So, for the mandatory school science fair I’m doing this neat project that lets me buy all sorts of neat gadgets and then use them during class at school.  In all fairness, the aim of the project is to “determine if it yet feasible to replace text books with electronic devices for use in class,” since I’m kind of sick of carrying around a 14kg backpack around all day.  Well, the first thing I did was rush out and buy an 8GB iPod Touch, which I am pretty satisfied with thus far.  In class it performed decently; it was not optimal for the purpose, but really, who else on the planet cares about such a specific usage?  I’ll just get on with a run-down of my impressions with this shiny little thing.

First of all, it’s shiny.  Way too freaking shiny.  If you are bothered when you notice the first scratch on your new toy, this is going to be a perpetual disappointment.  I was luckily given a second chance when something went wrong with the USB, and Apple replaced my iPod for free under warranty.  I bought a simple silicon case for the new iPod, and slipped it in there directly out of the box (even before activation).  I’m happy to report that weeks later, its backside is still pristine.

If you get an iPod Touch, the absolute first thing you should do is Jailbreak it.  First of all, it lacks simple features that the iPhone supports, such as Mail, Maps, and Stocks, but is perfectly capable of running them without issue.  For example, Apple’s MobileMail application for the iPhone runs perfectly on the iPod Touch.  I would know, it does on mine.  (Gmail+IMAP+iPod=JesusPod, btw.)  If Apple had just decided to throw a few more files in the filesystem, they’d get a lot less complaint from their loyal fans.

As for the software features it does have, they are pretty much what you should expect from the iPhone.  Safari is identical, music playing is identical, etc.  My major, unresolvable complaints about iPod Touch v1 are the lack of a built-in camera, fully featured bluetooth (not some crippled crap like the iPhone has), and built-in speakers.  If it had just those three things, it would be, in my eyes, the single best portable media player on the market.

Sorry for the astoundingly old news!