Exitlog | Leaving Impressions

No need for fanboys… the touch is alright

Two months ago, and annoyingly before the newest release, I upgraded my ageing 20GB iPod 3G. The short Nano was a possibility and a lot of consideration went to the Classic for its massive storage. Against more reasoned judgement I opted for the 8GB iPod touch. The Apple Store Trafford Centre, Manchester, had quite few out on display, and, like many, I couldn’t get enough.

The transition from iPod 3G to iPod touch was almost easy. My old iPod had buttons so I wasn’t a scroll wheel die-hard. What really took time to get use to was rationing my music – 20GB does not divide easily to 8GB. When I finally got to grips with smart playlists my listening habits completely changed. Now I listen to a lot more tracks than I did; those lost, buried or overlooked songs are now more available using Genius, shuffle and random playlist placement.

What wasn’t so easy, and look a lot of time were movies. There is a big investment in ripping DVDs to mp4, luckily Handbrake is very helpful. Music might be the main staple of an iPod, but having a few video podcasts, movies and the odd bit of TV make a train journey much more pleasant.

The biggest transition came not from trading one iPod for another, but in the (declining) use of my MacBook. With WiFi access my touch time is spent checking my email, the latest points haul of my fantasy football team and applications from the App Store*. My MacBook is now relegated to meetings (away from the office) or writing documents.

Leaving impressions: the iPod touch is certainly worth attention. The interface and your interaction with it feels right, considered and useful. I don’t care about the virtual keyboard. Typing on the touch is as important as texting on a phone – occasionally useful, but not paramount to use. It might not be a phone (there are better phones on the market – those meant to be phone and nothing else) but it is a great media player, a lean email and web access device and not bad with games.

Television invades the workplace, gladly… next our homes…

Touted as “The new way of watching TV” Joost is TV for the internet. Set-up by Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, and soon to launch commercially, Joost provides a large selection of channels ranging from Aardman Animation, Comedy Central, MTV to The Soccer Channel. With an eye on journalism and free time in the studio we signed-up to beta test the new service.

For the most part it is TV that will appeal to niche audiences, early adopters and those who find themselves often in front of a screen. This is entertainment with the ease of surfing – pick and click. The channels on offer are for the most part compelling. The mix is well balanced for a number of tastes. That said, depending on your geographic location some of the advertised channels are not universally available, This may annoy some viewers.

The service is free and works with most modern PCs and Intel Macs. There are ads, but these aren’t as intrusive as you’d think (they break up the stream download effectively and aren’t like the mammoth breaks Channel 4 labours their audiences with screening films. The best part of the service is that there are no schedules to contend with; you can watch whatever you want, whenever.

The service is only in beta now, but it nevertheless shines. Joost works as you’d expect. The approach is vaguely similar to the Apple Front Row experience or, more accurately, Elgato’s Eye TV – it uses familiar TV devices. Joost takes over the screen, delivering a range of programming which will suit varied audiences. Joost also offers search, chat and instant messaging from within the application. Nice for those who feel the need to socialise while they watch.

With an easy to use channel listing, the option to drop out of full screen and useful programming info it is a lot easier to watch TV with Joost than on a cable box (NTL/Virgin Media) or most Freeview boxes. One of the best features you discover when you quit. If you quit during playback, when you resume, your programme is right where you last left it.

Alliance Atlantis Sci-Fi has been our Joost sponsored guilty pleasure. The Lexx and Total Recall 2070 was never on the radar before, but this week the afternoons have gone just that little bit quicker. The best discovery has been a half decent, made for TV effort, of Philip José Farmer’s Riverworld.

Free TV was never so entertaining; especially when the viewer can choose when watch. Appointment, broadcast television is dying. When the service is available to all, get it. If we gave out reviewed star ratings, Joost would certainly have a few.