by James Quetzal

Created on: November 13, 2009

There are many things that you can do to make your Ipod Touch run faster and do more. Below are some suggestions to get you started. Whether you are interested in social networking, texting or games, there is something for everyone.

The first thing to do is to make sure that you are running the latest firmware version. To find out, hook your Ipod Touch up to your computer and go to Itunes. Then go to "My Devices" and click on Ipod Touch. Under the photo there should be a button that says "Check for Update". Click on it and if it says "This Ipod Touch is up to date", you are running the latest firmware version. If it says "This Ipod is not up to date", click the download and install option (note that your Ipod Touch data will get wiped out if you install new firmware).

After you have done this it's time to get some applications! It is best to use a fast Wi-Fi connection so that you do not have to sync every time you download an application. The most important applications to get are a Wikipedia application (such as Wikipanion because it's free). and a Twitter or Facebook application. For Twitter you can use Tweetie 2 for $2.99. If you prefer a free application, there is TweetDeck. For Facebook you can use the default Facebook application.

Another application that you may want to think about is textPlus, which is free unlimited texting over Wi-Fi, or Textfree. Although Textfree is $6, it has a better interface and sends texts faster.

If you want to turn your Ipod Touch into a full-blown phone you will need an application called Fring, which is free. It does a beautiful job of handling multiple IM clients such as AIM, Skype, MSN Messenger and you can even hook it up to your Twitter account. The coolest thing about Fring is the ability to make calls cheaply. Fring can call over sip (Gizmo 5) or VOIP (Skype) and does a good job at it too.

While games are not essential they are a great way to pass the time. Some popular games are Rolando 1 and 2, which are $2.99 and $4.99 respectively. FIFA 10, although a little bit expensive at $9.99, is an amazing soccer application. Gameloft specializes in genre copies such as Modern Combat: Operation Sandstorm instead of COD 4 and Gangster: West Coast Hustle instead of GTA. You may want to stay away from Madden 10 and NBA Live 10 (both $10) which have complicated controls and bad gameplay. Ocarina, although it's a great application does not work properly without a Mike.

These are the basics to having fun with your Ipod Touch. Above all else, remember that the possibilities are endless. If you start with a few of the suggestions listed here, you will be well on your way to increasing the versatility of your Ipod Touch.

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