My favorite new device - iPod Touch

This is a truly revolutionary device. Bar none. It is the must have of media devices. Here is my breakdown and review:

Pros - Intuitive interface. Real internet usability. Good sound and good video. Nearly scratch proof screen. Stylish design.

Cons - Lack of an external keyboard. No third party application support. Cannot edit or add calendar appointments [this is much more frustrating than it sounds]

For a number of years I have been looking for one portable device that covers it all - something you can carry in a pocket, that wasn't a phone, that would carry your contacts, appointments, music video and most important would connect via WiFi with a real version of the internet and not some stripped down version that couldn't display a website like ebay or amazon in its full glory. The closest I have come until the iPod Touch, was the Sony Clie PEG-UX-50. It had a great design, snappy screen, good keyboard and could access internet via WiFi. It would not, however, give you a full internet experience.

The iPod Touch changed all that. Not only is its screen a marvel of magnificent brilliance and functionally - it can recognize your fingertips in screen navigation very, very well, but also mind-blowing scratch resistance. I have kept it in my pocket with metal keys, coins, all manner of material and the only part that scratched was the mirror-like finish of the back. Simply remarkable.

The internet navigation is great. I haven't found a site yet that won't display the same as my desktop. Moreover it allows you to keep a page and flip through other browsers, much the same way you can flip through music or contacts. The limit though, I have found is 8 browsers open [ which for me, is plenty ]. With this, I can navigate, say - Google maps and download the browser, then when needed I can access the fully loaded page - even without a WiFi connection.

What I miss most is the inability to edit or create calendar appointments. You can do it with contacts, but not appointments. This means I cannot get rid of my PDA completely yet as of today [10/2007], Apple has not updated this ability. Also discouraging is the lack of 3 party applications, which is a boon for Palm users. Whatever you needed your Palm device to do, you could bet that a developer made an application for it. The most missed for me is Splash I.D. which you could enter and encrypt your personal information - web logins, locker combos, social security numbers - whatever you wanted and keep it safe. Apple has created a web application that does this - but you need a WiFi connection in order to access it. If it were a simple application, I wouldn't need an internet connection and I think it would improve the devices usability.

Also I have found the keyboard a little disappointing. At times, it can be slow and not fully recognize my intended key strokes. I would have liked the option of adding a external keyboard - perhaps in the future.