First of all, let’s get the whining out of the way. No, there’s no camera on this touch 8GB iPod. But honestly, do you really need that cruddy 640×480 video camera they put in the iPod nano for your iPod touch? Do you really not have a camera on your cell phone?!?!

I didn’t need a camera. I have a nice camera on my mobile phone and I barely ever use it (I suspect because I’m not a MySpace user). However, I was happy to see the improvements they DID make to the new touch 8GB iPod 3rd Generation.

* Faster CPU. This means that games, web surfing, and apps run 50% faster, and it’s noticeable when you go from the older model to the newer one.

* OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics. Soon there will be games that offer advanced effects, and this touch 8GB iPod will be ready for it. At the time of this writing there are only three games with Open GL ES 2.0 support, but eventually you will be required to have it to use some apps. I’d rather have it than not have it. Besides, water, shadows, and other things look great with it.

* New earbuds with mic/remote control. Now you can control the iPod touch without looking at the screen, and use apps like Skype and Shazam without adapters. Very handy.

* Voice commands. You can use the mic to control your music. Press and hold the button on the mic to enter Voice Command mode, then say “Play artist _______” and it will play that artist. You can also ask “What band plays this?” or say “Play album _______” and it will comply. The voice recognition is very impressive, and the voice that speaks back to you is understandable, even if it mispronounces some things.

* Louder speaker. The built-in speaker sounds better to me. Louder, and much more clear when playing music or game sound.

There are also a few things that are in this touch 8GB iPod that are not in earlier models, but has yet to be “activated” by software. These include an FM receiver, FM transmitter, and 802.11n transmitter. Apple will no doubt sell us a future software update that will include a radio tuner, 802.11n support, and possibly even the ability to broadcast with the built-in FM transmitter from your touch 8GB iPod and other model to your car stereo without a third-party accessory.

So yeah, this is an improvement over the Touch Gen 2 model. I’ll trade all those features for a camera any day!

And of course, everything that was in the Touch Gen 2 is here as well. Bluetooth support with the 3.0 software (nothing like wireless headphones for your music!), physical volume control on the left side of the iPod touch, nice screen, lots of storage space, and amazing support when it comes to accessories; This has the same form factor as the Touch Gen 2 model, so you should have no trouble finding a case or docking device to work with it.

If you’ve already got apps and iTunes Store purchases that you’d like to keep using, this is a nice upgrade. You get a lot of power in this little pocket computer… And the music playback quality is quite good, too!

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touch 8GB iPod – For First-Time iPod Touch Buyers, It’s Amazing!

I just bought the touch 8GB iPod 3rd generation and it’s truly an amazing gadget! I was upgrading myself from a shuffle and was holding out until the 3rd generation of Touches was released. I am a working mother with two children under 5 and don’t have time to listen to music (except for the radio in the car) or read or even be organized. I need a personal assistant! Enter the touch 8GB iPod! It’s a mini computer that is helping me stay connected to the web via free wifi with an amazing array of productivity and lifestyle apps to make my life better.

Within 3 minutes of opening up the package, I was connected to iTunes, the device recognized my wireless connection at home and I was surfing the web at lightning speed (much faster than my laptop). The fact that there is no learning curve is remarkable. Many of the apps seem to work better on the touch 8GB iPod than they do on a regular computer screen. A couple of clicks and screens and you are all set up and on your way!

This is another life-changing piece of technology like DVR. The best $300 I have ever spent on a gadget.

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