Cellular connectivity. This is the big seller for me between the iPhone vs the iTouch and it might be something to think about if you are considering purchasing one of these devices (or a slew of them). The iTouch is great no doubt. It has a larger drive for one which is handy and it has the all important WiFi connectivity. BUT unless you are going to be around WiFi networks you can easily access, you may find your iTouch stays in your pocket more than you would like. WiFi is very common now on most campuses, however once you leave campus, WiFi can be spotty. And it frequently is password protected or you have to have a paid account to use it (like in most airports). What do you do then to get online? Yes, the iPhone requires a two year ATT contract which might not be a first choice for people. Nevertheless, with the ATT contract you do get unlimited data transfer and you also get cell connectivity. While the first iterations of the iPhone was on the pokey EDGE network, it’s a lot faster than no connection at all. I cannot tell you how many times I have used my cell connection to get online with my iPhone. I have found it especially useful on road trips and at restaurants, (nice to look up the menu while waiting for table) when one is out of WiFi range, but always in cell range. Many of the webapps developed for the iPhone actually run surprisingly fast because they are really just re-worked javascript interfaces for Safari that serve up the site optimized for the iPhone screen and slower EDGE connections (i.e not full blown executable applications that reside on your phone). This is the gap the SDK will fill. For most of us, we are almost always within cell range and therefore have some connectivity to the wired world. WiFi is not that ubiquitous (yet). (WiMax anyone?) And how often are students and teachers out in the field without a WiFi signal in sight but plenty of bars on your cell phone? Something to think about.

If one is going to pay hundreds of dollars for one of these devices it makes sense to buy one that gives you the most mobile access because that is what is so great about the iPhone. Additionally if you are around a WiFi network, it may very well be in places where you would be using your desktop computer or laptop anyway. But if you all over campus and prefer the portability of the iTouch you can get larger storage, a break on the price compared to an iPhone, no commitments to ATT and many of the iPhone features.

To make the choice of an iPhone even more compelling, the new iphones rumored to out this June, will be 3G network compatible thus allowing even faster online access with cellular connectivity. I'll take my 2 yr contract with ATT (with included unlimited data) for a little more flexibility in how I get my information on the go.

Keene (University of Texas at Austin)