This is a guest post by Roberto Blake. As many of you know I am not a huge Apple Fanboy. I’ve always said that while their products are high quality that they just are economical for most people, compared to other products that perform the same task just as well. I will however say that I am happy to review the new IPod Touch and say that in this case it is money well spent, especially if you’re a designer on the go. How Does an IPod Touch Help a Designer Like Me?

ipod touch graphic design

This is the most relevant question for most of you reading this. Besides just being a stylish MP3 player, the IPod Touch has several features that will help you as a designer.

1. Mobile Portfolio

If you don’t happen to be lugging around your portfolio but you meet a potential client say in a book store for example, or on the elevator, you can just whip out the IPod and show of your portfolio. It’s not only convenient but it also makes you come off very savvy both in terms of tech and business.

2. Inspiration

Many designers find inspiration from music and often work while plugged into a pair of headphones. Beyond that though I’ve found that with the convenience of my IPod being a decent camera that I can take snapshots for inspiration, whether it’s billboards in Time Square or T-shirts in the mall.

3. Photography

I can’t express how many times I’ve passed something by that would have made a great reference photo for a piece I’m working on and thought “why don’t I have my camera”. For a reference photo, you don’t need something super hi-res from a Nikon or Cannon, so the IPod’s camera is just perfect for this sort of thing. I’ve also used it to get images to use for textures or grunge brushes. The quality really managed to surprise me.

4. Portable Hard Drive

Depending on which version of the IPod Touch you get, and how much entertainment you to have floating around, it can be a fairy decent portable hard drive. There are no major compatibility issues (that I’ve run into) transferring the files from my Mac at work to my PC at home when I use this. I can’t say the same about some of my other Portable Drives (my 1TB Seagate Free Agent Go).

5. Blogging on the go

The quality of the video camera was something I really wasn’t expecting. I’ve found that if you want to blog on the go, or if you happen to see something worth recording that as long as its not night or overly dark that this could be the perfect video blogging tool. Of course I found this out after buying and HD camcorder for that purpose! Added to that it has the ability if you are within wifi range to instantly upload the video to YouTube. You can also get apps that will allow you to upload to your Word Press if you are using that as well.

Conclusion

If you have a few extra dollars burning a hole in your pocket, you can make this an investment instead of just a toy. I strongly recommend it if for no other reason that the fact you can use it as a Mobile Portfolio and Portable Hard Drive. This is also a great way for web designers to see how their sites will look on mobile devices. If nothing else its a great tool for collecting and housing different sources of inspiration to get your creativity flowing!

Roberto Blake is a Freelance Graphic Designer and Writer currently writing for his own blog and various other design and tech blogs. When not designing he consults on Digital Media and Branding through Social Networks.