ipod nano or ipod touch for DCs?

[fatsatsuma]

The grandparents have offered to buy the DCs (10 and 12) an ipod as a joint christmas and birthday present. Given the choice they would both like an ipod touch, but I'm not sure I want them to have unsupervised internet access.

Does anyone have any advice about parental controls for an ipod touch? Or any opinions about the pros and cons of nano v touch?

iPod touches are more fun. Can do more with them and although I do use mine for Internet, playing games etc on the Apps is better.

Ordinary iPod is good for music - think the newer ones have video as well.

You can do more with an ipod touch. The nano is ok for music but the touch is much more fun.

Thanks for replies. Herbietea, do you mean that without that password, the dcs can't access the internet at all? I thought that if there was wifi access, they would be able to get online as you would with any computer? (sorry - am not at all technical, so please forgive my ignorance)

I have heard of parents finding out that their children had been accessing very unsuitable stuff on their ipod touch, and they didn't seem to be able to control it.

Well, running up a big bill would be another concern now you mention it

Anyone else know about parental controls etc?

I found an ipod touch today! It seemed very nice (I'd not seen one before). I phoned the number under the 'home' entry on the contacts though so it's gone home now. Afraid I don't know about parental controls, but I wouldn't be at all happy without them at that age. I do wonder if it's a rather expensive bit of kit for a 10/12 year old? Mine would have dropped it in a pond or lost it or something at that age (not on purpose of course) and then been distraught.

Yes you can put parental controls on ipod touchs - setting, general, restrictions. This allows you a lot of control over the settings of individual apps as well as any music or videos that are downloaded from iTunes, and is in addition to just the password control in iTunes.

The ipod touch is fairly versatile, and can do games, apps, internet, music, video etc. They don't like water though, so worth emphasising that they shouldn't use them in the loo!

My dcs are 7 and 9 and both have them. I discovered the parental controls at the same time as the dcs discovered Youtube:)

Thanks for these replies.

I agree about them being on the young side actually, although all their friends seem to have them, plus mobiles, laptops and loads of other stuff mine don't have. However they've had nintendo ds's for 2 years and have looked after them very well. We couldn't afford to buy them, but the grandparents want to give them a special present and I know this is what they would love.

Ladymuck, do you have to buy the software for the parental controls separately or is an option that is already pre-loaded? [complete dunce emoticon]

It is already on there as part of the settings.

To be honest ipod touches aren't that much more expensive that a dsi (and of course the games are far cheaper, and both dcs can play them at the same time).

Just to add to this thread, the parental restriction feature does allow you to turn off the internal Safari browser.