[Zanth]

I'm in a very interesting position at work, they need to spend money and they are letting me buy buy buy! First on the agenda was a nice new 17" Macbook Pro, then a ginormous ultrasharp from Dell (crappy that I need an adapter

) and to round that up, I would really like a PDA. I could go with an UMPC but I don't need full functionality...something that can read stored emails, view a calender, sync where a wifi connection is close by and most of all view some MS Office docs.

One thing that kept me from the 1G Touch was that I really wanted a Graffiti-like interface from my Palm days. Apparently jailbreaking the 1G and installing Sketches permits one to use the Touch in this fashion. I'm not aware of jailbreaking for 2G yet, but I assume it won't be long.

So the big question is... can this little unit read Office documents and moreover can it store them locally? I don't want to go through the time and energy of email/imap garbage to get the docs on there, I'm hoping for a drag and drop solution.

Does anyone know if there is an application available that can bring this functionality to the Touch?

Lastly, I've read that there may be an issue with regular 1/8" plugs and the Touch, or is this only for the iPhone? I want to use the UM2's with this unit.

thanks.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm in a very interesting position at work, they need to spend money and they are letting me buy buy buy! First on the agenda was a nice new 17" Macbook Pro, then a ginormous ultrasharp from Dell (crappy that I need an adapter ) and to round that up, I would really like a PDA. I could go with an UMPC but I don't need full functionality...something that can read stored emails, view a calender, sync where a wifi connection is close by and most of all view some MS Office docs. One thing that kept me from the 1G Touch was that I really wanted a Graffiti-like interface from my Palm days. Apparently jailbreaking the 1G and installing Sketches permits one to use the Touch in this fashion. I'm not aware of jailbreaking for 2G yet, but I assume it won't be long. So the big question is... can this little unit read Office documents and moreover can it store them locally? I don't want to go through the time and energy of email/imap garbage to get the docs on there, I'm hoping for a drag and drop solution. Does anyone know if there is an application available that can bring this functionality to the Touch? Lastly, I've read that there may be an issue with regular 1/8" plugs and the Touch, or is this only for the iPhone? I want to use the UM2's with this unit. thanks.

yes you can do everything you ask on the touch except i'm not sure about the office docs there is solutions to allow you to rdag and drop files onto it even in the apple store there is a type of 'file vault' do thefiles have to be native office docs because it will read PDF absolutely no problems at all. oh and the HP jack problem was only on the 1st gen iphone; fixed on the 3G and the touch only looks like it has a recessed HP jack because of the shape of it. I suppose its in effect recessed but not really and definately not enough to be a worry

 

[jollyeskimo]

You might want to keep in mind that there's no copy& paste, nor is there any way to undo actions to documents if you screw up (or if IT does).

It never bothered me, until today when the backspace button got stuck on a touchscreen glitch, and it backspaced through one of my longer notes while I sat there slackjawed. I still love the thing, but it's definitely something to keep in mind if you're looking for a productivity solution.

 

[nsx_23]

How about a proper smart/PDA phone? Something running WM6.1 would be perfect. I've never seen the point of peoples complaints about WM since its really not difficult to pick up, and its quiet flexible in terms of options.


I use a Samsung Blackjack (i608) for emails, calendar and other similar tasks. Its perfect for the task with a nice QWERTY keyboard to type on, plenty of free 3rd party software. You can also do drag and drop via an external memory card or just bluetooth files over.

With the plethora of cheap smart phones available in the US and Canada, I see no reason why you shouldn't seriously consider one. You've already bought a Macbook Pro, so there is no reason IMO to go for a netbook (UMPC is a different beast).

 

[4EvrChaser]

Howdy,

Yes, there is a jailbreak for the iTouch 2G that has been out for a while. Go to Lifehacker website and type in the search for jailbreak or use the following - Jailbreak: Jailbreak iPhone 2.0 with PwnageTool. As for Office documents check out TextGuru at Apple Apps Store it has the ability of cut and paste.

 

[monolith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4EvrChaser /img/forum/go_quote.gif Howdy, Yes, there is a jailbreak for the iTouch 2G that has been out for a while. Go to Lifehacker website and type in the search for jailbreak or use the following - Jailbreak: Jailbreak iPhone 2.0 with PwnageTool. As for Office documents check out TextGuru at Apple Apps Store it has the ability of cut and paste.

That's for firmware 2.0, not for the second generation of iPod Touches.

The obvious giveaway there is that the page is from July.

 

[tstarn06]

X2. No jailbreak yet for Touch 2G from what I can see.

 

[4EvrChaser]

Howdy Monolith,

Yes, you are right about the jailbreak is for the 2.xx fireware and not the iTouch 2G. I got mixed up between the two

. I have both the 1G which I used the information on the web site to jailbreak and a 2G iTouch.

 

[Zanth]

Hmm interesting. The reason I don't go with a PDA is that I've moved away from using such a device. The T3 was quite useful in many ways but after the battery died out it coincided with a change in my position at work. However, I miss having some information with me. I have a blackberry but I hate using it. Since I have the money to spend at work, I figured I could upgrade my iPod and get myself something that worked nearly as well as the old Palm while syncing perfectly with my Mac. However, if I can't load programs onto the unit yet, there is no point going with one.

 

[Sparky191]

I'm still using phone, palm and MP3 player. If I get a device for all three, it tends to have a fraction of the battery life.

 

[Zanth]

At first, I was very very set on buying a Classic 160, but then I realized, the only time I'm using a DAP for listening is when I'm falling asleep or when I'm at work/school. Buying an external drive and hooking that up to my computer made more sense for those spots where I was stationary. Since I wasn't going to invest in a new HD dap then (since Apple dropped to 120 and shattered my hopes of something in the 250-320 range in the near future) I figured perhaps I would investigate the iTouch. It could be 4x the memory of my Nano, hold documents and display spreadsheets etc while I'm on the go. The few times I need to surf the net, I will have the wifi connection to make it so.

The unit itself is near perfect: thin, nice screen, touch interactive and with some 3rd party apps offers nearly everything I want - handwritten note taking, ssh and office doc viewing. Apple, locking down the system, really curbed my enthusiasm for it. They lost a sale and I'm a fan of their hardware.

I hate carrying around multiple gadgets and I already have a blackberry pearl. I suppose I can keep on using it for the minor things and the Nano for music listening.

 

[batracom]

it is still lacking the "real" PDA software a la blackberry, I would wait and see whether more suitable programmes appear in the App Store before buying...

 

[Zanth]

Until Blackberry is touch sensitive...it too lacks "real" PDA software. A real PDA in this day and age needs to be able to do two things:

1) stylus + memopad = note
2) graffiti-like cursory recognition software

Though the iTouch lacks the second, the first makes it useful for quick notes and the touch pad keyboard makes the graffiti software no longer a necessity.

Of course, RIM is expected to release their touch system soon and when they do, it should obliterate Apple in terms of usability in the workplace.

 

[donunus]

No jailbreak for the itouch 2g yet? any info on this? where should I keep on checking?

 

[shigzeo]

i hope it comes soon indeed.