

The clock. Oh, the clock feature is cool. You can set a bunch of clocks (five, I think) to display different times around the world. Friggin' cool if you're a world dork like me. :P They display an analog clock with the digital time and city next to it. The time is displayed however you set it (12 or 24 hour time) and the analog clock is either white or black depending on the time of day.

Calendar and contacts. Honestly, I have no idea how these work with a PC, but iSync was updated since the last time I used it (about 6 months... hehe) and it's now super easy to sync your contacts and iCal calendars to your iPod. Just set it, and click synch. You can even set iSync to automatically synch the iPod when it's connected. I was far to lazy to save all my calendars and contacts then import them before, so I never used these features. I've been using the calendar a bit this week (it's been hectic x_x), so... yeah, very cool.

Games haven't changed at all. They're just in color. I will probably still never use them.

The photo feature is awesome. I've put a bunch of stuff into iPhoto and BAM! it's on my iPod and I can scroll through pictures whenever I feel like it. I've got a lot of my art on it, which is fun for me, as I can scroll through and get some inspiration once in awhile.

Ahh... video. Despite the small screen, the video quality is very good and crisp, so it really is not a problem watching music videos on it (I only have Alice in Chains on it right now) The downside is that the battery drains reeeaaally quickly when watching stuff. Supposedly it lasts for 2 hours of constant video. People with poor short-range eyesight might not be pleased.

On to the cons. It's all USB now. No firewire support whatsoever. A downgrade, in my eyes, but not a huge problem. My biggest beef is that it doesn't come with t separate charger. To charge the iPod you must connect it to a computer or buy a USB charger for 30$. Very cheap of my beloved Apple, I must say. But, again, it's not a problem for me because my computer is pretty much always on. Plus it will charge if my computer is asleep (No clue if it works then the comp is turned off, but plugged in... I don't think I've shut it down all week. o_o) They also did not include one of the nifty docks, though it works with my old docks (but it doesn't sit snug and stable, for it is thinner).

The 60GB 5G is indeed thin. Very thin. It's thinner than the older 20GB and is a bit lighter, too. Also, I can still be used as a hard drive, which is awesome for transferring files and such. I may have to restore my PowerBook soon (settings issues, I think), so I will report on the iPod's ability to copy files if it comes to that.

Overall, the new iPod is awesome. I have very little problems with it, but I can see how the lack of charger and firewire support may piss some people off. Kudos to Apple for another great product and hopefully they'll add some of the little things like the charger in the future.

Think Different
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