The 5th iPod

I like technology…  I like gadgets & toys…  I LOVE my iPod Touch!

I’m usually an early adopter of technology but I thought I would wait this one out for a while.  As an owner of 4 iPods already (used in varying degrees by the family), I really could not immediately justify the addition of a 5th when the Touch came out.

After several business trips with nothing to watch on TV, and slow hotel Internet connections that made Hulu & NetFlix all but impossible to watch, I took a trip to the local Big Box store to check out the new iPod Touch.

WOW, this thing felt completely different than any of my other devices (super thin & light).  I’ve used touch screen devices before (mostly smart phones) that worked OK, but Apple got this one right.  Who needs hard keys when you can easily do everything you need right there on the screen?

I’ve tried movies on my 5th generation (60GB model) but they were just to hard to watch for more than about 30 minutes.  Watching entire movies on the Touch is enjoyable due to the wide screen and larger screen size.

When Apple released their software update (v2.0) it made the Touch even more versatile.  The ability to hook to your Exchange server at the office, and the addition of free/pay applications from the Apple Store actually make this “toy” a versatile pseudo business tool!  The Touch has one of the best email clients I have used on a portable device.  I’m still getting used to the onscreen keyboard though. It offers no tactile feedback & I still have problems with hitting the right keys near the edge of the screen.

My top 10 application (all free) on the Touch are:

  1. Remote – Control iTunes remotely
  2. NY Times – Instant access to the News
  3. Pandora – Customized playlists of your favorite music
  4. SportsTap – Awesome app to keep up on your favorite teams
  5. Twitterrific – Mobile Twitter
  6. WeatherBug – Current weather conditions & RADAR
  7. VNC – Remote control the MAC from anywhere in the house
  8. RDP – Remote control the PC’s from anywhere in the house
  9. LinkedIn – Keep up to date on all of your connections
  10. Google maps – Find any place & easily get there

I purchased the 16GB model knowing that I would pretty much just use it for applications and movies.  All of my music will remain on the 5th generation iPod.  The $100 I saved by not buying the 32GB model went towards the replacement of my recently deceased AirPort Express (blog post in the works about this awesome device).

Overall I’m really happy with the iPod Touch.  It offers features well beyond a normal MP3 player.  It can be used around the house as a media remote and an Internet appliance.  Battery life is adequate and the glass screen seems to be pretty resistant to scratches.  The smooth exterior of the Touch does lead to a lot of smudges, but they are easily wiped off.

If you have any questions/comments about this post, please leave a comment & we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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