Want to buy itouch but...

[kang]

i just bought an ipod touch, and am loving it!

just bought the airsharing app, it's a must-have,
imo.

i read pdfs ALOT, so the easy transfer of files
is really awesome. basically what airsharing does
is it transforms your ipod into a thumb drive; without
the need for a physical connection.

i also use the google calendar and mail, and
evernote with it, so it's like a personal organizer,
media player, ebook reader and game machine for
me

[Alsicole]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But have you ever tried using an eInk device?

I read on PDAs for over 20 years, and like you, I have an iPod Touch, but there's just no comparison between the experience of reading on a 3.5" backlit LCD device and a 6" eInk device.

Hi Harry, I haven't. I'm in the UK so the choice is very limited right now (Sony Reader from Waterstones and that's it), but the lack of backlight is a real issue for me. I like to read in bed but my husband can't sleep with the light on. A backlit device means I can carry on reading.

The other reason I haven't looked further at buying a separate reader is that my iPod is always with me in my purse. An eInk device would be too large to carry around daily (I like to keep my bag small). They'd have to come down in size for them to be really convenient for me.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Alsicole

Hi Harry, I haven't. I'm in the UK so the choice is very limited right now (Sony Reader from Waterstones and that's it),

I'm in the UK too . The Sony Reader is the only one you'll find in shops, but there's actually lots of choice. I have a CyBook; there's also machines like the BeBook. All good devices.

but the lack of backlight is a real issue for me. I like to read in bed but my husband can't sleep with the light on. A backlit device means I can carry on reading.

There are numerous "clip on" LED" lights which you can use for that purpose. They work very well.

The other reason I haven't looked further at buying a separate reader is that my iPod is always with me in my purse. An eInk device would be too large to carry around daily (I like to keep my bag small). They'd have to come down in size for them to be really convenient for me.

The 6" devices are about the same size as a paperback book. I take mine everywhere I go, but I do appreciate that it comes down to a matter of personal choice.

[Leep]

A really cool way to get ebooks onto your iTouch, iPhone is through OReilly's bookworm site. http://bookworm.oreilly.com/about/

Really easy to access through Stanza once you set it up.

cheers

[Alsicole]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm in the UK too . The Sony Reader is the only one you'll find in shops, but there's actually lots of choice. I have a CyBook; there's also machines like the BeBook. All good devices.



There are numerous "clip on" LED" lights which you can use for that purpose. They work very well.



The 6" devices are about the same size as a paperback book. I take mine everywhere I go, but I do appreciate that it comes down to a matter of personal choice.

Thanks Harry. I had looked at the Sony Reader, but there's still quite a small choice of commercial books via Waterstones right now. I do agree that a larger screen is better, but unless there's as much choice as I have with eReader right now, I'm probably best with my existing set up. I do hope it all catches on more. I've been reading eBooks for years now and it still seems like it's only just starting to catch on.

[booth.robert.e]

My iPT has been my primary reader since I jailbroked my 1 gen about two years ago. I have a 2 gen now with Stanza. I have never had a battery issue. I am careful to turn the wifi off if I don't think I will have access to charging. I have a waterproof box from Otterbox.com and take my iPT to the Y every day. After working out I sit in the sauna and whirlpool reading and listening to music.

I will never get another device. It does it all, and it's not a phone so I am never interrupted.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by booth.robert.e

I will never get another device. It does it all, and it's not a phone so I am never interrupted.

Never is a long time dude.

BOb

[jsuplido]

The iPod touch is actually faster than the iPhone.

I have an iPhone classic (the very first one!) and I love it!

[metallimax]

Originally Posted by maxyn83

Hi, Hope someone can help. I love to read!! and watch movies or listen to music. I currently use my sony ericson P990i as an ebook reader and sometimes I watch movies on it too though the battery gets low pretty fast if I do that. P990i is fairly easy to use, just transfer any PDF files from my computer to my phone and I can read it on the phone anytime, anywhere and battery can last up to 4hours too! Problem is, text is too small.

I've been looking around for something better but it seems a waste to buy an iRex just for reading. The main thing is want to do is read on the road but I also want to be able to watch movies and listen to music which makes iTouch the best solution I've found so far.

But, reading on iTouch seems a bit complicated from what I've gathered in some posts... Can I just transfer my PDF files on iTouch and be able to read it or do I have to convert the PDF files? Any more info about how to use ereader/stanza on iTouch?

Also, where do you download free games/apps for iTouch? Are they easy to install?

Any suggestion of other good portable eReader device (very important!) where I can also watch movies, listen to music, and has good specs will be greatly appreciated... or am I dreaming and there's no such device?

Thanks all!

PS. Hope I'm posting in the right section!

There should be an app store right on your ipod that you can access when you're connected to wifi

[fugazied]

I find the ipod touch screen a little too small at time for reading long ebooks (hence my decision to grab a kindle as well). I can handle reading for 20 minutes on an ipod touch, but longer than that it becomes annoying.

By all accounts Apple will be releasing a 9.5" touchscreen device in June, which will probably operate like a large ipod touch!! That will probably blow every other device out of the water if they can price it below $600 USD.

[jsuplido]

Originally Posted by fugazied

I find the ipod touch screen a little too small at time for reading long ebooks (hence my decision to grab a kindle as well). I can handle reading for 20 minutes on an ipod touch, but longer than that it becomes annoying.

By all accounts Apple will be releasing a 9.5" touchscreen device in June, which will probably operate like a large ipod touch!! That will probably blow every other device out of the water if they can price it below $600 USD.

I'm hoping this iPod touch (App Tablet?) will be priced from $499. OLED (and fingerprint-proof too) should be nice for reading!

Rumors at this point, of course. But it sure is nice to dream.

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by fugazied

below $600 USD.

HAH, i bet they price the damn thing at $1300 to start with.

did you hear about their $1200.00 8 GB ram Upgrade?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by fugazied

By all accounts Apple will be releasing a 9.5" touchscreen device in June, which will probably operate like a large ipod touch!! That will probably blow every other device out of the water if they can price it below $600 USD.

Please define "blow every other device out of the water". It won't "blow" eInk book readers anywhere unless it weighs less than 500g and runs for a few weeks on a single battery charge, and that is, I think, somewhat improbable, to say the least.

[Mrgauth]

I have a side question for you Ipod Touch afficionados. I am seriously considering one but afraid to pull the trigger on one just yet fearing that a new one will come out in 6 mos 10x better than mine, or new apps come out in a year that are got-to-have apps but they are so much bigger in size they require a complete gut of the 'older' ipods to run them. I am the type that likes to get his moneys worth out of something this expensive. To me, if I buy the 32g, I want a full 3 years or its flat not worth it.

Do you see it being completely viable for that length of time?

I am not rich, nor have tons of money lying around. I have to save a considerable time to get something like this and replacing it in a year or so is not an option.

Any thoughts?

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Mrgauth

...

Any thoughts?

The answer is, "Nobody knows". It's a tricky thing, like buying a digital camera and wondering if they're about to bring out something new - it's often best just to buy what you need now rather than fret over advances. They will happen, but if the device does what you need now, then, despite comments you will often hear about something being "superseded" or "made redundant", well, your device still continues to work as it did. I've the first generation iPod Touch, and I've not lost anything by not having an external speaker (which would actually annoy me), and the apps I've bought or downloaded make the device a keeper, yes, for as long as it lives. I actually use it for music and movies least, tending to use it as a bedtime browser, and apps for shopping lists, notes synchroniser (Evernote), weather apps, games, ebook-reader (not used often, but Stanza), reference apps (measurement convertors, wikipedia, photography) and random other apps that tickle me pink. I enjoy my iPod, and tend to take it everywhere (whereas I hardly take my mobile phone anywhere). So, seeing as it does what I want now, I got one, and I don't expect to change it until it dies (Incidentally, I have my old iPod Photo, coming on four years old, which is still in very happy use. It jumps from the iPod speaker dock downstairs, to the one in the bedroom, going strong, and is also useful for transferring a large volume of files from the different workstations we have around the place - PC, iMac, laptop, MacBook).

Saying this though...well, there are some reasonable rumours (though still rumours, based on claimed Apple orders for such a screen) that a 9" screen may be happening in the Apple world. Some folk are talking 9" iPod Touch, and some folk are talking an itty-bitty MacBook, and some are no doubt talking about something between or outside of either of these things, and some are no doubt saying that Apple are just buying these screens for some bit of hardware being used in development that might not even get to market. For what it's worth though, the timeframe where "new device" comes up (and this is compounded with another rumour about a new iPhone) is June this year, at the Developers' Conference, where the iPhone 3.0 software is being revealed/released(?).

As with all rumours though, this could all just be fluff. If I were looking at an iPod Touch at the moment (noting that my specific needs and desires may not even go close to yours), I'd wait until after June (or longer if rumours firm up into nearclose-certainty), but, if there's still nothing but rumour, I'd just buy the iPod Touch. That's me though - you no doubt have different needs and desires, not to mention degrees of patience.

The only other thing I'd mention is looking up "jailbreaking" of the iPod. It may be that this gives you more confidence in continued development of apps for the the device. I've not felt the need to jailbreak my own, but I consider the option to do so a plus.

Cheers,
Marc