iTouch Stinks

The new iTouch is a dud.

i was expecting — like previous iPods — that I would be able to:

• syncronize the device from other programs like WinAmp or SongBird
• have access via a Windows drive mapping whereby I could use the extra space to save files
• install new third party applications

Since the device is technically running a flavor of OSX I was hoping that i could:

• telnet into the device
• possibly run web services over the wifi network device like http or a SQL daemon

No such luck on any of the above.

In fact, it seems as though the point of each successive software update is to cripple the device even further. I recently paid 20 bucks for update 1.1.3 which was packaged with a bunch of near-useless widgets (save Google Maps which was a free download for my Treo 650).

This is essentially my first experience with owning a modern Apple product and I'd have to say it's been a disappointment. The touch screen and web browser are fantastic but the "keyboard" stinks, there's no hardware volume controls, no bluetooth or infrared, and the synchronization is clumsy. I'll be hoping that next time I have the option of purchasing a more open platform.

:(