I was actually surprised at how useful the eReader was. When we went on vacation last week, I decided to download a book from eReader.com instead of buying the print version.

It turned out to be a great decision!

Basically, I created an account at eReader.com. Then I browsed for and purchased a book at eReader using my Apple Mac laptop.

Once the purchase was finalized, the ebook was available on my “bookshelf” at eReader.

I had previously installed the free eReader app from the iTunes App Store. Using this app on my iPod Touch, I accessed my eReader bookshelf, entered my confirmation code, and - voila - my eBook was on my iPod ready and waiting for me to read.

In addition to the eBook that I purchased I added several free eBooks to my bookshelf. Free eBooks basically consist of classics  and new media that authors are offering free of charge. The classics are free because the copyrights have expired. I was able to snag several favorites like Anne of Green Gables, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and Little Women for no charge.

The advantage here is that my iPod Touch is with me at all times - whereas a paperback book is usually not. Whenever I had a few minutes to spare I pull out my iPod, fire up the eReader app and catch a few interesting pages of a good read. The same information with no bulk.

Having coveted the Amazon Kindle, the free eReader app for the iPhone and iPod Touch has provided a much more economical alternative. Sure you still have to pay for eBooks but at least you don’t need to pay for and carry around another device.

I thing the eReader is especially handy for lenghty tomes. Ken Follett fans - you’ve met your ideal match! And yes both Pillars of the Earth and World Without End can be found at eReader.com.

The latest buzz is that the MacBook Pro will see a new case. According to the grapevine the current rectangular aluminum case will be replaced by an updated version. The anticipated new case will have more rounded edges. But the big news to techies is the possibility of easier hard drive access.

That is something I would greatly appreciate as the model I own is from the line of Apple Mac Laptops that were sporting a standard 120 gb hard drive. Even when I purchased it, a little voice was telling me that there would not be enough space. And sure enough - a few years later, my laptop is rendered immobile by the network of external hard drives that weigh it down. A larger hard drive would make my Apple computer much more functional.

But who wants to dig to get to it? Hopefully the new case will solve the issue!

Of course the Mac Book Pro isn’t the only member of the Apple Mac laptops lineup that is rumored to see a revision. The Mac Book may also be getting new duds - and designer ones at that. This notebook computer which is considered to be Apple’s budget line may be getting an upscale fix. The rumor is that the current plastic casing (which comes in black or white depending on the model) may be upgrading to aluminum. Very classy!

In addition, the iPod Touch may also get a spruce up.

Technology these days is like buying a new car. The market value goes down the minute you walk out of the store because you know that an update is on it’s way.

The big question of course, is should you take advantage of the current Apple promotion for education and get the free iPod Touch with the purchase of Apple Mac laptops or iMacs, or wait until the new models come out. And will the promotion still be running when the new models come out - that would be a real deal!

But since all of this is speculation and not fact - we won’t really know until Apple Inc. decides to show it’s hand.

I think it’s kind of annoying as well. But it is necessary.

With the addition of the app store, a lot of content can now be added to your iPod Touch directly. Things like eBooks, notes, and stuff you input. This information is not on your computer.

When you sync your iPod Touch, iTunes now makes a restorable backup. With your device connected, if you go to iTunes and right click on your device in the left sidebar - you will see the option to restore from backup.

If you ever have to do restore your Touch to factory settings then you can rest assured that you haven’t lost all the invested time and information that you have on your device. If you have paid for software upgrades, I would imagine that these would be restored as well (it seems logical, but Apple support would be the place to go for the answer to this question).  I don’t know if you could use this backup if you replace your Touch with a new on or even with the iPhone. That might bear further research.

Apple has a good support document describing the backup process.

In the end, backing up does take a long time. If you add a lot of content to the device it seems that the next sync/backup will be longer. And if there are not many changes then backup times seem to be shorter. And the option of adding a song or a couple pictures quickly no longer exists.

My solution is to get into the habit of syncing at overnight. So, in the morning the iPod Touch is synced, backed up, charged , and ready to go.

Periodically, the Today button becomes unresponsive. It is not available and is grayed out.

If I quit the application altogether and restart it, it seemed to fix the problem. But what a pain!

So I did a little internet research and the best solution that I could come up with was to verify and repair disk permissions. Something that I hadn’t done for quite some time.

So far so good - and I know that I am jinxing myself by saying that.

Would love to hear if this solution worked for someone else too.

I had taken up the practice of setting my device to sync at overnight before I went to bed - so it would be ready to go in the morning.

Also, within 10 days of the release - I took the plunge and signed up for the love it / hate it MobileMe service. Somehow along the way the backup issues dissipated.

I don’t know why.

I still see that the device is backing up when I sync. But it doesn’t take nearly as long.

Thank goodness!

Anyone else still having trouble?

I subscribed to the free trial of mobileme or me.com. I really wanted to put the “push” or what is now referred to as automatic syncing by Apple to good use.

I mean, what is more convenient than making a change on your Apple Mac laptops and having it show up on your iPod touch automatically?

But with all the problems that people are having, my spine turned to jelly. I really would not be able to deal with any kind of data loss - emotionally that is.

This site is called Technology Novice for a reason, after all.

Actually, I thought I would test the syncing thing out with the OmniFocus app. I plonked down the twenty bucks without looking back. It held a promise of order - a stop to the chaos.

But the syncing is driving me crazy.

If I make a change on the computer, I have to sync it to mobileme manually before using the touch to make other changes. And vice versa.

If I am not synced up to the server and make changes on both devices ~ ouch! Some data gets lost on either end.

And remembering to do that sync is tedious.

Also if the iPod enters into sleep mode before the sync is complete, that also spells trouble. So when I do a sync I make sure to keep tapping the surface to keep the device awake.

Is it just me? Are my settings ok? Any advice out there?

And so you see my hesitation in syncing my calendar and contacts. Yeah, I do use backups and things can be restored.

But I don’t have the time or desire to deal with a headache.

I use the iPod Touch as PDA right now. But with the release of the iPhone 3G ~ I have to say that I am tempted.

However after the release of the 2.0 software, my Touch has become much more useful.

I signed up for the free trial for 60 days of mobilme. This service has come under fire because of bugs and glitches that are still apparent. In fact, I have not yet set up the push functionality for calendar and contacts.

Interestingly, it does not seem like I need  mobileme for push email on the iPod Touch, since I appear to get my email “pushed” whenever I am in a hotspot.

I am still trying to figure out the underlying logic and the best configuration for my devices.

One thing that seems to be confounding many iPod Touch owners after the update is the long sync times with Apple Mac laptops and other computers as well. iTunes goes through a backup on every sync that takes a long time. I don’t know if this backup was performed prior to the update, but sync times have definitely increased.

I haven’t found a solution yet. But I know that I will change my habits and do the sync at night so I won’t have to wait for it when I need the PDA on the go.

Please share your experiences with the Apple update.

I, for one, am looking forward to it.

The big buzz this week is obviously about the iPhone 3G. But what seems to be getting overlooked (and what is arguably one of the most useful new features) is the launch of Apple’s new wireless sync-ing service.

And what makes this even better is that it appears that it will be available to all iPhone (new and old) and iPod Touch owners. For a fee - of course.

If you use your iPod Touch as PDA or your iPhone in the same manner, then you have experienced the frustration of having input a new appointment or contact on your Apple Mac laptops sometime after your last sync but before your next one. And then needing that information that is sitting at home on your hard drive when you are on the go.

Apple says that the new MobileMe.com will solve this problem. That alone makes this service the one that I will be reaching for on July 11th.

The 3G will just have to settle for second place.

So Steve Jobs unveiled the 3G iPhone today as expected. My first impression is always “Wow” when it comes to the latest and the greatest Apple devices. And the new iPhone is perfect if you use Apple Mac laptops or iMacs at home or work. The ease of integration is such a big factor. The most useful features of the new iPhone are the push sync features of iCal, AddressBook, and Mail. What could be better? And the ability to sync all your media seamlessly  makes it even more attractive. Of course, these features will also be available to “old” iPhone owners for free and to iPod Touch owners for a $9.99 fee.

On top of all the new features of the 3G iPod (including, obviously, the fast 3G data network) the best news was the price of the iPhone itself was being dropped to $199 for the 8 GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. It seems really fantastic.

But once the initial excitement wore off, a bit of reality set in. And I realized that as much as I love Apple, the iPhone may still not be the right device for me. Why? Well, here are my reasons:

• First, the state I live in has a “hands-free” rule. The one feature that I use most on my current phone is voice dial via my bluetooth headset. Nothing was said today at WWDC about voice dial for iPhone. I would sorely miss the ability to make a call without having to navigate the phone. Is it enough to keep me from switching to iPhone. Not by itself but there are other issues.
• Coverage. AT&T claims to have my area covered. But I know from others that dropped calls on the ATT Wireless network are not uncommon on local roads. Could be a potential source of frustration.
• Insurance. Currently my carrier is Verizon Wireless, which has the best coverage in this area. Verizon wireless offers optional insurance through Asurion on all of it’s phones including smartphones. While I do take care of the devices I own, accidents do happen - and insurance provides peace of mind. In contrast, ATT Wireless does not offer insurance on the iPhone.
• Cost. The price of the new iPhone is definitely more affordable than the old one. But once you add the activation fee, taxes and surcharges, additional text plans, and the voice and data plan itself the monthly charges start to add up. On top of that you will need to spend at least $99 for the me.com or mobileme.com service ($149 for a family plan). I know that any plan on any carrier that has a data plan will have charges that are comparable so this may not be such a big factor if you compare apples to apples. Also, if you use an iPod Touch as PDA, you may still incur the charge for mobileme.com because it seems that you can use this service to push changes through when you are connected via wi-fi. Also, if you are in a contract with another carrier, then you will need to weigh in early termination fees (etf’s) as well.

All in all, I can’t wait to see the new 3G iPhone. And once all the frenzy has died down and the reviews are in, then I will take another look. The biggest pro to me is that it just works with Apple Mac laptops. Any other smartphone has sync issues or requires third party software to play nice. The learning curve, time involved, and frustration factors may be just enough to make me to go the iPhone route.

I love the iPod Touch because it is a media center and a PDA all rolled into one. It is the perfect complement to any Apple Mac laptops. And free to boot. If you have been waffling about getting a Mac you should take advantage of this offer.

Buy a Mac for college and get a free iPod touch. Order online and get free shipping.