Inbox:Although the Apple iPhone has yet to arrive officially in the Republic, the more readily available iPod Touch can offer Irish consumers many of its most useful features. Last week Apple released an affordable upgrade to the software which really is turning it into a very handy device, writes Mike Butcher
But let's back up. Until the software update, the iPod Touch was basically a slightly sexier iPod with a bigger screen but much less memory than average. What made it stand out was its web browser and WiFi capability. Suddenly you had the real web - not the cut-down mobile web - at your fingertips, and on a bright, easy-to-read screen. What has happened now, however, is that Apple has offered a software upgrade which adds new features. Granted the update will cost about €14, but it's a relatively small fee to get a lot more functionality.
And all iPod Touches sold from now on will include the upgrade for free.
The biggest boost to the iPod Touch is a new dedicated e-mail application. Prior to this, viewing e-mail via the web browser was the only option - unless you had gone through the complex process of "breaking" the device to install non-Apple software. But you can now access real e-mail, sync it (via Imap) with your desktop mail, and access all your normal contacts from within the application.
Next up was Notes. Until now there was no way of jotting down a quick note about something, other than to e-mail it to yourself. Now you can jot down to-do or shopping lists directly into the iPod Touch. It's not the most fully-featured notes application I've seen, but it's just fine for what it is.
Share-price obsessives - especially now the global credit crunch is upon us - will be able to use the new Stocks application to track their key stocks by day, week, month or year, updated via the Touch's WiFi connection. And with Weather, you'll get a simple five-day forecast of your chosen city. Very handy.
But perhaps the coolest new feature is Maps. This Google Maps application has a neat little trick. Click on the "find my location" symbol and, via the internet, your little iPod Touch will try to work out exactly where you are standing. It does all of this not via GPS, which it doesn't have, but by triangulating where your nearest internet connections are. As anyone in the internet industry will tell you, this is really quite clever. Your friends will also be impressed by its ability to plot directions and display satellite images. It may not beat full GPS, but in such a slim device it's a useful feature.
Along with Touch's ability to play music, connect with the iTunes store, play widescreen video, display photographs, run your calendar and contacts, and access YouTube, the new software really does mean it comes close to rivalling your average smartphone in terms of functionality. And by March or April we should see a new system in place for outside developers to create applications for both the iPhone and iPod Touch, making it even more powerful. It may be time to Touch home, rather than iPhone home, after all.
