iPod Touch - should I get it?

[tzikeh]

I'm finally buying a new laptop -- The low-end MacBook Pro. Right now, with my education "discount" ($100 off of a $1,200 machine), I can get a free iPod Touch--I pay $299, and then get a full rebate.

I have an iPod already - it's got video and 60GB of space. The video is the little screen, not the full length and width of the iPod like the Touch version--but the Touch is only 8GB. I don't play video games, so... tell me why it's worth having (besides "FREE APPLE GADGET!").

Thanks!

Comments

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

So you can resell it on e-bay and get an extra hundred bucks or so?

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

LOL! I did think about that, yeah. But I'm curious as to whether or not it's worth keeping around. I know virtually nothing about the new touch-screen stuff Apple's got going on. Never used an iPhone.

[feochadn.livejournal.com]

They are awesome.
I'm probably the most unimpressed-by-apple person on the face of the planet, but I love my iTouch. Only thing they ever did right (although I jailbroke it immediately).
The video alone is worth it (plus wireless!).

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

WOW. High praise indeed.

So, the wireless thing, is it like, if you're in a coffeeshop and they have wireless, it'll hook right in and not cost anything? Besides video, what do you use it for? Does the screen make you go all squinty-like? How much storage does yours have?

[feochadn.livejournal.com]

The wireless thing...yes. I use it to read email in hotel lobbies at cons. It'll leech wireless anywhere there's a hotspot, even from moving trains. I use mine for a lot of things: music of course, I put photos on it, vids in progress to show people (I have cables to output to a tv or just use the screen) it's my car stereo, there's a notes function...and it's an etch-a-sketch (complete with shaking action)!
Oh, mine's an 8gig 1st gen. I bought it the day they came out. Zoe Rayne sold me on the iphone, but I didn't need a phone so I waited for the Touch to hit the market.

[feochadn.livejournal.com]

Oh, you asked about the video screen -- definitely no squinty. It's really very clear and pretty comfortable to watch even subtitles movies on. Video uses the entire real estate of the device, so it's about twice the size of your video ipod and very clean and crisp.

[klia.livejournal.com]

I'd say yes, snarf it up! \o/

But then my eyesight isn't great, so it's pretty much impossible for me to watch video on a regular iPod screen.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Ah, that makes sense - and I could watch movies while on a treadmill. Hm.

Is it hard to get the video on to the iTouch? Do you need to convert things?

[klia.livejournal.com]

Heh -- sorry, you're asking someone who doesn't own an iPod in any incarnation. *g* I've had friends (falzalot and feochadn, IIRC) play vids for me on their iTouch, so I know it's possible. I'm guessing whatever you have to do to video files to get them on an iPod would work for iTouch, but I don't know for sure.

[falzalot.livejournal.com]

I don't have an iTouch -- mine was an hp ipaq. That I fried. :-/

[klia.livejournal.com]

Oh, whoops, I could've sworn you said it was an iTouch. Sorry it got fried. :(

[klia.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see feochadn is filling you in. Win!

[anoel.livejournal.com]

The best part for me is having Wifi and not having to lug around a laptop to get it. Plus there's some good apps on it, games aside like Stanza that lets you read free books (mostly older ones) and other ones for websites online.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

What kind of apps? Can you type on it? I'm honestly clueless about what all it can do.

[feochadn.livejournal.com]

Yes. Best typing function of anything I worked with. Also, I have several easy video converter programs for it. It has LOTS of useful apps. And I forgot the ebook reader thing, I use that all the time.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Okay, you, more than anyone, are really selling me, because I know you are a tough customer. :)

One more question - if you use it to buy music from iTunes, can you put that music onto your own computer, or is it stuck on the iTouch?

[feochadn.livejournal.com]

You can transfer it to the computer. I hardly ever do, just as I seldom use itunes (I consider it a virus).
Seriously, the thing is amazing. Call or email me if you have any other questions, or want some of the converter software, or just want to chat!

[thisisbone.livejournal.com]

Butting in here to say I would love to find out more about video coversion programs. I currently use Videora for vids, but that's a nano version, not an iPhone version, so the vid results are a teeny bit grainy. It's even more complicated to save YouTube vids -- I dl them using KeepVid and saving them as .flv files, then convert to .mp4 using Videora. Actually, that doesn't sound that complicated now that I've written it out...but I would still be interested!

tzikeh, I got an iPhone over the weekend, and I am loving the "apps" as much as the iPod aspects. Koi Pond is like a mini vacation in the palm of my hand. The best 99 cents I've ever spent!

The idea of using it just for on-the-go applications -- backpack, car, quick check of e-mail at Starbucks, etc, sounds like a good one.

[fiamaya.livejournal.com]

Advice from a stranger: spend a little time poking around the app store from iTunes -- click on the iTunes store, and select App Store from the list on the upper left. There are all sort of cool apps, in addition to a lot of junk.

Here are some free ones:

I love Instapaper; hit a button on your computer, and another one on the touch, and you have the text from the website available anywhere, off-line. It doesn't work with sites you have to log on to, unfortunately.

You can get the entire day's New York Times downloaded to it in five minutes in the morning, available to read any time you want -- even if you're not in a wifi spot.

If you cook, Epicurious has a nice app; you need wifi to surf recipes, but you can save ones you like to the touch. I use it in the kitchen, instead of dragging my laptop around.

Videos do need to be converted to play on the touch; I've been using iSquint, which is pretty straightforward. And the videos look great.

I teach on a college campus, which is all wifi'd. I've used it to look up facts in meetings, and even in class once or twice to answer a student's questions.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I teach on a college campus, which is all wifi'd. I've used it to look up facts in meetings, and even in class once or twice to answer a student's questions.

Ooh - I'm in grad school right now - that makes great sense--looking stuff up online without having to carry my laptop around. Huh!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I love Instapaper; hit a button on your computer, and another one on the touch, and you have the text from the website available anywhere, off-line. It doesn't work with sites you have to log on to, unfortunately.

So it won't work with fanfiction on livejournal? Bummer!

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

I brought my poor little ipod video to the ipod vet today and they won't let me take him home for two more weeks. I hope he doesn't get lonely and start to pine. they won't even let me come visit him.

I think it would be worth a short term cashflow problem. And if you want to sell the darned thing, I might be willing to take it off your hands - just to avoid the withdrawal.

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

Oh! And $299 would be a 16 gig iPod. Just sayin'.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I probably won't sell the old one, just because it has far more storage space for music. But since this one is *free*, it makes sense to get it :)

So sorry about your iPod. He'll come home soon!

[suaine.livejournal.com]

I love techy stuff, I used to have a 20GB iPod when that was all there was, and I got my iPod Touch pretty much the week they released them over here. I was not disappointed. I got it for the video, but what really sold me on it is the seriously awesome touch screen and the keyboard functions. I never get tired typing on it when I have ideas on the go.

[(Anonymous)]

>I pay $299, and then get a full rebate.

I'd ask around about how long it typically takes Apple to send the rebate for these. It is not uncommon to wait several months for product rebates. I think the shortest time I ever had to wait was 6 weeks, and the longest was 4 or 5 months.

But if you can afford to wait, and don't mind that the rebate won't include the approx. $29 you'll pay in local sales taxes, then the Touch could be fun and useful to have.

Emily

[par-avion.livejournal.com]

The rebate should be there in 6-8 weeks. Apple simplified the process last year: you need your receipt!

There's a receipt number that you type in at apple.com/rebate -- no mailing or cutting boxes necessary.

[raine-wynd.livejournal.com]

I don't have an iTouch or an iPhone, but I do crave the fact that both allow you to use applications. I read a ton of fanfic via eReader and would love be able to write as well, which I know can be done on the iTouch.

Yes, you can transfer music -- purchased iTunes music can be ported to up to two computers, IIRC. It may ask you to authorize that device for the music, though that's a simple click yes or no.

[ivadel.livejournal.com]

I find the sound on the Touch is better. Plus I don't play games either - or didn't until I got the touch. I use one of the easy list programs to keep track of groceries & errands, Stanza, e-reader, and Kindle for reading, and a couple of games -- okay, a lot of games. I downloaded an episode of Jonathan Creek and watched it as well. Picture was great. Because of its ubiquitous nature, some sites offer video already formatted for it.

[falzalot.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I'm so tempted right now to hijack somebody's educational discount and get this for myself. I'm starting to realize that iPAQ's are going to go away soon, and then I'll be trapped without any sort of mobile entertainment. :->