iPod Touch: Cheap web video, browsing and apps.

i-Phone gets a lot of press. It's smaller cousin the i-Touch does many of the same tricks and may be an excellent platform for elearning itself.

I release a fair amount of instructional videos on YouTube and poke around Wikipedia often so I wanted more than an MP3/video player but am shy to sign a service contract for a new product.

The 'touch is a nice mid-point between buying the Nano which only plays video synched from a PC and the iPhone which requires an ATT cellular fee.

So, for a one-time expense of less than $300, I can play YouTube videos of zoo animals for my toddler wherever there is an open wi-fi network (more and more cafes). I also browse online references using the stunning implementation of Safari. The double-touch zooming was an "aha" moment for me.

The screen and interface are identical to the iPhone, just lacking a camera and cell connection. Key here is that Apple is accepting 3rd-party developers and the 'touch runs all the same applications.

Also, while it WILL play YouTube videos through a dedicated portal, it WILL NOT play flash video right off their web page.

I'm looking next at using this tool with my Google Docs account. Google has ported to mobile devices.

For story time with my inquisitive daughters, this is one step further down the road toward a "A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" as demoed in Neal Stephenson Diamond Age.