iPad (2 Viewers)

[Memphis Foundry]

Question re NYTimes: I think the app just works like a web page where you need internet to navigate it. Is there a way for me to get the Times fully downloaded each morning so i can read on the subway?

There's definitely an opportunity there. If the Times does release a paid iPad app for general news, having the ability to download the daily edition automagically and cache it for offline reading would be one of the truly valuable ways to justify a price premium for the app. But because it makes so much sense, I have my doubts that it will happen. Lately it seems like Big Content is on a mission to make itself as annoying and irrelevant to its customers as is humanly possible. I wonder if Apple isn't endangering their own reputation as innovators by cozying up to media so closely during the iPad launch.Right now, though, Instapaper is the leading "save now for reading later" app on the iPhone/iPad. But it's a manual process rather than automatic -- you actually have to go out and choose the articles you want to cache for offline reading before leaving for the day.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I read an interesting piece in Time magazine on the IPad that I think is spot on:The big difference is it's a machine where people don't create but view content. When we need to create something, we will almost always use our computers and all of their horsepower. But sometimes we just want to surf the internet, watch a movie, read a magazine or play a game, etc. And to have the device be super portable where we can move it to the bedroom, couch, on the deck etc is awesome.I sense we are watching a switch happen here. And a few years from now instead of the family having a bunch of laptops and desktops, we will have 1 good desktop in the house and many portable machines like the Ipads when we just want to read and be entertained. Creators of content will always demand the desktop. Looking at the magazine demos on these things gets me very excited here.

You read Time magazine?

Yes he does. On his iPad.

but no. I'm dragging him into the future.But I think I've got him seeing it's definitely the future and we're getting our guys excited about it and behind it. Fun times ahead.And I do think the Time article has a good point. It's way more about consuming content than creating it. The question will be how that goes over. TVs worked pretty darn good for a long time and TV is obviously a total consumption model. But there's also a reason why the internet killed TV. Interesting times for sure.J

 

[Joe Bryant]

Question re NYTimes: I think the app just works like a web page where you need internet to navigate it. Is there a way for me to get the Times fully downloaded each morning so i can read on the subway?

There's definitely an opportunity there. If the Times does release a paid iPad app for general news, having the ability to download the daily edition automagically and cache it for offline reading would be one of the truly valuable ways to justify a price premium for the app. But because it makes so much sense, I have my doubts that it will happen. Lately it seems like Big Content is on a mission to make itself as annoying and irrelevant to its customers as is humanly possible. I wonder if Apple isn't endangering their own reputation as innovators by cozying up to media so closely during the iPad launch.Right now, though, Instapaper is the leading "save now for reading later" app on the iPhone/iPad. But it's a manual process rather than automatic -- you actually have to go out and choose the articles you want to cache for offline reading before leaving for the day.

I see this too.

Sort of like subscribing to podcasts. You synch the machine and all of the things you've subscribed to are downloaded and ready to view.

If there's a reason not to do this, it's that it would hurt their 3g sales. Reading the Times in a non wifi spot is a primary reason to upgrade to the 3g model. And I have no idea whatsoever how important upgrading to 3g is to the powers that be.

But yes, it makes a ton of sense to have those pubs automatically downloaded and ready to view.

J

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

Anyone found out yet if the IPad can be jailbroken? TIA

 

[Joe Bryant]

Is it true that the iPad doesn't support Flash player and therefore doesn't load a bunch of websites correctly?

Sadly, yes. I haven't come across this problem yet myself. I use the ESPN app so haven't had a problem running their video. Same for the Times.

I've noticed a ton of sites that didn't work for my iPod touch working for my iPad. Espn is one of those -- videos on their website (not app) loading fine surprisingly right in the browser.

That's cool. I wonder what the difference is?J

 

[Chunky Soup]

Is it true that the iPad doesn't support Flash player and therefore doesn't load a bunch of websites correctly?

Sadly, yes. I haven't come across this problem yet myself. I use the ESPN app so haven't had a problem running their video. Same for the Times.

I've noticed a ton of sites that didn't work for my iPod touch working for my iPad. Espn is one of those -- videos on their website (not app) loading fine surprisingly right in the browser.

That's cool. I wonder what the difference is?J

I have to assume HTML 5. If 700,000 really bought this thing on day one alone there is huge incentive for every website to change their flash in for something readable on the iPad.

 

[Osaurus]

This thing seems pretty cool, but it's stupid you need an accessory at all. Here is another one.

 

[David Dodds]

To the critics that say this is wildly overpriced, doesn't the 700,000 1st day sales indicate Apple priced this correctly. Has anything that has ever been grossly overpriced sold 700,000 of them in their first day?

Apple will do what they always do. Sell them for as much as possible and once the numbers start to slow down, they will release a better version with lower prices.

 

[Chunky Soup]

To the critics that say this is wildly overpriced, doesn't the 700,000 1st day sales indicate Apple priced this correctly. Has anything that has ever been grossly overpriced sold 700,000 of them in their first day?



Apple will do what they always do. Sell them for as much as possible and once the numbers start to slow down, they will release a better version with lower prices.

I'm just not sure of this. The iPad was much less expensive than people expected this first time around and I'm not sure they'd go cheaper. It seems to fit in decently compared to other tablets on the market, which isn't common with apple.

 

[Memphis Foundry]

Is it true that the iPad doesn't support Flash player and therefore doesn't load a bunch of websites correctly?

Sadly, yes. I haven't come across this problem yet myself. I use the ESPN app so haven't had a problem running their video. Same for the Times.

I've noticed a ton of sites that didn't work for my iPod touch working for my iPad. Espn is one of those -- videos on their website (not app) loading fine surprisingly right in the browser.

That's cool. I wonder what the difference is?J

I have to assume HTML 5. If 700,000 really bought this thing on day one alone there is huge incentive for every website to change their flash in for something readable on the iPad.

Looks like Disney/ABC/ESPN have reformatted their sites for iPad viewing "including short-form video". That means HTML5 for sure. I've heard that CBS is well underway with the same initiative.I've been thinking for a few days now that Google's best play might be to buy Adobe and open-source Flash. They've already announced plans to bundle Flash with Chrome, and I have to think there's something more behind this move than simply tweaking Apple. Now, Google's big on open standards like HTML5, but if they were to open-source Flash, that might pacify the "free-as-in-beer" crowd. The big idea behind this move would be to position Android (and eventually, ChromeOS) tablets as the no compromises "plays everything" alternative to the iPad. This is chapter and verse how Microsoft beat down Apple's "walled garden" strategy back in the early 90s. The difference now is that Apple is sitting on a pile of cash almost as big as Google's. So they will have much more ability to ramp up their output and try to keep pace if Google plays this card.

Interesting times ahead.

 

[Foosball God]

To the critics that say this is wildly overpriced, doesn't the 700,000 1st day sales indicate Apple priced this correctly. Has anything that has ever been grossly overpriced sold 700,000 of them in their first day?Apple will do what they always do. Sell them for as much as possible and once the numbers start to slow down, they will release a better version with lower prices.

I don't know if you can really take a look at an Apple launch and decide if it is overpriced or not. Apple has an amazing consumer base that will pay more for an Apple product. You won't be able to tell about price point until that initial Apple fan buying rush dies down.

 

[David Dodds]

I don't know if you can really take a look at an Apple launch and decide if it is overpriced or not. Apple has an amazing consumer base that will pay more for an Apple product. You won't be able to tell about price point until that initial Apple fan buying rush dies down.

But some people are saying it was way overpriced. If they sold 700,000 units and made an extra $200 per, that's $140M more dollars. I think the fact they sold this many units tells me they nailed the price point pretty good here. If sales wain in the coming months, they can lower the price then.

 

[belljr]

NHL announces NHL.com optimized for iPad:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=523724

So how can a mobile device get the same thing? I guess how does the site know the difference between a IPAD and Mobile device?I ask because I log in and it still says flash ...

 

[Jefferson the Caregiver]

I've been thinking for a few days now that Google's best play might be to buy Adobe and open-source Flash. They've already announced plans to bundle Flash with Chrome, and I have to think there's something more behind this move than simply tweaking Apple. Now, Google's big on open standards like HTML5, but if they were to open-source Flash, that might pacify the "free-as-in-beer" crowd. The big idea behind this move would be to position Android (and eventually, ChromeOS) tablets as the no compromises "plays everything" alternative to the iPad. This is chapter and verse how Microsoft beat down Apple's "walled garden" strategy back in the early 90s. The difference now is that Apple is sitting on a pile of cash almost as big as Google's. So they will have much more ability to ramp up their output and try to keep pace if Google plays this card.

Interesting times ahead.

Google is a major player in this, I hope they do this. I really don't like what Apple is doing here.

 

[Memphis Foundry]

iPad Already Rooted - that didn't take long.

The article says "jailbroken" but in truth, I think the colloquial definition of "jailbroken" implies an easy-to-install crack. That has not been done yet. But rooting the device is the first step.

 

[-jb-]

so what's the purpose in rooting this thing? what can it do now that it couldn't do before/?

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

iPad Already Rooted - that didn't take long.

The article says "jailbroken" but in truth, I think the colloquial definition of "jailbroken" implies an easy-to-install crack. That has not been done yet. But rooting the device is the first step.

MuscleNerd jailbreaks JesusPad

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

so what's the purpose in rooting this thing? what can it do now that it couldn't do before/?

jailbreak

 

[Memphis Foundry]

so what's the purpose in rooting this thing? what can it do now that it couldn't do before/?

The main thing is to allow the device to run unlicensed apps -- stuff that Apple won't allow to be published in the App Store for whatever reason. It's also a gateway to allow "cracked" applications to run on the device -- essentially, these are App Store pay apps that have been pirated and made available for free.

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

This thing seems pretty cool, but it's stupid you need an accessory at all.

that is pretty cool

 

[SKribbles]

Dear zDragon, Card Trader and the one or two other guys with an obvious agenda:We get it. You don't like this device. You wont buy one. You think others are better. This probably isn't the tread for you. Cant you post elsewhere?Thanks.

You have no idea if I'll eventually buy one. I have many Apple products in my house so jump off you high horse. I've asked several legit questions and pointed out how I would use USB and how they might fix not having USB using wireless synch. I was excited when the rumors started and was hoping for a scaled down Macbook crammed in. Sure I'm disappointed and have been critical of the device.I've also asked legit questions around the other thread. Here they are again.1. How does it perform in direct sunlight?2. How good is battery life if it's cranked to full if your in direct sunlight?3. Will there be a faster way to synch the device other than wireless?4. How do you print?5. Will/does the device support raw photos?6. Does it have a way to import digital video to edit and play such as USB, firewire, etc?7. Is the keyboard usable?8. Will I have to take my MacBook with me to synch my iPod's? Since it has no USB port?9. How much are we talking by the time you by all the apps and accesories to make it do the majority of things?10. Will it support cached TV shows from Hulu, etc for watching outside of a wi-fi connection?11. Does it have an FM tuner like the smaller iPods?12. Can I load my on e-books bought from other sources on the iPad?13. Can I get books from my local library?14. Will it support google books?15. Does it support a wider range of codecs than the iTouch such as Flac, OGG, etc?16. Same as 15 for video17. How do I get my bought DVD's such as the sopranos on the device? How long will it take?I'm sure there's a lot more.

 

[the moops]

8. Will I have to take my MacBook with me to synch my iPod's? Since it has no USB port?

The ipad is a mobile device just like the iphone. Just as you cant synch an iphone with an ipod, I imagine you cant synch an ipad with an ipod.

12. Can I load my on e-books bought from other sources on the iPad?13. Can I get books from my local library?14. Will it support google books?

You can load any epub books on your ipad.

17. How do I get my bought DVD's such as the sopranos on the device? How long will it take?

Same way you would get a DVD on to an ipod touch or an iphone.

 

[Joe Bryant]

If 700,000 really bought this thing on day one alone there is huge incentive for every website to change their flash in for something readable on the iPad.

Yes. It's the chicken / egg thing. You sell 70,000 of these that can't see flash sites and the machine sucks while the flash sites don't care. You sell a zillion of these and the flash sites bend to your will. It's all about the numbers / dollars.J

 

[Britney Spears]

I have an actual question about this thing (sorry to detract from the Apple Vs Windows stuff):

I see they have this great picture viewing type stuff on the iPad. Do all those pictures have to be stored on the iPad, or could they be on my PC, or perhaps my Apple Time Capsule, and viewed on the iPad?

I ask this, cause I have quite a collection of pictures that would be really cool to view on these in the living room, but would vastly exceed the storage space I think...

 

[Foosball God]

I don't know if you can really take a look at an Apple launch and decide if it is overpriced or not. Apple has an amazing consumer base that will pay more for an Apple product. You won't be able to tell about price point until that initial Apple fan buying rush dies down.

But some people are saying it was way overpriced. If they sold 700,000 units and made an extra $200 per, that's $140M more dollars. I think the fact they sold this many units tells me they nailed the price point pretty good here. If sales wain in the coming months, they can lower the price then.

If your basis is how much would Apple fanatics pay for the device, I'm guessing they would have sold just as many if each level of iPad were $100 more than it was priced, so I guess in a sense you are right it wasn't overpriced for their loyal consumers. I'm a fan of Apple stuff, but it is priced too high for me, especially with it lacking in several critical, IMO, specifications.

 

[zDragon]

Seriously. Who spends their time #####ing about a device they don't intend to own?

Who posted in: iPadPoster Postsmoderated 28tosberg34 25zDragon 22Redding 20Card Trader 13SKribbles 12the moops 123C's 10

Care to answer the questions posed?1. How are the speakers?2. Performance with screen maxed?3. Outdoor performance for the screen?4. All the others that have been posed?

 

[zDragon]

8. Will I have to take my MacBook with me to synch my iPod's? Since it has no USB port?

The ipad is a mobile device just like the iphone. Just as you cant synch an iphone with an ipod, I imagine you cant synch an ipad with an ipod.

12. Can I load my on e-books bought from other sources on the iPad?13. Can I get books from my local library?14. Will it support google books?

You can load any epub books on your ipad.

17. How do I get my bought DVD's such as the sopranos on the device? How long will it take?

Same way you would get a DVD on to an ipod touch or an iphone.

8. I can except that if it's just a bigger touch. That's what i'm looking for in answers. It simply means at the moment it will not remotely replace my laptop.12. That's good to know. I assume just add the e-pub to iTunes so that's nice. Has anyone tried Calibre with it yet?13. No answered since they use a protected PDF. Can someone address this?17. Once again I've been trying to see where this fits between the Touch and the Laptop. It seems it really is just a bigger touch.Question: Has anyone heard if there is a DVD/CD type accessory coming? If it's docked in the office with the keyboard accessory it would be nice to pop in an archive photo DVD to view or a Movie.Question: When docked with the keyboard will I be apple to use the camera accessory?Question: When docked will i be able to use more than one add-on at a time? Maybe a hub type connector coming?

 

[zDragon]

If 700,000 really bought this thing on day one alone there is huge incentive for every website to change their flash in for something readable on the iPad.

Yes. It's the chicken / egg thing. You sell 70,000 of these that can't see flash sites and the machine sucks while the flash sites don't care. You sell a zillion of these and the flash sites bend to your will. It's all about the numbers / dollars.

J

700,000 is a huge number but what type percentage is that of the people hitting the sites?

Also, will other sites take the route of the WSJ and create an app for viewing the site information? The iPad subscription costs more than the print & online version model they have. Engadget

 

[EYLive]

All this tells me is that there are at least 700,000 hipsters willing to throw money at a apple gadget. Although I bet a bunch of the 1st day buyers are now gouging prices for them on ebay.

 

[Chunky Soup]

17. Once again I've been trying to see where this fits between the Touch and the Laptop. It seems it really is just a bigger touch.

That's partly true and that's partly the point.

 

[[icon]]

Some awesome slapfighting in here. Glad to see some folks still can't address the issue in a mature manner.

Looking forward to swinging by the Apple store at lunch tomorrow. Probably not ready to buy just yet but eager to get my hands on one.

 

[Joe Bryant]

GQ with a pretty good summary:

So is it just a big-### iPhone? Kind of—it's really more of a big-### iPod Touch that's just a few steps shy of replacing laptops for the casual user. But man, who knew a big-### iPod Touch could be so fun to use?

J

 

[Guster]

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/c...?nclick_check=1

Supposedly 700,000 of these were sold on the opening day. That's insane. I think everyone can agree that this thing needs multitasking, USB ports, support for flash, etc. But let's not kid ourselves. 700,000 stood in line all day to get this thing. This is going to be (or already is) a game-changer. Maybe the other tablets created will catch up, but in the 3-4 months they need to have something cool to compete, Apple will likely be rolling out the upgrades everyone is demanding. Although I think betting against google in the long run might be unwise, I suspect Apple grabs a bunch of this new market for at least the next 5 years.

Obviously there's a big push towards cloud computing and this type of device seems to feed into that. Google seems to be executing cloud computing brilliantly... I haven't used 'MobileMe' from Apple, so I can't really comment there, but it doesn't seem to be on the same level. PS - just saw a chick with an iPad in the same suite as LeBron at the Red Sox game

 

[Redding]

This thing seems pretty cool, but it's stupid you need an accessory at all.

that is pretty cool

 

[Redding]

Seriously. Who spends their time #####ing about a device they don't intend to own?

Who posted in: iPadPoster Postsmoderated 28tosberg34 25zDragon 22Redding 20Card Trader 13SKribbles 12the moops 123C's 10

Care to answer the questions posed?1. How are the speakers?2. Performance with screen maxed?3. Outdoor performance for the screen?4. All the others that have been posed?

1. Speakers sounds surprisingly good. Lots of sound out of those little suckers.2. Performance (I'm assuming you mean video?) is perfect.3. Outdoor performance for the screen not great -- about the same as a laptop or any of these LCD devices. There's some glare and it's very tough to see in direct sunlight.

 

[Redding]

Question re NYTimes: I think the app just works like a web page where you need internet to navigate it. Is there a way for me to get the Times fully downloaded each morning so i can read on the subway?

There's definitely an opportunity there. If the Times does release a paid iPad app for general news, having the ability to download the daily edition automagically and cache it for offline reading would be one of the truly valuable ways to justify a price premium for the app. But because it makes so much sense, I have my doubts that it will happen. Lately it seems like Big Content is on a mission to make itself as annoying and irrelevant to its customers as is humanly possible. I wonder if Apple isn't endangering their own reputation as innovators by cozying up to media so closely during the iPad launch.Right now, though, Instapaper is the leading "save now for reading later" app on the iPhone/iPad. But it's a manual process rather than automatic -- you actually have to go out and choose the articles you want to cache for offline reading before leaving for the day.

That is a bummer. It seems to me some of the content is going that way. For example, the Popular Science app let me download an issue of the magazine and i can navigate at content at will. It's really very cool the way they make the magazines interactive, all the scrolling down, up, and sideways to get around the content. Videos in the apps like ESPN etc also play really well. Cool stuff.

 

[zDragon]

Seriously. Who spends their time #####ing about a device they don't intend to own?

Who posted in: iPadPoster Postsmoderated 28tosberg34 25zDragon 22Redding 20Card Trader 13SKribbles 12the moops 123C's 10

Care to answer the questions posed?1. How are the speakers?2. Performance with screen maxed?3. Outdoor performance for the screen?4. All the others that have been posed?

1. Speakers sounds surprisingly good. Lots of sound out of those little suckers.2. Performance (I'm assuming you mean video?) is perfect.3. Outdoor performance for the screen not great -- about the same as a laptop or any of these LCD devices. There's some glare and it's very tough to see in direct sunlight.

2. I actually meant battery life with the screen all the way up. I know run down tests are down with it set low. 3. Does cranking it to max help out any?

 

[zDragon]

Question re NYTimes: I think the app just works like a web page where you need internet to navigate it. Is there a way for me to get the Times fully downloaded each morning so i can read on the subway?

There's definitely an opportunity there. If the Times does release a paid iPad app for general news, having the ability to download the daily edition automagically and cache it for offline reading would be one of the truly valuable ways to justify a price premium for the app. But because it makes so much sense, I have my doubts that it will happen. Lately it seems like Big Content is on a mission to make itself as annoying and irrelevant to its customers as is humanly possible. I wonder if Apple isn't endangering their own reputation as innovators by cozying up to media so closely during the iPad launch.Right now, though, Instapaper is the leading "save now for reading later" app on the iPhone/iPad. But it's a manual process rather than automatic -- you actually have to go out and choose the articles you want to cache for offline reading before leaving for the day.

That is a bummer. It seems to me some of the content is going that way. For example, the Popular Science app let me download an issue of the magazine and i can navigate at content at will. It's really very cool the way they make the magazines interactive, all the scrolling down, up, and sideways to get around the content. Videos in the apps like ESPN etc also play really well. Cool stuff.

Can you explain this more? It sounds really annoying to me to have to scroll around to see my content. I"m assuming your talking like mobile phone scrolling to see parts of the page then tapping to zoom in and such.

 

[belljr]

Just played around with one, guy at work has it.

It is a very nice device, I personally don't have a need or see a need for it at this time. I could see someday getting one when my laptop dies or something and definitely when the price comes down. It's a bit too expensive for me at this point. I like to carry one device so my phone is my movie player, ipod, etc.

I could see have this has a laptop replacement sitting at home.

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

Multiple tasking is a legit gripe, but I haven't really missed it so far.

Just buy another one if you need to do 2 things at once.

 

[[icon]]

Multiple tasking is a legit gripe, but I haven't really missed it so far.

Just buy another one if you need to do 2 things at once.

Thank you for contributing well thought out and fresh/creative dialog to the discussion.

 

[gmbacm]

Multiple tasking is a legit gripe, but I haven't really missed it so far.

Just buy another one if you need to do 2 things at once.

Thank you for contributing well thought out and fresh/creative dialog to the discussion.

you do realize you are at FBG?

 

[[icon]]

The more I'm reading/looking around, the more I like what I see. I'm likely going to play with one today at Best Buy and will probably be ordering a 32GB 3G unit.

So, the main WiFi unit has NO GPS functionality whatsoever, Correct? Seems to me adding GPS increases the functionality of this device exponentially. I can imagine some REALLY cool apps coming down the pipeline that take advantage of that.

 

[[icon]]

Great iPad review at Endgaget. Not sure if it's been posted yet because I had to skim a lot of the thread due to childish idiocy.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

 

[Cunk]

You're right - I was looking at the 64gb version.

Wow. Do they ever hose people on drive space. $200 for an extra 48GB!?!

Again, Fanboys are willing to pay ANYTHING for an Apple product. My brother sold his son on the Black Market the other day just so he could get his IPad today.

Enough with the "Fanboys" already please? If people like the product and are willing to pay a premium for it LET THEM. It's not your money. Your getting all red in the face over other peoples purchases is discerning but, unfortunately, not all that uncommon.My father just paid a premium for a Harley. I'm not going to go wag my finger in his face and tell him he could have got a better bike for half the price if he bought something else. No, why rain on his parade?

BTW this isn't just directed at you but everyone else who criticize with what others like and enjoy.

 

[Redding]

The more I'm reading/looking around, the more I like what I see. I'm likely going to play with one today at Best Buy and will probably be ordering a 32GB 3G unit. So, the main WiFi unit has NO GPS functionality whatsoever, Correct? Seems to me adding GPS increases the functionality of this device exponentially. I can imagine some REALLY cool apps coming down the pipeline that take advantage of that.

I think it has limited GPS via triangulation, because it was able to find my current location both in Google maps and in Urbanspoon.

 

[[icon]]

The more I'm reading/looking around, the more I like what I see. I'm likely going to play with one today at Best Buy and will probably be ordering a 32GB 3G unit. So, the main WiFi unit has NO GPS functionality whatsoever, Correct? Seems to me adding GPS increases the functionality of this device exponentially. I can imagine some REALLY cool apps coming down the pipeline that take advantage of that.

I think it has limited GPS via triangulation, because it was able to find my current location both in Google maps and in Urbanspoon.

Interesting. I wonder how that is working? I would think it either has a 3G/GPS receiver or it doesn't. So when you bring up Google Maps it knows exactly where you are? Interesting. If that's the case then I may not need to spring for / wait for the 3G unit...EDIT:"iPad with Wi-Fi finds your location using known Wi-Fi hotspots, and Wi-Fi + 3G models use Wi-Fi, GPS, and cellular towers. So you can get routes, get directions, and get there in no time."I can see the WiFi Triangulation working great in a big city like Manhattan with almost total WiFi Coverage. however in a place like Memphis (or more rural areas) I can't see this working very well. Looks like I will be waiting on the 3G units. ANyone have ballpark ship dates? I know the site says late april...

 

[Redding]

Great iPad review at Endgaget. Not sure if it's been posted yet because I had to skim a lot of the thread due to childish idiocy.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

Good review.A couple of my early gripes/observations:

- Nice on the subway commute this morning. Listening to the iPod while reading an eBook. Yeah, it's bigger than the Nano it replaced in my messenger bag, but not bigger than the book I was reading. So it's definitely less to carry around.

- This thing begs for a 3G connection. I'm glad I got the WiFi one, but the times I was out of the house and lacking a connection, I sort of missed it.

- I am going to the Apple store today to pick up a case and a screen protector. The smudges get really annoying (can't see them when its on, but annoys me when its off). Also I don't like throwing the thing around --

- It's slightly heavier than I would like. If you could shave off a quarter pound that would be ideal.

- Typing is tough. I had high hopes it might surprise us here but, as others have observed, it's hard to get it at the right angle to touch-type in landscape format. I'm sure it will get better with time, and I think that Apple case that doubles as a stand might be a good solution. On the bright side, holding it in portrait and touch typing with two or three fingers is actually pretty doable.

- Screen is beautiful. Watching movies on here is awesome.

- The photo slideshow thing is very nicely done. Put it to music, in the origami mode, and I had family wowing yesterday. Really nicely done.

- Love the Ereader. Never owned a kindle, and I'm guessing this can't be THAT much different, but I get why this is so big.

- Battery life on the first Apple-provided charge wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Battery life after a good overnight charge on my own is wayyyy nice.

- The file system is going to be interesting. I'm looking to import some powerpoint presentations tonight (which supposedly the presentation app can handle), but I've seen complaints that there is no directory system/no way to access the files. However, I did notice what I think was an app that helped you do this. We'll see where that leads.

- I have not yet experienced a single "missing Flash" moment. I haven't gone to a page that couldn't play anything (maybe I don't frequent them?), and all of the video on every site I hit worked perfectly.

- No multitasking is annoying in one sense, but the thing is so snappy, and switching back and forth between apps is so fast, and they all seem to pick up right where you left off, that I haven't missed it much (at all?)

 

[Getinthemix]

Great iPad review at Endgaget. Not sure if it's been posted yet because I had to skim a lot of the thread due to childish idiocy.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

Good review.A couple of my early gripes/observations:

- Nice on the subway commute this morning. Listening to the iPod while reading an eBook. Yeah, it's bigger than the Nano it replaced in my messenger bag, but not bigger than the book I was reading. So it's definitely less to carry around.

- This thing begs for a 3G connection. I'm glad I got the WiFi one, but the times I was out of the house and lacking a connection, I sort of missed it.

- I am going to the Apple store today to pick up a case and a screen protector. The smudges get really annoying (can't see them when its on, but annoys me when its off). Also I don't like throwing the thing around --

- It's slightly heavier than I would like. If you could shave off a quarter pound that would be ideal.

- Typing is tough. I had high hopes it might surprise us here but, as others have observed, it's hard to get it at the right angle to touch-type in landscape format. I'm sure it will get better with time, and I think that Apple case that doubles as a stand might be a good solution. On the bright side, holding it in portrait and touch typing with two or three fingers is actually pretty doable.

- Screen is beautiful. Watching movies on here is awesome.

- The photo slideshow thing is very nicely done. Put it to music, in the origami mode, and I had family wowing yesterday. Really nicely done.

- Love the Ereader. Never owned a kindle, and I'm guessing this can't be THAT much different, but I get why this is so big.

- Battery life on the first Apple-provided charge wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Battery life after a good overnight charge on my own is wayyyy nice.

- The file system is going to be interesting. I'm looking to import some powerpoint presentations tonight (which supposedly the presentation app can handle), but I've seen complaints that there is no directory system/no way to access the files. However, I did notice what I think was an app that helped you do this. We'll see where that leads.

- I have not yet experienced a single "missing Flash" moment. I haven't gone to a page that couldn't play anything (maybe I don't frequent them?), and all of the video on every site I hit worked perfectly.

- No multitasking is annoying in one sense, but the thing is so snappy, and switching back and forth between apps is so fast, and they all seem to pick up right where you left off, that I haven't missed it much (at all?)

It really won't let you read an eBook and listen to music at the same time? That is bad. Hell my kindle let's me do that.

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

The more I'm reading/looking around, the more I like what I see. I'm likely going to play with one today at Best Buy and will probably be ordering a 32GB 3G unit. So, the main WiFi unit has NO GPS functionality whatsoever, Correct? Seems to me adding GPS increases the functionality of this device exponentially. I can imagine some REALLY cool apps coming down the pipeline that take advantage of that.

I think it has limited GPS via triangulation, because it was able to find my current location both in Google maps and in Urbanspoon.

Interesting. I wonder how that is working? I would think it either has a 3G/GPS receiver or it doesn't. So when you bring up Google Maps it knows exactly where you are? Interesting. If that's the case then I may not need to spring for / wait for the 3G unit...EDIT:"iPad with Wi-Fi finds your location using known Wi-Fi hotspots, and Wi-Fi + 3G models use Wi-Fi, GPS, and cellular towers. So you can get routes, get directions, and get there in no time."I can see the WiFi Triangulation working great in a big city like Manhattan with almost total WiFi Coverage. however in a place like Memphis (or more rural areas) I can't see this working very well. Looks like I will be waiting on the 3G units. ANyone have ballpark ship dates? I know the site says late april...

It uses aGPS