The $259 Kindle deal is over. But here’s another possibility for budget-mined e-book-lovers—a used 8G iPod Touch, which could cost you just $179 on eBay, or maybe even less.
Even the new models are now listing for just $229. Unlike the iPhone, there’ s subscription fee.
Yes, the word “just” is subjective. Consider, too, that at 3.5 inches, the iPod’s screen is much smaller than the Kindle’s.
But as you can see from the Apple image above, the screen is color and allows many uses beyond e-books alone, everything from Web browsing to a Digg app and a wonderful news reader from the Associated Press. Resolution is 320 by 480. So you can still see a fair number of words at once. This is a “depends” thing. But if you have good eyesight close up and are on the go and want something smaller than the Kindle, the Touch might actually be a much better choice.
And beyond the above, the Touch works with hot new e-book apps such as Stanza and BookShelf, as well as a promising port of eReader, so that, yes, via the latter, you can read DRM-infested bestsellers. A Mobipocket app is on the way.
Related: Detailed Wikipedia item on the Touch, Chris Meadows’s recent entry comparing the old and new Touch models, and an earlier TelePost, iPhone e-booking for misers like me: The $205 used iPod Touch (no cellphone subscription charges).
Improvements in the new model: Speaker and contoured back and physical volume control. Owners of old or new Touches might want to read Chris Meadows’ just posted item, Borgvik in-line remote for the iPod Touch: $5.58, shipped. Like me, by the way, Chris bought a factory-refurbed Touch. Can’t speak for him, but mine’s been trouble-free so far except for the OS bugs affecting even new Touches (flaws I can live with, especially knowing that Apple will almost surely fix them).
The Plastic Logic angle: If the forthcoming Plastic Logic machine with the 10.7 diagonal screen is reasonably priced, then I may end up using the the PL machine at home and the Touch on the go. But even at home, the Touch is fun to read off. Meanwhile I suspect that more and more e-book fans will be using a multimachine strategy—all the more reason for the industry to drop DRM and cut back on eBabel. Forget about this talk of “seamless DRM.” New e-book-usable platforms like the iPhone will be constantly appearing, and it’s impossible for software houses to keep up with them all in a timely way. Notice? While Mobi for the iPhone and Touch is coming, it still isn’t here. In this way and many others, DRM is a heartbreaker for consumers.
David, I don’t know if you remember my article on the ‘morphin’ ereader, but for the PL/Touch combination to work efficiently, we need someway to synch bookmarks between the two.
Otherwise, you find yourself paging through trying to find your current spot as you switch from device to device.
Thanks, Michael. Your Morphin’ article is here, now that you’ve refreshed my memory. Would be great to have that as an option. But meanwhile the modest “Find” function could help. In real life I DO switch between readers.
Thanks,
David
>>>Unlike the iPhone, there’ s subscription fee.
The Word Drop Virus strikes you too. The word “no” belongs in there, I think.
Sigh. I’m looking for a new PDA, and your enthusiasm for the iPod Touch caused me to go into an Apple store for the first (or maybe second) time ever. The Touch is beautifully made, very pretty, and a quick check shot down the Web legend that you couldn’t add a calendar item from the Touch itself, you had to add it from a PC application. It seems very well thought out. It’s also frighteningly limited.
While a Windows Mobile PDA comes fully equipped to do almost everything you need to do with a PDA, the Touch is a music player you can do a few other things on. It’s sad. There is potential there.
The iPhone didn’t appear to be any better. It was never a real contender anyway, since I don’t want to switch phone carriers, I can’t always take a phone where I need to go, and cameras are banned from my place of work.
So much for Apple.