Anyone own the Ipod Touch?

[Bibbidi]

I'm in the market for an mp3 player that allows me to update my Outlook calendar and check email via wifi. My husband looked into the HP iPaq because he didn't think I'd be able to sync an Apple with our PC, but on the Apple site it says you can sync an Outlook calendar from a PC. They are both about the same price for the features I want--I like the look of the iTouch better--anyone have any comments or reviews on either? I want to be sure before I spend the money.

 

[SueInBoston]

Yes, Itouch syncs to PC. I bought my ITouch for the same reason as your's, and it works great!! Syncs to outlook fine.

 

[dlstc]

I am currently trying to decide on a new device as well. I love the idea of the iTouch but am also concerned with it's compatability not only with my email, but my wmv video files. Also, it does not have an SD card slot, or removable battery, so I would have to sync it to charge it. The battery life isn't great.

I love my old PDA, because it has wifi, sd and cf card slots, can play music, videos, has a battery I can switch out (with monster battery life), and I can play games and run applications. However, the content available for the iTouch is modern and growing, whereas the Pocket PC's (with the growing market for Smartphones) is dwindling.

I am waiting for the new Zune. It has 120 GB capacity, and improved wifi to rival the iTouch. It doesn't have that incredible touch interface, but I can live with that. The drawback to both is that while they have wifi, they don't have independent access to the web like the iPhone and smartphones. You must be near a wifi hotspot. We have one in our home but I would like to browse the net even when away from hotspots.

The other option would be to be able to connect the PDA to a bluetooth cell phone for non-wifi Internet access. I use my cell phone as a modem for my laptop on the road. The nice thing about that is no expensive contract. I spend $5/month for unlimited data. It doens't even count against my phone minutes.

Well, you asked for comments.

I would love to hear from others.

Oh, and there's always the PSP too!

Diana

 

[MistressOfAllEvil]

... or removable battery, so I would have to sync it to charge it. The battery life isn't great.

I don't own the iPod Touch, but I have the iPhone. I'm pretty sure they're similar in battery life. I have not had any problems with my battery. Even with a full day of phone, web, and media use my battery lasts AT LEAST a day. If I use it more lightly, I don't have to charge for two days. Also, I would assume that like the iPhone, you can charge the iPod touch with the same usb charger connected to a wall charger, rather than having to sync. My iPhone came with the wall charger adapter to plug the usb cable into. I like it too, because I can bring the usb cable to work and charge my phone with my PC at work without syncing. Also, along with the iPod updates Steve Jobs announced that the new iPod Touch is shipping with the latest software which has some tremendous updates and is apparently going to greatly extend battery life.

Anyhow, I know that the iPod Touch (or iPhone) is not for everyone, but the battery thing really gets me. I got my first gen iPhone the day after they were released over a year ago and I've yet to see a decrease in my battery's ability to hold a charge. That's better than any regular cell phone I've ever owned. I know there is a lot of concern out there about the issue, so I just wanted to share my experience.

 

[MoniqueU]

I just wanted to say if you are looking for an I touch we got 2 off the refurbished site at about 100 dollars off. One got a crack in it but they just gave us a brand new one no questions asked at the apple store yesterday.

 

[dlstc]

I don't own the iPod Touch, but I have the iPhone. I'm pretty sure they're similar in battery life. I have not had any problems with my battery. Even with a full day of phone, web, and media use my battery lasts AT LEAST a day. If I use it more lightly, I don't have to charge for two days. Also, I would assume that like the iPhone, you can charge the iPod touch with the same usb charger connected to a wall charger, rather than having to sync. My iPhone came with the wall charger adapter to plug the usb cable into. I like it too, because I can bring the usb cable to work and charge my phone with my PC at work without syncing. Also, along with the iPod updates Steve Jobs announced that the new iPod Touch is shipping with the latest software which has some tremendous updates and is apparently going to greatly extend battery life.

Anyhow, I know that the iPod Touch (or iPhone) is not for everyone, but the battery thing really gets me. I got my first gen iPhone the day after they were released over a year ago and I've yet to see a decrease in my battery's ability to hold a charge. That's better than any regular cell phone I've ever owned. I know there is a lot of concern out there about the issue, so I just wanted to share my experience.

I drool over the iTouch. I think it's great. I would love to own one, if it met my needs.

The scenario I'm thinking of is waiting in a doctor's office for 2-3 hours (yes, my ob/gyn does that ALWAYS), riding in the car, or waiting at the airport. I want to be able to watch a full length movie or two. The iTouch advertises 4 hours of battery life when watching video - 2 movies or so. With my PDA, I get 6 hours on a single charge and can switch out the battery to a fully charged one without plugging it in. And with an SD slot, I can bring 5-6 movies on just one 2 GB card. (I have a Muppet movie on my old Motorola Razr that I can let the kids watch any time, but it drains the battery and I have to plug it in.)

I'm just saying, I have yet to find an mp3/PVP with enough battery life. I'm sure the iTouch's power profile is more than adequate for everyday use, but not for prolonged video playback. Also, I wonder what formats can be watched on the iTouch? Does it only play purchased iTune files, or can you play back other file types?

Just wondering, along with the OP,

Diana

 

[beavismom]

It will play mp4s as well as m4vs. There are plenty of apps out there that you can use to convert most DVDs to a file to watch on the Touch. I love mine! I have used it more than I even thought I would. For me, I have no use for an IPhone. We aren't big cell phone users and I don't want the huge bill that comes with the data plan. I fell in love with the other functions of the Touch though and it just keeps getting better.

Of course, that leads to my only gripe about it. I bought mine last January and literally 10 days later they came out with the upgrade for $20 that gave you the Google maps and stuff, but it was free on new ones. I called to gripe though and they sent me some free stuff so I was satisfied overall. Of course, then we just had to pay for another upgrade to download the new game and other applications and all those others came with it for free. That is just the way technology works though.

As for the battery life, it does go down fairly quickly when watching movies but I have easily watched two without charging. It really helps to turn off the wi-fi when you are not using it so it isn't constantly looking for a network to connect to. It has come in handy to look stuff up online more than once when we were out and about though. We have even used it to order pizza for the kids when we were out.

When I saw the new ones this morning I got the itch for a new one. I may offer mine to my son and upgrade to the new one. I love it that much.

 

[TWyn]

I have an Ipod Touch, and I love, love, love it! I can't answer the question about Outlook calendar, though, because I don't use that. I have AOL and have no problem accessing my mail in a Wi-Fi hotspot. I have put many song videos from You Tube and other video clips on my Touch. You just need to convert it to an MPEG 4 file format first, which is easy to do. I've got the store bought DVDs of Juno, Nightmare Before Christmas and Family Guy Blue Harvest, and they all had digital copies of the movies included which were easily imported to my Itunes. If you're on the internet or watching video, the battery life dwindles much quicker than just listening to music, but you can easily charge it from the computer, a wall adapter, or car adapter. There are SO many fun games and applications that you can put on it now. I've done all of my trip planning on it and have my itinerary stored, along with my reservation numbers, all of the restaurant menus, entertainment schedules, movies for the plane, games for standing in line. It's the cat's meow. ))

 

[dlstc]

I checked out the new iTouch and they are advertising 6 hours of video playback now. Woohoo!

I may have to reconsider. I just wish there were more hotspots around.

Thanks for your experience!

Diana

 

[Bibbidi]

These are all great comments. I'd love to hear more. I was wondering about the fact that there isn't an extra sd slot--my husband is big on "expansion" capabilities. It would be my gadget however, so I'm not so worried about it.

 

[TWyn]

The one thing I would do differently, if I had the money at the time, would be to have bought the 32GB. I bought the 8GB, never thinking I would use all of that space, but I like to put a lot of video on it, and that fills up the space quickly. I bought DD & I both one at the time and couldn't afford to pay nearly $1000 for two 32 GB. The 32GB are now $399, still a bit steep but worth the price, IMO.

 

[njsweetP]

I have a 32gb Touch that I absolutely love. I want to get a little OT (hope nobody minds )for a minute and ask those of you who own the Touch if you've upgraded to 2.1? Did you download iTunes 8? I've heard some not-so-great things about the iTunes update and am very afraid to go ahead and download it. Thanks!

ps - for Zune owners, new updates coming 9/16
(I love gadgets!!)

 

[TWyn]

I have a 32gb Touch that I absolutely love. I want to get a little OT (hope nobody minds )for a minute and ask those of you who own the Touch if you've upgraded to 2.1? Did you download iTunes 8? I've heard some not-so-great things about the iTunes update and am very afraid to go ahead and download it. Thanks!


ps - for Zune owners, new updates coming 9/16
(I love gadgets!!)

I have downloaded 2.1 and have had no problems with it. I love all of the new apps available now. I downloaded iTunes 8 yesterday and had a bit of trouble downloading it, but I think it's okay now. I haven't synced my Touch yet, though, since downloading, so I can't say for sure if there are issues with it or not.

 

[njsweetP]

I'm glad it worked for you! It gives me hope! Do you have Vista? Let me know how it goes after you sync. Thanks!

 

[mybabesuz]

my DS has one. He got it for Free when he got his laptop
for college. He says it is the Greatest thing ever....

 

[TWyn]

I'm glad it worked for you! It gives me hope! Do you have Vista? Let me know how it goes after you sync. Thanks!

I have Windows XP, so I'm not much help with Vista. I did sync my Touch this morning and added a new game (Cro Mag Rally) and all appears well.

 

[DebMcDonald]

I bought one for my husband for his b-day in July and he loves it and has not had any problems.

 

[did2008]

I just got one for $100 (16 gig--my rebate came 5 days after the purchase) when I bought my Macbook Pro. Works flawlessly! No need for a PDA.

 

[njsweetP]

I have Windows XP, so I'm not much help with Vista. I did sync my Touch this morning and added a new game (Cro Mag Rally) and all appears well.

Thanks! I finally took the plunge yesterday and updated iTunes and then updated the iTouch. All is well and everything works great! Now I have to start looking at all the apps!

 

[TWyn]

Thanks! I finally took the plunge yesterday and updated iTunes and then updated the iTouch. All is well and everything works great! Now I have to start looking at all the apps!

That's great. Have fun with the apps. There are some neat ones out there.