The Wonder of the iPod Touch

I've joined the iPod generation.
It was just a matter of time. My wife gave me an iPod touch for Christmas, and, for the last 3 months, I've been learning how to take advantage of this device.

(Photo by: coolgadgetconcept.com)
I can tell you right away that, even though I had tried to keep up on the iPod touch and its cousins, it has exceeded ALL of my expectations!
First of all, I plugged it into my iMac with the USB cable that was supplied, and pushed the “on” switch on the bottom (the only switch there is!). It displayed the default apps screen.
When I turned on the “Mail” app, it looked for and quickly found our household “Wi-Fi” signal; I entered the password and the names of my two e-mail accounts, and it displayed my inboxes listings right away.
The “Safari” app displayed a “Google search,” and I was on my way!
I wanted to try out the “Weather” and “Maps” apps, so it asked for my location. Done.
When I clicked “iTunes” on the iMac, the name of the iPod touch came up in the “Devices” list and it began to synchronize my Calendar and my Contacts (as I had not yet told iTunes NOT to do so). During the next few days, I synchronized much -- almost TOO much -- of my extensive music library from the iMac!
Right now, Dear Reader, you may be asking yourself: What apps did he download? Since I am a flag-carrying news junkie, I began with a series of news apps: CBC News, BBC World News, N-P-R News from National Public Radio in the US, and the local newspaper, The Chronicle Herald.
(Interesting point about the Herald app: When they launched their original app, it did not work well, and attracted a lot of derision and uninstalls. The company went back to the drawing board, re-posted, and can now boast an excellent app, that is, unfortunately, not updated as often as I would like.)
Other apps have been added: CNN (which was very difficult to find), Radio-Canada Informations, and the Chicago Tribune. I would have preferred the Boston Globe and the New York Times, but you have to pay for both of those newspapers on the Internet.
I added “Pages,” a word processor program, where I can read and edit documents, including a selection of my favourite prayers and Bible passages.
Now, back to “iTunes” and it's wonderful world of … podcasts.
Let me tell you that it was difficult to find and select some of these, while others were a snap. I collect podcasts from: “Under the Influence,” and “Rewind,” from CBC Radio; “The Takeaway,” from WNYC and NPR in New York; “Click,” from BBC; “Mansbridge One on One,” “At Issue,” and other podcasts from CBC Television's “The National.”
Other excellent podcasts are, “Comment” from the New Yorker, “The Osgood File,” from CBS Radio, and “Travel with Rick Steeves,” from American Public Radio.
And, just for fun, I have recently added (long title): “Modern Manners Guy Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Polite Life,” which deals with contemporary etiquette.
Surely, you wouldn't want me to display awkward manners while buffet dining, or on “Facebook” or in doctor's waiting room, would you??!!
(I would probably faint from embarrassment -- and, don't call me Shirley!)
I seem to be learning something new about this device each day.
And, it seems, I'm just getting started!
I can open all the apps even while parked in the van in the driveway.
The only strange occurrences I now have to deal with when I park in the garage are muffled “blip-bleeps” from the iPod touch in my pocket, indicating alerts from the news sources!