Some things never leave my side. For the last 12 months, my IPod Touch has been one of them. I have owned a few IPods in recent years. A small white shuffle and a black 30gb Video IPod and last Xmas the 8gb IPod Touch came live at my house.

Should all reviews contain a fair balance of good and bad? Probably, but I can't think of one bad thing to say about my small black friend. Apple get a bashing a lot of the time but now that the price has fallen below £125, even the usual complaints about cost can't be fired at them. I actually payed almost twice as much as that last year and I still thought I got a pretty good deal.

Where the hell do you start? As an MP3 player, it is excellent. The large, clear display helps you find and manage your music (8Gb is enough for surprisingly more music than you think). Sound quality is excellent, particualarly if you dump the supplied headphones and invest some cash on some new ones (hey look! I found a bad point!).

So what can you do with this little wonder?

In range of your home router, you will be able to browse the web on the supplied Safari Browser. The WiFi connectivity of the Ipod Touch is much underplayed, to the extent that I didn't even think about it until after I bought it. I am a music-head and already own a laptop and desktop PC, so why would I need to browse the internet on such a small device? Well, the next time you are watching CSI on TV and you see a familiar face you can't quite put a name to? Tap the touch and head over to IMDB.com whilst you keep one eye on the TV. You would be surprised how often that happens. Supposing you are waiting for an in important Email? Well, mobile phone email still isn't free all the time for everyone in this country. Pop the Ipod Touch in your pocket and get on with dinner. It will happily beep when the Email comes in and you can have a quick read while the rice boils. This is not a Netbook, this is true mobile internet and it fits in your pocket.

Even out of range of your router, you can still do much. The applications (apps) available for this little machine number over 65,000. There is something for every function and occasion, either free or very reasonably priced (59p anyone?). Out of the box, you get calendar, contacts and notes apps. These are perfect for jotting down a quick memo whilst out for a walk (I do this more often than you would expect) or typing out a quick reminder.

The games are, for the most part, excellent. Several have outstretched themselves and are far too hard to master using the touch-screen controls (Wolfenstein 3D and Terminator Salvation spring to mind) but puzzle and card games will cause hours of your life to fly by.

Whilst we are on the subject...the touch screen controls. Surprisingly good but not perfect. The onscreen keyboard that pops up is ok but don't expect to type 50 words per minute. For someone my age who fumbles inadequately on a mobile phone pad, you will breath a sigh of relief at it's ease of use but I suspect younger/more experienced mobile typists will not be as happy.

Battery life is quite impressive and I understand the 2nd generation touch has improved on even this. The single factor that affects this most is the screen. If the screen is "on", e.g. the back-light is on, the battery will drain the fastest. In my experience, expect 8 hours of music or 2 hours of video before the battery needs a recharge. If you are using apps whilst listening to music, the battery will empty a little quicker.

The recharge takes about 2 hours with the USB cable plugged into your PC but can be done in 30 mins on a dock or wall socket charger.

You do need to treat it nicely. The case is prone to scratching and will soon be covered in fingerprints.

I recommend a decent leather case and if you are feeling particularly careful, a clear plastic sheet protect the glass screen. Scour Amazon for a few minutes and you will find what you need. I will shortly be reviewing two examples.