To Mini or Not to Mini, that is the iPad Question

I ordered the iPod touch the day Steve Jobs announced it September 2007. I payed $329 and it was worth every penny.

5 years later and you can buy the bigger, better, 2 camera iPad Mini for exactly the same price (in Canada). 

Portability 

The iPod touch is portable. The full size iPad is not. You need a bag. The iPad mini will fit in a jacket pocket.

Retina Display

The iPod touch and the full size iPad have retina display. The mini does not. Once you go retina (or an ereader like the Kobo on Kindle), you really notice those little squares.

Decisions Decisions

So, should you get the $300 iPod touch, the the $330 iPad mini or the $500 iPad with Retina Display (aka 4th generation). Or should you get one of the junkers made by the competition.

Movies

If you will be using your tablet to watch movies, there is a lot of wasted real-estate. So smaller 7 inch tablets would do just fine (unfortunately, no Netflix on the cheap Blackberry Playbook). Unfortunately, the iPad mini keeps the same ratio as the iPad full size, so those black bars will still be visible, defeating, in a sense, the whole point of smaller tablets.

Recommendation

Not knowing your needs or resources, here is my recommendation: Get an iPhone. For kids, a 4 inch retina display iPod touch. If you can afford it, for home use, an iPad retina display (for reading in bed or on the can). The iPad mini fills a niche because it will fit in your jacket pocket. In the fall, winter and spring, you can take it everywhere, just in case. You can use it to show off pictures, for example. The competition has better 7 inchers for less money, but they lack software (aka games). 

If the iPad Mini had retina display, it would be a much tougher decision. But it doesn't. That said, I own an iPad first generation and use if every day (ditto for my iPhone 4s). However, I'm totally counting my pennies to buy the new iPad with retina display. Those little squares are getting annoying.


 

The Littlest Kobo, Traveling Light is Kobo Style: A Kobo Mini Review

The Kobo Mini is the littlest Kobo. And like the Littlest Hobo theme song says, traveling light is hobo style.

Hat tip Chris Tindal for the Littlest Kobo idea.


I bought a $80 Kobo Mini last week. Here is my review:

The good

-It is pocket size (including jeans pocket)

-At only 134g, it feels very lite in your hand (although, factually, it is heavier than the smaller iPod touch 88g or iPhone5 112g, but less than the iPhone4S at 140g or iPhone4 at 137g) 

-Cost: $80

-You can read in direct sunlight. If you can read a glossy magazine in direct sunlight, you will have no problem reading on the Kobo Mini

-Wifi. You can buy books from Kobo wirelesly.

-The battery. I've had the Kobo Mini for over a week and I haven't charged it yet. At all (I set it up wirelessly). In fact, I almost threw out the usb power charging cable by mistake. 

-Reduction of distractions. Reading a book requires concentration. Even in a very good book, some passages will be painfully boring. When Twitter (or this blog ;-) ) is only a thumb press away, you are doomed. The Kobo Mini is for book reading and buying. Nothing else.

-Ease of use and responsiveness. Apparently ebook readers slow down when hot. But in the October Canadian sun, that wasn't an issue. 

-Won't keep you awake. The iPod and iPad screens apparently will interfere with your sleeping. You could easily fall asleep reading a Kobo Mini. 

The bad (aka less good)

-The cost. Even at $80, if you are not a bookworm  it is going to take a while before you pay it off with the relative savings of ebooks (generally $5 to $10 a book less than a paperback).

-Turning pages. For epub formatted books, a small screen is fine (unless you somehow read more than one sentence at a time). However, the smaller the screen, the more page turns. And I haven't gotten the hang of changing pages with one hand yet.

-You need a light. If you have been spoiled by an iPad or iPhone/touch, you will notice this.

-On a plane, you need to turn it off on departure/landing. "There are currently 15 planes ahead of us" is a horrible sentence when joined with "all electronics must be off". That lasted 90 minutes on my last flight out of Newark (because of the rain!).

-You can only read books. The Kobo Mini is a single use device.

-In theory you can transfer books from any estore to the Kobo Mini compatible epub format with software like Calibre. In practice, you won't. So you are stuck wirelessly shopping from one store: Kobo. But the same can be said for Chapters-Indigo monopoly on paper books, unless you like the selection at Walmart. 

-Selection: There is very little cost to stock a virtual ebook for estores like Kobo. So there are duds a plenty out there. Beware.

-Does the screen scratch? I haven't seen one of those keys on screen Youtube videos for Kobo Mini yet, so I'm still wary of having my Kobo Mini in the same pocket as keys or even loose change.

Conclusions:

I would cry if my iPhone was lost/stolen/damaged at the beach. People, apparently, also tend to drop their smartphone in the toilet. So for that, Kobo Mini wins. I can absorb an $80 loss. $700? Not so much. Still, nobody in the history of time has ever had their paperback stolen at the beach. But if you finish your paperback, or it turns out to be terrible, you are screwed. With a Kobo, you probably have half a dozen books already downloaded and you are just a wifi hotspot away from many thousand more.

If you don't carry a purse, the Kobo Mini will fit in your front pocket. So the mini wins over the regular size Kobo Glo. The mini is smaller than the Glo, but that is a reasonable compromise for non-purse portability. A mini glo would be perfect. But it doesn't exist. Reading in the dark on a Kobo Mini is out of the question. You need a good light source.

If you can't decide between a $130 Kobo Glo and a $80Kobo Mini, buy both! The Kobo Glo for home use in less than ideal lighting, a device that won't interfere with your sleep like an iPad. The Kobo Mini for going to the park or beach, where you know there will be sunlight and you want to preserve your iPhone battery for important emails and, well, phone use.

If you don't already have a smartphone, the new iPod touch Retina display is only $300 and 88 grams. With a touch, you could easily buy from 3 stores: Apple, Kobo and Kindle-Amazon. I'd recommend the iPod touch.

But if you already have a smartphone, and your iPad is keeping you up at night, the Kobo Mini is worth the $80. Still, I just wish it had the Glo light feature.

Update: Turns out you can surf the web with the Kobo Mini. Not that you'd want to, as web pages are barely readeable. Hat tip GoodReader.com . More importanly, by playing with the settings, I was able to change the turn page settings: one hand book reading! My nose and but are greatfull. :)

iTunes Canada avec films du Quebec!

La donation sur iTunes

Fini la discrimination chez Apple et iTunes, nous les Canadiens pouvons maintenant louer des films dans notre langue (le français; lien iTunes). Il y a même quelques films québécois dont La donation (lien iTunes)!

Mise-à-jour 23:45: Il semblerait que les gens chez iTunes sont fières de leur coup.

iTunes aux Canadiens français: speak white

****Mise-à-jour 2010-08-03: Les films iTunes sont disponibles en français! ****

"Ce qui est décevant c'est que le contenu est uniquement en anglais! En France ils ont des films français et il me semble que ça ne serais pas si compliquer d'ajouter les film de la France sur iTune Store canadien. Mais si on considère le temps que a mit eBay pour passer en français au Canada on peut croire que dans long temps iTune Store pourrais commencer à sortir des films français sur le Store ce qui diminuerais beaucoup les ventes du service VOD de Vidéotron." (Commentaire de Janvier 2010 sur un article de 2008)

Je ne comprends pas pourquoi Apple manque autant de respect envers la population francophone du Canada. Si Sony peut offrir des films en français sur son PlayStation Store et si iTunes France peut avoir des films en français, me semble que ça ne doit pas être si compliqué que ça mettre des films en français dans le iTunes store canadien.

Ceci-dit, les Belges et les Suisses francophones (ou non) ne sont pas plus avancé que nous, car il n'y a aucun films dans leur magasin iTunes.

Apple, si vous voulez faire affaire au Canada, parlez notre langue!

****Mise-à-jour 2010-08-03: Les films iTunes sont disponibles en français! ****

To ebook or not to ebook

Paper is a relatively cheap way to read stuff. The infrastructure is already there (paper mills, printers, roads, trucks, book stores, lamps, garbage collection, land fill sites), so the marginal cost of an additional  paper book is relatively low.

For many book publishers, the infrastructure to publish and distribute ebooks isn't there yet. So, counterintuitively, the marginal cost of each ebook is relatively high.

From a reader's point of view, here are the advantages of ebooks:

-They don't take up space.

-You can buy an ebook anywhere (and I mean anywhere), any time.

-Popular English language books and classics are easy to find.

-Moving forwards, "out of print" books will still be for sale and available. 

-Price comparison is easy (Kindle Store, iBookstore, Kobobooks, Fictionwise), you don't need to factor in shipping, just the sales tax (Kindle doesn't charge it to Canadians).

-They sometimes cost less than a paper book.

-Easy to transport. You can have your entire library in your pocket.

-No paper cuts, dust, or horrible glue smell.

Advantages of a paper book.

-More selection (especially non-English).

-You can give it away.

-You can show it off (when you are reading it and when you put it on your shelf).

-You can trade it.

-You can loose it without feeling too bad (unlike a $200 Kindle or a $550 iPad)

-You can damage it without feeling too bad (when drinking, eating, using it at the beach or in the bathroom).

-You don't need any special equipment (not an advantage if you already have an iPhone).

-Absolutely no glare.

-Some people think they like the smell and feel of paper books (I don't, in fact, I hate it).
-Many people collect books without finishing them. They may loose that collection joy in the digital format. (This is a pretty week advantage if you ask me, but I've read it in so many forums that it must be true).

-Books don't run out of battery.

I'm an ebook convert. I have the following iOS ereader apps on my iPhone: Kobo, iBooks, Stanza and Kindle. I also read books on my computer, on my laptop and on my TV.

I'm deeply allergic to dust and I move, way, way to often. I also live in a small apartment.

But the number 1 reason I love ebooks is I hate throwing book out. I just can't. It is literally painful for me to do so. My electronic books I can keep for ever!

Ereading options:

Stores: Kindle, Kobo, Finctionwise, jelis.ca, iBookstore.

Devices: iPod touch ($200), Kobo ($150), Kindle ($205 plus tax when shipped to Canada), Sony eReader ($200), Kindle DX ($350), iPad ($550), iPhone ($800), Android based smartphone (HTC: $500). Nook from Barnes and Noble, only in the USA ($150 for wifi only, $200 for wifi with 3G).

I know way too much about ebooks, so if you have any questions about ebooks, please leave them in the comments. I'll respond within 24 hours.

Dignation Proves iPad Wifi Sucks

Ironic that Kevin Rose looses his wifi connection on his iPad (Alex Albreit keeps his on his laptop). In defence of Apple, the ridiculous iPad case may have something to do with it.

Best Infomercial Ever!

If this video had a 1-800 number I would have bought an iPad already.


I especially love the part where the guy tries to convince us the price won't be slashed in a few months. I actually believed him! I also didn't notice the apparent confusion over Flash (the iPad doesn't have it). But then again, Flash will soon be dead.

iPad

Some may call it a glorified iPod touch, and they would be right. The iPod touch is possibly one of the best products ever created. The iPad promises to be even better.



If you like to read or are somewhat of a news junky, than this is the product for you (and me). A Kindle may have the eye pleasing e-ink, but it is only in black and white and Amazon only sells English language books. If you are sophisticated enough for a Kindle or iPad, you probably read in more than just English.

Antidote for ZuneHD Envy

So what does the HD in ZuneHD stand for? Because without an adapter, it doesn't do High Definition. With an adapter you can TV-Out to a HDTV in glorious 720p. That isn't as good as your Blu-Ray player's 1080p, but it is the resolution of many HD TV stations (others are 1080i).

The 3.3 inch screen of the ZuneHD (iPod touch is 3.5 inch) can display in only 480 x 272 (the last number is the important one). That is about the same as an iPod touch (and iPhone) at 480 x 320.

The ZuneHD does have HD Radio capability. But that is HD as in Hybrid Digital. As in cramming as much content as possible into the radio frequency. If you are lucky, especially on the AM bandwidth, you will pick up higher quality radio feeds than analog.

If you don't want a smartphone that can stream Internet radio, and if you KNOW there is HD radio in your area with a station that you want to listen too (that is a lot of ifs), then the hybrid digital capability of the ZuneHD is a major plus.

The 720p to your TV is good if your XBOX, PS3 or computer is far from the right TV and you don't have a Blu-ray player with Internet capabilities. The required dock isn't pocket size, but should probably fit into a large purse.

OLED screens are awesome. The "O" is for organic. And like with food, organic is better... Oh, you want to know why? Um, ah, better contrast and uses less electricity. Better contrast is good. Extra battery life? Well, do people complain about the battery life of the iPod touch? No. People complain about the battery life of the iPhone. And the ZuneHD is not a phone.

Other details are scarce. The browser is apparently IE6 mobile. No flash player for you (not that there is one on the iPod touch).

The ZuneHD is available for under $300 dollars. But only in the USA because Microsoft doesn't like foreigners. Just to be clear: THE ZUNEHD WILL NOT BE SOLD OUTSIDE OF THE USA!

Gizmodo on ZuneHD compatible video formats and battery life.

Face Melter iPhone App

1. Take picture
2. Modify it
3. Send it to all your friends

On your iPhone.

Free iPod Touch with New York Times

Or, to be more accurate, get an iPod touch and read the New York times, anywhere, for free.

Remember Pointcast? It started all the rage in push. Push was, in theory, a better use of limited bandwidth. You set Poincast for overnight, and your dial-up connection downloaded all the information even the biggest news junkie could use.

The New York Times iPod Touch/iPhone app works the same way. Download the online newspaper when you have Internet access, then read it when you don't. Cool. Obviously, you won't read the entire paper, so in theory you are downloading stuff you don't need. But you do that when you buy the Sunday paper as well...

I can't afford Rogers' iPhone prices at the moment. So having the New York Times in my pocket, on my iPod touch, is a good compromise. Getting (ie updating) the virtual newspaper in the morning is a easy as opening the door to pick up the real thing. With my high speed connection at home, the entire paper is downloaded within seconds. I'm not sure how the revenue model is doing, but I do know I have and incredible urge to stay at Westin Hotels (the only advertising you see when you are in Canada).

Rogers Web Site Can Not Meet iPhone Demand

Gee, what a shock, Rogers.com site is unresponsive to iPhone purchase requests.

The Rogers web site, in theory, will allow you to buy an iPhone online. However, since most stores across the country are out of iPhones, people are flocking to rogers.com to purchase the iPhone.

And iTunes is unresponsive to iPod touch 2.0 software upgrade ($10) requests. As the upgrade is necessary to use apps from the apps store, well, it means it is necessary.

(rant begins) I want to spend my money but the world won't let me! (end of rant).

I actually could buy apps from iTunes in advance of actually being able to use them, but that seems silly. I have, however, been downloading the free ones. I want that virtual light saber!

-iPhone 3G Sold Out

Update (2008-07-11, 18:15): Ted Rogers is a greedy evil bastard! You can not get the 6GB iPhone 3G deal on the Internet.


LIMITED TME OFFER
3G Smartphone Data PlanAdd a 3G Smartphone Data Plan to a Rogers Wireless Voice plan.
Monthly Fee
$30
Data Included for E-mail and Internet Use1MB = 1,024KB 1GB = 1,024 MB
6GB
Additional Data
50¢ per MB for the first 60MB, 3¢ per MB thereafter
3G Smartphone Data Plan is only available on a 36-month data term. Activations on Blackberry devices apply to Blackberry Internet Service only.
The 3G Smartphone Data plan is available on all 3G Smartphones including:
iPhone™ 3G
Nokia N95
Samsung Jack
Palm Treo
Motorola Q9h
HTC TyTN
This offer is available by calling 1 888 ROGERS1 or by visiting your nearest Rogers retail location.

iPhone 3G Sold Out

iPhone 3G sold out in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

---------

Update 2008-07-11, 15:27. The iPhone 3G is sold out in Moncton, so I'm going to go on a limb and say the iPhone 3G is sold out in Canada. End of update.

---------
The Japanese are already lining up for Saturday's shipment!

So far so good, freedom 35 here I come. (I have Apple shares).

In the mean time, I've downloaded iTunes 7.7 so I've been browsing the appstore. But not on my Apple touch as the iPod touch 2.0 is not available yet. I've been clicking on "check for updates" like a maniac!

The iPhone 3G only goes on sale in 3.5 hours in Moncton (10AM), and I'm not going to be stuck in line without a copy of Super Monkey Ball.

Few Cell Phones Sound as Good as the iPhone 3G: New York Times

Imagine that, according to the New York Times' David Pogue and Edward Baig of USA Today, the iPhone 3G sounds great. On the down side, there is no hover craft ability. That is a down side: you can not walk on unfrozen water with the iPhone. Sorry.

According to Cnet, there are three hands-on-reviews of the iPhone 3G. Yes, I did say three. I'll hunt later for any non-English/non-American ones.

Anyway, the best written one is by David Pogue of The New York Times. The best video is by Walt Mossberg of All Things Digital (aka Wallstreet Journal) and the best pictures are by Edward Baig of USA Today. If you have Flash, you can see the USA Today iphone pics here.

There are some minor gripes such as 3G dropping in New Yorks' outer suburbs and some skyscrapers blocking GPS in Manhattan (yeah, I live in Moncton, go f*** yourself). The reviewers point out that the App store will be the killer application (killer as is good) and will be available on iPhone 1 and iPod touch. So if if the lineup for the iPhone 3G is more then two hundred deep, go have a beer and come back (much?) later.

On the other hand, you can't really talk to anybody on your iPod touch and you can't talk and surf with the Edge/GPRS only iPhone 1.

Update (2008-07-09):
More reviews:
-Times Online
-Radio Suisse Romande RSR.Ch (in French): The Internet, taking pictures, GPS, email, SMS and contact searching are all faster on an iPhone than on a Nokia N95.
-L'iPhone 3G en fait plus pour moins cher (Metro France). Metro France a nice video for those of you who may be linguistically challenged. The GPS feature alligned to Google Maps: "C'est bluffant". I had to look that up (we don't use that term in Canada), but that Parisian urban slang translates to "amazing".
-Marie-Antoinette Crivelli: «J'ai testé l'iPhone 3G, il est phénoménal»Le Matin Online -
"Best cell phone ever!"
-LePoint's Olivier Bruzek thinks the iPhone is an indispensable, revolutionary device.

Australians Finally Get TV... via iTunes

I feel a special kinship with Australians as I'm up during their day (Moncton's night) thanks to my Horrible Information Technology (HIT) job. So I'm happy to report (thanks to Gizmodo Australia), that Australia is finally getting Television!

Well, to be more accurate, they are fianally getting pay per view television via iTunes. Assuming there are honest Australians willing to pay for what they could otherwise steal on the Internet for free, this is a great day (or night, if you are in Canada and care about Australia).

When you think about it, paying for TV shows when millions of your countrymen watched the same shows on TV for free is a bit odd. If you had the right cable channels and knew how to program your VCR (or digital video recorder), you wouldn't have to buy the shows.

However, if you are like me, wide awake at 4 am, then pay per view via iTunes is a Godsend. Even though I have access to the Comedy Network, and a DVR, I completely missed Sarah Silverman's situation comedy. I like it enough to have bough both seasons and downloaded them to my iPod touch. I can watch them when I'm on the move (or at work), or if I'm home, I can plug in my $64 overpriced-but-essential Apple Audio/Video composite cable to my TV and watch the shows as they originally aired (ie, on TV).

Obviously, the shows on iTunes Australia will feature more Crocodiles. By the way, it would be great if iTunes would make available Australian shows on iTunes Canada. That way I would feel like less of a tool for paying hard earned dollars for something I could have watched for free. And based on the Australian versions of Next Top Model, Temptation Island and Big Brother, Australian TV has a lot to offer. ;-)

To open your mind to international popular culture, you can start by comparing the international versions of Big Brother here (not suitable for most workplaces).

PS. If you are in Australia (don't you people have your own blogs?), you can go here to fork over your Aus$59 to Apple to get the essential cable to turn your iPod touch or iPhone into the smallest and quietest living room media player ever.

I want an iPod touch / iPhone projector

First, Apple makes me wait until July 11, 2008, before I can buy an iPhone. Then this company brags about an iPod touch / iPhone projector with absolutely no way to buy it. Argh!

I love renting movies and buying TV shows from iTunes. Unfortunately, the iTunes /Quicktime combo is too hard on my computer and they don't play as smoothly as they should. I could (should) upgrade computers (brand new one at Wal-Mart will only set you back $300), but I've been loosing so much money on the stock market (thanks Google, Apple and that stupid oil wholesaler that I chose at random), that my budget is pretty tight. Besides, buying a new computer to watch movies/TV is crazy.

So I almost got an Apple TV ($250). But that strikes me as buying a computer to watch movies/TV, and that's crazy.

And they play perfectly on my iPod touch. iPod touch and iPhones have a cool TV out feature. Not so cool is the required wire. It is $60 plus $6 for shipping. $66 for an RCA cable! On the plus side, it includes a USB power adapter, but if you have an iPhone fist generation, you already have one of those. You can get a component (HD) version for the same price. The irony, of course, is that component inputs are seldom available on newer HD monitors (mostly HDMI inputs now days).

As you can't download HD content via iTunes anyway unless you have an Apple TV (well that makes perfect sense... NOT !), I opted for the $66 Apple glorified RCA (composite) cable. I haven't seen the wire anywhere else. I know it is hard to believe, but you need the Apple version, nothing else works.

That is, until this. With this you don't even need a monitor. A wall would do just fine. So cool. Not sure if it actually works without the Apple wire though. And anyway, it isn't available for purchase yet.

IPhone 3G: It's not world peace, but it's close

Yeah, Yeah, I know it is just a cell phone. But man. Think about it, right now there are 5000 "developers" (ie, computer programmers) in San Fransisco learning about the iPhone platform (and the Mac).

 

This article from Computerworld is a bit over the top, but it is a good read: IPhone 3G: It's not world peace, but it's close

 

It is better to find a need and then develop a product, but we wouldn't have microwave ovens with that mentality. More often than not, we try to match the technology to potential needs. That clearly is the case for the iPhone. 16 years ago the World Wide Web was born, now we need it on the bus?

 

Anyway, web applications are old news. Ironically, the programmers in San Fransisco are learning how to make programs for the iPhone that don't require Internet access. I guess the "dumb terminal" model, even when it comes to cell phones, is dying. To use the vast majority of the new applications that will be developed as a direct result of the World Wide Developers Conference, a simple iPod touch 8G (retailing for $278 at Future Shop) is all you will need. (The iPhone 8G retails for about $785 in Italy without a contract).

 

 

iPhone available in only 6 countries, most popular in France!

The world is a big place, yet Time magazine's invention of the year, the iPhone, is only available in 6 countries: USA, France, the UK, Germany, Ireland and Austria.

Now, granted, we should be used to unavailable gadgets, Finland and Sweden don't market their products in Canada before they are successful in Scandinavia. And the various versions of the Japanese Walkman took a while before they crossed the Pacific.

Still, as we are subject to so much media from the United States, it is tough not being part of the chosen nations (ironically, the Irish, instead of being happy about finally getting the iPhone in March, are actually angry that it is now cheaper in the UK).

In November I predicted the iPhone would be a huge success in France. "Huge sucess" is hard to quantify. Still, the 8gig version is now more expensive in France than anywhere else, and yet when you factor in it's November release and the number Frenchmen , it is more popular there than anywhere else, including the USA! So I was right!

Feel free to contact me about my international market insights. My rates are cheap and satisfaction is garanteed.

And if Apple and Rogers ever do sell the thing in Canada, I submit they will have plenty of success in Quebec (especially if marketed with the Fido brand). Dito for the other romance countries. But for the love of goodness, Apple, please allow me to make a $ dollar sign using my Apple touch French Canadian keybord. When I press on it now, a Euro symbol appears. The other problem is that I can't make «French quotation marks». Anoying.

Please Make Your Blog iPhone and iPod touch Compatible

Provide a link to Youtube or use Dailymotion
I just realised something. If you provide the link to your Youtube video in addition to embedding it, you make your blog usable with an iPhone or iPod touch, which are not Flash Player compatible. Youtube has made their site compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch. So by simply providing the link to the Youtube video you are embedding, you make your blog usable by users of the iPhone and iPod touch. If you don't, they just see a question mark where the video should be, no link or anything.

If you embed a video hosted on (the way more permissive) http://www.dailymotion.com/ , a link, accessible by iPhone and iPod touch users, will automatically be provided.



iPhone Dailymotion Version
envoyé par Dailymotion

Everybody Touch the iPod touch

I've been afflicted with a bad case of Apple evangelism. I want everybody to get an Apple iPod touch. It is completely irrational. If there was a charity dropping theme from planes over Africa, I'd be contributing to it.

I'm still not sure most people want (or need) the World Wide Web away from their home and work computers, however. And indeed, the mobile World Wide Web is the main reason to get an iPod touch. An even then, it will only be as mobile as your local Wifi networks. And no Flash player capability.

Still, the ability to purchase music from the throne (mobile itunes store) is the killer application that people should try (granted, you could do that with a laptop as well).

Any way, the following commercial doesn't feature a toilet...



Note the possible confusion: you only need one iPod touch to do ALL those things.