The iPod Touch is like the red headed step child of the iPhone family. It costs money to update and lacks a camera. But, despite the lack of love for the iPod Touch it is a pretty cool device that in many ways can replace an iPod, gameboy, and PDA. Now, my review is a bit different as I have a different view than most given that I am a former iPhone owner that moved to T-Mobile, sold my iPhone and now I have an iPod Touch. Interested to know how I am coping? Read on…
The iPod is very thin compared to the iPhone. It is thin enough that without a case you wouldn’t hardly know it was in your pocket. iPhone owners would rejoice if their phone was the size of an iPod Touch but, haha, that is never going to happen. The first thing you will notice on the iPod is the giant, super shiny, scratch magnet chrome back. Apple, listen up. Chrome is played out. I guarantee you that everyone will be so much happier with anodized aluminum. You see, the unfortunate thing about chrome is that you look at it funny, it scratches. And when your iPod is covered in chrome and you want to keep your device looking nice you have to put it in a case. So it covers up the chrome anyways. Apple, get with it and realize that chrome is old, looks tacky, and no one really wants it anymore. The chrome is so annoying that I would rather have the black plastic on the back of the iPod Touch instead.
Another change you will have to get used to is the tinny, muffled speaker. Where the speaker is open on the iPhone, on the iPod Touch it is under the chrome back towards the bottom of the iPod. What this means is that it reduces how loud your music or alarms sound. This is an issue for me as I used to use my iPhone as an alarm in the morning. Now I sleep right through my iPod. Luckily, my wife still has her iPhone.
The last major difference between the iPod Touch 3G and iPhone 3Gs is the lack of the camera. If you follow Apple you know that there were some production delays which caused the 3rd generation iPod Touch to only get processor and video card upgrades. While it would have been a nice add on, the lack of camera hasn’t been that big of a boon. There have been a few times where it would be nice to snap a picture and post it to Twitter, but it is pretty rare.
Last up is how do you cope when you come from an iPhone and go to an iPod Touch. To be frank, it isn’t that bad. Sure there have been times where I would have liked to have a data connection. But it has been the type of situation where my wife and I have been out at dinner and feel like a movie or want to look up a fact about a conversation. But it has certainly never been often enough to justify the extra cost of the data plan. On top of that you can always text Google (466453) for that kind of information on your dumb phone. Also, it has been nice to not always be connected. No longer do I check Twitter at the grocery store or my email at dinner. Now, I just spend time with my wife when I am out. Long story short, if you are thinking about canceling with AT&T and going to an iPod Touch instead it isn’t that bad. It won’t take you very long to get used to being a little bit disconnected.
As much as I would like recommend that everyone go out and buy one, it isn’t something that everyone will use. For some it will be little more than a gadget that collects dust. But you may find yourself using it a lot like I do. Currently, I use it for iCal, email, Twitter, music, games and movies. This is a device that I always carry with me and refer to often. If you want a great device to merge your iPod, Gameboy, and PDA then this will probably fit the bill for you. But, if you are looking for something to fit only one of those roles, you are better off buying devices solely for what you need.
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