Portable WiFi Device?

[Shift]

Im off to the states for a while in a few months and i would like to stay online to check emails, footy scores ect.

 

The thing is i dont want to spend a load on a mobile wifi device, £200 or lower idealy, ive seen devices that cost over that, and you might aswell buy a cheap laptop.

 

But for me, i just want something to browse the internet with (without squinting), any other features would be a bonus.

 

Ive been looking at the Sony Mylo (version 2, which is £155 new), and while i know that you cant get one here in the UK that is the sort of thing im looking for.

 

Ive also had a quick look at an Ipod touch, this is my backup plan if i cant find a better device, im not saying the itouch isnt good, id just preffer a normal keypad over the touch pad.

 

Any help is welcome.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Jasper]

The touch pad is fine, and the point is: browsing on an iPod Touch or iPhone is the simplest and best browsing experience you'll find on a mobile device. However, you have some opther options.

 

The PSP has got a browser, even skype included, but the experience is all but great (really, I tried it and it's incredibly hard, clumsy and web pages, like wikipedia, look deformed and odd).

 

I don't know much more about these, but I'm seriously telling you: an iPod Touch is great for browsing. Even though it lacks fysical keypads, it's much faster than any other browser because you're simply pointing and clicking with you finger. I love browsing on it, and typing on a PSP is honestly a no-go. I don't know any other mobile platform that executes surfing so well (and the lack of flash: you won't miss it).

 

I'm not saying this as an Apple-'fan', I'm honestly speaking out of those two experiences. I can't imagen a device driven by keys can surf as good as Safari. Safari is a great browser, even on mobile.

 

I'de stick at that option: the extra's are great, the ease of use is fantastic and the email and safari application are both examples of how it should be done on mobile devices. And, believe it from me, you'll get used to that touchpad much quicker than you'de think, it just requires some learning (that means: trial and error for three days, occassional mistake once in a while after that).

[Shift]

I dont watch that many flash vids anyway, so i cant see that being a big problem, but just doing a quick search i can see that there are addons to get around that 'down-fall'.

 

After looking for other similar devices after posting this topic not many realy compare to the ipod touch, and the ones that do are almost twice as expensive.

 

I can see me buying one, i just wanted to know what my other options were.

 

Just on a side note, how durable is the ipod touch, i plan on carrying it with me in my pocket a lot and i dont want the touch screen to crap out on me, ill probably buy a case for it anyway. But generaly how durable are touchscreens?

[McPhee]

iPod Touch definitely, although i've not found it to be a particularly stable device (the browser crashes a lot!)

 

It's very sturdy though. Scratches easily but it's not likely to brake without some serious force!

[Sanchez]

Theres the Nokia 810 Internet tablet with physical keyboard which sadly comes in at about £250 or the Nokia 800 Internet Tablet without physical keyboard which is £150

[Shift]

The Mylo is more or less what i want, but they currently have no plans to release it here.

 

the ipod touch is my second option, and it might be better due to it having more support and thus more gadgets.

 

So i dont know wether to get an ipod touch now, or wait till i go to the states and get a mylo.

 

Im always open to other options though

[Haver]

I have a 8GB iPod touch and it's a dream device. Browsing is easy, fluid, fast -- I discovered yesterday that BBC iPlayer is compatible, so I watched The Apprentice in the Students Union, with about 40 secs loading.

 

I don't even like The Apprentice!

 

10/10, best gadget I've ever had.

[Shift]

Once youre in a wifi hotspot, how easy is it usualy to connect to the net?

 

Will it just find the wifi signal and be ready to go, or do you need to go ask someone to allow you onto the network?

 

--EDIT--

 

Also now that i know the BBC iPlayer works on it I guess it means ill have to test it in the states to watch Doctor Who on

[Jamba]

Connection will be dependant on the network you are trying to connect to but in general, I've found that they are super easy. Seriously, I've used the browser on the iPhone and it's a total pleasure.

[Shift]

So would i need to ask to get permission to connect to the net when im in a hotel, or would i be able to go to my room and just jump onto the net?

[AeroScap]

So would i need to ask to get permission to connect to the net when im in a hotel, or would i be able to go to my room and just jump onto the net?

 

Chances are they will have passworded it. So when you switch on wifi on your touch you just enter the password which they give you.

 

32gb touch and plenty happy with it though sites such as n-europe might need a lot of zooming and scrolling unlike ones which are built specifically for the devices i.e. myspace, facebook, google

[Jasper]

So would i need to ask to get permission to connect to the net when im in a hotel, or would i be able to go to my room and just jump onto the net?

 

No device that will legably break you into networks, not even an iPod - but connecting is a breeze. If it can't find a network it knows, it asks the moment you log on to select one of the possible networks in the surrounding.

 

The Nopkia internet tablet sounds like a good deal, but honestly - I can't believe any browser experience without a pointing devive could everf be usefull.

[Emasher]

Chances are they will have passworded it. So when you switch on wifi on your touch you just enter the password which they give you.

 

32gb touch and plenty happy with it though sites such as n-europe might need a lot of zooming and scrolling unlike ones which are built specifically for the devices i.e. myspace, facebook, google

 

Haven't been to too many passworded hotels in the states. Sometimes though they have odd things that the first time you connect you need to be in a web browser to accept terms and conditions. Perhaps try to find a hotel right next to a condo or to because chances are you'll be able to find an insecure network there if the one at the hotel didn't work. Had this problem in florida when I vacationed there.

 

I've barely used the browser on the touch, I've only really used if for a minute or so demoing it at an Apple store, but for the time I used it it seemed much better than browsing the net on other portable devices (besides laptops of course).

[AeroScap]

kinda like on the ds. I mean it physically hurts to use the internet on that. I mean the next closest thing that comes sort is a Asus eeepc but between that you are loooking at the full web experience compared to the form factor. Do not underestimate the size of the eeepc though. Type from my iPod I bed btw :p

[Shift]

The first thing i looked at was the DS wifi browser, but after reading a few reviews of it i decided not to bother

 

The ipod touch is looking the favourite at the moment. I dont need one for a few more months, so hopefuly itll come down in price a bit more, not saying its expensive at the moment though, i just like to pay less 8)

[Jasper]

Capacity will go up, prices won't go down - sorry.

[Jackster]

Nokia N800 is a great WiFi device. It's replaced my iPod Touch as my wifi device for a few reasons:

 

1) The iPod Touch's web browser, while great, is too prone to crashing for me

2) The N800's browser is just as good as Firefox on the PC, mainly because that's what it's based on

3) The N800 browser plays Flash

4) The N800 allows you to install your own programs, aswell as do everything the iPod Touch can. ScummVM on the go is great, it even runs The Curse of Monkey Island :-D

[Shift]

Nokia N800 is a great WiFi device. It's replaced my iPod Touch as my wifi device for a few reasons:

 

1) The iPod Touch's web browser, while great, is too prone to crashing for me

2) The N800's browser is just as good as Firefox on the PC, mainly because that's what it's based on

3) The N800 browser plays Flash

4) The N800 allows you to install your own programs, aswell as do everything the iPod Touch can. ScummVM on the go is great, it even runs The Curse of Monkey Island :-D

 

Damn you, i was contempt with the ipod touch till you made your post about monkey island and you got me looking again!

 

Im off out in abit so ive only had a quick look, but as for prices:

 

around £190 for an 8GB Ipod Touch

around £150 for a N800

around £250 for a N810 (£220 is the cheapest ive seen, so far)

 

So at the moment im kinda leaning towards the N810, as its not that much more than an 8GB iPod Touch and it has a proper keyboard.

 

Im sure ill end up changing my mind a few more times befor i make a final choice though :awesome:

[Jasper]

Here's another great thing about the ipod touch: it's screen's resolution is the same as your printer - 160 dpi, making it incredibly sharp and usefull to read text on.

[Shift]

The way im seeing it now is that the Ipod touch is a multimedia device that has the ability to go on the net.

 

Where as the Nokia N800/810 are devices that can go on the net but have the ability to play media files.

 

If you get what i mean.

 

-EDIT-

 

Just done a bit more looking and id be pleased with either the ipod touch or n810, I can honestly say that i have no idea as to what the better choice would be for me, as they both have their strenghs and weaknesses.

 

At the end of the day ill mainly be using this to check football scores, send a few emails and catch up on a few episodes of shows that i have missed by using the BBC iPlayer (every now and then), which both can do (the ipod touch needs an add-in to do this, but its free so wont be a big deal).

 

If im honest im now leaning towards the ipod touch again (as ive just found out it too can play monkey island ), its just a shame there isnt a 10GB model, i have 8GB of music that i want which leaves me with no room for anything else, so ill have to go for the 16GB model which is roughly £210, which isnt that bad thinking about it.

 

Also, will my old ipod bits work on the ipod touch? As I have a FM Radio dongle that I use fairly often.

 

-EDIT2-

 

Just a quick one, is there a way to get skype onto the ipod touch? i know it doesnt have a mic, but can you buy a pair of earphones that have a mic aswell yet?

[McPhee]

Just a quick one, is there a way to get skype onto the ipod touch? i know it doesnt have a mic, but can you buy a pair of earphones that have a mic aswell yet?

 

Not yet. VOIP is already on Jailbroken iPods, but not Skype. Who knows if Skype will ever be allowed to release on the Touch?

[AeroScap]

Not yet. VOIP is already on Jailbroken iPods, but not Skype. Who knows if Skype will ever be allowed to release on the Touch?

 

*cough*

 

http://www.fring.com/iphone/

[Guest Stefkov]

Ipod touch is £199.99 on ebuyer.

...not anymore.

It was, now it's back up at £209 which is the cheapest I've seen it anywhere anyway. It hasn't got the latest update though, with the mail and stuff but you just use the web browser to check that.

I've had it for about a week, I've used the browser plenty times and it's great. I love the dual touch zooming in/out.

[Shift]

Another question to the current ipod touch owners, ive been reading up on the touch and keep coming across the term "jailbreak" which ive since found out lets you run 3rd party apps on the ipod touch.

 

Is this reccomended and easy to do (and legal)?

 

Or does the recent update make it so that these 3rd party apps work anyway?

[Charlie]

 

Also now that i know the BBC iPlayer works on it I guess it means ill have to test it in the states to watch Doctor Who on

 

No you won't, it's UK only.

 

And to add something relatively productive:

 

The iPod Touch really is a great device, if the storage was a little bit more for the price you're paying I would get one as my next music player without a doubt.