Apple iPod touch 2nd Generation (32 GB) MP3 Player

I bought the iPod Touch 2G for my wife as a X-Mas present and I have to say, it was worth it. The apps are varied and add much to the experience of having the touch by expanding upon its basic functions and abilities. There are piano emulators, apps to check the weather, apps to stream radio and of course a decent amount of games. My wife certainly enjoys the ability to have a nice and quick diversion at her fingertips (literally) and I have also enjoyed my experiences with the touch.

That is not to say that there have not been a few hiccups along the way. First and foremost is the issue of battery life. Out of the box there are several things you really NEED to do to get the most out of the touches battery life. From changing the brightness setting, to making sure you turn wi-fi off when you can't get a connection to NOT turning the touch on and off and putting it to sleep when you will be using it regularly-semi-regularly. There are certain things that you have to do that seem strange or are just be the kind of things that a casual buyer/user would not be aware of and I encourage you to look these things up if you are looking into buying one. There are tons of little tricks floating around the internet in regards to the touch. My wife certainly would have used the touch as-is without giving it a second thought, and I suspect that many people, enticed by the whole "OMG I have to get a touch" phenomenon would not bother to even go into the settings or question the battery drain until they notice they are getting very bad battery mileage. Also there is an issue of response time. Occasionally, the touch will become rather sluggish and respond very slowly to commands. The most prevalent issue, at least for me, is the screen tends hang in a layout occasionally or it takes a serious lean to get it to change from the landscape to standard view and vice-versa. It's not a big deal though and usually a nice sleep-wakeup click does the trick.

Also it should be noted that the touch, in my opinion, is NOT a serious gaming system as the PSP and DS are much wiser choices for those interested in that, but it's fun for what it is. Also if you are looking for something just to play music, don't bother blowing the $200-400 as there are MP3 players out there that can be had for far less and work just as good, if not better, for those who need music, and only music, on the go. The same could be said for those looking for a multimedia device, there are better options out there, although they may not come in a package as appealing or compact as the touch. But if you have the interest and the $$$, by all means read up on 2G Touch...there are things I haven't talked about here that would certainly be of interest to those laying down the cash and might influence you better than my rudimentary review could.