My son bought an IPod Touch last week so that we could email our family and friends while we travel. Does anyone have any past experience with these little gadgets? We also bought the convertor and adaptor to take along with us. We are traveling with small carry ons only so the size was perfect.

Sandy

There have been a couple of topics in the Technology forum about this, here and here, but I don't recall any detailed reports. I'd like to hear some firsthand experiences too.

I have a couple of friends and family members with iPhones who love them, but I haven't heard from anyone using the Touch for email.

- Roz

Thanks Roz

IPhones are still not available in Canada which is why my son opted for the IPod.

Sandy

Isn't the touch just Wi-Fi? You don't say where you are going but depending on where you are going that may be the biggest drawback.

Nice thing about Ipods is you can just wear them onto the plane. My Ipod Classic is loaded with a month of music and is only 1/2 full. With a nice set of headphones added the combination is great.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sandy from Vancouver Island:

...We also bought the convertor and adaptor to take along with us. We are traveling with small carry ons only so the size was perfect.

Hi Sandy,

I've not bought the iPod Touch but, if it comes w/this adapter (here ), then you don't need a converter (or is it called a transformer??). The adapter has a built-in converter, so it can be used anywhere in the world. You just need the adapter plugs, which you've said you bought.

Sandy - we use an Iphone in Italy for email, etc - it works just fine.

I've been in Lucca, Italy for the last couple of weeks and have my Ipod iTouch with me along with my laptop. The iTouch has been fabulous and I've used it for emails during my class breaks here in Italy and at the airport in New York but, as I'm sure you know, it only works if wi-fi is available. When emailing, I've even sent/received attachments in Word and Acrobat and the attachments view beautifully on the iTouch. Remember though, having wi-fi available in an area usually means you have to have the password for the wi-fi connections that show up in the area you are currently in, i.e., the apartment I am staying in has wi-fi and the owner gave me the code; the school I'm taking classes at also has wi-fi and they gave me the code (and of course, their wi-fi name as well). However, during my long layover in New York, I used Delta's Crown Room and they have wi-fi through T-Mobile and I had to pay a fee (the least expensive cost was $9.00 for 24 hours I think, which is similar to what you have to do at Starbucks through T-Mobile, though if you do longer plans, they really are not that expensive). Also, if for some reason I needed to go to an internet point to user a computer and that internet point had wi-fi, I could use my iTouch instead, but still have to pay their fee because the access code would be needed (also, not all internet points have wi-fi, some just have broadband, especially in Italy; elsewhere in Europe more or most may have wi-fi). The charger for the ipod (which works for all ipods, not just the iTouch) displayed in the link of another poster, works perfectly but I had bought my charger a couple of years ago for my ipod Nano and couldn't find the extra adapter plugs (which I presume included prongs for Italy) so I needed to have an adapter to attach to the charger (already had one from my last trip). You'll get a lot of use out of the iTouch other than emails too, typing notes and information under the notes feature has been great, no paper to deal with and my grocery list, telephones numbers (of course, if your contact list is in Outlook or whatever other similar contact database iTouch supports, you can transfer your contacts to the iTouch), directions, etc. right there. Also, I've downloaded my pictures from my camera to my computer and directly onto the iTouch and they look great on the large screen (I presume no one is taking a laptop but if you had access to one that allowed downloads it's a nice way of showing new friends their pictures pretty quickly). Also, I love having the weather forecasts and time available to see for multiple cities. You will defintely find many uses and enjoyment of the iTouch in addition to emailing; I have the 32 gig and am not pressed for space so I also downloaded a couple of movies I brought on iTunes, and of course, there's the music!
P.S. I decided to get the iTouch and not the IPhone because I actually don't use a cell phone that often and I like my current service and phone and saw no reason to spend double my current monthly cost to switch over to an IPhone. The iTouch offers free internet connection, granted, it's limited to wi-fi, but in L.A. there's more opportunity for free wi-fi and also, I don't need wi-fi that often.

Hello Everyone

Thanks so very much for all the information. We do not have an Apple Store on Vancouver Island and it was too late to purchase their adaptor (considering the delivery times) so we just bought a generic one.

Michelet

My son and I were thrilled to hear about your positive experience with the ITouch. You were super helpful and hopefully it will work just as good for us as it has for you. Thanks again. I think we need to purchase the $20 update to be able to use Notes.

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

I'm glad you found my comments helpful. You're right, the notes and weather would fall under the update (I bought mine after the update so it came with it). Anyway, you'll be using it mostly for email and I'm sure you will be quite pleased. One thing though, it will take a little getting use to the nuances of typing and hitting the right character (correcting, going back, etc.) After a bit though, you'll be fine (just don't plan on writing a novel, after all, you're basically dealing with a 3.5 inch keyboard!). Have a great time and enjoy.

Michele

Hi Michele

It sounds like ours should have come with the update because we only purchased it last week. Darn.

Sandy

Michele, I second Sandy's thank you. Our members are always looking for easy ways to stay connected on the road. It is great to have some firsthand experience with the device from a member.

I also want to thank you Michele for that great write up! I have been debating whether or not to get an iTouch. I also decided against the iPhone for the same reason you did.

quote:

P.S. I decided to get the iTouch and not the IPhone because I actually don't use a cell phone that often and I like my current service and phone and saw no reason to spend double my current monthly cost to switch over to an IPhone.

I have been wondering how easy it is to get wi-fi connection in Italy.

I checked the jiWire wi-fi finder website the other day and saw that there are very few places that offer free internet in Italy. Most only have wi-fi where a code is available. There seem to be 2 main companys: Boingo and Tin which I think is related to Tim.

I read you can buy tokens for Tin to get access but still don't fully understand what it is all about.

I also just found this thread on apple about wi-fi in Italy and other European countries that might help others.

Sandy, if you purchased your iTouch from Apple last week it should have been updated, but I have noticed that the Amazon iTouch devices do not all come with the update. The ones that don't are I believe $20.00 cheaper.

We actually did not purchase the IPod Touch from Apple. We bought it locally at The Source by Circuit City.

Sandy

Marta and girasoli - I am so glad you also found my comments useful (and girasoli, thanks for the additional info re wi-fi). I have received so much wonderful information from Slow Travel which has contributed to the success of my current and ultimately future vacations, I was very happy to participate in this thread and give a little back.

Sandy, I think what happened to you is what almost happened to me, and this was at an actual Apple Store in California. The week that I planned on getting the iTouch, the $20 update came out and when I went to the Apple Store near me to buy it, the price was $20 cheaper than the price on the internet. I asked why and was told because it did not have the update. I was annoyed because if I hadn't asked about the price difference, I would not have been told that the Apple Store was selling models without the update. I was then told the store didn't have the models that included the $20 update because they had to sell most of the existing stock first. I preferred to pay the extra $20 for one that had the software included and wound up having to wait two weeks before the Apple Store near me started selling models with the update. I also had a little snafu re getting the 32 gig version, but that's another story. In any case, based on how much use I am getting from it while here in Italy, it was very much worth the initial trouble and again, you will enjoy and get much use from it. I do recommend getting the update at some point though, the five applications are well worth it.

Michelet, my thanks too for that excellent report.

By the way, I noticed today that Costco has the iPod Touch (the updated version) for $10 less than the Apple Store. No, I didn't buy one, but I was tempted! But since I don't really have an immediate need for one, I'm still waiting till more of the 3rd party applications are available, now that they have opened up the software development. I also figure the price will be coming down and/or new models coming out in the next several months.

- Roz

Good Morning Michelet

My son took your advice and purchased the $20 upgrade yesterday. As he paid the full price for the IPod without the upgrade, I phoned Apple and they are considering refunding us the amount. I had to fax all the necessary info including the IPod touch receipt from last week. My son delivers newspapers at 7 cents a paper so $20 is a lot of money to him.

The squeaky wheel sometimes gets the grease. If Apple does give us the ITunes refund, I think that would be quite generous of them.

Sandy

quote:

Originally posted by Bill & Patty Sutherland:
Sandy - we use an Iphone in Italy for email, etc - it works just fine.

Bill and Patty,

Did you get your iphone in the US or Italy? I was curious about unlocking an iPhone bought in the US. My HTC has seen better days, and I'm thinking maybe iphone.

I just received a very nice birthday present of an iPod Touch, so I thought I'd add to this discussion that I did set it up for email, and so far it's been working pretty well. The only complaint I have so far is that I tried emailing myself a pdf document to see if it would display, and it didn't. I need to do more research to see if there is something else I should do to make that work, as I know the Touch is supposed to display pdfs.

I just posted here about a sort of workaround for an offline reader for the Touch.

Also, of course, you can download videos and podcasts, as well as audiobooks. For example, I found one fun podcast called "Italy from the Inside" which had a funny video (among others) explaining some of the more common Italian hand gestures. Of course, you don't need a Touch to display it, if you have a video iPod of another model, or you can even see them on your computer. You can see the website here

quote:

Bill and Patty,
Did you get your iphone in the US or Italy? I was curious about unlocking an iPhone bought in the US. My HTC has seen better days, and I'm thinking maybe iphone.

Michael - sorry for not replying earlier.

We both have iPhones. Not that we would ever do such a thing, but -- iPhones can easily be unlocked, an Italian SIM card can be put in, and Vodafone has an internet service for 20 euro per month + have an Italian phone number

Or, on can keep the AT&T card inside and connect with Edge for a set monthly fee, maintaining your USA telephone number.

By the way........we just received the Itunes credit of $20 for the Apple update. That was appreciated and we are glad that Apple did the right thing.

Sandy

We're leaving for the South of France tomorrow and will be taking our iPod Touch along. I'll report back about our experience. We have the lastest updated model from the Apple Store.

Cameron