Installing programs on iPod Touch. New iPod Touch Apps: Impressions

To install programs in iPod Touch you need to first perform a number of simple steps:
1. First, select Settings -> General -> Auto-lock and set it to “Never”.
2. Open the built-in Safari browser, enter http://jailbreakme.com in the address bar, scroll the page and select the Install AppSnapp link. Safari will crash and the app will begin downloading and installing. It's okay, you just need to wait for the process. Then turn off the player and turn it on again as a result we will see the Installer application icon on the desktop
Now we can install any applications (programs)!

3. To be able to access the “insides” of the player via a computer, install additional applications. Launch Installer, select Install and install the Bsd subsystem application. After installation, the player application automatically reboots. Then we install OpenSSH for a while the player will not show any signs of life... we wait.
4. Now let’s install additional applications that are installed by default in iPhone phone- This Google Maps(map), Mobile Mail (mail), Mobile Notes (notes), Stocks (stock price), Weaher (weather), and iPod Touch users are deprived, let's restore justice :) To do this, run Installer, select Sources -> Edit -> Add, enter address repo.us.to. On the list available applications the Install button will appear iPhone item 1.1.1 Apps for... and iPhone 1.1.2 Apps for...
We first install Google Maps Prep and Mobile Mail Prep, then you can install the Map and Mail applications themselves.
Weather app
5. Install “decorations” on itouch.
To customize the desktop does not work fully Customize app, so let's install SummerBoard (adds themes, desktop scrolling, wallpaper). Themes can be downloaded and installed through the same Installer.
Let's reboot!
6. Install the Russian keyboard on the ipod touch.
As in point 4, install a new Source and enter the address http://russianiphone.ru/beta/ As a result, we get access to new Russification applications. Thanks to the author for the application.
From the Russification section we will install the following packages: Mobile Enhancer. You don't have to reboot your phone after installation - you'll do it later. Then we install the Russian keyboard. Exit Installer.app by pressing the bottom button of the phone (Home). Reboot the player (by turning it off)
The Russian keyboard is sometimes glitchy and can lead to crash some applications (came across this in Google Maps)

List of supported applications
15, Ants, Aquarium, Apache, Apollo, Balls, BitchX, Blink, Butterfly, Books, BSD Subsystem, Butterfly, Crosswalk, Dock, Erica's iPhone Utils, Erica's Ported Utils, Erica's Utilites, FiveDice, iBlackjack, IPHCalc, iPong, iRCm, Labyrinth, Launcher, Light
Lights Off, Mines, MobileChat, MobileCast, MobileFinder, MobileMoney, Mobile RSS, MobileTetrominos, Mobile TextEdit, Music Quiz, Nativecn, Navizon GPS, ncftp, NES, Nuker, Oblique, OpenSSH, PHP, PigShooter, Pedometer, Perl, Python, Ruby , Tcl,
Sensors , Services, Sketches, Squid, Stumbler, Sudoku, Tap Tap Revolution, Taskbar Notifier, Term-vt100, Terminal, TicTacToe, ToDoList, Textedit, UICtl, VNSea,
weDict, Widgets, Zune2

It all started with the fact that Sergey Volgin (our honorary forum member) published a topic on the forum dedicated to the iPod Touch 5. I don’t know why, but only at that moment I realized that I really wanted this thing. Why not go for the iPhone 5, you ask? I had three main reasons:

• The price of iPod Touch 5 is more than 2 times less. At the same time, I received more gigabytes of free space for the money. A high quality player I've been wanting to go to music for a long time. Music takes up space, etc.
• I don't need another phone. I actually use it now standard dialer, bought for 500 rubles in Thailand. I have more than enough of it.
• iPod Touch 5, judging by press reviews, has reached the level where it seems “not worse than iPhone" And there were a lot of praises for the iPod!

At the beginning of May, I bought a blue iPod Touch 5 for less than $300. There was still a choice in the store pink color and gray. Against their background, the blue one looked the prettiest.

Is not iPod review Touch 5 in the full sense of the word. In the article I focused on the impressions of using the device. Of course, as an example I mention specifications as without it. The same Sergei, with whom we recently met in Moscow, reminded us of this article! Well, since I promised, I fulfill it.

iPod Touch 5 impressions

Over the past 4 months, the same things have started happening to me. As soon as my friends found out that in addition to my iPad I had an iPod Touch 5, they asked the same question: “Why do you need it?” I don't understand how to answer this question to people. Therefore, he said: “Listen to music” and let them use the device itself. And then people had different feelings: from surprise and genuine interest to indescribable delight. Demonstrative scene, huh?!

My first impressions of the iPod Touch 5 are: “How small and light it is!” Now I’m used to it as a matter of course, but at first it was even unusual to hold such a miniature device with full iOS and all the ensuing goodies on board.

The main pride of iPod Touch 5 - 4 inch screen Retina resolution 1136 by 640. And it doesn’t matter whether the sun is shining or the moon is shining, the screen will look amazingly bright and clear. You don’t even want to pick up cheap Android smartphones for $150-250 after comparing the screens.

The rear camera of the iPod Touch is very decent for mobile device. It easily replaces my regular soap dish. The camera protrudes slightly from the player on the back surface. And it’s not surprising given the thickness of the 5th iPod. We use it all the time if we forgot our DSLR, if we need to take a photo on Instagram, if we need to quickly take a photo of something on the street right on the go, etc.

Sample photo:

Included with the player were EarPods headphones. Unfortunately, they come without a microphone (to hell with it!) and a volume and song switch (horror! how inconvenient!). I am completely satisfied with the sound quality of the headphones. Compared to the already outdated headphones that came with the iPod Touch 4, EarPods look like a giant breakthrough.

The strap that comes with the kit is good. I use it exclusively for backup. I put it on my hand and hold the player in my hand. Plus, I have such a case that you can pull the player out of your pocket right by the strap. In the photo below, it’s not my hand, but Olina’s. :)

I bought the most primitive case for 50 rubles in Bangkok, after haggling beforehand (they wanted 100 for it).

What makes me especially happy about the iPod Touch is its charging time. 2-3 hours and the player is ready for hiking again. But the promised operating time is somewhat overestimated. It will work for 8 hours only in airplane mode or while reading. If you play “heavy” games, you can discharge it in 4-6 hours. Although I'm happy with the working time. If the device itself weighs 88 grams, then how much does the battery weigh?!

For an iPod, charging is lightning cable <->USB. There is no plug for the socket at all. The photo below compares the standard iPad charging and Lighting. Minimalism in everything.

The iPod Touch 5 has a dual-core processor. I just now inquired about this topic. What does this mean, do you think? The correct answer is that it never slowed down for me, no matter what I launched. It’s 10 times more pleasant to use a device that always works like a clock!

iPod Touch 5 can run the most modern games from App Store. But with the iPad, such an idea never occurred to me. Still, the screen is small for games - you can feel it after the tablet. But for work applications it’s just right.

Useful apps for iPod Touch

Taking this opportunity, I decided to make a small list of apps I use on iPod Touch 5, but on the iPad I find them less convenient.

Airbnb - search for apartments around the world. Yes, yes, we prefer to stay in apartments rather than hotels when traveling. Same price, but much better quality. Although you can do this on their website, I often prefer to lie on the couch with an iPod in my hand and scroll through photos of apartments in this application.

Mapy.cz - the most the right application in the Czech Republic! Many Russians love to visit Prague. So, if you are one of those people or are just planning to visit this beautiful country, remember about this program. This is the same Google Maps, but tens of times more detailed specifically for the Czech Republic.

Youtube Capture is an add-on for Youtube. Allows you to upload videos to your channel. Has a version for iPad. On iPod or iPhone is more relevant, since videos are written more often on them.

The appearance of the player in Russia Apple iPod Touch coincided with another rather important event. True, this importance will be felt more likely by those who wanted to purchase a player, but have not yet done so. Those who managed to part with a significant amount of money and get this device for themselves only received a reason for dissatisfaction: new opportunities in Russia can only be obtained by purchasing new player or by performing a number of non-trivial manipulations with the old one, which are also not entirely legal. Actually, the event was the release of new firmware for the device, which includes, in addition to purely technical details that are not advertised, five new applications and several interesting new functions.

In this article I want to talk in more detail about them and, perhaps, talk a little about the player with new capabilities in general. We have already briefly talked about applications in a report from the first Apple press conference in Russia, but now we will dwell on them in more detail.

There are only five new applications, they are called Mail, Notes, Weather, Stocks and Maps. The purpose of each application is obvious from the name, there is an email client, a note-taking program, a weather widget, a stock quote viewer and the great and mighty Google Maps.

It's interesting that she Apple apps names only Mail and Maps, the other three fall under the “widgets” category. In my opinion, this is fair, yet Notes, Weather and Stocks have minimal functionality and clearly perform one single function according to the given parameters.

Mail

With the advent of this iPod programs Touch has become a full-fledged Internet device. Let me remind you that previously all tasks related to new applications could be solved through a browser, but this is not always convenient and requires the participation of a third party. Now, with the arrival of “mail” directly to the device, we have a classic “mail client plus Internet browser” combination, which, in fact, today is the main tool for any organizational work. This, of course, provided that the phone is somewhere nearby.

The email client on the iPod Touch, despite its mobile status, has basic “adult” capabilities and allows you to fully work with by email, as possible for a device that fits in the palm of your hand.

The first thing you do when you launch the application is to set up an account. The player helpfully offers to choose from a list of “grands”: Yahoo Mail, Gmail, .Mac (Apple's proprietary service) and AOL. Only at the end of the list was there a modest place for Other; this is the item most Russian users will have to choose.

Next, you are asked to enter the required data. The input fields are voluminous, everything is signed in large letters, clearly and clearly, it is almost impossible to get confused. A minimum of parameters is required - first and last name for email headers, login and password. Supported POP protocols and IMAP, as well as Microsoft Exchange. As far as I understand, the latter is a friendly nod towards corporate users.

Passes on a separate line automatic synchronization email accounts from your computer to your iPod Touch. For this, as you might guess, iTunes is used. The program “picks up” data from mail client on the computer and broadcasts them to the player. Underwater rock here is that for PC platform only supported Microsoft Outlook 2003/2007 and Outlook Express, and, as practice shows, not so many people use them in Russia. Popular among the people The Bat! or Thunderbird are not yet supported.

The received mail, depending on the protocol, is stored in the player’s memory or remains on the server; there are a lot of familiar settings, but I couldn’t find the “leave a copy of the letter on the server” checkbox among them. This looks like a kind of push to use IMAP protocol, because many, say, read and respond to mail on a laptop, and then download the letters again on the main computer in order to have a complete database of messages. But you can make sure that the player sends a copy of each sent letter to the main address, so that you can view them on the “main” computer.

One of the most important innovations support for attached files has become available. Moreover, exactly those formats that are sent most often are supported: HTML files, Word, Excel and Adobe PDF. It’s just a pity that support for the archives was not “screwed up”, the PR people bombarding our mailboxes thousands of letters with all sorts of nonsense (just kidding), no, no, and they’ll send you something important and necessary, packing it in an archive.

Graphics are displayed directly in the body of the letter, other files can be viewed using built-in tools, other manipulations have not yet been implemented.

With this application, in my opinion, Cupertino “hit the mark” by adding the missing functionality to the iPod Touch. The fact is that without other applications, by and large, you can get by using their web counterparts, but you won’t be able to check mail that doesn’t have a web interface without an email client. The iPod Touch is slowly becoming a real Internet tablet, allowing you to conduct almost full-time job. At least, accepting mail and briefly responding to messages is quite clever.

Maps

Here's another one full application, “registered” on the player. In principle, most of its functionality could be obtained before, through the “adult” Google Maps, but now all interfaces are clearly integrated into the screen, and the display occurs in an optimal way.

However, I will have to start the story with a message that an interesting and very interesting feature Location detection via Wi-Fi on the player does not work. More precisely, not quite like that: it does not work where I tried it, namely in our office near Ordzhonikidze Street and a couple of Moscow cafes in the center. Apparently, the player needs to “know” the networks in order to determine the user’s location based on them, and this is relevant today only for large cities in the United States. If additional information becomes available on this aspect of the work, this material will be updated.

The next (and main) way to specify your location is to simply enter the street name in the appropriate field. In the US, the player also navigates by intersections, landmarks, and neighborhood names. In Russia, similar functionality also works, but with restrictions, more about them below.

In general, you will have to set your own location and destination in Russia using markers (pins). To do this, of course, you will first need to find a street and a house. This can be done in several ways. The first and most obvious is to find it on the map. The display shows a general map of Moscow and its suburbs, so that by simply touching the display in the right places, you can find your home in a couple of minutes and put a marker on it. There are other ways, for example, search. It is assumed that it is enough to type the name of a street or any object in the appropriate field, and its location will be shown on the player’s display. In fact, unfortunately, this only works every now and then, and it seems to me that the reason for this is the lack of a Russian keyboard in the player. The names of streets and places have to be transliterated, and in this form the search does not always cope with them. For example, with the request “Nagatinskaya” Nagatinskaya Street is easily found, but with the request “Tretyakovsky” the player does not find Tretyakovsky Proezd and does not offer any alternatives. If you simply type “Tretyakov”, then markers with the names of various establishments will be displayed on the map, from “Tretyakov-SPA” to hotels whose address contains the treasured letters. I'm sure that after trying different variants, you can get the proper reaction from the cards, but you will have to spend a few minutes on this, which may not always be enough.

Finally, the player can display on the map the location of the address of any entry from address book, however, only if the address is written in English, which, you see, is rarely seen in your native land. But it works the other way around: the selected address can be associated with any of the contacts recorded in the player, which is much more interesting, although the practical value of this does not seem to be very high.

Other functions, useful in theory, but still “mothballed” in Russian conditions, include, for example, the ability to display the level of traffic congestion. We can only hope that in the near future Google's future will have such information in relation to the roads of Russian cities.

But in its portable version, Maps retains the main “adult” capabilities. There are three types of map views; you can navigate through regular map or do it in the style of " Big Brother", considering satellite photo streets. Both methods can be combined, this gives a third, hybrid type of card.

In any case, the program copes with its main task, and despite all the rough edges, the positive impression of navigating with the help of the player outweighs the effect of the unavailability of some functions.

The entire path, if it is long, is divided into segments like “from this street go to the intersection and turn off.” Each of the points general list can be viewed individually or as a complete route list for greater clarity.

It is important that once the route is specified, access to wireless network no longer required. That is, you can plan a route, take your player with you and hit the road, without worrying that some data will “disappear from the screen” or you will need to download something from the Internet.

It is curious that the player is designed for traveling by car and shows on the display the approximate travel time, which can be adjusted if there is information about road congestion (as already mentioned, this is not yet applicable to Russian conditions). I didn’t find an option to switch the navigation to “pedestrian mode”; after all, Google Maps is a network service, and not a full-fledged navigation program.

A separate line in Maps searches for all kinds of establishments, mainly of an entertaining and nutritional nature. Thus, the iPod Touch can display and provide markers for nearby restaurants and cinemas, offices large companies. For many of them it is immediately available Contact Information, including a full address, phone numbers, or even a website that you can go to right away. As you can see, the information content of the program (subject to access to the network) is really very high, the only thing missing is the ability to call immediately. However, the number is displayed on the display, and you can dial it from mobile phone is not difficult.

Of the individual “little things”, at first glance unnoticeable, but capable of being useful, I would note, for example, the ability to build a return route from a destination to a starting point with one click of a button. In the end, having reached the desired point, sooner or later you will have to return, and this is where this function comes in handy. It is from such little things, in my opinion, that the impression of the program is largely formed, and if its creators have foreseen them, they will, in any case, hear a lot of kind words addressed to them.

General impression from Maps, although blurred by the lack of a Russian keyboard and the inaccessibility of some services in Russia, is very positive, it’s a pity that the program was not in the player initially. Those who purchased a player with early firmware, up to version 1.1.3, and do not want to “pick” it for an illegal update, can only wait for the fall (details below).

Notes

This widget is almost exactly the same as the one included in the package. operating system Leopard. Its main function is very simple - to provide the ability to quickly record some data, sketch out a meeting or a short plan of action. At its core, Notes is the traditional yellow piece of paper for notes that are abundant in every office, only transferred to the iPod Touch. This, of course, adds functionality to it. For example, entries are sorted by time and date of entry, and a few words from the accompanying text are displayed next to each one if it does not fit all of it. Entries can be edited and deleted at any time, there is also useful feature send an entry by mail with the click of a button.

Despite the simplicity of the idea, it seems to me that the program would benefit from the ability to set reminders about upcoming meetings and other events and display them in a separate line on the “desktop”, and there would be a place for this there.

Weather

The same story: the widget is “registered” in the Leopard OS by default and can be called by pressing one key. It functions on the iPod Touch in the same way as on regular computer or laptop: real-time information about the current weather and forecast for the next couple of days is downloaded from the Internet. The city can be selected from detailed list, and it is possible to select several cities at once and then switch only between them. In addition, there is only one more option: display the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. All other information is presented using graphic icons, and no translation is required to understand them anywhere on the planet. Again, the program would benefit from the ability to work as a line on the main screensaver of the player, so that it does not have to be launched every time you want to look at the forecast for tomorrow. But it’s worth special mentioning that you can view information about the city, related news and a detailed forecast on Yahoo! by clicking just one button.

Stocks

Probably the most boring thing for regular user the program, on the other hand, can be useful to unusual users, more precisely to those who monitor stock quotes of large companies. You can select the companies, investment products or funds you want to track using the search, which works by a few letters or a common stock abbreviation (for example, APPL for Apple Inc). Next, quotes will be automatically downloaded from the Internet. Since the player is not an exchange terminal, the delay in changes can reach 20 minutes; this, as far as I understand, is a single indicator for network platforms with free access, and for TV channels. This implies the fact that people who are forced to constantly monitor quotes due to their line of work are unlikely to do this using the player, so the potential audience of the Stocks program on the iPod Touch remains only small private investors, of whom there are quite a lot in America and few here in Russia.

Among the program's capabilities, we can mention the choice of displaying index changes in money or percentage, selecting the time period for which information is displayed, and calling additional information from Yahoo!.

Other innovations

Having talked about the programs, it would be unfair to ignore some other innovations of the new firmware version 1.1.3, especially since they may turn out to be even more interesting than some programs. First of all, I’ll mention the most curious thing, purely externally: it has now become possible to move icons around desktops (yes, there are now several of them). It looks really unusual: to “release” the icons, you need to touch anyone and hold your finger a little. After this, all the icons will begin to shake, as if in impatience. This is where it will become possible to pick them up and move them anywhere. To save a new arrangement, just press a single iPod Touch key.

To move an icon to another screen, you simply move it to the edge and the screens switch. By the way, the presence of multiple desktops (multiple Home screens) is also one of the innovations. Now you can leave your main programs on one table, dedicate another to bookmarks on your favorite sites (more on that below), and the rest to web applications or anything else. Maximum amount There are nine tables, and switching between them is done by swiping your finger across the display.

The usefulness of the new features is not even negotiable; the ability to arrange icons at your discretion is worth a lot. In addition, the picture complements new feature built-in Safari browser: Now you can save links to the sites you need directly on your desktop. Moreover, either a small “screenshot” of the main page will be used as an icon, or special icon, if provided by the site. To make the icons look more aesthetically pleasing, you can enlarge any part of the page and save the bookmark then. In this case, this enlarged part will be displayed on the icon.

Impression

New features and applications significantly expand the functionality of the player, especially in relation to Internet capabilities. This clearly fits into the concept of the iPod Touch as an Internet device, since all multimedia functions were already perfected on previous generations of iPods.

On the other hand, the better the innovations, the more offensive it is for owners of players with previous generation firmware, who paid impressive sums of money for them. After all, even if they want to act within the legal framework, they cannot acquire new firmware due to absence in Russia iTunes Music Store through which all such sales are conducted.

There is for them good news: according to yet unconfirmed, but somewhat trustworthy (otherwise we would not have published them) data, Apple will install firmware 1.1.3 in October. free and available in all countries, through “regular” iTunes. Who knows, who knows, maybe by then another firmware will be released, with even more new features. Or Apple's sworn friends will introduce successful competing products, which will prompt the company to hurry up. In general, there is still time, let’s wait and see.