1. No wall charger!

After years of buying non-Apple stuff, I never knew the iTouch would come WITHOUT a wall charger. It comes with a USB charger to hook up to your computer. So if you’re not on the comp 24/7, make sure you haggle with the salesman to throw in one or wait for a sale. Dang thing costs around US$35!

2. You NEED iTunes

Especially if you don’t have the wall charger and your computer, you’re screwed if you travel. So either acquire the wall charger or you’ll have to lug your comp to whatever exotic destination you go cos you’ll need it to charge and sync your stuff.

3. You NEED a screen protector and protective case

Although the iTouch is beautifully metal, it can be very vulnerable to scratches. So far most packages come with a screen protector and a case (usually silicone, which is safe and not that PVC crap) – both of which would probably cost US$20-35 if you buy them separately.

4. There is no printed manual with your box

You’ll have to troubleshoot online like I did if you need help with anything. So if you have no Internet access, you’re screwed too. You can download it from their website but troubleshooting it took needless hours which could have been better spent.

5. Restarting it requires you to press both buttons (there are only 2 pressable ones)

Press till the Apple pic appears. Then you’d have saved a trip to the Apple service centre.

Final Tip: Before you buy, look out for deals that give you a:

a) Wall charger (in addition to the USB charger that comes in the box)

b) Protective casing (look for PVC-free ones)

c) Screen protector

Happy Podding!

Here are the reasons why I bought it:

1. Unparallelled video and sound

Now, I cannot claim to have tested every model of every brand, but trusty blogs and review sites have rated the Touch the best in video and sound output. My brother even let me test run his Touch (not to be removed from his home) and the video was remarkable.

2. No toxic crap in or on it

Here I mean there are no phthalates, PVC, or any toxic chemical crap in it. Apple has championed the environmental cause and tells you exactly what is NOT in the Touch.

3. It’s so darned pretty

There’s just no arguing with it. Every other design just looks… well… unpretty next to it.

4. Free apps (and games)!

From their app store you can download (legally) free games and other useful apps. And the paid ones are pretty reasonable compared to mobile games.

Those 4 were rather compelling reasons to get it. Next post will cover what to note when you want to buy it.

If you think I may have crossed over, I did promise my Lenovo that I would never ever replace it with a Mac.

So I surfed over to Nokia to check. According to a 2002 Nokia Environmental Report (PDF), a phone is made out of 20% ABS-PC and 4% PC. PC = BPA and BPA messes you up bad, even minute amounts.

Bisphenol A has been known to leach from the plastic lining of canned foods and, to a lesser degree, polycarbonate plastics that are cleaned with harsh detergents or used to contain acidic or high-temperature liquids. While most exposure is through diet, exposure can also occur through air and through skin absorption.

Good news is there’s no lead or PVC in them Nokias, but they really need to work on getting rid of polycarbonate (PC) in their phones. If they have, I couldn’t find it on their site. Anyway, I emailed them for clarification. Let’s see what they say.

1. Pay all your bills online

You’ll save time and fuel paying online than standing in a queue for hours and later eating a fuel-guzzling meat patty on processed bread and trans fat-filled fries, then taking a fuel-guzzling cab or adding your weight to that piece of public transport home (costs less if you weren’t on it). Plus tell the billing company to stuff that monthly bill and send it to your email – save trees!

2. Watch your DVDs on your computer

Stuff that 50 inch widescreen HDTV. Well, who needs it anyway when you have your 21″ LCD computer monitor attached to your laptop, which combined, are so much more fuel-efficient. In addition to saving much money from NOT buying the TV, running an LCD monitor uses much less electricity than a CRT while using a laptop uses a LOT less electricity than a desktop (plus all those kickable parts – that’s how I broke my final and very last desktop – actually my chair did).

3. Book your air tickets online

They’re even cheaper online than offline. I swear! I haven’t called a travel agent in years. Then again I haven’t gone for a holiday in about that long so never mind. Not travelling. That’s green too.

4. Shop online

Aside from shipping that puny little thing you bought online and the 4 hours worth of electricity you’ve spent on browsing, you saved money and fuel utilised, from travelling to the mall, eating at the mall, travelling back from the mall with snacks you never intended to buy and the puny little thing you could have bought online.

5. Chat with your friends online

People actually spill more when typing to a pretty avatar. Didn’t you read MSNBC’s article on how bikinis turn men into boobs? It is hard enough to catch up with friends nowadays. Everyone is so busy with their lives. Plus chatting online relieves some workplace boredom and loneliness so it’s really good for morale. Tell your boss that the next time he catches you chatting to your friend who was also fortuitously online at the same time.

6. Turn off your screensaver

It saves your screen but no less electricity than when it is on. Turn off your monitor at the switch. That’s just as easy and you burn more calories doing so that if you just walked away. Seriously. Don’t believe me? Check out Mr Electricity’s authoritative website on saving electricity. He knows physics. He’s my new idol.

7. Turn it off when not using

The myth that it uses more electricity to start again than leave on has long been debunked. So turn it off and give that computer a rest already. Plus in case someone sits at your desk and tries to login to your computer, he or she will have that evil BIOS password to contend with. If you haven’t installed one already, what are you waiting for!

And for all the couch potatoing, let’s go take a walk round the block and stretch that achy back. It’ll save a fuel-guzzling trip to your masseuse.