what does bluetooth do for a touch?

well, if u have bluetooth, u can use wireless headphones that use blue tooth and you can also possibly wireless sync.

 

It depends on the include protocals. Potentially Bluetooth can be used for wireless headphones, gameplay with other devices, keyboards and mice (iMac), file transfer, and syncing with cell phones. Give the Touch a mic and you might be able to use your cell phone via bluetooth. The Samsung P2 Touchscreen is a great example of Bluetooth potential.

 

will we have to pay for this new "rumored" feature?

 

Not as long as it's only a rumor. Jobs is notoriously greedy, so I wouldn't be suprised to see him charge $1.99 or more for a patch to enable it.

 

If they enable bluetooth on the installed chip, and that is a big IF, I think we'll likely see it in a big firmware update which also includes other requested features such as copy/paste. Just like 2.0 expect that update to be in the $10-$20 range.

BTW I say IF because I'm not certain it'll ever happen. I read somewhere where somebody made a point that up until this point apple has made a good amount of money by "certifying" certain products to be used with the ipod. However if they were to open up the bluetooth chip on the touch they'd be opening up the possibility to allowing the owner to use thousands of products that apple can't make money off of. I think its a low ball way of going about things but then again this is apple we're speaking of, the same people who charge for updates to their products even though those updates sometimes include nothing more than a store that you can buy more stuff from them.

 

Speakers!

I would use bluetooth for bluetooth enabled speakers!! I think the bluetooth headphones are hideous. I've only ever seen the ugly wrap around kind.

 

Well I'd like bluetooth so I could connect my bluetooth GPS receiver and then hopefully there will be a TomTom or some other turn-by-turn GPS app.

 

I think that this chip may not be a fully capable bluetooth chip.. it may me modified just for Nike+. The only reason I think they would do this is to make the chip much cheaper and easier to put in the new iPT. However, if it is a fully capable BT chip.. maybe they're waiting to reach a Nike+ sales quota? Nike must have something to do with this.

 

You have to pay a little more for better looking/sounding bluetooth headphones, but I've got two pair that were easily worth the money I paid. One even came with a bluetooth adapter for iPods.

JBL Reference Series 610
Sony DR-BT50

 

I do like the JBL ones. I guess I haven't really dug into finding nice ones. I guess it's a good thing I have a first gen touch. I don't have to worry about it

 

The bluetooth chip only works with Nike+, not headphones. Did you see this article?

 

I was afraid it was just for Nike+... but even the Endgadget article isn't so sure. Personally I doubt it is full bluetooth, but that doesn't mean anything substantial, like that article.