iPad

In the week leading up to the arrival of my iPad via UPS, I was second guessing my decision to buy it out of the gates. Not that I didn't want the iPad, I just wasn't sure what gadget gap it would fill.

As it is I have a laptop, a MediaCenter PC, an iPhone, and a Kindle, I wasn't sure where the iPad fit in. After 24 hours of intense use, the kindle is to the curb, my laptop is jealous, and the iPhone is glad it has phone (barely) capabilities. For all the reasons I like the kindle the iPad provides the same benefits plus the added value of a fully functional computer.

Some minor issues

1. Apps are more expensive, app creators should produce free trials with upgrades or time based trials. At the higher price point, I'm less likely to "try" an app for the first time. (Show me the value first)
2. Apps built for the iPhone just don't have the right experience for the iPad. They work, but the iPad specific apps are far superior. 
3. Limited number of Apps and an even more limited number of free apps.
4. Sharing it, it's a great coffee table product, however to be a true family device, it should allow for multiple logins plus a generic guest user.
5. Screen glare; pool side or outdoor use could be an issue, i plan to test out multiple screen covers. (Kindle has the advantage.)

Surprises

1. Battery life, the iphone did such a great job of lowering our expectations that the battery life is on par with it's claim. We'll see how it holds up over time.
2. Typing is easy, not as fast as a keyboard, but faster and easier than an iPhone.
3. Speed... it moves fast, fast transitions, fast downloads, it's fast.

Why is it a game changer?
The biggest impact the device will have is with the family room aspect that the device enables. I no longer have to leave the room or bring my laptop to the family room to read email or check scores, i simply grab the magazine looking thing on the table and pull up the info. 

Bottom line 
The iPad, is a great device that enables people to consume content more easily and naturally. If you use a laptop on your couch to check email, browse the web, or check out news via a news reader OR if you browse the web and watch TV at the same time, the iPad is definitely something you should consider. 

Well, the Apple is finally out of the bag today as the mythical "iPad" is unveiled.  But did the public receive the news as Steve intended?  Was the "shock" good, bad, or ugly? Perhaps it's too early to tell whether the iPad will be a success or failure because time is needed to see how things look when the dust settles.   But, it's not too early to discuss first impressions... so here's the 'skinny' on the iPad.

The Good:
-It's thin and light... only 1.5 pounds, 10 inch screen, and only .5 inches thick.
-LED back-lit Multi-touch screen & long battery life (10 hours estimated)
-Built-in Wifi, and 3G enabled (with a compatible sim card)
-Runs most ipod touch/iphone apps, built-in bluetooth
-Built-in Speakers, Microphone, headphone jack, mp3 and video functions
-The price is lower than expected, starting at $499
-External keyboard compatible


The Bad:
-No wide-screen display (despite what the Apple website says, 1024-by-768 is NOT wide-screen)
-Internal Battery, and having to use a dock connector to charge.
-1Ghz processor is pretty underpowered these days.
-No DVD, CD, or Blu-ray drive.
-No HDMI output
-No Camera (means no photo or video capture)


The Ugly:
-The iPad does not run a full operating system... it runs apps, like the iPod Touch & iPhone.
-It's dependence on custom hardware accessories like camera connection kit, video output adapters...etc.

The Roundup:
Ok, I'm just going to say it. Ready? Here it goes:  While I think that the iPad can serve many functions, I believe that it's pretty much just a large iPod Touch.  I'm sure that many will try to dispute this fact, but if you really stand back and look at all of it's features (runs apps, internal battery, needs to be docked to another computer to upload/download data...etc) I think you'd agree.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing... but I think that most people expected it to be a standalone computer that could run the Apple OS and compete against other Laptops.  It's dependence on being able to just run apps hinders it's ability to reach it's full potential.  Sure, there are apps out there to do office work (iWork) and other useful stuff, but then the iPad is also limited by it's 1Ghz CPU.  Any way you look at it, it's just not as powerful or useful as a full fledged computer.  It's more like another  fun "toy" to play games and kill time with.  With that said, if you already own a pod Touch or phone... is there really enough of a reason to get this thing?  I'll leave that up to you to decide.  As for me, I find it a little bit disappointing (just saying!).

One thing is for sure though, the low introductory price for the wifi only version of the iPad ($499) will definitely set the standard for tablet pc prices... and that's a very good thing indeed. It means that if competitors want to successfully sell similar products, they may have to sell theirs for even less.  Whatever the outcome (success or failure),  Apple has changed the market of touch-screen tablet devices forever.

I had made up my mind during the 2 months or so between the announcement of the Apple iPad and its release date that I was not going to get one, or so I thought. I figured the UI would be fantastic as it was running the same OS as the iPhone but with a bit more horsepower and my iPhone 3GS was a pleasure to use, jailbroken with multitasking. The key feature, or lack thereof, that swayed my decision was the fact that just like the iPhone, any video you wanted play from the device locally first had to be converted to H.264 (MP4 or m4v) and I loathed the idea of having to convert anything that I wanted to watch from my 2+ TB's of video that is all either MKV or AVI. I would be using the device primarily for the 45 minute train ride (each way) to and from work so playing local video was a big deal for me.

Then the week before launch came and I started reading all these reviews from media members that got the device pre-launch to review it and I started wanting one. The Apps, the screen, the battery life, the speed, everyone was raving about how smooth it was, not to mention how gorgeous the device is, and I found myself dying to play with one.

I woke up Saturday morning around 8 am and was on my way to McDonalds when I passed by a Best Buy and noticed a pretty small line, I couldn't help myself, I pulled in and got in line. 8:45 am and 6 people ahead of me. An hour and a half later I was back home and excitedly ripped the shrink wrap off and opened the device.

Powering it on I was amazed at how beautiful the screen was and then the first major disappointment hit immediately. You have to plug in to iTunes before you can use the device at all. This seemed really odd for a device that requires no activation and, at least from what I gathered, was supposed to challenge netbooks and destroy all other tablets yet it cant even be turned on for the first time unless you have a Mac or PC and iTunes installed.

I shrugged it off, plugged it in, went through the initialization (about 3-5 minutes) and I was immeditaley rewarded with a beautiful display and a super fast home screen. The OS is so responsive its amazing. I spent the rest of the day streaming Netflix, ABC, music, playing with Apps, surfing the web posting on Twitter (tweetdeck has a killer UI for the iPad) and for the next 12 hours played with the device non-stop. The Picasa Web HD is also a pleasure to use, displaying all my web albums in an interface very similar to that of the stock Photo app with pinch to zoom working just as well and extremely responsive. It's rather amazing to take a snapshot on my Droid, upload to Picasa and instantly look at the photo on the iPad's wonderful screen. Straight out of the box, no charging, the device lasted over 12 HOURS!! I was absolutely blown away, I finally went to bed around midnight and plugged it in to power with the battery at 8%.

Over the past week I have used the device heavily everyday and I am still very happy with my decision and the device. I set the last 2 seasons of Californication and 2 movies (The Big Lebowski and A Serious Man) to convert to m4v on my home media server and using Handbrake the process was not as much of a pain as I though it would be, put them all in a queue and let it run overnight.

I purchased the 16GB model and it held both seasons, both movies and still had 5GB's free, these were all 720p MKV files and I was pretty impressed that I could store all that with room to spare. On the train the video was breathtaking, even when the sun hit the screen it was easily viewable, my laptop screen would get completely washed out when the sun hit it.

Using it at home is so convenient as well, I can sit back on the couch and easily surf the web while watching TV or watch a video with the headphones on while my wife watches her TV shows (which I usually hate). The fact that, like an iPhone or iTouch, the device is always on and springs to life when you hit the lock button is so much nicer than waiting for a laptop or netbook to boot up. It really sets this apart, I am now going to the iPad for things I used to have to boot up my laptop for and its a much nicer experience.

Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely do not believe this is a laptop replacement, but the list of things I can't do on this that I can do on my laptop is much shorter than I thought it would be. The lack of flash has not popped its head up for me yet, I dont play flash based games online, youtube has its own app (which is awesome by the way and much nicer than on the iPhone or Touch) and sites like ESPN and Vimeo stream and play video with no problems.

The keyboard was another pleasant surprise as in landscape mode I can type pretty quickly using all fingers just like on a regular keyboard, not quite as fast but much quicker than the two thumb or hunt and peck method.

I, like many, wish the device was able to multitask as for something so fast it is a bit ridiculous that I have to completely close and app to use another. However, this will only be a problem for another 4-6 months as OS 4 announced yesterday that they are bringing multitasking to the iPad in the fall.

Another glaring ommission is a front facing webcam, I understand not putting a regular snapshot or video camera on the back as this device is to big to use as a camera but a front facing webcam would have made a HUGE difference, the ability to hold a video call over Skype on the iPad would have been awesome. Considering this model is WiFi only it baffles me as to why a webcam was not included, Ustream and a few other apps exist for the iPhone to broadcast live video so clearly this device is capable of it yet Apple decided to leave one out.

However while I have been very happy with the device and glad I purchased one, I can see this not being a home run for a lot of people. If you dont have time to watch videos outside of your living room, or are perfectly happy browsing the web on your current laptop or desktop, this device is definitely more a novelty. If however you do watch videos away from home or have a lot of photos you are constantly sharing nothing currently available even comes close. The speed, responsiveness, screen and battery life on the iPad are unrivaled.

The most important thing to remember, is this is a 1st Gen device, next years model will no doubt have more features and be a step up. Also, the reason this works so well is because it is a tightly controlled experience, many people have complained about Apple's strict policies in what users can and cannot do with the device however if this were a free for all, it would perform like windows mobile. The iPad has yet to freeze up, restart or get even the slightest bit sluggish on me, all things that happen somewhat regularly on my Droid. It just works, and the experience doesnt change no matter what you do with the device.

It's difficult to write a review of a product that I've never used, but I'm so excited about Apple's iPad, that I couldn't help myself.

I will admit, I've been watching the rumors of the iTablet/iSlate/iBook/iPad for months, and I got swept up in the predictions that this would be the Magic Do Everything device.  So when the actual iPad was finally revealed, I was initially disappointed.  However, after some time to absorb the details, as well as take the price into account, I can't wait to see how the iPad takes off.

The iPad is not about "specs" or cramming as many phone and laptop features into a single device.  The iPad will create an entirely new product segment.  What impressed me most is that Apple went in and re-imagined all of their core software to work with the iPad.  Unlike previous tablet attempts on the Windows side, where hardware manufacturers try to slap a touch screen onto a Windows device that was designed to be used with a keyboard and mouse, the iPad is created with the touchscreen in mind as the primary input/navigational device.  This is what makes Safari, Mail, Calendar, etc so much more exciting and approachable as tablet applications.  Additionally, the Apple Store's enormous success on the iPhone shows that there are tons of talented developers out there who will continue to make the iPad even better with software designed SPECIFICALLY for the iPad.  I'm already drooling at the possibilites....  imagine a DirecTV application where you can browse the programming guide from your iPad to schedule upcoming recordings or selecting shows to watch immediately on your TV (not to mention, stream shows recorded on your DVR directly to the iPad).  In fact, why not use the iPad as most kick-ass remote control ever?  Or imagine a micro-biology textbook with embedded 3D models that you can rotate and zoom with pinch and swipe... or even by tilting the iPad.  I'm sure the iPad's huge screen and multitouch capabilities have got developers drooling in anticipation as they download the latest SDK.

What really convinced me that the iPad is going to be successful is my Dad's reaction to it.  When I first asked him about it, he didn't really even know what I was talking about.  I tried to explain it to him, but he still wasn't really convinced.  But when I showed him the demo from Steve Job's presentation on how it could be used to replace books and newspapers, as well as the impressive MLB application, I could tell he was quickly gaining interest.  

I think the initial disappointment that has been voiced after the iPad announcement is really more a result of what we wished the device would do.  But what's really exciting is all the things the iPad will do that we haven't even thought about.  Just give the developers a bit of time to work in this new playground and the iPad will eventually be as commonplace as the coffee-table book.

Sorry, @babymama, but I can't wait to give Apple more money!

People who know me know that I like screens. I have five screens at my desk at work and two in my home office. I learned a long time ago that I was more productive when everything is visible and I don't have to switch back and forth between applications. I often quote this Microsoft research that says you are 9 to 50 percent more effective with multiple screens so my IT department will let me have another display. So, when I was presented with the opportunity to buy an iPad, I thought of it as another way to make me more productive.

After an exciting morning at the Palo Alto Apple store, I fired up the iPad and began "being productive." I was truly amazed at the speed and sharpness of the images. Like the iPhone, I naturally knew how to move the screen, change pages and navigate. The biggest moment occurred Sunday morning when I opened up the New York Times on the iPad. I had the device in front of me as I ate, like the paper, and I was able to click through and quickly find stories, like the Web site. Consuming media was much easier and enjoyable from my couch without my fire-hot MacBook Pro on my legs. Facebook is a lot of fun when you are casually browsing it on the iPad. My iPhone screen is too small to navigate Facebook well (even with the app) and my laptop is awkward. I'm sure I'll consume a lot of media with the iPad and enjoy it more.

My experience with being productive went very differently. As soon as I started to write email messages, everything fell apart. I only have two days using the keyboard, but it is completely impossible to type on at a decent clip. I don't look at the keyboard when I type and I have to rest my fingers on the keys. With a touch-sensitive keyboard you can't do that. Your fingers have to hover above the keys and there are no physical cues to guide you. The keyboard experience is exactly like that of your phone - you can type if you watch the keys and you can only type short messages. The only answer is a physical keyboard. I'm happy to see that Apple has that coming soon.

The device is a brilliant work of art that I believe will set the bar for any company that wants to compete in the tablet space. I've had it for two days and it is already changing the way I consume media. Unfortunately, I'll have to do my content creation on the laptop. The good news is that now I have a sixth screen for my desk.

This review is also published at:
http://blog.travismurdock.com/2010/04/consum...-ipad-media-device.html

Last night i just got the 32G iPad.

First off, I'll leave all the detailed fawning over the coolness of this thing to the fanboys, but will say it is super cool toy.  I just want to play with it. 

But here are my issues with it.

First off, you can't even turn it on until you connect it to the apple store to buy their products... called... duh... iTunes.  When you take it out of the box there are 3 simple instructions to make it work... step one is sign up for iTunes.  To put this in perspective, can you imagine the uproar if Microsoft wouldn't even let turn on one of their machines until you sync'd it with their ecommerce platform??  It would be crazy... i think we'd have a congressional subcommittee formed, a special prosecutor assigned and televised antitrust trail... not to mention the angry mob outside the Microsoft headquarters calling for Bill Gates' head.  But with Apple... it's all good.

Second, typing is an issue.  Travis Murdock feels the same way.  But also, the size of the device makes it tough to hold it and type with your thumbs.  It's kind of awkward.  Laying it down and pecking at it with 2 fingers seems to be the best way to type.

But I'm still giving this thing a very high rating because it's VERY fun and I'm looking forward to using it to browse and watch a lot more content than i do on other devices.

Ok, Steve Jobs woke me up for this... I was already on the way to bed and man, the man launches an iPad? iPad?! Seriously? What's the date? Jan. 27? Why Jan. 27?

Revolutionary? Well, I'm sure it's revolutionary... well, at least the way I've to relearn to type! I can type pretty fast on the keyboard now, I don't think he demonstrated how fast someone could type on an iPad! I hope it won't be a major source of frustration! We are supposed to be ready for the March launch of community sites, right? iPad won't do even if I were to get it for a Valentine's gift. I'm a little slow... in learning new ways to type, I mean!




So, what are the specs?
9.7 Inch IPS Display
10 hours battery llife
Thickness - 0.5 "
Weight - 1.5 pounds
Price = $499  ....... CooL!!!

Ok, never mind about the typing problem. I'm getting it!

Launch date? Late March! Bummer!!!

Well, at least I don't have to retrain & brush up my typing speed for the Lunch community launch! ;-)

So, let's see what it's all about! :-)




I'm not sure if I really like the name iPad! 
We had iPod, iPhone and now iPad! All iP/s... sounds like intellectual properties! ;-)
I must admit, Apple ought to be a little more innovative in naming it!

Two years ago a rumors about a revolutionary device began to spread -- it became the most anticipated piece of technology and it was code named "iSlate"

Fast forward and today we get our first look at the matured version of the iPod touch -- iPad. (Okay, the name...well it stinks, but consider some alternatives: iPed, iPid, iPud?) The iPod is all grown up now and boy is she pretty.

This is only a partial review since I was only allowed to play with it for about an hour -- but I did acquire a load of information that may help you if (and when) you decide to get one.

--  The iPad runs the same OS as the iPhone -- with a well-developed OS it should be reliable out of the gate.

--  It features a large, on screen keyboard -- this can cause discomfort after an extended period of time, so Apple will also offer an optional physical keyboard.

--  It will be standard Wi-Fi with optional 3G coverage - and the best news about 3G is that it does not require a contract with AT&T.

--  It will run all iPhone apps with double the pixels - this makes the visuals better than expected. In full screen mode, the games look amazing.

--  It will feature iBooks and allow you to adjust every aspect of the page, text, etc...  It also has iWorks so you can create your own documents.

So now that we have discussed its software, let's move on to hardware, shall we?

--  It is an astounding half-inch thin with a 9.7-inch IPS capacitive touch screen and weighs 1.5 pounds.

--  It has a speaker, microphone, accelerometer and compass, together with Bluetooth 2.1 and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

--  It is powered by a 1GHz ARM-based Apple A4 processor with a 10 hour battery life.

So now the real question: How much will it cost?

There are three versions to choose from: A 16GB will cost 499.00; A 32GB will cost 599.00; A 64GB will cost 699.00. If you want the high-speed 3G connection...add an additional 130.00 to each unit with a monthly data plan.

It will be officially released in the U.S. in March and no confirmed released date set in the U.K.

It is exactly what we expect from Apple. They weren't targeting the tablet market or making a new laptop...they were going after the products like Amazon's Kindle and B&N's Nook. With that said Apple produced a far superior product with only a slight mark up in price. If you can only buy 1- an Amazon Kindle, B&N's Nook or the iPad, which do you buy? Hands down it is the iPad.
 

The ipad will sit on a charger/stand in my Bedroom dimmed out  at night, with merely the clock /date displayed at night.  The dimmed screen will act as a nightlight. Morning comes too soon, and the alarm rings. After pushing the virtual "Snooze" button a couple of times to get the extra few minutes sleep, I push the virtual "Dismiss" button and get up.  The clock disappears and iPad displays my favorite photograph of the day and plays Pandora music while I get ready.  After I get cleaned up, i take the iPad downstairs and read New York Times while I have breakfast.  The screen quality is so good I dont even need my reading glasses for it.  The is no bootup time.  I like that.  Oops ... I spill some crumbs on the keyboard.  Except there is no keyboard.  It is just a screen that I just wipe off.   And the things is soooo beautiful it just feels organic on my hand. After breakfast, I set the iPad on a charging stand on the living room wall, where it will display a random family Portrait. I forget about the iPad and go to my study to work on my iMac and unloved PC.

Dinnertime.  I am going to have a friend over tonight.  So I take the iPad and set it on the kitchen counter. I find a recipe on Chilean sea bass that wowed her before.  I set the iPad on a stand and watch a show on it while cooking.  My friend comes over, and sees my new toy.  She is more impressed with my new toy than my cooking ... hahaaa.  After dinner, we snuggle at the sofa.  I show her some videos we took on a recent ski trip on the iPad.  Yea, I look good down the bumps ....  up until the awesome wipeout !  

We talk about a new book she heard about at work.  We find a review of the book on the iPad.  She'll get that book for sure, but she'll have to get her own Kindle for it if she is too cheap to have an iPad instead.  As for me, I don't really read too many books.  I'll read my magazines on the iPad.  Something tells me the Sport Illustrated swimsuit edition will look better on it than on the Kindle. 

I heard about the games that are coming for the iPad.  But i doubt if anything will replace the Wii for me.  But who knows, I can change.  

Apple introduced its iPad this past week and in doing so helped me make a decision as to what device I was going to purchase to fill the need that I was going to try to fill with either a netbook or an e-reader, or both.  Thankfully they hit a home run with their introduction of the iPad.  The 1024 X 768 IPS display means that my iTunes library will be useful on a device without having to strain my eyes to watch the videos on a small low resolution screen.  It also means that I do not have to re-transcode the videos that I have already ripped from my DVD collection.  That fact alone had been keeping me from buying an iPod Touch for portable media viewing.  I had also been considering purchasing a nook from Barnes & Noble Booksellers because I love to read and carrying a back pack full of the books that I am currently reading is also not practical.  I do not care for the e-ink displays, combine that with the natural way that the iBooks application turns the pages, and the low light readable display, and it makes the iPad the ideal choice for an e-reader.  

I am hard on the electronic devices that I own.  My laptop has the scratches and dents to prove it. Apple with their machined aluminum and glass enclosure made a device that looks like it can handle the rough care that I would give it.  It also makes for a device that just looks good.

There were two things that I felt were let downs at the introduction.  The first was there was no multitasking.  This is something that can certainly change and hopefully Apple will listen to the people and make this change before the device ships, there is no reason that the A4 processor should not be able to handle doing a few tasks at one time.  The second was the limited internal storage.  I have a large iTunes library and even the 64GB version will not hold everything.  I would have liked to seen an SDXC card reader built into the device to allow for future memory expansion, the fact that they will make a $30 Camera connection kit that will allow transferring of files from an SD card is good but not quite what I am looking for.  This is also something that can change but it probably will not change before the first units ship.  Both limitation are something that I can work around and as such are not deal killers.  

The biggest complaint that I have heard in all the negative reviews that I have read has been the exclusion of Flash.  To be perfectly honest the exclusion is something that brings delight to my heart. Flash content on my MacBook Pro sends my CPU into fits and starts the cooling fans spinning in such a way that it sounds like a Harrier trying to land on the flight deck above the shop that I worked in on the USS Essex (LHD-2) while I was serving my country in the United States Navy.  I do not play Flash games and there are alternatives to watching Flash videos online.  The lack of Flash support is a plus in my book sorry Adobe, but I have to be honest here.

I will be purchasing an iPad the day that Apple sends me the email letting me know that I can order one.  Looking back I can honestly say that I have wanted a tablet computer since I first saw the concept of one while watching Star Trek the Next Generation back in Junior High and High School. The fact that the iPad is an elegantly designed tablet that will serve up all of the media that I can consume brings me joy in knowing that ideas that come from fiction do occasionally become reality.  

This is pretty cool, my brother just wrote up a cool review on how Contractors and other Salesman can use the ipad. Here it is: 

As the resident geek at DiggersList, I was excited a month ago when Apple announced it was going to be introducing a new revolutionary product by the end of January. My friends, it is here:

Introducing Apple’s new “iPad”. For those of you who are wondering what this means – or why you should care – as a contractor…the team at DiggersList has compiled a list of the top 5 ways we think contractors can take advantage of this new technology!

1. In the field sketching / note-taking: Sketching out plans, dimensions and equations on the fly is an integral part of the construction process. For this, the iPad opens up a whole new world of possibilities for accuracy, convenience and organization. This tablet can make sketching a plan out as easy as touching the screen and drawing with your finger. Need a calculator? Flip on over to the calculator application. Need to jot a few notes? Flip on over to the notepad application. Then, when you are done – just click save, and move on with your day. There will most likely be tons of applications that you can download that might make the process even easier. Sweet!
2. Portable credentials: How many times have you been bidding on a job and been asked to show some credentials? The iPad could easily turn into your on-the-road filing cabinet. Keep important documents like your certificate of liability, bond, license(s), worker’s comp – basically anything that you might need when out in the field or bidding on a project, all in one spot.
3. Mobile Professional Portfolio: Nowadays, people want proof of how good you are. They want to see photos, videos, maybe even testimonials of past customers. What better way to showcase yourself than with your iPad? Show customers slideshows of your work, your website (or your DiggersList profile, wink), videos … get creative! Apple is renowned for it’s products’ abilities to create cool looking presentations, so take advantage of it and get some more jobs!
4. Digital blueprints: Many contractors have gotten into the habit of bringing their laptops on the job to reference digital blueprints and plans. Well laptops, the iPad has just one-upped you. Already with Apple’s smaller touch interfaces, you can zoom in to minute details, rotate images, even edit on the spot – all with your fingers. And it’s fast! We can only imagine the cool new ways that a larger screen will allow you to interact with and share your plans on the job site. Paper is indeed a thing of the past.
5. Work radio: Yes, this is an easy one – but if you’ve worked a long job before you know how important it can be. The iPad tablet will have tons of media options. Listen to your entire library of music or browse to an online radio station. Even download free applications like Pandora (check it out: http://www.pandora.com/), and create your own radio stations! The possibilities are truly endless. On a lunch break? Surf to hulu.com and check out the latest Family Guy while you chew your pizza.

Needless to say, DiggersList is super excited about the iPad. Aside from a semi-goofy name, we think this hi-tech badboy has a lot of potential in the construction world.

For the rest of the story. go to: http://blog.diggerslist.com/2010/01/27/5-way...lp-you-as-a-contractor/

People forget, especially the Apple fanboys, that not all of Apple's inventions have been received like the iPod, and I suspect the iPad may well be one of these because it doesn't seem to solve any particular problem. Many manufacturers have tried and failed with tablets over the years - it's like the Afghanistan of hardware - so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

What exactly is the iPad, except for Saint Jobs' latest spectacularly-poorly-named gadget?

• Is it a business tool without a webcam?
• Is it a phone that needs a suitcase?
• Is it a web tool without Shockwave and Flash?
• Is it a 1Ghz CPU with no multi tasking?
• Or 802.11n without wireless synching?
• Is it an integral part of a home theatre system, with only 64GB (half the biggest iPod??) and no HDMI?
• Is it too small to be a TV, but too expensive to be a photo frame?
• Is it too big to carry around but small enough to forget and lose?

The obvious potential market seems to have been filled with netbooks, which haven't exactly set the world on fire. And then there's the Amazon Kindle battle - so already I can't buy my apps outside of the app store, or my music outside of iTunes and I now have get my reading from iBooks? I mean, does anyone in the Justice Department do anything anymore?

The Apple convention in San Francisco this week has already jacked up the smugness level of an already-quite-smug-thank-you city to a level not seen since Obama got elected. The number of people clutching iPhones in one hand and an organic Fairtrade no-whip chai soy latte in the other while trying to find their keys to the Prius is just choking the streets.

It's not just that I despise Apple and generally quite hate San Francisco, which I do - it's more the fact that there's zero sense of real invention anymore. We have no curiosity or sense of adventure. How about working out nuclear fusion or discovering what's at the bottom of the ocean? Or curing cancer? Why do we need endless consumer entertainment gadgets that do nothing more than fan the flames of ADD and disconnect society?

Ok, rant off. Grrr.

Apple's iPad is truly a magical device. Since this community is focused on reading and books this review will focus mostly on that use of the iPad but the device is great for a number of things, reading just being one use.
 

Apple, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble all have eReaders designed for the iPad, each with its respective store. Each of the three software pieces has its own strong points but all are great for reading. Browsing for a new book is especially fun in iBooks as a store is built right into the application. Apple uses many animAtions and color images to make the experience as good as possible.
 

Reading is great on the device. The backlight allows you to read in the dark, not disturbing anyone else. The color display also allows you to look at color images embedded in your literature, a weak point of the other ereaders on the market. Battery life is great- not as great as the kindle, but amazing for a backlit LCD.
 

If you have the extra money I definitely suggest buying this device over anoer ereaders as you are getting a lot for your money. You can read websites, check your email, itch movies and run applications. I am loving mine!

I'm saving my money up for this one.  I have a friend who has one and I fell in love with it.  Read books, have it read to you, and a GPS all in one.  It doesn't get any better than this.  More expensive than a Kindle, but with all its versatility it is the e-gadget to have!

The iPad has replaced my Nintendo DS, PSP, netbook, laptop and paper books! It has been an answer to my prayers. I cart it everywhere. I purchased the Wifi edition and use my Palm Pre cell phone as a hotspot for internet connection. The only draw back to the ipad is that it can not display flash videos or movies. Hopefully apple will come up with an alternative to this dilemma.

I have to say I am rather excited by the iPad and what it heralds. I have long been waiting for a device which really starts to steer us towards convergence and I believe this might be it.  I was sitting in a meeting yesterday with a representative from the publishing world who is trying to develop a digital publishing model in my country.  When I mentioned that convergence was necessary he cut me off at the pass and insisted that they could sell specialised e-book readers to around 25% of the population.  I myself do not believe this for a minute.  People are not looking to be tied to a device for each task, rather they want to be able to multitask in what is increasingly becoming a widely mobile world.  The iPad puts a stake in the ground in this territory which so far people have not truly been successful in.  Let's not forget the Newton which Apple also tried to head this direction with. 

So,  I am excited  and I am seriously thinking about being one of the first adopters of this new technology when it begins to become available.

Why am I not surprised it has been done by Apple?

Another re-invention from Steve Jobs

interesting

Love playing with the ipad. It's nice that you have ton of uses for it, although I was a little disappointed that apple insisted on going with the iphone operating system instead of a scaled down mac os. And the ereader is beautiful. The closest thing to having a real book in your hands.

Completely revolutionized how I do personal computing at home and while I travel...