My wife wants an iTouch.
The iphone is not really an option due to poor AT&T service where we are.
My questions:
Where are the best places to buy one?
Is a extended warranty a good idea? Is the screen fragile?
What about used or refurb'ed?
Anyone have a good lead on a used one?
I've taken mine to the National Training Center. It was very much in danger the whole time. Several other guys had thiers survive too. I wouldn't buy used but that's me. Honestly don't get the 1st gen it's a waste of money and not much cheaper than the 2nd gen. 399 for a 32gb I think they are 250ish for the 16 and 200 for the 8. My pricing thoughts might be wrong on the smaller ones. Posted with my iPod touch.
Answers to your questions:
They pretty much cost the same everywhere, so just get it from the Apple store and don't worry about clueless salespeople, long shipping times, or shady credit card charges.
The "extended warranty" is a great idea, but only if you are talking about Applecare. Dont bother with anything else. Also don't buy an applecare contract at the apple store, you can get them on ebay for significantly less money, and they work just the same (all you need is the serial to register applecare with, and they can be used for any applicable device). You have a year to get your applecare contract after you buy it, if you let the original warranty expire without registering for applecare, you lose eligibility for it.
Yes, the screens are fragile. Not as bad as the 2g iPhones though (ask me how I know). Get a case for it. Hard cases offer more protection. I really like the Griffin Elan on my iphone, if something like that is available for the touch I'd recommend it. The best prices I have seen on name brand iphone/ipod cases are at overstock.com, oddly enough.
I wouldn't bother with used, you want to make sure you have warranty support, and most importantly retain eligibility for applecare. Apple refurbs can be great deals (My Macbook Pro has been perfect and cost me less than a new Macbook), but make sure you are getting the device you want and not an older version that won't work as well for you.
Good luck!
Get a screen protector and just be careful.
Apple has a really nice anti glare/smudge one it's a two pack for like 14 beans
Instead of buying from Apple, get it through Amazon. Free shipping and no state sales tax 
Good recommendations guys. Thanks for the inputs and keep it coming
Yeah, Amazon is probably a good place to get it. But I would steer clear of a lot of third party Apple dealers like Microcenter or MacConnection, I have really never had a good experience buying Apple hardware online anywhere but the Apple store, but I've also never had a problem with Amazon.
I have a clear polycarb case on mine and it survived bouncing of the tarmac in a road bike crash at 16mph. The clip broke, but the case just got a little gravel rash. The iPod is fine, and it's a 1gen. I agree about buying at the apple store, I have a friend that regularly visits china, and you can't even get them cheaper in the black market stores there. Apple has big time control issues. Don't waste money on the 8GB, get at least a 16.
I got my 8GB from Amazon for $209 at the time, $219 now. Also got the DLO hip case which I really like, it would be perfect if the belt clip could swivel but I still really like it. It also has an inside pocket for your screen cleaning cloth that comes with the iPod.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPod-touch-2nd-Generation/dp/B001FA1NZK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_...
Case - http://www.amazon.com/DLO-HipCase-Leather-Folio-touch/dp/B000WOIFO2/ref=pd_bxgy_e_...
You can get a refurbished unit off of the Apple web site for $159.00 and it comes with a warranty.
I say the screen protector on a touch or iphone is worthless. Its glass and its not going to scratch, unless something really bad happens and its going to get damaged no matter what then. A hard case is nice and may help in a fall, the screens tend to crack if it falls on a corner. www.more-thing.com has some really pretty hard cases.
I agree about screen protectors. I got one free with my hard case, and all it did was make the awesome display look crappy and make it harder to use the touchscreen. It's not a soft plastic ipod, if you do anything that would scratch it you are likely hosed anyway if it isn't in a good hard case. Get one with a raised lip around the screen area to keep the screen from touching the ground when it ends up screen side down and you are good.
I like my screen protector. The better ones give a matte finish, reducing glare. I'm not sure it's necessary, but I do like the reduced glare.
