• Wi-Fi access
• Direct access to iTunes
• The App Store
• Video playback: I can now carry this on a plane to watch movies on as opposed to lugging around my laptop all the time
  Music library
• Touch screen: this thing is phenomenal. I thought the typing on it would be difficult, but to my pleasant surprise, it's very easy to get used to. In fact, I'm writing this entire post with it right now.
• My favorite part, however, is the personalized engraving that my wife had put on the back.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend an iPod Touch to anyone. It has nearly everything the iPhone has, except for the phone service, and the constant Internet access. Personally, I can do without this. That is what my Blackberry is for. ;)

That was a long time ago, and it's understandable that there's probably only so much you can do with a water gun after so many years, but this is a little ridiculous.

To see what I'm talking about, check out the commercial.

Is this really a toy you want your kids playing with?

How will it work?
Well, to get your freshly recorded episode of "America's Next Top Model" onto your iPod, you must first install the latest version of TiVoToGo onto your PC. Oh yeah, did I mention that this will only work on a PC and not a Mac? Once you've installed the latest TiVoToGo, you'll start it up from your PC, which will look for your Series2 TiVo (yes, that's right. This will only work on Series2 TiVos) on the network, find it, and produce a list of shows available for download. From here, you can select the shows you wish to download, and wait... and wait... and wait... and wait...

Don't expect instant gratification: The transfer process from a TiVo Series2 set-top-box to a PC - a necessary step before syncing to a portable - occurs roughly in real-time. An hour-long show will take an hour to transfer to the PC, then roughly another 10 minutes or so to sync to a portable device. -- Associated Press

Once you've got the show downloaded to your computer, just hook up your iPod, and upload it again, this time from your PC to your iPod. In 10 minutes, you should be ready to watch your program - on a 2.5 inch screen! Pretty sweet, eh? It'll only take 70 minutes (1hr and 10 min) to get "ANTM" onto your portable video player. In case it's difficult to see just how ridiculous this seems, I'm going to write it out: when fast forwarding through all the commercials of a 60 minute show, it should take you about 45 minutes total to watch. Not to mention, it'll be on a TV with a display that is more than likely larger than 2.5 inches.

Yes, I do understand that you can boot up your computer, hook up your iPod, set up TiVoToGo to download the programs, and then go do whatever you want. Then come back, unhook your iPod from your PC, and wait, again, to watch your shows the next morning while on your commute to work, even though your TiVo will probably still have the show saved for you to watch whenever you want.

I guess I just don't see this feature being utilized that often. Yes, it's cool at first, but once the inconvenience of it is realized, it'll stop being used, and people will go back to watching their shows on their big screen TVs whenever they have some free time.

• No. I don't really need another music downloading program
• However... It's free!!!
• Yeah. but it's only free for 2 months. And that's how they get ya! "In 2 months you won't remember to cancel the subscription, and we'll charge your credit card automatically. Heck... You won't even know we're doing it." So, no, I don't need it.
• Yet... The concept seems pretty interesting. Instead of paying $.99 cents for a song, I pay $9.99 per month, and I have access to their library of music, anytime I want it. So, sure, what the heck. And, if I don't like it, I can cancel in 2 months and not pay a single cent.

< img src="http://www.patmullin.com/images/rhapsody_thumb.png" alt="Rhasody screenshot" title="Click here to see larger screen shot." class="floatright"/>And there you have it. It's been 3 months now, and I must say, I'm in love with my Rhapsody! Instead of boring you with stories as to why I love it, I'll just give you a list of pros and cons. And no, just because you're in love with something, doesn't mean it doesn't have it's flaws. Just ask my wife. She married me, flaws and all. So, let's start with the cons:

• You have to have an internet connection to listen to your songs.
• You can't get these songs onto your portable without paying an additional fee.
• You are basically streaming music. So if you have a slow internet connection, forget about it. It ain' happenin'.

...and the pros:

• Guilt free access to a huge library of songs.
• You don't have to download a song to hear the whole thing.
• Which means you won't ever regret spending the $.99 on crappy song.
• Listen to recommended playlists (e.g. don't have to pay for the list to listen to it).
• Because you're streaming music, it isn't stored on your hard drive. So you can listen to hours upon hours of music without filling up your computer.
• Great for entertaining. Bobby wants to listen to "Coldplay"? No problem. Suzy wants to listen to "Big and Rich"? No problem. Johnny wants to listen to "Celine Dion"? Well... that's a problem. But for other reasons.

Here's what the editors at CNET.com have to say:

[Rhapsody] has continued to expand its catalog, with music from more than 500 independent labels, and it remains the best provider of streaming audio. What's more, Rhapsody is the only on-demand streaming music service that offers integration with several digital media receivers to stream music over a network to your home stereo. Now, RealNetworks has taken Rhapsody to an entirely new level with its launch of three variants, the most newsworthy being Rhapsody To Go, which allows you to untether your subscription-based downloads and listen to them on compatible portable devices. Rhapsody To Go costs $14.99 a month, while Rhapsody Unlimited, which gives you unlimited streams and downloads--but no transfers--to portable devices, is available for $9.99 per month. The final choice is Rhapsody 25, a redesigned iTunes-like jukebox application that features 25 online radio stations and 25 on-demand streams per month, all for free. -- read entire review

Basically, the ability to go crazy adding random songs to your playlist without a care in the world is fantastic. I have found some really great songs and great artists that I otherwise wouldn't give the time of day. I highly recommend Rhapsody to anyone who likes to listen to music. I use it everyday and suggest you do the same.

I don't know about you, but my iPod currently has around 2,500 songs on it. I'm no mathmatician, but that's quite a bit more than 100. It seems hardly worth getting rid of both your cell phone and your iPod to get this baby. It surprises me that Apple even agreed to this deal. They're the ones that usually come up with cutting edge technologies. This, however, falls well short of 'cutting edge'.

I personally like Patrick Haney's idea: the New (well sort of) NokiTunes nanophone.