iPod Touch Even Better With Upgrades

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The iPad may be the darling of the gadget world, but trust me, dollar for dollar, the new iPod Touch is the sleeper pick for small-business technology from Apple.

Every once in a while, Steve Jobs and company really does deliver on the Apple hype circus. The recently upgraded so-called fourth-generation iPod Touch is one such Cupertino homer. (Yes, you can spend $399 for the 64GB version, but don't -- the $229 8GB version is more than enough.)

This new Touch sports a better screen and cameras and support of Apple's new multitask-friendly iOS 4. And while this really is just an upgrade for the existing iPod Touch, in total Apple has addressed many of the previous shortcomings with using the Touch for business use. In a little over a month on the market, the upgraded unit has earned my newfound respect as a productivity tool.

WHAT YOU GET

The new iPod Touch is as close to a perfect in-pocket productivity tool that exists on the market.

Look beyond all the for-games-only marketing to the kids. When loaded with the right apps and wired to the Web with a fast Wi-Fi connection, the iPod Touch is a robust, easy-to-use tool. The iOS 4-enabled, multitasking iPod makes e-mailing, calendering and running your business apps much faster. Pre-installed Apple software such as Mail, Calendar and Notes is more robust, as are third-party tools such as Skype mobile, Print n Share and Textfree. You will like the image quality of the FaceTime two-camera video system and find it to be a good video conferencing tool. And unburdened by AT&T's patchy cell service and assuming a good Wi-Fi connection, Web access was excellent.

But the real work winner here is the new Retina 3.5-inch, LED backlit screen. It is not only significantly cleaner and brighter than previous Touch models, but has about four times the resolution, which really makes finicky work apps such as LiquidPlanner remarkably easy to use.

And as a news reader, say, looking at CNN.com or FOXNews.com, the screen zooms well and information is surprisingly easy to consume.

Do it right and the iPod Touch is a heck of a business tool.