View Full Version : Does the iPod touch have limited Internet capabilities?
LAPTOP GAMER
04-08-2008, 02:34 AM
The I touch has only limited internet capabilities like it can't copy and paste and other thing you could normally do. How limited is this and should I just wait for a more full functioning I touch?
It does not have copy and paste and downloads.
Whether or not these "Features" are coming is uncertain.
BlackWolf
04-08-2008, 07:07 AM
so copy&paste is now an "internet capability" ... interesting :D
seriously: the touch is a mobile internet device, not a fcomplete internet device. it can't do:
copy&paste, downloads, flash and java by now.
regards
jhollington
04-08-2008, 07:48 AM
Yes, you pretty much need to define "Internet Capabilities" since that's somewhat subject to interpretation.
The iPhone and iPod touch do not have a copy and paste feature, but they do have the best mobile browser I've ever used on any phone or PDA by a long shot. Like most things, it's a trade-off, and while cut and paste would be nice, it's not something I've personally missed in my day-to-day use.
Flash might be a more significant omission if you visit a lot of Flash-based sites, but even on my old Nokia E90, which did support Flash, I found it to be abysmally slow, even over WiFi. Flash just isn't well-optimized for the limitations of a mobile device yet.
DerekVOF
04-08-2008, 08:02 AM
I think the only one that can really answer this question is you. Grab a list of your most frequently visited websites - those that you can't do with out. Go to an Apple store and try them out. See how they look, can you navigate them easily, etc. Don't forget to check as some of these sites may have versions tuned for mobile browsers (like Reuters) or even specifically for the iPhone/iPod Touch (like iLounge, Google, etc.).
There definitely are features missing, but I think it's a trade-off -- good performance and ease of use vs. handy but not 100% necessary features.
LAPTOP GAMER
04-08-2008, 01:43 PM
I like to listen to internet radio web sites, like KFI, but am tired of lugging a laptop around, but I touch doesn't support flash, this might be a problem.
Yes.
Hopefully Apple and Adobe come to some form of resolution over this flash issue.
kornchild2002
04-08-2008, 02:35 PM
I don't know if they ever will with this current generation iPod touch. The hardware just isn't there to properly support Flash. Well, it is there to support Flash but you will only get about 1 hour of battery life when browsing Flash heavy websites. The power of the iPod touch is very similar to my wi-fi enabled Pocket PC running Windows Mobile and a mobile version of Flash integrated into Internet Explorer. My Pock PC normally gets about 3 hours when browsing the internet (this is very close to what the iPod touch gets) and gets 1 hour when browsing flash heavy websites. I would rather not have flash than worry about my iPod touch lasting only one hour.
Adobe can develop it, they crippled Flash Mobile because of the crappy Windows Mobile platform, nothing else.
Adobe have said the hardware can take it, and Apple have said that a slightly less capable one can be made, and called Flash mobile absolute crap. Adobe suggested that it may do it with the SDK, but that was the CEO of Adobe, and he didn't know what he was talking about, because he was straight wrong (I saw what he said was totally SDK impossible at that time!) and then they did a backflip, and they said they couldn't and they needed Apple's help and allowance.
Apple hasn't responded, but they don't seem too happy about the concept of flash on it anyway, as Apple have other agendas in the internet area.
Adobe and Apple have been in a background feud for up to a year I believe.
Dr.Gonzo
04-08-2008, 02:43 PM
I usually turn flash off when I'm surfing on the laptop computer anyway, unless it's vitally important to the function of the site. And there aren't a whole lot that are. Website developers dislike flash like I do apparently.
LAPTOP GAMER
04-08-2008, 06:47 PM
Why does flash consume so much battery?
kornchild2002
04-09-2008, 01:37 AM
Adobe can develop it, they crippled Flash Mobile because of the crappy Windows Mobile platform, nothing else.
Um, the Windows Mobile platform is far more advanced that what the iPhone/iPod touch are running. In fact, the Windows Mobile platform has beaten out the Palm platform, mobile Linux platform, and Symbian platforms. The Windows Mobile platform is just fine in the way it operates. The reason why Adobe "crippled" Flash Mobile is because the hardware is still really limited in the mobile environment. Dell was becoming the leader when it came to making Pocket PC's as they were running 600MHz+ Intel processors with 256MB of RAM and 1GB+ of built-in storage. Dell stopped making Pocket PC's though and the industry has kind of hovered around processors with speeds of 300-400MHz and devices with about 64MB of RAM. Dell could afford to make such high end Pocket PCs because they were involved with Intel, other memory manufacturers, and so on from making PCs and notebooks.
Then the industry took an even further step back in terms of hardware power by making these smartphones. They had to dumb down the processor to get a long battery life, use a small amount of RAM to accommodate for other hardware, and use a bigger battery to deal with the cellular phone antenna constantly needing power. These smartphones have stepped up in terms of their hardware but they are still not anywhere near where Pocket PCs are now or where the Dell Axims were oh so long ago.
BlackWolf
04-09-2008, 11:38 AM
Um, the Windows Mobile platform is far more advanced that what the iPhone/iPod touch are running
that one made me laugh :D seriously, I've seen and used some so-called smartphones with windows mobile running on them and it's terrible :-)
I mean it's all about what you need. surely you can do more stuff on windows mobile but it's awfully slow and so very confusing compared to apples firmware - how can you call that "more advanced". for me, advanced means user-friendly and noone beats apple at that.
regards
Retell
04-09-2008, 11:43 AM
that one made me laugh :D seriously, I've seen and used some so-called smartphones with windows mobile running on them and it's terrible :-)
I mean it's all about what you need. surely you can do more stuff on windows mobile but it's awfully slow and so very confusing compared to apples firmware - how can you call that "more advanced". for me, advanced means user-friendly and noone beats apple at that.
regards
That is only because you have only used smartphones. Smartphones really only utilize half the abilities of WM6. If you get a full fledged pocket pc, you will see how amazing it is. I have an iPhone and an old Dell Axim, my Dell Axim is more stable than my iPhone.
I was meaning to do with the OS. Its based on windows, and Microsoft themselves laughed at themselves for saying how old the OS is. Its very fragile, and because of the many different products used to run it, they can't use everything to its full potential.
Apple can. OS X is 10 years old compared to Windows mobile windows basis of 30
Apple controls the hardware, to keep consistency.
(that, and the hardware has higher specs to rely on)
iPhone & touch:
600+ MHz
512 MB ram
at least 4GB internal storage, up to 32GB
iPhone OS is not as limited because it is simpler, and because the hardware is consistent between the *currently* two devices.
DerekVOF
04-09-2008, 12:08 PM
Actually, you've got those specifics incorrect. Although the processor in the iPhone and iPod Touch can run faster (I understand they're down-clocked for battery and heat issues), they are currently running at only 412MHz (bus frequency of 103MHz). In addition, in terms of RAM it's only about 116-120MB, not 512MB...
i was meaning the speeds they are possible to run at
and I believe it was 512, I'm pretty sure...
Ah, no, you are right, 128mb ram. I was wrong. Forgive me.
Mochan
04-09-2008, 08:04 PM
I seriously miss cut and paste. But regardless the Touch has hands down the best browser ever on a handheld, as jhollington mentioned. No exceptions. It is simply the best in its class.
Cut and Paste isn't a browser feature, it's an OS feature and this gives the overall grade of the Touch as an internet device a bit of a blow, especially for people who like to post on message boards where cut and paste is very useful. The keyboard is also not the best I've used. It's the best touch-screen keyboard I've had the pleasure of using, but is not anywhere near as good as a dedicated hardware QWERTY keyboard like you would get on the iPaq 6300, the HTC Tytan, HTC Universal, etc. This also somewhat lowers the grade for people who really type a lot (again, people who frequent message boards)
Also, out of the box the Touch only has basic surfing capabilities but if you jailbreak it you can get a wealth of apps -- everything the iPhone had like email, maps, stocks, weather and a host of other things like Chat, Youtube downloads and an RSS reader. There is currently no flash support yet.
Personally I am happy with it as my new internet handheld. It's not perfect, but there isn't really such a thing. Probably the only device that I *might* find better as a whole for internet handhelds is the HTC Universal (large res, good keyboard, good browser but not as good as the Safari on the Touch, great battery life) or the upcoming SE XPeria (will probably be the best overall internet device if no major flaws are found)
Also have to agree with kornchild and disagree with PG4G on this. The WiMo platform is better than the OSXmobile thing on the Touch/iPhone. The Apple handheld may have a slicker design and some nice interface quirks but WiMo is overall the superior OS. Multitasking, cut and paste, stability (don't laugh) etc. The lack of cut and paste by the way is very user-unfriendly to me and I have to dock Apple's OS bigtime for that.
Blackwolf, if you're talking about slow speed, that is mostly just a problem with the hardware. My old iPaq with like a 400Mhz processor runs quite slow but my newer Atom Exec with a 600Mhz processor runs really fast. You also mentioned you only used smartphones, which frankly are crap and don't even have touchscreens most of the time. WiMo Smartphone edition is worthy of your scorn but the PPC version is not.
bobb-mini
04-09-2008, 09:02 PM
And no save-this-Page and read-it-off-line-later either, a oftely used browser feature.
Keeping my slimsline/3LB notebook.
ipodlover29
04-09-2008, 10:37 PM
And no save-this-Page and read-it-off-line-later either, a oftely used browser feature.
Keeping my slimsline/3LB notebook.
There is a web app that allows you to save web pages and then view them when you are offline.
Here is the link:
http://iwebsaver.com/
BlackWolf
04-10-2008, 03:37 AM
That is only because you have only used smartphones. Smartphones really only utilize half the abilities of WM6. If you get a full fledged pocket pc, you will see how amazing it is. I have an iPhone and an old Dell Axim, my Dell Axim is more stable than my iPhone.
so now you're comparing apples smartphone to a pocket pc from microsoft because microsofts smartphones would loose ... I guess I rest my case ;-)