My son wants to buy an iPod Touch 32Gb. There appear to be different generations, but being an Applephobe I do not understand what the best options are. Can someone please give me a potted review of what I need to know about a teenager getting such a device?
I am concerned about unsupervised internet access etc.
He will be paying for most of it with his own money.
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The IPOD touch is essentially an Iphone, with the phone bits disabled. (no it cant be made to work as a phone - ever)
We are now on Generation 4, which means its an Iphone 4 (without the phone) and does everything an Iphone can, including internet access via wireless. Access to the net is unfettered.
Dont know what your music is like at home, but you will need Itunes to search for your existing music, and update the phone with software upgrades. Your son will need an itunes account to buy more music, films and games and apps from the Itunes store.
Ah! the apps and games. Yes games will feature heavily no doubt. They are all vetted for sexual content.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 30 Jan 11 at 10:26
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Oh they are very fragile. If he takes it to school it will last about two weeks. Its made up of two glass sheets. He will want the Generation 4 tho.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 30 Jan 11 at 10:29
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Agree with Zero - he can buy his music from other sources, I regularly buy from Amazon. Best buy from E-bay at the moment:-
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200569172991
£23.00 more on Amazon.
Last edited by: Pugugly on Sun 30 Jan 11 at 10:33
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Thanks
We have iTunes for other iPods at home although I think all Apple products are the devil's spawn (apart from their proper computers) We have sent so many back for being unreliable. But that it what he wants.
Presumably he cannot access the internet if he does not have the wireless access keys?
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>> Presumably he cannot access the internet if he does not have the wireless access keys?
correct, he cant. you can also ban any device from your wireless router by using the MAC address.
Every networked device has a unique serial number called the MAC address. You router can block anything at unique MAC address level.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 30 Jan 11 at 10:36
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He will be able to access from Wi-Fi hotspots if he has the key/passoword. Same price at John Lewis (according to Invisible Hand) has them at the same price as Amazon if customer service is a factor.
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>> The IPOD touch is essentially an Iphone, with the phone bits disabled. (no it cant
>> be made to work as a phone - ever)
>>
Very similar to an Iphone, that rarely works as a phone........
Any idea what the 'I' stands for?
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Son (14) is very happy with his, which was his main Christmas present. Got ours in-store from Asda, where it was about as cheap as anywhere online but came with a £25 itunes voucher.
We advised against him taking it to school, but he does - I see him appear on skype while I'm at work.
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Yes we are concerned about him taking it to school. He lacks certain social skills and verges on Aspergers Syndrome so I am laying odds he will have it lost, stolen or broken within two weeks, because of altercations with other boys.
I just wish school would ban all phones and other electronic devices. We looked at private schools for him (too expensive for our pocket) and they all banned these things.
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As Zero says they are not rugged items, but will stand daily rough and tumble but need to be looked after. Maybe a second hand one initially and see how it goes ?
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>> Yes we are concerned about him taking it to school.
Son's school is selective (lots of nerds, he says) so perhaps in theory it's less of a risk.
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If he's insistent he'll need one of these:-
www.amazon.co.uk/-/dp/B003FVU49I?tag=invihand-21
They are cracking bits of kit my iPhone lives in it and is consequently pristine.
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13yr old daughter has one. Superb device as, on top of the music, it gives her the ability to access the web at home on our wi-fi without taking up the main PC or laptop (she doesn't have her own laptop). Zero perhaps overstates the delicate nature of them... however daughter from day 1 put a see-through hard plastic case on hers which added to the thickness by about 50% and gives some protection.
We refuse to allow it to go to school. They are banned, along with mobiles, in their school but about 50% of kids take them. There are frequent problems over this with the fact some teachers will take them away and others shrug their shoulders. I wish the policy was applied strictly to avoid all doubt.
If he suffers aspergers issues just take care the apps and games etc don't draw him into it as an obesssion to the exclusion of talking to anyone!
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 30 Jan 11 at 10:52
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I wish the policy was applied strictly to avoid all doubt.
Have you thought this may be training for the "real" world ! :-)
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>> the main PC or laptop (she doesn't have her own laptop). Zero perhaps overstates the
>> delicate nature of them...
No He doesn't. Son of Zero works in a phone shop. Delights me daily of tales of dead Iphones.
The Ipod touch/iphone 4 is made of two glass sheets, the sides and corners of which protrude outside the stainless steel side bands. A drop from a pocket onto concrete is possible only about twice before the glass (back or front) breaks.
In addition the glass sheets make up the rigidity of the device, they dont survive sitting onto a hard seat in a back pocket
Plus you have a daughter. Much more sensible things.
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Have already investigated the cost of covers. Will buy online at Dixons.co.uk for £229 inc delivery and £11 for a crystal cover.
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Worth bearing in mind - as I found out when buying the MacBook Pro - that Apple shops will price match.
Seems to me shipping this gadget could put it at risk of breakage.
If you go down the Apple shop route, all you need to do is get on one of the dozens of internet enabled Macs on display and show the assistant the price you want matched.
They will want to see the item showing as 'in stock for immediate despatch' at the internet retailer.
I don't think they display a price match offer, but they've done it for me twice in the last few months.
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Thanks - that's very useful and Espadrille will be happy. She wanted to 'handle' before purchase at the Apple store in the Trafford Centre [ugh].
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...She wanted to 'handle' before purchase at the Apple store in the Trafford Centre [ugh]...
Worth taking a same day print out of the internet offer as a failsafe.
I've been in two Apple shops in the last few months, and each time the staff were informed but informal, which impressed me.
The girl in Apple in Newcastle carried the MacBook to the car because she could see I was weighed down with other shopping.
Ultimately, it's a shop designed to take money off you like any other.
But the Apple retail experience is a little different, and more pleasant than most on the high street.
Enjoy it - you know you want to. :)
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Agreed, the shopping experience at an Apple shop is sufficiently different to make it worth while, but do choose a time when its not crowded.
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...but do choose a time when its not crowded...
Yes, very good point.
Newcastle is mobbed with youngsters at lunchtime on a school day.
I reckon early doors is best.
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Talking of IPODs, which we were, I have just installed into Nicoles Polo, an aux adapter. She can now plug her Nano Gen 6 into the radio.
I used a connects2 box of tricks, that fools the radio (an OEM 2 din Blaupunkt unit) into thinking it has a cd changer unit.
at 30 quid delivered, its a good solution.
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Current car has a AUX but I have a transmitter like this one tinyurl.com/5vbty6t which does an excellent job, and charges the device at the same time. I previously had one which only had a choice of six pre-set frequencies which wasn't v good but this one is tunable.
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I'd still buy a second hand one under the circumstances described - biking buddy bought one for 40 quid - 2nd Generation well pleased.
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"The girl in Apple in Newcastle carried the MacBook to the car because she could see I was weighed down with other shopping."
Did you ask her home to show her some puppies?
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>> The Ipod touch/iphone 4 is made of two glass sheets,
The 4th generation iPod is not made of two glass sheets. It is like the original iPod touch with a metal rear casing and a glass front. It's just a bit thinner.
www.apple.com/ipodtouch/
It's got a similar inside to the iPhone 4 of course but without the phone bits. And the screen is not as good as the iPhone 4 one. Colours are washed out because it's not an IPS display. But it does have the same high resolution.
I'd think the iPhone 4 is less robust than an iPod Touch 4th generation.
And not all wireless routers let you only accept devices based on MAC address. My BT router doesn't seem to offer this facility. Probably because it's also a BT Openreach/FON hotspot.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sun 30 Jan 11 at 17:58
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They can break very easily if they are dropped. A Colleague broke his 2 week old one - it fell on the corner rather than the screen, but the impact caused the whole screen to shatter. This happened in his house onto carpet. Think he may have been unlucky, but the cost of a good case would have been cheaper than a new one
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One thing you learn with Blackberry ownership is not to drop your phone - I did once onto the bedroom carpet and it broke...lucky it was a work one !
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Dropped my Blackberry several times without a problem. My son has my old Pearl which is bashed around but over three years old and still going strong. Just needs a new battery as the old one loses charge too quickly for me.
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Went to the Trafford Centre this afternoon and found that the staff at John Lewis we re very helpful and the iPod was only £3 more than Dixons online. We also bought a case and screen saver film and the total came to less that the Apple Store wanted just for the iPod. They said they would price match against any shop inside the Trafford Centre but not online - Ha! I walked straight back to JL and flashed the Amex. Son very happy.
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We have a new Comet opened near to us, so I popped in the other day for a look around. i saw one of these, and I popped my Iphone in it and played some music (Scissor Sisters I seem to recall)
www.amazon.co.uk/JBL-Portable-Loudspeaker-iPhone-Control/dp/B001G7PIHG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1296425496&sr=1-1
I cranked it up. Astonished? yes i was. Superb sound and such bass for small source...
I am tempted
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it will have phasing on it to sound better than it really is
im sure you would tire of the sound very quickly
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...Astonished? yes i was...
Funny you should say that, but my mate has just been given one of those by his son, who has moved onto grander things.
Like you, I was quite startled by the sound quality, although I only auditioned it for a few minutes.
There are a couple of different models and I'm not sure which one my mate has.
Looks like something you'd give the dog a drink from, but what a sound.
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We have a pair Bose docking stations between us which we'd bought individually before we er..merged, cracking sound - it doesn't really like the iPhone but works.
I tend to use the MacBook upstairs and that plugs very neatly into the back of my venerable old Bose clock radio when listening to iPlayer - lovely sound.
Last edited by: Pugugly on Sun 30 Jan 11 at 22:41
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>> I cranked it up. Astonished? yes i was. Superb sound and such bass for small
>> source...
>>
A neighbour has a bigger more comprehensive JBL dock and it sounds good, one of my son's though has this ...
store.apple.com/uk/product/TV546B/A?mco=MTg3MTg0NDU
... and it is excellent! Cheaper on Amazon though.
Do you have decent hifi? Then this is the business, CD quality sound by extracting the digital files from the iPod/iPhone avoiding its built in DAC and using a decent one.
www.pure.com/products/product.asp?Product=VL-61429&Category=
.
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Someone will be along soon to say that many ripped CDs are not ripped at CD quality so can't possibly sound that good - but a mate's son has a couple of different docks (probably similar to those above, including the Bose) and they are absolutely awesome.
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Of particular relevance is that as far as I can see you can download from iTunes at up to 256kbps though you can rip a CD with iTunes at 320kbps (or lossless) so for true hifi use it is better to start off with CD even if you ultimately stream a digital file from a iPod etc.
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>> I cranked it up. Astonished? yes i was. Superb sound and such bass for small source...
I got given one of those for my birthday. I really like the sound and the remote control also works very well. Mrs B's iPod Nano 6G does look weird in it though - absolutely tiny and mounted upside down.
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The nano 6g has no "upside down" just swivel the screen round.
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You are right. Just tried the "2 fingered rotate" - thanks for that.
Maybe one day I'll learn to RTFM for the gadgets I buy...
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"the staff at John Lewis we re very helpful"
Did they carry the ipod to your car?
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I think my 12 yo can manage that himself!
Had I been on my own, I may well have asked......
Last edited by: Espada III on Mon 31 Jan 11 at 08:42
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Now, who's found a good speaker system that has both an iPhone-capable dock and a proper FM radio? DAB I can take or leave - although it would give me access to TMS without enforced breaks for God or Shipping.
It's for the kitchen, where I currently have a Roberts WM-201 Internet radio and a separate iPod dock. There's also a portable Sony FM radio. Individually the components are fine - the Roberts is a superb piece of kit that has permanently changed my radio listening habits. But I prefer FM for proper live radio, and I have to switch off the Roberts at the wall to keep it from interfering.
So, while it's an expensive way to save one socket, what can I buy that will play and charge an iPhone (which will also duplicate the Roberts's Internet functions through the iPlayer and Reciva apps) receive FM and play the whole lot in quality and quantity sufficient to be enjoyable above the noises of a 4m x 3m kitchen?
I like the look of the Vita R2i, but is there a viable alternative that might cost me less?
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I have one of these in the bedroom
www.johnlewis.com/231056582/Product.aspx
Sony XDR-DS12iP Clock Radio/iPod Dock, Black
Sounds good, if a little artificial with good bass, loud volume, good DAB reception, good FM reception, excellent remote control.
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Thanks, Z. John Lewis sells the Vita too, along with assorted Robertses, so it should be easy enough to do a comparison and see what my extra money would get me.
Interesting point about the remote control. Roberts does great cabinets but shocking remotes - all those years of making proper radios with knobs that twiddled and had no need of such gimmicks, I suppose.
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I got a Pioneer XW-NAS5-W from John Lewis last summer - well pleased with it!
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Back to the subject of ipod touch, my son is looking to use his xmas and birthday money and buy a second hand ipod touch.
Has seen one on Amazon, 32 GB 3rd gen for £170, are these like most electronics now whereby there will be updates all the time? Have seen some different generation ipod touches that claim they are latest generation software?
Anyone here selling a itouch? Trying to be as careful as possible that if he does buy used, that he is not conned. He was showing me ones on ebay that were cheap with low feedbacks and "genuine reasons for sale"!!!!
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The latest version of the iPod touch software (iOS4) is said to be compatible with everything as far back as the 2nd generation iPod touch. But then it also runs (badly) on an iPhone 3GS.
There are differences in the hardware of the iPod touch 4th generation though.
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EDIT - In reply to Bobby.
I'd be chary of something like that s/h unless I could see it and try it. Locally I'd try Cex but it looks as though their Scottish presence is currently only in EDI.
uk.webuy.com/
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Thu 3 Feb 11 at 21:44
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Yeah thats my concern - this is from a Norfolk based company called Bunwells through Amazon and they offer it with a 12 month warranty.
Feedback seems to be good.
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The Apple store are selling refurb iPod 3rd gen, 8GB - £122, 32GB - £193, 64GB - £254. They have new cases so are as good as new, we have bought an 8GB for our daughter.
store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod?mco=OTY2ODcwMQ
Full Apple warranty and support too!
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im not keen on refurb stuff as i always imagine a mad professor with a very large smouldering iron righting wrongs
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They are as new, ex-demo, the internals put in a brand new shell, factory reset, full Apple warranty.
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I'm always amazed at these high Apple refurb prices... similar with Tomtom. My daughter's Ipod Touch is an 8gb 3rd gen and I think it was about that price new.
The Pico Revo dab radio Zero put me onto sells at £99 new and was £35 refurb from the maker... that's a proper refurb price.
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>> I'm always amazed at these high Apple refurb prices... similar with Tomtom. My daughter's Ipod Touch is an 8gb 3rd gen and I think it was about that price new.
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Fenlander, eBay sellers are selling refurbished 8GB 3rd gen iPod Touchs for more than the Apple shop, I know where I would rather buy from.
My son's 8GB 3rd gen was about £140 a year or so ago though today £122 for a totaly as new 3rd gen is not bad compared with £193 for a 4th gen (cheapest £175 at John Lewis).
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My 2nd gen ipod is in a very thin mock leather case bought from Currys for a fiver, together with a clear film over the screen. It has been accidentally dropped onto stone floors several times but appears not to be the worse for it.
I've thought about buying a stereo with a docking station several times but they all seem to be at eye-watering prices over here, then the other day I picked up a mint Firstline stereo with an aux input at a car boot sale for a tenner. Works a treat via the headphone socket.
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>> My son's 8GB 3rd gen was about £140 a year or so ago though today
>> £122 for a totaly as new 3rd gen is not bad compared with £193 for
>> a 4th gen (cheapest £175 at John Lewis).
£169 at Asda, possibly with a £25 iTunes voucher instore if that offer is still going.
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>>
>> £169 at Asda, >>
Free delivery at John Lewis.
>>possibly with a £25 iTunes voucher instore if that offer is still going. >>
Its not.
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>>>Fenlander, eBay sellers are selling refurbished 8GB 3rd gen iPod Touchs for more than the Apple shop
Fair enough Cheddar. Shows what a success the device (or its marketing!) has been. In other areas last years whatever can be worthless.
Helps hold up prices *down the pub* too.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Fri 4 Feb 11 at 12:56
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hello bobby. I am a new boy having only joined at the weekend. I purchased an i-pod touch a couple of months ago for £150 and have never used it -tell alie i downloaded the latest Lee Child book and a couple of applications and thats it . Shortly after wards I purchased an i-pad and this is such a fantastic piece of kit that I never used the touch. Dont really know why I bought it. It is the version 4 8gb and comes with a leather case and the "My i-pad" book from Amazon. As it is your lad purchasing with his own money I will leave it to you to suggest a fair price.. Enjoy the site by the way -had some good laughs which made me want to join.
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Our eldest (10) has a Touch and loves it.
School don't allow them, and nor would we, but he still managed to crack the screen with just using it at home (I think he sat down with it in his back pocket). Only a single crack and still functions 100%, so no need to repair.
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>> hello bobby. I am a new boy having only joined at the weekend. I purchased
>> an i-pod touch a couple of months ago for £150 and have never used it
>> -tell alie i downloaded the latest Lee Child book and a couple of applications and
>> thats it . Shortly after wards I purchased an i-pad and this is such a
>> fantastic piece of kit that I never used the touch. Dont really know why I
>> bought it. It is the version 4 8gb and comes with a leather case and
>> the "My i-pad" book from Amazon. As it is your lad purchasing with his own
>> money I will leave it to you to suggest a fair price.. Enjoy the site
>> by the way -had some good laughs which made me want to join.
>please ignore this message as it is not appropriate for this forum and I have been reminded that I have a 10 year old grandson>
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i-Pod Touch - Zero
