r3fresh

First Impressions: 2 Gen iPod Touch

The iPod Touch received a refresh just a few weeks ago and I was fortunate enough to buy one. My first generation iPod Touch is currently on its way out, the screens brightness flickers and the battery life last minutes instead of hours, so why not get a new one? I picked up a 16gb iPod Touch and the following is the impression I got from the device:

The Good:

• Screen is brighter
• Side volume buttons
• Speaker
• Slimmer look and feel (actually thicker than first generation, but feels thinner due to design)
• Faster (the apps open and run much faster than the first gen)

The Bad:

• Scratch magnet (everything on this device can be scratched)
• Smudge magnet
• Screen is warmer, not as sharp looking
• Same device, new look, nothing revolutionary

The most important new feature of the new iPod Touch is the built in speaker. Although its sound quality is for lack of better words, crappy, it is slowly becoming more like it’s older, more functional brother, iPhone. I would like to have seen a camera on the new generation, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question on generation 3, right?

Tags: apple, first impression, gadget, ipod, list, touch

$20, The Breakdown

The five applications Apple released in an upgrade for the iPod Touch are not free. They aren’t even reasonably priced. They are however overpriced at $20. I still bought the upgrade, not because I needed it, but because I must have the latest and greatest.

The apps included are maps ($.63), weather ($.15), stocks ($.12), notes ($.68), and the only one I use, mail ($.86). So I spent $20 on a mail application that I really didn’t need? I thought so, until I dug a little deeper and found features that make it worth it better. (Also included a break down of what they really are worth)

New “Hidden” Features:

• Web Clips- Like apps, but are slower and only work when connected to wifi ($.53)
• Custom Screen Layout- You can now put any app, anywhere, there’s even more pages ($.02)
• Location Lookup- Google maps can find your location, but good luck having it work on an iPod Touch ($.31)
• Document viewer- the iPhone can view common files like .doc and spreadsheets, and it’s now on the Touch ($1.oo)
• Minor tweaks- just looking at the interface you’ll notice minor layout changes, animations, and a few new buttons ($.47)

The upgrade should be priced at $4.77.

*The “estimation” is not based on anything and for good reason.

Tags: apple, breakdown, finance, funny, ipod, math, money, tech

BuyMyTronics.com: No Need for eBay

I asked the internet community to vote on what I should do with my broken iPod. I didn’t listen and decided to fix it. Since then, my iPod Touch has become my main player and the old, but still working iPod had been pushed into the corner to collect dust, but before it could I found BuyMyTronics.com.

BuyMyTronics.com, which used to be BuyMyBrokeniPod.com, buys old and/or broken iPods, Zunes, and even game consoles, and pays you through PayPal. To submit a “tronic” you’ll go through a few pages of information about the condition of the item you’re wanting to sell and if you have the original accessories and manuals (the more stuff you’ve, got the more you’ll get). When submitting my iPod I also included the box and I ended up making $120. Not bad considering the iPod wasn’t in the best condition and it was the previous generation. My luck on eBay is laughable and BuyMyTronics was the best way for me to make money without having to (attempt) another auction.

The whole process was very simple. Instructions on sending your iPod in were emailed to you quickly, but shipping to BuyMyTronics is on your tab (and it’s wise to include Delivery Confirmation). The newly redesigned website is also easy to navigate and it’s ad free.

In the future, BuyMyTronics will be buying laptops, cell phones, cameras and “camcorders” (I wonder if they’re talking about the huge black cameras from the early 90’s?). This will be interesting to see how they price the dozens of different types of phones and cameras.

BuyMyTronics is the best choice for those who want to get money for their electronics, but don’t want to hassle with eBay. The procedure is simple and you’ll come out with a full man purse.

www.BuyMyTronics.com

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Tags: apple, buy, ebay, electronics, gadget, internet, ipod, money, online, paypal, sell, site, web