Unlocked iPhone vs iPod Touch

The biggest problem is that unlocking the iPhone gives you a good chance of having a bricked device at some point in the future... Or at the very least not being able to upgrade iTunes and get new firmware features.

A good touch has a screen identical to the iPhone.

I agree completely, wifi is just a bonus. The Touch and the iPhone cannot be compared, they cater to completely different markets. That extra 8g sells the touch for me.

I am very happy I decided on the iPhone for what its worth. I have already used the camera, email, calender, dock & plug enough to justify the difference in price. Using as only an iPod right now.

if you want perhaps the best personal media player that happens to be able to surf the web, then get the touch...

That's not accurate at all because, judging ONLY as a media player, in every catagory the Touch is inferior to the iPhone.

Primarily the lack of volume buttons make this one of the worst iPods ever made. While the iPhone comes with physical volume butttons and a special remote headset for controlling playback, the Touch REQUIRES removing it from your pocket in order to do something as simple as "next track" or to lower volume. And also, as a "media player" the iPhone offers an internal speaker which some may dismiss as useless, but low quality audio sharing fits perfectly with YouTube, podcasts or audiobooks.

Outside of that, the iPhone offers several other exclusive features that may pay off in the longterm.
- Bluetooth for future wireless headset support.
- Mic for potential iChat/Skype
- Native apps like Email, gMaps, Notes etc
- Camera
- iPod charger
- Better looking hardware. Shiny is nice for a week. Brushed metal lasts years.

For only $50-100 then featurewise it's a no brainer. But purely as a media player then there's also no doubt that the iPhone wins because Apple worked so hard to make sure the Touch loses.

So personally, I'm looking hard at an iPhone without phone service. Sure there is the fear of Apple going nuts and bricking it but their battle is against using it on other services. Unlocking it ONLY as a media device is something they have never cared about.

Can the iPhone log onto a local WI-FI network as the iPod Touch does?
Thanks.

an unlocked iPhone, with all of its features, is worth the $400. The 16gb touch is not worth $400.....

To you...