Where’s the WiFi?
My big Christmas present this year was an iPod Touch. Seeing as how it makes no sense for me to sign up with AT&T, the Touch gives me a chance to enjoy the advancements provided by the iPhone. The Touch is a beautiful device. I love showing off the multi-touch interface, Cover Flow, and the Photo Album. But, to me, the coolest application on the device is YouTube.
Don’t get me wrong, I spend almost no time at all at YouTube.com, so I’m not a heavy user. What is so cool about the YouTube application is how well it’s been optimized for a mobile device. Given that broadband (WiFi) is built in, the application just works, making it easy to find, view, and bookmark videos that fit what you’re looking for. The user interface works well with fingers on a touch screen, and the video playback works perfectly on the iPod Touch screen.
My problem is with WiFi. Sure, I have great WiFi connectivity at home, but if I’m at home and want to watch YouTube, I’m probably going to grab a laptop. I also have WiFi at work, but YouTube on an iPod probably isn’t what I’m focused on during work hours.
There are three places that I really wanted ot watch YouTube on my Touch and simply couldn’t.
Shortly after Christmas I went to a party at our church. No WiFi. No YouTube. A few days later, a gathering of family and friends at my dad’s house. No WiFi. No YouTube. In both of those settings I wanted to show friends how cool the iPod Touch interface was and specifically how powerful an application could be if it were optimized for a mobile interface. No WiFi. No YouTube. No Joy.
Finally, returning from my dad’s house, we got stuck with delays in Atlanta for several hours. Great time to look for entertaining YouTube content to pass the time. Of course, the Atlanta airport has WiFi - for a price. Was it worth $8 to be entertained for some unknowable airport delay time? For me, the answer was no. So, No YouTube. No Joy.
Admittedly, what I’m talking about here is the iPod Touch, not the iPhone. The iPhone does have mobile “broadband” in the form of EDGE, but I can’t imagine that would quite be the cool mobile experience I was looking for either.
(Big Sigh)
I guess I have to wait for the makers of insanely great products to wise up and build real mobile broadband in to their products - broadband that is available just about everywhere I go.
Mobile Broadband. YouTube. Joy.
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Now playing: Andrew Osenga - O, Help My Unbelief