Sunday, September 16, 2007

the iPod Touch

So, today at church, a friend of mine let me play around with her newly-acquired iPod Touch.

To give you some background information, I like the iPhone, but have been pretty jaded toward the possibility of ever owning one (the price was a factor, but also the fact that it was pretty impractical for my own purposes). So naturally, when the iPod Touch came out, I was fairy excited, but did not feel like I needed to race down to the Apple Store just to play around with one. The capacity is also wildly disappointing. I really think thin-ness is way, way over-rated, and would much prefer a slightly thicker iPod with a hefty capacity than a "super-thin" iPod that holds far less that fullscreen media players that are offered by competitors (see: Zen Vision W). And though they offer ridiculously high capacities in their new line, the "iPod Classic", lets face it: it sucks. Personally, I think the brushed-aluminum look is extremely dull and tired-looking (although the same may be said of their characteristically glossy models in the past).

After playing around with the iPod Touch today, I can say that I was thoroughly impressed. Though iPhone owners may yawn at the notion, I find the idea of a fullscreen media player with wi-fi connectivity (not to mention a web browser that is Web 2.0 compliant) sans the rather expensive data contract with a phone company to be QUITE compelling.

I've been considering getting a cheap palm pilot, because my data is currently scattered all over the place. My trusty Moleskine notebook has been very handy, but I pretty much write down anything and everything I need to in that notebook, with no particular order. Organizationally, it's been more of a hassle to figure out where I wrote something or how I'd like to categorize what I write.

With the ability to use Google Apps on-the-go (as well as sync with iCal, should I encounter a wi-fi-free zone), I'd be cooking on the front burner, as Mr. Joe Gross would say. I'd also have an OMFGSTFU AWESOME device that combines my media player and my calendar, notes, and contacts, rather than filling my already full pockets with yet another device. Some of you might say, "The iPod Touch doesn't come with a note pad, or many other useful features that are pre-installed on the iPhone, silly!", but it's really only a matter of time before someone makes the iPhone apps available for use on the iPod Touch. It's the same OS, after all :)

The downside, of course, is the capacity. Sure, there are plenty of things I never listen to/am embarrassed to have on my iPod that I could clear out, but that sill won't narrow my library (including video) down to 16 GB--this is, of course, the size I would purchase. It'd be a sacrifice for me, and the first time I'd have to rotate music according to listening priority. I'd definitely have to sell my 80 GB in order to get it.

I'm willing to make that sacrifice for such a sleek, cool device. But I'm wondering what you guys think.

Is it foolish for me to sell my my fully-functioning, perfectly capable 80 GB for a device that I don't REALLY need (but REALLY want :P), and should I just "suck it up" and figure out how to organize my things according to their current setup? Or, should I go for it, sell that 80 GB for 299 on Craigslist (it's in tip-top shape, thanks to the superior protection of my hard case) and save up the rest in order to buy a media and organizational device that will make my life much simpler?

Comment away, my friends. And of course, as Chris put it when he was considering his iPhone purchase, even though I may decide to get one, I'll still have to go through Accounting (i.e. my Dad:). Thanks for reading, as always!

[Update: It's only fair for me to point out that all iPods (last gen and current) have contacts and calendar built-in. Of course, it's much better to be able to add contacts and calendar appointments on-the-fly, but I might just be getting too picky about it. Consider this when formulating your answer.]