I've had an iPod Touch for a while now, but after some trouble with my 2nd Gen after upgrade to IOS5 I decided to get a newer version. So I popped down to Currys and £239.00 lighter in the pocket I brought home my new iPod Touch.

First thing to say is that it is very easy to set up, and if you've had an iPod before by linking it to your existing Apple ID, everything you've bought or installed before via iTunes or the App Store will be available to you. So it's pretty easy to transfer everything over. The iPod Touch has a lot of excellent functions including linking your e-mail account, iMessenger, Safari and Facetime as well as the music playing facility. I quite often have to spend time away from home with my job and providing there is WiFi access in my hotel I've been able to Facetime my family which makes those times away from home a little less lonely. I've been able to play I Spy with my daughter whilst I was on a train and she was at home (which is interesting and fun) and had some lovely chats via iMessenger. Of course Facetime and the messenger service only function with other Apple products like the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.

One of the best things about the iPod Touch is the availability of Apps. There is pretty much an App for everything (except dooyoo!) so if you like to play games or you need a tool to organise your time or you like to connect to social networks then there'll be sometime in the App Store for you. There is a lot of free content, and 'lite' versions of games which mean that you don't need to spend a lot of money to populate your iPod with content. And it can keep you busy for hours. You also have easy access to the iTunes store and there's plenty of free content there with podcasts and iTunes U (their education site) so it's not just about entertainment but self improvement too.

The great thing about the iPod Touch is that it does pretty much everything an iPhone does but without the call facility or an expensive monthly contract. It retails for almost £200 less than then iPhone so in terms of value for money I think the iPod Touch is a much better option.

There are some issues with this version of the iPod. For a start, the touchscreen is very hit and miss - my 2nd Gen was much more responsive. Also, it does get very, very warm - again I didn't have this issue with the 2nd Gen version. Sometimes I wonder what the processor is doing in there. Battery life isn't bad, but if you play a lot of games or videos then it eats up battery power.

As an interface to your computer, iTunes basically sucks. It's finicky and clearly designed to work in favour of Apple and not the user. Fortunately with this version of the iPod you don't ever really need to connect it to a computer at all, so this is a clear improvement.

All in all the iPod Touch is an excellent little device. It is versitile, fun and user friendly (in the main). And at £200 cheaper than an iPhone it's good value for money.