Apple iPod touch 1st Generation (32 GB) MP3 Player

Pro:
1. Outstanding aesthetics/industrial design – head and shoulders above its competitors, in fact an impressive achievement. Makes my Palm Tungsten C look antediluvian. The form factor, for a combined MP3 player/photo album/video and movie player/Wi-Fi web surfer/email device, etc., etc., is amazing: it's only 8 mm thick.
2. The software is awe-inspiring. I thought Palm software was good, but the elegance of the iPod touch software blows Palm out of the water. (Much of the software is similar to the iPhone's.)
3. I was able to import all my Contacts and Calendar events from my Palm, and all my Contacts and Groups from my Gmail account, with very little effort, and with all information intact. (For those who have complained about the absence of Calendar, Contacts and Notes on the iPod touch, the January, 2008 software update added all three.)
4. I have read on the Internet some criticism of the sound quality (a hiss), but the sound quality on my copy is excellent; no extraneous noise at all.
4. While it comes with very skimpy printed documentation, the online manual is extremely detailed (>90 pages), and Apple's online support material is excellent. I haven't had to call Apple's support line for any reason.

Cons:
1. It's expensive: $500 for the 32GB version. Fortunately I was able to get this one on eBay for substantially less. (I'm eligible for Apple's education discount, but the iPods and the iPhone are not discounted at the Apple Education Store.) Quality doesn't come cheap.
2. It doesn't have a camera, but adding a camera to the feature set would have made it bulkier, and I prefer a slimmer device.
3. Equalizer settings must be made in iTunes, rather than on the iPod touch. (Correction: This is not entirely true. There are some preset equalizer options available on the iPod touch by going to Settings>Music>EQ.)

Summary:
Although expensive, the iPod touch 32GB is an impressive achievement, both from the hardware and software viewpoints. I have been an Apple computer user since 1985, and have owned a dozen Apple computers in addition to many Apple peripherals and previous iPods, but I have been more impressed with the iPod touch than with any previous Apple product. I don't own an iPhone, as I'm perfectly happy with my provider (Verizon) and my Samsung cell phone, but buying the iPod touch was for me a very easy decision, which I have not regretted.