I was going to title this "itouch", but that leaves the thread open to too many wise cracks...

Anyhow, I'm looking to purchase one for my daughter, but have no idea what these are other than fancy mp3 players.

Are there sufficient aps without purchasing a subscription of sorts? I don't want to get her a product that becomes a financial drain.

Other than watching movies/videos and listening to a million songs, what do they do??

Is there a better product (droid, etc?)

Any input would be appreciated.

I prefer Zune HD because of their subscription service and better video playback (bluray quality).

That said, I could not convince my daughter of this (even though she could piggyback off my zunepass subcription and get all the music she wants free) and got the Itouch. Apps wise she is much better off and has downloaded only free apps to date....lots of them.

I really don't think you can go wrong with the Apple. I still like my zune better. But depending on her age... apple is the cool thing to do

I also hate itunes and thinki the zune software is pretty good.

after a little research, it appears that there are several versions of the itouch.

Any recommendations?

both my sons (8 & 10) have the iTouch (gifts from grandparents cuz no way we were spending the $$). To date we don't have WiFi at home (we're cavemen), and it drives my older son crazy. HE'S JUST GOTTA HAVE SOME "APPS." LOL...at this point I don't know if I don't want to get WiFi to agitate him, or to keep him from getting into stuff (on the nets) that he shouldn't. Plus, he can just leach off the unsecure WiFi connections of our neighbors. LOL My older son has had his iTouch over 6 months now, and I STILL have not registered it on iTunes or the software. :shrug: In answer to your question though, they are cool, and they can do a lot if you make stuff/apps available. My wife uses my older son's all the time to play music (playlists) in the classes she teaches at the gym...she finally got me to STOP burning CDs. LMAO

newest generation as much memory as you can or want to buy. memory is really the only difference on the new gens

several versions? I don't think so. Unless you are just referring to memory/HD space...8GB, 32GB, etc. Get what the budget can afford I guess. Actually, before my boys got their iTouches, they had cheapy (i.e. $20) mp3 players and they worked just fine. But, I know, the kids want APPS and fancy touch screens.

yeah...what TW said. 😕

I have been considering getting one myself for work (I would do the iPhone, but don't want ATT). most of the iPhone apps will work on the iPod Touch and I like the wifi capability.

iPhone - cellphone - camera = iTouch

^ Not true about the cellphone.

Some kid on TV found that you can download apps for cellphone and texting into you itouch, and as long as you have buds that have a microphone, you're in business.

^

don't tell my kids that. 🙂

I guess you would need WiFi in the area, and the app would utilize some sort of 🆓 online telephone/communication service?

There are a bunch of free Apps to download (games, etc) and there are a ton that cost under $3.00. Wife has a touch and loves it.

prolly skype or vonage or such.... any voip really. never much thought about it.

^Yes, it's Skype and other custom made apps for VOIP on the iTouch and the iPhone. Allows people to use other services besides AT&T which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

iTunes does suck in the Windows environment but to me that isn't a deal breaker. I only sync about once/month anyway after the initial setup so it's not really an issue.

I think it's the variety of apps and ease of use that makes it desirable.

And there is literally an app for anything. Police scanner, level, maps, GPS, games, web apps, tape measure (iPhone only)..and on and on.

www.greatipodexchange.com is a decent place to buy a used 8GB model for under $150. They rate the trade-ins as good and excellent. And www.macmall.com is probably the best place to buy a new one.