Apple iPod touch 3rd Generation Black (32 GB) MP3 Player

I was looking to replace another iPod recently.  Between my music, videos and the apps that I’ve downloaded, I’d estimate that I have somewhere around 40-45 GB.  Thus, the 8 GB iPod Touch would have been too small.  The 64 GB was too expensive, so I settled for the 32 GB.  (In reality, the OS brings it down to about 29 GB.)  32 GB isn’t that limiting, even though I have a few movies and a lot of music videos.  (I don’t really watch the music videos that much, so I don’t even put them on.)

Yes, I could have gotten a regular iPod, but I wanted the apps as well as the ability to go online and check my email while I’m out and about, which I’ll get to later.  I also looked at the iPhones, which seem to be able to hold much more at a lower cost, but I didn’t want to get into cell phone plans.

The iPod Touch plays music like any other MP3 player from Apple.  You need iTunes to be able to synch your music with your computer.  Simply plug in the iPod Touch and the music is put on automatically.  If you’re like me and you have more than you can fit on, I’d suggest creating a play list of your favorite music.  (Rating the songs 4 or 5 stars will have iTunes do it automatically.)  I also have play lists of the least recently listened to music, which adds some variety.

If you’re on vacation and you can’t wait to get home to download something, you can download directly to the iPod Touch given that you have Wi-Fi access.  This is useful, say, if you’re at a Starbucks and you want to download their free song of the week.  If you have to leave before it downloads, it will remember what you tried to download and try again when you open iTunes next.

There’s also a feature that allows you to reshuffle your songs by shaking the iPod.  I’m actually debating over whether or not to turn this off.  I like using it, but it will shuffle at the slightest provocation.’

There is a built-in speaker, but it adds a lot of static to the sound.  I don’t recommend using it.  I have a pair of portable speakers that I can use if I need to.  Get one of those if you foresee any need for them.  The one downside, especially compared to the iPhone, is that there’s no built-in microphone or camera.  This means that if you want to download and use the Skype app, you not only need to have access to Wi-Fi, buy you’ll also need to buy accessories to use it.

You also can’t take pictures or use voice memos without said accessories.  It would have been nice to have a camera built in, especially considering that the Flickr app will let you upload pictures from your device.  I don’t feel like dropping extra money right now.

The video display is pretty good for something of this size.  I was actually able to watch a movie on a trip once.  We were heading from Miami to the Tampa area, so I downloaded Total Recall and a few other movies when they were on sale so I could watch them on the trip.  I’ve also been able to get several episodes of TV shows for free.

If you’re watching video, expect the battery to go quickly.  With music, a full charge could last you a day or two if you keep the display off.  With video, you’re looking at maybe four to five hours.  The same goes if you’re playing video games.

On that note, I’d recommend getting a separate charger.  Yes, you can charge it through your computer, but I don’t like having it attached all the time.  It’s easier for me to put it by the wall and forget about it.  I also don’t want to bring my desktop with me if I ever go on vacation.

I definitely think it was worth getting the iPod Touch for the apps.  I immediately downloaded the apps from the United States Postal Service, UPS and FedEx.  The only one I really use is the USPS app and that’s if I ever need to know which ZIP code I’m in.  (All three were free.)  For the USPS app to tell me where I am, it has to have access to the Internet.  I think that with all of the thousands of ZIP codes, it would take too much memory to store it on the iPhone.  (Note that the same goes for things like Google Maps.)

If you want, you can arrange how the apps and features are arranged.  While connected to the iPod Touch, iTunes will display the layout.  You can move things around and even change the icons on the bar at the bottom. I even have it set up so that I can always change the settings regardless of which screen I’m on.

Most of the apps that I use are various video games.  Many are free, but I did spring for a few that I thought were worth it.  There’s also a Flickr app if you want to share photos.  For many, like Flickr and the USPS app, you’ll need Internet access.  As I said, this means that you’ll need Wi-Fi access to get them to work.  I have this at home, so it’s not always an issue.  Many malls and restaurants also starting to put in Wi-Fi.

That has been more of a setback than I imagined.  You can set up the iPod Touch to synch email much as you would an iPhone or any other smart phone.  It’s just that you can’t always get your email everywhere since it’s not a cell phone.  What bothers me is that you can’t save anything as a draft.  If you’re a passenger in a car going for a long ride on the highway, you can’t compose an email message to send later when you do get to a hotel or mall.  I’m hoping that Apple puts this in an update of the software.

If you do decide to use it for email, Gmail seems to work better that Juno or Yahoo Mail.  I have accounts with all three services.  The big thing that I noticed is that if you delete a message with Gmail, it will be deleted in your actual account.  This didn’t work with Juno when I tried it. My Yahoo and Juno mail are forwarding to Gmail right now, so it’s not an issue.

One of the first things that I noticed with email (and later apps) is that if you click on a link, it’s a pain to get back to what you were doing.  You have to exit the web browser and go back to email.  It’s not the end of the world, but it does get to be a nuisance if you have a lot of links to look at.

Synching contacts is a little tricky.  If I enter either an email or a physical address on my iPod Touch or in Gmail, it will synch properly.  I haven’t not had as much luck with phone numbers or web addresses.  Phone numbers I can understand as I foresee no real need for them.  If I enter a web address on the iPhone, it will appear in my Gmail address book.  If I enter in in my Gmail address book, it won’t appear in my iPod contacts.  This is more of an issue as I might like to visit a web site on the iPod Touch.

At this point, you may be wondering what it’s like to view web sites with the iPod Touch.  It’s not great, but it’s not the worst, either.  I may have mentioned in previous reviews that I’m a member of a site called Where’s George.  When I got the iPod Touch, I envisioned being able to enter bills while out and about.  I have a small laptop, but I don’t always want to drag it around.

Entering large quantities of bills on an iPod Touch is difficult, especially if you don’t have a desk or table in front of you.  Holding the money with one had while trying to type with the other proved to be a mess.  It’s better than my cell phone, but not as good as having a laptop or computer.

As far as connecting, I’ve found that the biggest issue is the actual Wi-Fi access.  If I can connect with my laptop, the iPod Touch will connect, also.  I really don’t access the Internet with the iPod Touch that much.  I’ll check email if I’m expecting something, but it’s proven to be a pain even to enter information on the screen.  The keyboard and URL field take up so much space on landscape that I often can’t see what I’m entering.  Typing out an email message can also be a pain if you’ve become accustomed to a full keyboard.

The iPod touch has proven to be relatively easy to use.  I tried playing with it at first and had trouble figuring stuff out.  It took me a few minutes to realize that I had to download the instruction manual.  After another few minutes, I got it working fine.  The touch screen is just the right sensitivity.  In only one case have I had a problem, but I suspect that it may be an issue with the game rather than the screen.

I don’t know that I’d get an iPhone unless I needed to.  I have a cell phone that works and I don’t really need to access the apps everywhere that I go.  It would be nice, though.  Now, if we could just get an Epinions app, I’d be set.