[miffed]

As I have done so well so far , I have decided to abstain from buying an iPhone 4 altogether , I'll probably jump straight in with the iPhone 5 (or whatever ! ) assuming there is a bit less glass involved.

Another reason I am holding off is the satisfaction that I am getting from the Dell Streak , 1.6 held my attention , then 2.1 followed , and it looks like 2.2 is well in sight now (Beta available now!) , I am really "connecting" with the streak in a way that doesn't happen very often.

I remember saying , in the days when the iPhone seemed indispensable , that I could see myself eventually migrating to an iPod touch tethered to an Android handset instead of an iPhone ...... Well it looks like that day has come !

Using the Dell (or Android , more to the point) has become as natural as using the iPhone when it comes to everyday features like checking mail , SMS's , phone calls - When it comes to reading full page mails , I'd argue the Dell blows the iPhone away , and the same can be said of Web Browsing

...... But , I can't help feeling I am missing out on some things - Seldom does a day go by that I am not told (By TV / Twitter or by friends) of some new iPhone app that has come out , Of course I have an iPad , but thats not the same !

Then there is the Retina display , A4 , Facetime etc ...... Would be nice to have SOME experience of these features ...

So , Friday I bought a 32GB Touch :)

Even with my poor eyesight , I can finally see what the fuss is all about with the Display , and Iwas surprised how much "useful" the screen becomes , even my old eyes are able to pick out detail where before there would have been a bit of a blur ! , unfortunately though this does appear to be one of those things that your eyes adjust to rather quickly , and I now take the Retina display for granted , LOL

The overall styling of the new touch is nice , the "back" doesn't quite "roll" around the edges any more , so there is a feeling of streamlining and "blackness" - Looking at the touch 4G compared to the 2/3G you can almost pick out kin-ship with there respective iPhone models ..... yet when you hold the 3/4G together , there is very little difference at all !
I am interested to know how they are suddenly able to enclose the entire back of the 4G , whereas the 3G has a plastic recess for Antennas ?
I do like the Steel back of the touch , in fact I'd have been happy to have seen the iPhone go in a similar direction.

Probably the biggest addition to the touch, and one that helped my decision to get one in lieu of an iPhone , is of course the inclusion of not one but TWO cameras !!
I find it a bit strange that Apple couldn't stretch to at least the 2MP unit from the 1G/2G iPhone , or even the 3.2MP one from the 3GS ... the one they have included is 960 x 720 for stills and 1280 x 720 for 720p Video , Now I am not one of these that expects a phone to take anything more than "snapshots" , but I think this camera isn't even capable of taking snapshots reliable , a real shame IMO
I am not too bothered personally , after all I'll always have the camera on my Streak (or whatever device I am tethered to ) and the only thing I'll llreally need a camera on the touch for is Facetime, and thankfully the touch shares the same FFC as the iPhone.

One area that Apple have improved on the 4G , is the Speaker , I'd say the one on the new unit is about the same as the iPhone 3G , which isn't brilliant , but is far better than the one on the previous models of touch , which was frankly pointless !

I terms of my "new arrangement" , so far things are working out fine ! I have got "Ping!" installed on the touch , so the wife and I are "SMS'ing" via that , ...at times I forget the touch is not a phone !

I'd like to think that I WILL hold out till the iPhone 5 , but it is possible that using the Touch on a daily basis will make me reconsider ? , we'll see !

[Hands0n]

Nice one. That is such a good example of how to blend technologies together usefully. Something that I have been trying to get off the ground since the early 2000s. My first somewhat successful sortie was with the HP iPaq (I can't recall the model now) that had Bluetooth and was able to tether via my N95, albeit at hideously expensive tariffs.

Now, with the new data tariffs and ease of use of the [Android 2.2] handsets for "MiFi" thethering, the ease of use has increased dramatically. Apple, with the iPhone and iPod Touch have helped drive this into mainstream for those that actually want it.

But don't you find that there are very many people who really cannot see any of the benefits and advantages of the current raft of technologies? They seem not to "get" why anyone would want such ubiquitous mobile data usage when there is a perfectly good PC at home. And often they look at me like I'm a crazy as I explain that I am using my desktop increasingly less than the clutch of iPad, iPhone and Android devices that I have. Really though, if it weren't for my technophile approach, I would be quite happy with a single mobile device along the iOS or Android style and achieve the same independence from the desktop.

Last night, for example, I had the laptop beside me while watching XFactor out of one eye. But all my Tweeting and Facebook'ing was being performed on the iPhone and Nexus One (the Streak was just out of arms reach :D). I note, also, that Ben articulated a complete article on the event (here (https://talk3g.co.uk/entry.php?123-X-Factor-s-opening-night-My-act-by-act-verdict.)) using his iPhone alone. Pop back three or so years and that would have been near-unthinkable.