Thinking about getting an iPod Touch or iPhone - Suggestions please

[matt2000]

Continuing from the Random Thoughts thread, because that was a stupid place for me to put it.

Originally Posted by matt2000

I'm looking at getting an iPod touch for chrimbo (don't worry I've not given in, I have some software that allows me to use WMP11 to sync music). The 16GB one is only £220 which is a steal, but I feel that I'm missing out by not going all the way and getting an iPhone. For the same price as the touch I get the handset and 4 months contract.

Would I really be missing out so much if I just get the touch? Does it still have GPS? I already have a phone that I like too, and I don't really use it enough to make a contract worth while.

Any suggestions?

Originally Posted by CrazyRussian540

The touch doesn't have GPS (so some apps won't work), and it can't access the internet unless its on Wifi (so other apps won't work). For some that's not a big deal (there are still a lot of apps that work well). The good thing is that they added speakers to the new touch. Oh, and I don't know how it works in the UK, but you can send/recieve SMS from the iPod touch through AIM (on Wifi obviously.).

I've never actually listened to music off an iPod touch, but if the sound quality is like it is on the iPhone, then you're probably better off with a regular iPod. It's not bad, but not the best. I like good audio quality like anyone, and I find the iPhone good enough. Hopefully its better on the touch since its more of a dedicated music player.

What ever you do.... you should buy it on ebay.com (not co.uk)
I sold my first iPhone on eBay to someone in the UK.... They got it cheaper than retail, which turned out to be more than retail for me. So its a win-win situation.


Edit: ...I'm not quite sure what the exchange rate is now, so I don't know how well this would work....

From what I've read, the first generation touch was garbage, but the second gen is very good. I'm assuming this will be the same with the phone too for obvious reasons.

I'm looking for something to replace my PSP as my media player. It's great even after 3 years and still works perfectly, sound quality always has been excellent as far as I'm concerned and I haven't had a single problem with it. But it's huge, far too big to put in my pocket and I only have a 4GB card in it. I'm prepared to go the Apple way now I've got the app mentioned above and the Touch seems like a good deal.

The GPS in the iPhone could swing it though, it's one of the main reasons I would be buying it (I'm a big Google Maps fan). 3G would also be nice, but I have Wifi at home so I can use that without a problem.

CrazyRussian: Thanks for the eBay suggestion, but I'll be buying it direct from Apple I think. I don't trust eBay with anything tht expensive.

[NooDle]

AFAIK the iPhone is good at everything except being a phone.
So I'd get the Touch instead...

[pepitko]

Originally Posted by NooDle

AFAIK the iPhone is good at everything except being a phone.
So I'd get the Touch instead...

I've had the 1st gen iPhone for almost a year now, and I am perfectly happy with it as my phone.
Although the keyboard can get frustrating, if you write a lot of texts, which I don't

[Solberg]

I would get the iphone.

It will also give you a camera and the option of using more apps.

[Posmo]

My sister has an 8gb iPod Touch, and its CRAP

An 8 gig Touch costs as much as a 120gb normal iPod. It doesn't have any notable features other than the touchscreen, which gets dirty and greasy easily, you cant use it without looking at it, it lacks the phone features of the iPhone..

Just buy the phone, you would regret buying the touch..

[Martyn]

I just bought a 32GB iPod Touch and I love it. It was £250 which was a good price, and it's extremely handy for my music (obviously) but also as a pocket portfolio for my photography, an email store for both work and personal email (and calendar) and contacts. Then the addition of the web browser (BBC iPlayer is fantastic) and other games and apps make it more of a PDA device rather than a general music player.
Mine is the second generation, thinner device with the volume controls on the side, but I've got a friend with the first generation and it's not vastly different, it just doesn't have the speakers or the side volume controls.

Posmo, has your sister got the version 2.0 firmware on her iPod? It adds a world of difference.

I didn't get the phone because I have a perfectly adequate phone, and while having 3G and Internet anywhere is handy, the prices are pretty ridiculous. I don't spend a great deal on my phone anyway, I certainly don't want a £35 a month contract.

[Posmo]

Originally Posted by Martyn

I just bought a 32GB iPod Touch and I love it. It was £250 which was a good price, and it's extremely handy for my music (obviously) but also as a pocket portfolio for my photography, an email store for both work and personal email (and calendar) and contacts. Then the addition of the web browser (BBC iPlayer is fantastic) and other games and apps make it more of a PDA device rather than a general music player.
Mine is the second generation, thinner device with the volume controls on the side, but I've got a friend with the first generation and it's not vastly different, it just doesn't have the speakers or the side volume controls.

Posmo, has your sister got the version 2.0 firmware on her iPod? It adds a world of difference.

I didn't get the phone because I have a perfectly adequate phone, and while having 3G and Internet anywhere is handy, the prices are pretty ridiculous. I don't spend a great deal on my phone anyway, I certainly don't want a £35 a month contract.

She only has the 2.0 firmware if it updates automatically through itunes, she's not much of a computer wizard, if you know what I mean ;

About the phone, all those monthly contracts can be hacked, so no problem there..

[matt2000]

Originally Posted by Martyn

I just bought a 32GB iPod Touch and I love it. It was £250 which was a good price, and it's extremely handy for my music (obviously) but also as a pocket portfolio for my photography, an email store for both work and personal email (and calendar) and contacts. Then the addition of the web browser (BBC iPlayer is fantastic) and other games and apps make it more of a PDA device rather than a general music player.
Mine is the second generation, thinner device with the volume controls on the side, but I've got a friend with the first generation and it's not vastly different, it just doesn't have the speakers or the side volume controls.

Posmo, has your sister got the version 2.0 firmware on her iPod? It adds a world of difference.

I didn't get the phone because I have a perfectly adequate phone, and while having 3G and Internet anywhere is handy, the prices are pretty ridiculous. I don't spend a great deal on my phone anyway, I certainly don't want a £35 a month contract.

How did you get the 32GB for that price?! I'm looking at £220 for the 16GB.

I'm in the exact same situation, don't need a new phone because I don't use it enough.

[Martyn]

If it's a first gen Touch, then the 2.0 firmware update is a £6 extra I believe, so her device is only "CRAP" because she hasn't updated it.

And yes, the contracts for the iPhone can be hacked, but you still have to pay for the device itself, which goes up considerably if you're buying an unlocked version or a PAYG version, and if you're doing that, you're going to have to pay for your 3G usage, so there's no point in doing that either! The iPhone's contracts are expensive because they give you free 3G access. The one thing that makes the iPhone attractive (Internet anywhere) suddenly becomes a massive expense!

[Martyn]

Originally Posted by matt2000

How did you get the 32GB for that price?! I'm looking at £220 for the 16GB.

eBay... there's quite a few going for around that price. This was factory sealed, mint, boxed etc.

[PelicanHazard]

The iPhone is a Touch that doesn't rely on WiFi, but only if you're willing to pay the price. With the 2.0 update, the Touch does everything the iPhone does minus phone/text people (and snap pictures).

As for your GPS concerns, my Touch (1st gen!) can reliably locate me on a map if it has WiFi access.

[matt2000]

Originally Posted by PelicanHazard

As for your GPS concerns, my Touch (1st gen!) can reliably locate me on a map if it has WiFi access.

That's good, but getting an unsecured Wifi point around here is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. They're just not common, and we don't get access points in the street, so that's next to useless for me unless I carry a 35 card and router around with me.

I like the idea of internet on the move, and GPS wherever I am, but I'm still not sure if it's worth the extra cash. I'm not sure how much I would actually use the 3G or the GPS other than for looking at FG.

[johns13193]

touch, because that's what I'm using now! I got it refurb'd from apple, 16gb 1st gen. for $245. No huge complaints.

[Shawn]

It sounds to me like you'd best go for an iPod Classic or other MP3 player.

You don't really need the phone features, and you're not sure if you need the other features like GPS and apps and stuff... just do yourself a favour and buy an uncomplicated MP3 device.

GPS isn't very good on the iPhone OS anyway... not for anything than just finding out where you are currently.

[mclarensmps]

I've got an iPhone 3G, and it's absolutely fantastic. It has the best reception of any phone I've had prior to, and I haven't jailbroken/unlocked it, so it doesn't ever hang or crash on me. The GPS is cool, I like being able to find the nearest gas station in an area I'm not familiar to, etc etc. Having internet on the go is absolutely something I would never turn back on, anymore, it's just so convenient!

My only gripe with it is that the camera seriously blows.... hard.

I have a friend, rather, a friend of a friend, who has a jalbroken iPhone and it keeps crashing and crapping out on him. So if you are planning on taking that route with an iPhone, from the experience of those around me, it's not such a smart move.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[phuckingduck]

I enjoy my iPhone. Phone works well enough, but I occasionally have trouble selecting specific people and numbers from my favorites list. Love the apps and connectivity. For those with an iPhone/iTouch get Lux. Great game! And like has been mentioned, in anything but the brightest light (think sunny day on a beach) the camera is mediocre at best, but crap more often. And speaking to mclarensmps' concern, I had previously jailbroken my phone but after restoring it's been golden.

[matt2000]

Wow I just watched a Lux demo video. all I can do is

I wouldn't be buying the iPhone for a phone or a camera, so the problems it has with that don't bother me. My work colleague I was with for the last day had a Sony Ericsson X1, which is pretty much a windows mobile powered equivalent to the iPhone, and he has 3G on that. I had to hunt around for a wireless hotspot to use with my laptop, so having that option on its own could make the iPhone a good buy.

I have no intention of switching to another network either, I'll be more than happy with the service O2 offer.

Originally Posted by Shawn

It sounds to me like you'd best go for an iPod Classic or other MP3 player.

You don't really need the phone features, and you're not sure if you need the other features like GPS and apps and stuff... just do yourself a favour and buy an uncomplicated MP3 device.

GPS isn't very good on the iPhone OS anyway... not for anything than just finding out where you are currently.

I'm not looking for an MP3 player as such, I still have my PSP. I'm looking for something to replace the PSP, so it must have web browsing, video, music and pictures at a minimum.

By the phone OS, do you mean Google maps? I will be using the GPS with that, it's one of the main appeals of the phone. That and 3G of course.

The X1 seems like a really good deal to me now, and I'll always prefer Windows to Apple, plus I can hook up to my work email through it. Doesn't have a HDD though so big amounts of music are not going to happen. And it seems very expensive.

[Aiolos]

Originally Posted by Martyn

I just bought a 32GB