Congrats on finding a job.
Are you only interested in the Apple I-pod, and not interested in any other brand of MP3 player like Creative, Sony, Panasonic, Microsoft ?
I never owned an I-pod, but owned other MP3 player brands. I recommend a MP3 player that uses flash memory since they're smaller, and don't have any moving parts like a Hard drive based player. The battery life is usually better, and generate less heat. They are usually cheaper, too. But, the one draw back is flash Memory Mp3 players do not have as much disk space. The biggest flash based MP3 player I saw is 16 GB of space. They are also easier to lose because of their small size.
Hard drive MP3 players are good for people who listen to a lot of music like 20GB or more at once. They usually have biggers screens, and buttons compared to flash mp3 players.
What I read online the I-pod touch is a MP3 player that can be used for gaming, listening to music, going online by using wireless internet, viewing pictures and watching video. It uses flash memory. It is basicly an Iphone without the Cell phone capabilities.
The latest Nano can be used to view pictures, video, take pictures, and video.
The Shuffle has no LCD and it is just used to listen to music, but it is very small, so it is good for jogging.
The PSP GO might be a good alternative to the Ipod. It has 16 GB of memory, can go online, play games, listen to music, view photos, watch videos and it's price is competitive with the most expensive Ipod touch that is the 16 GB version for $216+ dollars. Plus, you can add an extra 16GB SD micro card making your total space up to 32 GB.
