iPod Touch - Worth it?

[Fowarek]

Well, I've been wanting an iPod Touch for a while now, but am probably going to have to wait until the end of the year to possibly pick one up. I happen to be the kind of person that gets so pumped up about something when I first want it and as time goes on, I become less interested in it.

I want to know if the iPod Touch is worth it. What are your experiences with it and what are the pros and cons of it?

Thanks.

[giga Veteran]

Mobile Safari is pretty awesome.

[Fowarek]

Mobile Safari is pretty awesome.

That was one of the main things I like about it. Because I usually have my iPod wherever I can go, with an iTouch, I also have the internet wherever I can get a wifi signal. And I do like the idea of that.

[obiwong]

iPod touch is just an iPhone with no phone

if you've got access to wifi and want to use safari and check mail etc then go with the touch

if you want anywhere internet go with the iphone + data plan

i love my touch, cover flow is awesome and wifi is great (Y)

[Fowarek]

Yeah, I don't plan on getting an iPhone. I like the coverflow feature, especially because it looks really nice and the large display shows the album covers great.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Depends what you use it for. If you use it mostly in the car, then I would recommend trying one out first. I converted my old Ipaq to an mp3 player to be used in the car. It worked good for playing the music, but all the controls were on screen. So when I would want to pause it I couldn't feel where the buttons were. So I would be distracted just trying to pause the thing. Where as with my nano, you just grab it and hit pause. After that experience, I can't really see myself going with a touch based mp3 player. I need the feel physical buttons. Just something to be aware of.

[gazebee_]

I got a touch with my Apple college purchase, and frankly, the novelty soon wears off, and as many jailbreak apps I have and use, the iPod is just a mp3 player at the end of the day.

[tsupersonic]

If you're getting this to browse the internet, be prepared to be disappointed. The primary function of the iPod Touch is a media player. The web browsing is a secondary feature and it's not very good at viewing every site out there. There's better devices out there if you want a device on the go to browse the web.

[WhoTheF]

Well, whenever there's a software update, remember Apple's gonna charge you for every update. So it's really your call.

[Fowarek]

If you're getting this to browse the internet, be prepared to be disappointed. The primary function of the iPod Touch is a media player. The web browsing is a secondary feature and it's not very good at viewing every site out there. There's better devices out there if you want a device on the go to browse the web.

No, that's not why I am getting it. Of course, I want it because of its media playing capabilities, or I wouldn't want it. Just like it as a feature.

Another question, how is it with playing videos and movies? That's another big thing for me. I do not own an MP3 player capable of playing videos, and I would like one that does.

[Ricardo Gil]

If you're getting this to browse the internet, be prepared to be disappointed. The primary function of the iPod Touch is a media player.

I'd hardly call it disappointing. Probably as good as it gets when it comes to mobile devices.

The web browsing is a secondary feature and it's not very good at viewing every site out there. There's better devices out there if you want a device on the go to browse the web.

Name just one please.

No, that's not why I am getting it. Of course, I want it because of its media playing capabilities, or I wouldn't want it. Just like it as a feature.

Another question, how is it with playing videos and movies? That's another big thing for me. I do not own an MP3 player capable of playing videos, and I would like one that does.

Videos look very good and smooth, the only possible downside is that you'll have to put them in iTunes first.

If you jailbreak it then there's so much more, like saving youtube videos.

[gazebee_]

Playing Videos on the touch is a joy, the "widescreen" is pretty slick. Coming from a Creative ZV:M with tons of video codec support, I was a bit disappointed, but now I rip my own DVD's, so it's no problemo.

[tsupersonic]

I'd hardly call it disappointing. Probably as good as it gets when it comes to mobile devices.

Name just one please.

Videos look very good and smooth, the only possible downside is that you'll have to put them in iTunes first.

If you jailbreak it then there's so much more, like saving youtube videos.

As good as it gets when it comes to mobile devices? Please, you make it sound like as if you have only tested the iPod Touch for mobile browsing. Have you tried out devices that were built for web browsing? Nokia has the internet tablet line up, which is much better for browsing. One it has a built in physical keyboard, it can view flash content and has other applications like Skype. That's just one device that's better. I can name more but it'd just be going off topic.

[matt4pack]

So how does that Nokia internet tablet fit in your pocket?

The 2 devices aren't even comparable.

[tsupersonic]

So how does that Nokia internet tablet fit in your pocket?

The 2 devices aren't even comparable.

Dimensions according to wiki are 75 ? 144 ? 13 (/18) mm for n800. How do you not fit that in your pocket?

I have an archos 605 wifi, which is more comparable to the iPod Touch, and that's also better for web browsing. More resolution 800*480, bigger on screen keyboard (its also a full touchscreen device). Then there's the Sony Mylo, which is also great. Bottom line is the iPod Touch is a media player with the browser as a secondary feature. It's nice that it's there if you need it...

[Ricardo Gil]

As good as it gets when it comes to mobile devices? Please, you make it sound like as if you have only tested the iPod Touch for mobile browsing. Have you tried out devices that were built for web browsing? Nokia has the internet tablet line up, which is much better for browsing. One it has a built in physical keyboard, it can view flash content and has other applications like Skype. That's just one device that's better. I can name more but it'd just be going off topic.

We were talking about the browser, remember?

Physical keyboard? It has a touchscreen equivalent.

Flash content? The one that matters (youtube) is there.

Skype? not browser related.

[tsupersonic]

Touchscreen equivalent of keyboard is terrible. The screen is small, so there'll be accidental keystrokes. I get Apple has a thing for simplicity, but if you want a device for browsing the web, it's always better to have a keyboard.

Resolution = too small for everyday browsing. There's devices out there with 800*480 resolution screen, which is very useful.

Flash content, maybe for you only youtube matters. But if you want to view other flash content, and play web based browser games, there's other devices out there. Yeah, I understand there's apps out there for games, but there is other sites besides youtube that use flash.

[giga Veteran]

Dimensions according to wiki are 75 ? 144 ? 13 (/18) mm for n800. How do you not fit that in your pocket?

I have an archos 605 wifi, which is more comparable to the iPod Touch, and that's also better for web browsing. More resolution 800*480, bigger on screen keyboard (its also a full touchscreen device). Then there's the Sony Mylo, which is also great. Bottom line is the iPod Touch is a media player with the browser as a secondary feature. It's nice that it's there if you need it...

I wear jeans. My pockets are tight and small--it's already hard enough to fit an iPod Touch, the N800 just looks obtrusive.

[matt4pack]

Here's a comparison. I know which one I would rather carry around all day. If I need full Internet then that's what a laptop is for.

[smurfiness]

What the touch has going for it:

1. It's an iPod (which should almost make it a no-brainer, if you want an iPod and not a knockoff MP3 player)

2. Remote.app (which rocks, especially if you have an Apple TV and get tired of trying to navigate around the on-TV keyboard)

3. No AT&T contract (as with the iPhone)

4. Good video, YouTube, etc.

5. Games & apps, if you want them now

6. MobileMe integration as with the iPhone, if you're into that.

Other devices may have a bigger screen, or come with a stylus, or have internet browsing that isn't an afterthought, etc, etc. But I don't think any of that REALLY matters. If browsing the web is the most important thing to you, maybe you should get a netbook instead; but if you want the ability to check your mail and surf a bit while you're listening (like, someone on your favourite podcast mentions a website or something), the Touch is great.

Web browsing on it, while possibly a "secondary" feature, is as good as you'll get with Safari on a computer, with a few of the more irritating things (ahem, flash ads) left out.

PS: The Mylo... saw it on YouTube. Would you actually use that for Internet browsing? Even incidental browsing? It's awfully tiny. Like trying to browse the web on something the size and shape of a SNES controller.

[Ricardo Gil]

Touchscreen equivalent of keyboard is terrible. The screen is small, so there'll be accidental keystrokes. I get Apple has a thing for simplicity, but if you want a device for browsing the web, it's always better to have a keyboard.

Resolution = too small for everyday browsing. There's devices out there with 800*480 resolution screen, which is very useful.

Flash content, maybe for you only youtube matters. But if you want to view other flash content, and play web based browser games, there's other devices out there. Yeah, I understand there's apps out there for games, but there is other sites besides youtube that use flash.

Well I have no problem browsing with it, the way safari renders pages is awesome. Besides, that's what you use a browser for, pages not games.

I was thinking about getting the n800 back then, but the Touch (that sits besides me as I type) offered so much more and still was way cheaper. Great as an iPod, but jailbreaked it just mops the floor with the Nokia.

[tsupersonic]

Jeez, I guess I stepped into a room full of Apple fanboys. Look, as a media player, I recommend the Touch. If you to primarily browse the web, it's the wrong device. There's other gadgets out there to do a better job at it.

I'm done here. Sorry for hijacking the thread OP. Have fun with if you get it, it's a good device.

[Lasker]

What the touch has going for it:

1. It's an iPod (which should almost make it a no-brainer, if you want an iPod and not a knockoff MP3 player)

2. Remote.app (which rocks, especially if you have an Apple TV and get tired of trying to navigate around the on-TV keyboard)

3. No AT&T contract (as with the iPhone)

4. Good video, YouTube, etc.

5. Games & apps, if you want them now

6. MobileMe integration as with the iPhone, if you're into that.

This is why I want an iPod Touch :rolleyes: and I don't need to pay for a contract!

[MiG-]

What the touch has going for it:

1. It's an iPod (which should almost make it a no-brainer, if you want an iPod and not a knockoff MP3 player)

Terrible Bass, Ever worse EQ, and generally crap Sound Quality. the IPOD, which is supposed to be a MP3 player, its rubbish in this respect. There are much faster interfaces out there, even though the iPod's interface is slick, there are much much better interfaces for speed and getting what you want quickly.

[Ricardo Gil]

Jeez, I guess I stepped into a room full of Apple fanboys. Look, as a media player, I recommend the Touch. If you to primarily browse the web, it's the wrong device. There's other gadgets out there to do a better job at it.

You're getting it wrong, it's not a question of liking Apple or not. It just looks as if you never used it as a browser for more than 10 seconds. You make it sound like sucks as a web browser when it's the complete opposite.

Terrible Bass, Ever worse EQ, and generally crap Sound Quality. the IPOD, which is supposed to be a MP3 player, its rubbish in this respect. There are much faster interfaces out there, even though the iPod's interface is slick, there are much much better interfaces for speed and getting what you want quickly.

It's so terrible that it shouldn't even be in the market. :whistle: