Why I Returned My iPod Touch

Image by Mr Noded via Flickr

First of all I was annoyed by having to constantly unlock the screen. Most of the time I wanted to pause the audio or play back the last few seconds of a podcast that I missed. I realize I could have changed the default settings to increase the time before the screen would automatically lock, but then I would be compromising too much battery life.

The second problem was the lack of 3G connectivity. I knew going in the device only had Wifi, but I didn't realized it was going to be as big of a problem as it was. The only place I could use it was at home, which I'd rather be using a regular computer with a faster Internet connection  instead of an iPod touch.

Third was the low quality camera. I know Apple says it can record HD video, but the quality was terrible. I don't know very much about video recording and playback, but I do know bit rate is important. The video I saw was pixelated and grainy. The only good thing about working with video was the iMovie app. I found it simple and effective. Unfortunately that one app was not enough for me to keep the iPod.

Since returning the iPod I'm happy to be back to using my iPod classic. I thought the new version would be bigger and better, but in the end all I care about is listening to music and podcasts. Now I'm thinking maybe I want something like an iPhone, but there is no way I'm ever going to pay the outrageous fees for mobile Internet service or hundreds of dollars for the premium Apple product.

My other idea is to get a feature phone that only requires at $15/month data plan. I currently have an LG phone from AT&T, but I have no option to attach photos to Tweets or Facebook status updates. The interface is also clunky and I have no way of syncing my Google contacts with my phone. So now I'm on the hunt for the phone that will all do this without breaking the bank. I always love a good challenge.