Author: Tony Bove
Publisher: Wiley Publishing, Inc
ISBN: 978-0-470-50530-4
After listening to my three children brag about how wonderful the Apple`s iPod Touch is and that I must purchase one, I finally succumbed and treated myself to one on my birthday. I thought my kids would pick up the tab, but no such luck!
Did I know how to operate this marvellous invention and what it does? No Way, as I thought my children would come to my rescue. Well, to be fair, they did give me some basic tips, however, I needed something simple that would instruct me in the finer points of the iPod without confusing me. And that is exactly what Tony Bove`s iPod touch for Dummies delivered.
Divided into six sections, Bove takes you on a step-by-step journey with brief, comprehensive descriptions into the world of the iPod Touch where you learn about all of the basics, exploring iTunes and the Online Store, syncing with iTunes, clocking, locking, personalizing, how to access videos, books, podcasts, the safari browser, social sites, apps, email, searching, organizing your music, videos, podcasts, photo albums, maps, and a host of other topics and tips.
What is helpful about this reference text is that you can easily find the information you need when you need it, as there is an accessible table of contents as well as a comprehensive index. Moreover, you can skip sections and plunge into chapters that are of particular interest to you. As Bove mentions in his introduction, ``I didn't have enough pages to cover every detail of every function, and I intentionally left out some detail so that you won't be befuddled with techno-speak when it's not necessary. ``
Looking at one of the sections that was of particular interest to me, Touching the Online World, Bove provided some excellent advice concerning the Safari application to surf the Web. In addition, I learned how to check and send email, visit my stock portfolio, check the weather. I was also shown how to display maps and driving directions. Another section that I found useful was Staying in Touch and Up-to-Date where Bove showed me where to locate and communicate with friends on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social sites and instantly chat with people, provided you were hooked into a WiFi environment.
The organization of the material is well-conceived and user friendly and throughout there are warnings and tips concerning the iPod Touch. For example, we are warned not to fry our iPod touch with some generic power adaptor. Use only the power adaptor from Apple or a certified iPod adaptor, such as the power accessories from Belkin, Griffin, Monster, XtremeMac, and other vendors. Another useful set of tips are the ones provided in the section Saving Power, where Bove has listed nine ways to save battery power. All things considered, Touching the Online World is both very informative and visually appealing and a must read for anyone who owns an iPod Touch.
Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures
