Wednesday, March 25, 2009

iPod touch

I like my (first generation) iPod touch, but tempered by what I wish it could do. On the one hand, being able to surf the web while sitting up with a baby at night helps me stay sane. On the other hand, it could be so much more useful, you know, at times when I'm not locked in the nursing station.

Inspired by CrunchGear's iPhone 3.0 Scorecard, I thought I'd track my own issues.

The first release made me want additional software features, some of which are creeping in, making each update worth the price so far.

complaint

2.0

3.0

doesn't sync multiple iCal calendars

fixed!

iCal Tasks aren't there (no To-Do?!)

 

 

no IP printing

 

 

Notes don't sync

 

expected

can't copy-and-paste

 

expected

Mail doesn't support IMAP tags

 

 

I would love if my iPod touch were a laptop killer for short trips! My biggest wish on my iPod touch/iPhone wish list is a hardware change to support a Bluetooth keyboard! Although it's the change I most want, it's hardware so I know it won't happen with a software upgrade, so I didn't put it on the list. Particularly with the pinch-zoom, I can deal with the screen size for a short while, but I just can't type as fast on the "soft" (on-screen) keyboard as on a "hard" (physical) keyboard. If I have to type for a while on a handheld, I use my Treo. Yeah, the heavier bulkier older device with the lesser screen! That's a large part of the reason why I still use my Treo (has been 3G for years! EV-DO rocks! has always synced multiple calendars!), and I'm not tempted by the iPhone. (When Sharif returned his iPhone to go back to his Treo, he gave a list of reasons that sounded a lot like this. So I'll take his lesson.)

My two "must-have" applications for work have free versions for both Palm and iPod touch/iPhone. I need ssh and VNC (although X-Windows would be better). On my Treo, I have used pssh and PalmVNC; on my iPod touch, I have downloaded but not yet used TouchTerm and VNC. The downloaded applications I use the most on on the iPod are TwitterFon, Stanza, and AirSharing. I guess that points out how I use it: I read twitter updates, ebooks, and documents I've sent over with AirSharing. Not too glamorous, but it passes the time while nursing someone else to sleep without falling asleep (yet) myself.

I did try MagicPad for its internal copy-and-paste, which is pretty cool. Innovation rocks! I notice there is a Print app (too bad I have a Canon wireless printer, not an HP). And maybe I just need Thunderbird on my iPod for the IMAP tagging and message filtering (a.k.a. smart folders).

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