Should I Buy an iPod Touch?

[Marrow Man]

I came into some sweet birthday money, and I've been considering buying an iPod Touch for quite some time (I've literally walked into the Apple Store twice intending to buy one and walked out empty-handed) I know some of you own the device, so I'm wondering if you can talk it up or talk me down from wanting to purchase one.

I would only need an 8 GB 3rd generation device. Most places are selling them for around $195 right now, though I've found a couple of places where I can get one for around $175 (online deals at places like Target.com).

One of the main reasons I would like one is the wi-fi capability. I cannot see myself buying a smartphone (or at least paying for the data plan for one), and this would satisfy that area. Also, some of the apps seem to be acceptable substitutes for e-readers like Kindle.

Any recommendations or suggestions here?

 

[Whitefield]

I paid $300 for a 32 GB back in December. I use it everyday. I bought Documents to Go and that lets me create/edit Word files and I keep them synced using Dropbox.

 

[Ivan]

I'd like to hear more about this as well. I'm not sure what an iPod can do as opposed to a Kindle and smartphone....

 

[Ivan]

Where did he say should?

 

[Marrow Man]

The title of the thread.

 

[Ivan]

The title of the thread.

Ah! Bad, Tim, bad! lol

 

[Ivan]

I'm surprised that the Misses didn't correct him first.

True.

So any answers to the questions?

 

[Ivan]

Isn't the iPad like a million dollars are sumthin! Okay, $300.

 

[Scottish Lass]

The Missus was sleeping--gotta sleep when the baby sleeps! Note this post's time stamp...

 

[O'GodHowGreatThouArt]

The iPad may be bigger, but it is also bulkier. You'll have to carry it in your hands like a textbook, or put it in a special case and dump it in a backpack.

With my 8 GB iTouch, I can stash it in my pocket whenever I needed to, and it can do everything the iPad can. My beef with the iPad is that you're shelling out extra money for screen space and not for anything to improve performance/storage.

I understand if your concern is being able to read whats on the iTouch, but in my opinion, I think (if you get one or the other at all), that you should save 200-250 bucks, buy the 8 GB iTouch (which is all you're really going to need), and then use some of the leftover money and buy some glasses and an eye doctor appointment.

You can use the glasses for other things (such as reading that small print commentary on your bookshelf that you've been dying to read for a year now), you've got your iTouch, and you're ensuring that one of the most vital sensory functions is operational and healthy. Try beating that with the iPad purchase.

 

[LawrenceU]

Until I got my new phone I used an iPod Touch 32 gig on a daily basis. I did not have to carry my laptop with me any longer unless I was going to do some research somewhere. The only drawback I can see with one is that if you are in an area that does not have a lot of wifi coverage you will not be able to use it completely. The screen on mine makes it very easy to read text. If you don't need the money somewhere else I would recommend getting one, unless you are thinking of getting a smart phone in the next few months. BTW, TMobile's data plans are not all that expensive on a monthly basis. I used to wonder what all the bruhaha was over the smart phones. Now that I have an Android powered phone, well not only do I understand I have come to really see and use its benefits in many areas.

 

[jfschultz]

I still use my first generation iPod Touch every day. It will do most of what an iPhone or iPad can do. (There are some iPad only applications out there. And for me some that require a newer iPod Touch than I have.)

The iPod Touch's big advantage over the iPad is that it fits in a pocket.

There are rumors of new versions coming out in the next few months. The iPod Touch getting a camera and a smaller 7" iPad.

 

[Andres]

yes Tim I think you should get one. You deserve it because you work hard. Treat yourself to an ipod touch. And while you're at it, I think you deserve an ice cream cone too my good man!

BTW, I don't have one so I can't comment on it's functionality. It seems fun though!

 

[Marrow Man]

Andrew, not only did the Missus (not "Misses," Josh! ) buy me some ice cream for the ol' birthday (raspberry fudge flavor), she also brought back a piece of Derby Pie (except they can't call it Derby Pie b/c the name is copyrighted)!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can make it function just like a Kindle, correct? There's an application I downloaded for my laptop from Borders that is similar, so I'm guessing I can do the same for the iPod Touch (fixed the "i", Josh).

 

[coramdeo]

I think you are correct. Since there are "reader" apps for the iPhone, they should work on the iPod touch as well. I wish I had one!

 

[jfschultz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can make it function just like a Kindle, correct? There's an application I downloaded for my laptop from Borders that is similar, so I'm guessing I can do the same for the iPod Touch (fixed the "i", Josh).

Yes, there is a Kindle app by Amazon in the App Store.

 

[Kim G]

You can buy refurbished iPods from the online apple store. They have the same guarantee as brand new ones, but they're cheaper. My husband bought an iPod Touch last month this way: iPod touch - Apple Store (U.S.)

 

[Marrow Man]

you can buy refurbished ipods from the online apple store. They have the same guarantee as brand new ones, but they're cheaper. My husband bought an ipod touch last month this way: ipod touch - apple store (u.s.)

sweet!!!

 

[Der Pilger]

I bought the 8 GB 2g Touch about a year ago and have not regretted it. I have several different Bible reader programs on it. I have used the device often in church and small group meetings. It's especially handy when doing searches for a biblical text during a Bible study.

It's really a great PDA device, providing calendar, mp3 player, browser, e-mail, etc. Personally I don't use it for web surfing or e-mail unless I really have to. There's just too much zooming and scrolling you have to do because of the screen's small size. Also, I wouldn't recommend it for reading PDFs for the same reason: the necessity of constantly scrolling and zooming. That's just my take on it, though; your mileage may vary. A very good PDF reader called GoodReader costs only $.99 on itunes, so it would be pretty cheap to try it out. As a non-PDF ereader, though, it functions just fine, such as with Borders eBook reader.

Regarding its Wi-fi connectivity, I have trouble connecting sometimes to certain hotspots, particularly Borders and B&N. The connection is either very slow or simply won't happen at all. On my home wireless network, however, it is fine, as in other places. So far I haven't determined whether it's because Apple devices don't play nicely with those hotspots or if it was simply a bad signal there or heavy internet traffic.

Regarding its mp3 sound quality, on a scale of 1 to 5 I'd give it a 3.5 or 4. I only say that because my dedicated mp3 player (Creative Zen Nano or something like that) has a more robust music playback quality.

I've watched videos on it only a few times, but they looked fine when I did.

Like the iPad, I think this device is focused more on media consumption than real productivity, so if you're expecting it to be a small PC of sorts, you will likely be disappointed.

 

[Marrow Man]

Thanks, placed an order for one on Saturday, and it should be arrive via UPS in a couple of days.