How to Set Up an Apple iPod Touch

The Apply iPod Touch may carry the iPod name but in truth, it has very little uncommon with any other iPod in history. The email, web browsing, games, instant messaging and access to thousands of third party apps, the iPod Touch is practically a pocket sized computer. Setting up your first iPod Touch can be both exciting and a little intimidating. To make things a little easier for you, I'm going to walk you through some basic set up tips. Okay so first step, make sure you have the latest version of Apple’s iTunes software. It's free. It's both Mac and PC compatible and you can find it by going to cnetzonedownload.com. Even if you already have iTunes, make sure you're updated to the latest version since iTunes 09 or later is required. Next, connect your Touch using the included cable to one of your computers USB ports. If iTunes isn’t opened already, connecting the iPod should launch the program and kick you into a set yup assistant. Here is where you can name your iPod and designate whether you want the iPod to automatically sync in your music and photo collections. Checking these is the right way to go if you have a modest sized media collection and you want the easiest way to just load up and get going. Leaving the boxes unchecked means you'll need to manually select what music and photo’s you get added later on. Either way, don’t think about this too hard because you can always change your mind later. Now we come to the iPod summary panel. You can see the name and model of your iPod here allowing options for how your iPod syncs media from iTunes. For the iPod Touch, I recommend hitting the check for updates buttons since some models don’t shift with the latest OS. Apple may charge you on $5.00 for the update but it's money well spent. Another thing to note here is that if you check the manually managed music and video’s box, iTunes will no longer push music and video on to your iPod automatically. Instead, you'll need to drag selections and playlist from the library and on to your players icon. Some people prefer this direct control but most users tend to leave this unchecked and let the iPod go automatic. On the top edge of the window, you'll find a selection of tabs for your iPod including the current summary page, applications, music, movies, TV shows, podcast, ITunes University content, photos and info. In each of these tabs, you get to decide what media from your iTunes collection gets transferred to your iPod. For example, on the music tab, you can decide to sync your entire music library or just the specific playlist, artist and genres listed below. When you're happy with the selections, hit the apply button on the bottom right corner and iTunes will start moving your music over to the iPod. Okay, so now you know how to manage your iPod Touch in iTunes, let’s also look at some ways you can personalize the Touch using the selections on the device itself. The backbone of what makes the iPod Touch so great is the wireless internet support. Many apps and features rely on the WiFi connection, so let’s set that up right now. Click in the settings, then select WiFi. Assuming you're at home or have access to a WiFi network, switch the iPod’s WiFi on and select your preferred network from the list. If the network is password protected, you only have to enter the password once. And the iPod will remember it and automatically connect you from here on out. While we’re in the settings menu, it's worth pointing out that there are also options for Bluetooth audio, audio EQ presets and parental controls that can restrict the type of music, videos, or game content that can be purchased on the device. Setting up the email is relatively straight forward. There are custom options from most major internet email providers but you can also set up any generic POP of INAT email service. Another thing people want to do right off the back is browse the iTunes music and video store or download apps and games from the app store. You can find icons above the iTunes store and app store right here on the main menu. But both stores require you to sign in with your iTunes account log in and password which is of course attached to your credit card. If the Touch is a girt to your kid and you're not comfortable having your credit card involved, you can scroll down to the bottom here and redeem iTunes gift cards as a way to enable purchases. So there you go, some handy tips on setting up your first iPod Touch. For cnet.com, I'm Donald Bell.