By now everyone has heard of an iPod. It’s the digital music player that has transformed the world of digital music. You have also heard of a smartphone, a device that now has as much functionality as a gaming, information, and web surfing device as it does as a telephone calling device. An iPod touch is a small device the size of a cell phone. It can play music like an iPod and it can surf the web like a smart phone, but it cannot make phone calls.

The iPod touch can run apps from the iTunes store. There are over 150,000 apps to choose from so you can do just about anything with these mini-programs. You can play games, watch your calories, check the weather, take notes, read a book, get a recipe, and much much more.

Although you can use an iPod touch anywhere, when you want to access the Internet on the touch, it works off a wireless network. So be sure that you have wireless in your home, office, or the places you visit before you purchase a touch.

I reviewed an iPod touch 3rd generation model with 8GB of storage, which sells for $199. The other models have 32GB and 64Gb of storage and sell for $299 and $399 respectively. While I really liked everything about the 8GB model, including the price, I cannot recommend that you buy one. You see the 8GB model doesn’t take full advantage of the new OS 4 operating system. The 32GB and 64Gb models do. Yet, they are a little overpriced right now.

Also, if Apple sticks to their normal roll-out schedule, there will be a new iPod touch coming some time in September. So it might be worthwhile to wait and see what they have in mind for this year. My suspicion is that they will at least add a camera to the touch and perhaps will also make it a little larger.

To learn more about what the current iPod Touch has to offer, read my full review at the Hardware Secrets website.