I never opened the iPod touch because Apple charges a 10% restocking fee and while I knew I really wanted that one--I wouldn't have bought it in the first place--something in my mind kept me from opening it.

First it was the whole capacity structure. $199 for an 8GB nano that had video capabilities, versus $299 for an 8GB iPod touch that had that and a little more. (Safari, widescreen, etc.).

However, the main thing I really wanted was the ability to watch videos or TV shows and also to share photos with others. That was the main reason for getting the touch, remember? I was really sold on how you could zoom in on photos, and how nice they looked, big.

The nano on the other hand, did the same just without the zoom feature, and in mini fashion.

Safari and being able to surf the web for real was another selling point that made me want the touch. But I got to thinking, when I'm surfing the web, I'm doing it on my PowerBook or PowerMac. Plus I have a cell phone too. Not the same as Safari, but it gets the job done.

It was so hard to decide. I left the iPod touch in its sealed box and decided to test drive the nano since I was assured with the 30-day policy that if I didn't like it, just bring it back. Upon opening it and loading some multimedia onto it, I immediately fell in love with this one.

It had a really sharp screen!! And if not for its small size, I'd say the images jump out at you.

I thought I was satisfied with test driving the touch at the Apple Store, and at the time, it was the only place--of course--that had it in stock. But now with the nano in my hands, and getting a real feel for it, with my own content loaded on the device, it seemed as big as the iPod touch, if not better. Never mind the zooming, the widescreen, the Safari, or the web apps for the latter.

There's something about being able to have it in your hands, play with it, test drive it, and just really immerse yourself in a product. It's not the same as trying it out for awhile in a store. (Too bad we can't do that with cars, being such an important and costly purchase).

Guess what I did next? Using that rationale of, "you never know until you try" and how my opinion of the nano changed when I got a chance to play with it, I went and bought, later that week... an iPod classic. This was after I had already convinced myself at the Apple Store that it was a complete dud compared to the newest models in the line.

I bought it at the same electronics chain where I got the nano, so 30-days to play!

Now I had all three in my possession. I was content with the nano and really wanted to keep it, but looking at the classic and the touch, felt, "how would I ever know which one was the best if I didn't play with each one?"

So, I opened the classic with the 30-day policy in the back of my mind. It was kind of nice, but seemed clunky because of its size. (When you've got that nano, everything else is "big"). At least it didn't slip out of my hands as easily as the nano could. (Not that I dropped either one of them!).

But then, what about the iPod touch? Would I ever get to, touching, it?

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