NOT HAVING BEEN ABLE to yet lay my hands on an iPhone, I thought I’d give readers a preview by upgrading my iPod touch to version 2 of the software. Now the iPod touch was itself a phenomenal media player but I always felt it was missing something. It had an amazing screen capable of displaying four lines of applications but it only took up two of those, leaving a gap at the bottom of the screen – and in my life.<\/p>\n
Version 2 of the software changed all that, as it gave access to the application store. Suddenly, and for very little money – I paid US$10 for the upgrade – I had access to a world of reasonably priced and free applications.<\/p>\n
So instead of wondering what music I should be listening to, I now get to make a shopping list, play games and read books. Actually, the list of applications on the store is limited only by the imagination – and sometimes insanity – of the developers. There was even someone selling an application called “I’m Rich” that had no real function but still cost $999. Luckily, Apple has since removed that from the store.<\/p>\n
Strangely, one of the most useful applications comes straight from Apple: a remote control for your iTunes library. The remote application lets you browse your computer’s music and video library and control the iTunes application on your computer from the iPod touch using the WiFi connection.<\/p>\n
If you use your computer as a media player for your TV, it creates one of the best remote controls I’ve ever used. There are also a ton of games that use the accelerometer in the iPod to determine if you’re tilting the device or shaking it. Its sensitivity is amazing.<\/p>\n