Since the last time I talked about the iPod touch, I have come to use it much more than I originally intended, and in different ways than I thought I would. The keyboard interface has changed my use of this small portable computer from something I can work on away from home without lugging my laptop to something I just do quick things on, but in doing so, it has saved me a fair bit of time.

My iPod Touch is almost always on standby mode, which means it still eats through the battery with my use if it in a single day, though sometimes much less. Powering the device has become a little bit of a joke for me as I recently took my laptop with me somewhere just so I could make sure my iPod Touch got recharged.

I have started using it for a variety of different things outside of just blogging, but the time savings it has created has made me a bit more productive.

I use the iPod Touch as a watch, constantly checking the time, and comparing it against notes I have made in Notes and To Do’s.

Since the iPod is in standby mode, it is quick to turn on and I can usually check my e-mail faster on the Touch than on waiting for my laptop to boot up, making my boot up time in the morning a bit more productive.

I also use it to check the stock markets and whatnot as I like to keep abreast of what is going on in the economy, especially related to the US to Canadian dollar exchange rate since I am paid in US currency.

I have also been using it as a way to keep active on Twitter, which is something that I didn’t really intend, but the limited typing space for messages makes the iPod Touch a great Twitter interface.

I have also bookmarked various web pages related to my sites statistics and it makes finding out how my sites are doing a one click event, no matter where I am, which has actually let me know about some downtime I had on one of my other sites, long before I would have otherwise realized it.

As for stuff outside of blogging, I have discovered how useful the Touch is for watching videos while on my long walks between my home and a local restaurant where I work sometimes, and I really enjoy lying in bed listing to Last.fm on it, much to my wife’s unhappiness.

I also use the iPod Touch for managing money and groceries, with Grocery iQ and Pennies. Both are great applications, though I find myself not sticking to inputting everything into Pennies as often as I should, though I don’t blame the application for that.

So with my enjoyment of having an iPod Touch increasing, would I now say that it is a great blogging device? Well, no… I would still recommend something like one of the many “netbooks” that are out with a decent keyboard, and maybe a 3G card so you can have ubiquitous wireless Internet access.

Did I mention there are some fun games for killing time on the iPod touch? When I don’t have Internet access, I find myself playing Sudoku, Lux Touch, and messing around with AquaForest. They are all fairly interesting, and great for keeping your mind off how long a walk has taken.

Donators

Thanks again to everyone listed below for their help in reaching my goal of getting an iPod touch.

Ryan Caldwell of College Crunch
Mark Wood, My Cousin
Jeff Chandler of Jeffro2pt0
Chris Garrett of Authority Blogger
Yan Fortin of Geeks are Sexy

Originally posted on October 29, 2008 @ 4:43 pm