8gb Touch or nano? What to buy? I have a $150 Walmart Gift Card...

[GKH]

Great timing, too! I have been thinking about upgrading my iRiver 1GB MP3 player...

At first, I was considering just getting a new 8gb nano with my gift card that I won as a door prize at my company Christmas party. :) But, I do have extra cash. So... I started researching, and ran across the 'Touch'. I like it! But, not sure I really need that much. I never considered the possibility of having the ability to get online with an iPod. Not something, I really thought about before. I have friends that love their iPhone. But, me personally; I would rather not even have any cell phone! Lol!

One of the questions I wanted to ask is; would the Touch be able to go online here at home off of my router that allows our laptop to get online?

And, of course, movies! And, looking at iTunes makes that a good option. I really like the touch design, as well. But, I like the simplicity of the nano.

Any input is appreciated.

As far as in my vehicles, my truck has a USB port. So; I often just copy to a 4gb flash drive, and listen to CDs. I use a NordicTrack, and the iRiver serves me well there. So, what choice I make here needs to be able to do well for my workouts.

Thanks!

- Greg

[cxc273]

If you've got a wireless router, the touch should be able to access the Internet at your home.

I would suggest stopping by an Apple store to see if the touch is really for you.

It sounds to me that you don't really need a nano for the gym, as you already have a dedicated MP3 player for that. I suspect you might find the touch more useful than you think. Movies will look way nicer on the touch and the Apps Store on iTunes lets you get programs to suit your lifestyle.

[kornchild2002]

I would go for the 16GB iPod nano (it is only $199, some Wal-Marts are even selling them for $189). I would sacrifice some features for the extra storage space. I could never live with only 8GB (it actually comes out to around 6.9-7GB of usable storage) of storage. Movies and music videos take up about 1.2MB per minute. Also don't forget that music library often increase exponentially over the years. Many people start off by saying "8GB will be fine, I only have 200 songs and no videos." They then start getting more and more music with their library increasing to over 1000 songs in as little as a year. These people then end up selling their 8GB device for a higher capacity one.

I won't argue that the iPod touch has more features than an iPod nano or iPod classic. I love my 2G 32GB iPod touch and find that to be the sweet spot in terms of capacity right now. I had a 1G 16GB iPod touch whose storage was able to hold me over for a year until the 2G's release. So really think about this before you make a purchase. The iPod touch has the most features but you don't want to end up getting the bottom line 8GB model only to fill it up in a year's time or less and end up wanting a higher capacity unit.

The price of an iPod nano is inexpensive. You could purchase an 8GB iPod nano to hold you over for awhile. Save your money for a 3G iPod touch (16GB will probably be the lowest capacity when it is released) when they are released about 7 months from now.

As for answering your questions, here it goes. Your truck should be able to work with an iPod nano using a direct USB connection but it may not work with a 2G iPod touch. The iPod touch uses a totally different structure than other iPods. The iPod touch runs a portable version of Mac OS X and many devices that use a USB connection cannot communicate with it. Check the manufacturer of your car's CD deck (or your can manufacturer if it is a factory standard deck) for more information. I have a Kenwood deck in my car that uses a direct USB connection. It wasn't compatible with either my 1G or 2G iPod touch but Kenwood came out with a firmware update allowing their deck to work with both iPod touch generations.

The nano or iPod touch could be used while working out. They both use solid state memory. You could technically put them in a paint shaker and they would still function properly. The iPod classic is the only iPod that uses a small hard drive. Even it is pretty hard to skip due to its large amount of buffer memory.

I really like my 2G 32GB iPod touch but I would absolutely hate it if it didn't work with my car CD deck (I drive about two hours a day so iPod connectivity in my car is essential) or had 8GB of capacity.

[GKH]

Wow! Let me just say this first! :)

You guys are great! And, quite knowledgable on this subject.

I thought about the storage situation. And, I can go ahead with the 16gb Touch. No problem there. I have over 3,000 CDs in my collection. And, I have had an eMusic account since 2004. I'm not too concerned about keeping more than a few hundred songs on the Touch (if that's what I decide to get). I can always delete, and add new tracks (or albums). And, even in the truck (I have a JVC KX-700 deck). I carry CDs, and I have the SanDisk 4GB Flash Drive for extra tunes. :)

One of the features about the 'Touch' that keeps me coming back is that ability to get on the net all over the house. It's a good option. Also... I love that big screen!

So, for me personally; there has never been any hope of getting my entire music library on an MP3 device.

As far as movies go; one or two at a time is fine.

I do like that new nano. It's soooooo cool. I'm a 54 year old gadget lover! :D

BTW: I have a Netgear router.

- Greg

[Galley]

Once you go touchscreen, you'll never go back! :)

[kornchild2002]

Well, since you have no problems going with a 16GB iPod touch, I say that should be your decision. It is pretty much a no brainer at that point. I thought that you were limited by a budget of around $200 (you spend $50 and use your $150 gift card). However, if you don't mind spending the extra on a 16GB iPod touch, I say go for it. The 16GB will give you that extra freedom that you need. You will be able to carry around a good chunk of your music (and not have to worry about constantly syncing songs) along with 2-3 movies.

I think that the extra 8GB in storage capacity (the total storage is around 14.54GB) would be well worth the increase in price. You can look at it this way: get the 2G 16GB iPod touch now and not worry about getting a new iPod for a few years or you can go with an 8GB model and get a new iPod in a year's time.

My recommendation is to go with the 16GB iPod touch and not look back. It has the sweet spot in terms of capacity for many people, it has the most features of any iPod model out there, and it really sounds like you want a portable device with wi-fi internet surfing abilities.

[GKH]

iPod Touch 16GB + Griffin 'Reflect' or 'iClear' case is what I will buy today..

Again; thanks for all your help! :)

- Greg

[AndyT4097]

Nice choice. Be sure to come back and let us know how you like it.