Apple iPad

[zanny]

I keep up to date with technology especially mobile stuff, so yeah I know the next iPad will be announce in Q1, however with pre-orders and demand and the fact I don't know which country I will be in when it drops, it could be April before I get the new one, and that is over 6 months away.

 

Sure, facetime will be useful, a retina display would be even better, more memory, faster processor but for the here and now, I really need a decent ebook reader plus something with a long battery life and the iPad fits the bill.

 

I have to carry around an extra external battery for my netbook as the netbook I have only has 2 hour battery, but if I have the iPad I can use that instead and leave the external battery at home. They both weigh the same weight about 700 grams.

 

Yeah Stanza is an option, I use Good Reader on my iPhone connected to dropbox to do the same thing. I read today GoodReader has an inversion option, which will be good in direct sunlight as well.

 

Thanks for the microsim cutter, looks cool.

[jonerich]

I for one have always liked and purchased Apple Products iPhones,ipods etc. But the ipad is lacking basics: limited browsing no FLV (flash), no 16:9, no 1080 support, No True Download and upload, No USB device support (for memory sticks or cameras etc), you cant print from the Device, no stereo blue-tooth. This would be nice feature to be able to tether a wireless headset for music and video. No camera which would have been great for Skype and limited in the fact that your at the mercy of Plug in type Apps as in Android.I know its not meant to replace a Netbook, but at $499 for 16gig basic wifi version and a Wopping $829 for 64 gig 3g Wifi + a 2 year contract for a data plan coupled withe the fact that 3g being an old technology and on its way out I say No thanks!! I would rather spend the Dosh on a Tablet PC and put ubuntu linux on it and be free to use the device as I wish. Also a added bonus this device is only $399US Dollars $100 quid cheaper than the base model ipad That IMHO is just a glorified kindle. That why i give the Apple ipad a 2 out of 5. This has been your tech-minute update with Jonerich Back to you Bob!!

Edited October 12, 2010 by jonerich

[zanny]

no stereo blue-tooth this would be nice feature to be able to tether a wireless headset for music and video

 

Well at least the iPad has a comma, full stop and enter key, which is apparently missing from whatever you used to bang out that slab of text.

 

Incidentally, the iPad does have AD2P or stereo bluetooth, and has had it since launch.

 

When iOS 4.2 drops in November, it will also gain AVRCP which allows you to control audio from the wireless device

 

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3647

[ZGreyFox]

You're welcome.

 

BTW, Apple does sell an adapter for SD cards and USB connections. It's intended for use with cameras and transferring photos, but supports keyboards and audio headsets.

 

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A

 

Cheers,

 

-ZGF

[jonerich]

Sorry, No need to take offense, The original (first Release) ipad did not support stereo blue-tooth this is a new feature activated through a recent software update. I stand corrected!! I was just stating my opinion on the device and had no idea I would be chastised for not placing in the commas or periods!! Chill out its your Money!!! And you will have to live with the Bodgy Device!!!!

 

"When iOS 4.2 drops in November, it will also gain AVRCP which allows you to control audio from the wireless device"

 

My review was on the current hardwares capabilities not the things that will happen or improve in the future. it's quite possible that the next software update will make it shite gold bars for you too or let you take it LT for 300BHT. But even at that point its not for me!!! But when they get to the free Blowjob update then i am in!!

Edited October 12, 2010 by jonerich

[zanny]

Well I finally got one. Found a guy selling a practically brand new 64GB 3G model on eBay for a nice price so I grabbed it. Was about to fly interstate for a week and the bloody thing did not show up when I was expecting it to, then as I could not wait any longer and was on my way to the airport, I look in the rear-view mirror and see a white van. I waited 30 second for him to get to my house and it was the postie! So I got to take it with me and have been playing with it for a week and here are my thoughts:

 

Yes, it is a giant iPod touch, but whereas I thought that would be a bad thing, it is actually fantastic. I am simply loving it at the moment. The guy I bought it from had installed a Telstra 3G prepaid SIM with 3GB of data, so I had internet access everywhere and Telstra is very fast which is great. I jailbroke it straight away and it only takes 30 seconds and now I can install many useful Cydia apps like SBSettings (control panel) and Pdanet (create your own wifi hotspot) plus heaps of cracked apps and games.

 

Games that are made for the iPad in HD look fantastic, I have clocked Angry Birds already, and spent many hours playing Words with Friends HD (scrabble clone) with my brother in pass and play mode and with randoms online. Heaps of fun and good way to spend time with relatives like in the old days when you used to get out the board games.

 

Reading my RSS feeds is much more enjoyable then on my iPhone or tablet netbook, started with Reeder which is my favourite for the iPhone, but now using River of News. There are other cool RSS apps I am yet to try. For PDF files I use Goodreader synced to my dropbox account, I have PDF magazines like FHM Philippines, iPad guidebooks, travel guides, all nice and comfortable to read.

 

Safari browser currently has issues but this is confirmed to be fixed in the next iOS release (4.2) in a few weeks. At the moment I use Atomic browser instead, and it has great features like tabs, open new tab in background, ad filter, privacy mode, translation bookmarklet, etc.

 

Google maps looks so sharp in hybrid map mode on the big screen and zooming and panning is very fast thanks to Telstra. Wikihood + is a great location aware app I am eager to use more. Urbanspoon is sensational with maps and filters to find great nearby restaurants and heaps of reviews.

 

For watching video content, I have VLC and CineXPlayer. Both still have bugs like missing codecs but there is still a lot of video that is watchable without having to do any conversion process.

 

Other notable apps I have yet to fully utilise are Flipboard, Xmarks, Calengoo, Read it Later.

 

Now that I am back on my desktop I am going on a downloading binge, so I have a heap of things to try out like Web Albums Manager for my picasa albums, Friendly and Social for iPad for facebook, Reactable for music creation and a bunch of games.

 

The iPad I bought came with the standard apple case and belkin back cover but I did not like either of those. I read a lot of case reviews while waiting for my iPad but I could not find anything that really piqued my interest until I saw the Griffin Standle. There were a couple of video reviews online but as it is a new product no user feedback so I took the plunge and bought one, seeming they are available in the Apple store for $50.

 

It is a nice case, having the handle is useful, and it is good in typing landscape mode, and portrait mode is sturdy but I find many apps are more useful in landscape so I don't use it that was much. The only thing I don't like is that when you use the handle as a base for example what you would call "photo album" mode or for watching videos, it is not sturdy at all. If you touch the screen lightly it really wobbles and if you press hard you could tip it over. Also, it is not sturdy enough to place on something like a bed. I am still deciding if I should return the case or not as Apple has 14 days return policy. I just don't see any better cases with handles and stands at the moment.

 

Overall the iPad does have it's flaws, but the next iOS release which will offer multitasking and new features will really offer a great experience and I think now is definitely the time to get an iPad if you are on the fence. Especially now that many developers have had a chance to release iPad specific versions of their apps.

 

As someone who has used touch interfaces since the original Palm Pilot and has found it a struggle to use touch on Windows netbooks, which I travelled with as my primary machine for over 6 months - the interface on the iPad is just a real joy to use everyday.

 

All I can complain about really is Apple itself. Things like not allowing flash, and having the API for the browser and keyboard so locked down makes it very hard for developers and power users and I think is stupid. iTunes is also a pain in the ass, I have to keep travelling with my Windows tablet to keep the iPad in sync, and using iTunes on a 1024x600 screen is an absolute joke which I won't go into here.

[seveneighty1]

I am bringing my iPad to Thailand on my holiday next week. I've got games and activities that are of interest to the monger. There are several apps that translate english into spoken thai. I have a Kama Sutra app that includes illustrated sexual positions that can be set to a slide show with varying lengths. I plan on setting it to ten positions that change every three minutes. I will ask the girl to change when the illustration changes. I also have games such as the dice game and connect 4 and many others. What I like is the long life battery, the touch screen, the incredible screen, and the snappiness of it all.

[Woofiee]

I am bringing my iPad to Thailand on my holiday next week. I've got games and activities that are of interest to the monger. There are several apps that translate english into spoken thai. I have a Kama Sutra app that includes illustrated sexual positions that can be set to a slide show with varying lengths. I plan on setting it to ten positions that change every three minutes. I will ask the girl to change when the illustration changes. I also have games such as the dice game and connect 4 and many others. What I like is the long life battery, the touch screen, the incredible screen, and the snappiness of it all.

 

Heh - let's hope your battery lasts as long as the slideshow's...

 

 

Seriously, I'm sooooo tempted to grab an iPad, but I know I want the next version with the video camera. I have a 1st G iPhone and a 3GS, and there's much to be said about having a good camera about. Think of all those hidden videos you can take! (just a joke - don't do this)

[PepeLePew]

I hate all Apple products, even the good ones! I have to grudgingly admit some of their latest stuff is pretty good, ie iPhone and iPad. I still won't get one in principle. Instead I wait til the other manufacturers catch up.

 

I'm considering a Nokia N8 as my next phone but will wait til they have been out a bit longer.

 

iPad competition?

 

Enter Samsung

 

Galaxy Tab

 

My fave feature is you can actually use it as a phone! Has to be the biggest mobile since the Motorola brick but it could be fun pretending to be Dom Joly on your Galaxy!

 

http://www.funnyordi...2b714361c/hello

[zanny]

I don't like Apple myself but Windows and Android just don't provide the same experience, this year anyway. I would stay away from 2.2 Android devices unless they are compatible with 3.0 which will drop early next year.

 

iOS 4.2 software is going to drop in a week, so the iPad will then have multitasking, folders, gamecenter and a few other things.

[funfrom]

I bought one last year and absolutely love it. On the one hand it is almost useless for the purposes I originally got it for, but on the other hand it is an absolute pleasure to use for the few things I do use it for.

 

Pros:

- lightweight (compared to laptop, or even most netbooks)

- incredible battery life, yes, even compared to netbooks. No comparison here.

- Great ergonomics for reading and surfing. The touch interface makes it nicer as well.

- very responsive compared to a laptop or netbook. Instant on, etc.

- A joy to use. Netbooks/laptops are useful, but not fun.

- great apps, especially for stocks or games.

 

Cons:

- limited use.

- no keyboard. yes, you can get one, but defeats the purpose.

- itunes. You have to use itunes to put books etc. on there and I hate itunes.

 

 

The main takeaway is that an ipad is not a replacement for a netbook or laptop, it is a different device altogether. it is perfect for travel as it is the best reading/surfing device out there (battery life, ergonomics, etc.), but you will also need a laptop back at the hotel for real work.

[Slacker]

The Blackberry alternative looks tempting.

[PepeLePew]

I hate all Apple products, even the good ones! I have to grudgingly admit some of their latest stuff is pretty good, ie iPhone and iPad. I still won't get one in principle. Instead I wait til the other manufacturers catch up.

 

I'm considering a Nokia N8 as my next phone but will wait til they have been out a bit longer.

 

 

I got the N8.

 

Battery life is great, looks good, works well, hasn't frozen on me (yet). I'm very happy with it so far (2 months in)

 

The only gripe I have is it is poorly supported app wise. That said you quickly get bored with most apps. There are some that I wish I could get though. Mainly from businesses. My bank has just released an iPhone app. I believe BA has one you can check in with. Hopefully this situation will improve in time. It is not such a issue that it would make me give up my personal Apple boycott anyway!

[Slacker]

The problem with the N8 is the operating system - Symbian - which is a dead duck now. Nokia have admitted their software expertise does not match their manufacturing ability and have now gone into partnership with Microsoft, who will be taking over software duties for them...which means Windows Mobile 7. Don't expect any Symbian updates, including the one supposed to make the N8 competitive with other smartphones. Let's not get onto the Ovi store...

[PepeLePew]

The problem with the N8 is the operating system - Symbian - which is a dead duck now. Nokia have admitted their software expertise does not match their manufacturing ability and have now gone into partnership with Microsoft, who will be taking over software duties for them...which means Windows Mobile 7. Don't expect any Symbian updates, including the one supposed to make the N8 competitive with other smartphones. Let's not get onto the Ovi store...

 

I know. It's not a bad OS, just Nokia missed the smartphone boat and can't catch up alone now. Ovi store...well, as you say but I'm over silly apps already (well apart from my virtual shotgun!). The N8 does everything I need it to though. Nokia maps is brilliant and the sat nav function is better than the very expensive standalone I have. Fantastic camera/video, best on the market. Can access the web on the move. Battery life lasts ages, long enough for 2+ movies if switched to offline mode. My N95 was slowly dying and the N8 was free on contract. Lucky I'm happy with it cos I'm locked in til Dec 2012!

 

But the best thing about it..... It lets me to Apple.

[jamilv]

I have 3 of these actually, 2 of them were supposed to be gifts but I ended up getting them netbooks instead lol, but to be honest its kind of useless, I use it for reading manga and books now...so its a REALLY expensive e-reader really lol

If anything wait for the new iPad to come out when it has cams and all on it, then it might be useful. Otherwise look at a netbook (the new eeePCs can last 8 hours now) or look at the Samsung Galaxy Tablet, it is much better for business people and consumers alike. The price is similar to the iPad as well for much more.

 

If you need any more information on on any gadgets feel free to ask, I am an IT guy and most of my clients are all hopping on the tablet bandwagon so in the next few months I will have a chance to mess around with pretty much every tablet out.

[Woofiee]

Any word on the iPad2 release? I can't believe it took until December to release it there...

[Willywonka]

I have Ipad 1 for a while, as a traveler for work and with a few different interests i find it very useful. The keyboard is fine for me if I want to type something, I am in oz, went to USA and was able to get sim card (had to use usa address tho) and worked well, great for maps, internet and emails. Books are cool. go to kickasstorrents.com or thepiratebay.org and type in ipad, you will see link for book torrents, can get 6000 books for free, loads of good ones, I don't have to buy a book till 2058!!

 

If you think is to replace a pc or notebook, then do not buy. I basically does just about everything. You still need a primary computer to plug ipad in so as able to use itunes. Apps are amazing, what took me a while was, everytime I could not do anything I did not check the apps, there is an app for EVERYTHING, even sex positions!! there is a walking st app.

 

I love it, I reasonably technical minded and having read many article, the motorola xoom is nearest competitor. Flash does not really come into that much. one issue I will be interested in is whether viruses on Honeycomb with google android will be an issue. With OS there is no viruses.

 

power is great, you can download tv shows to main computer, then transfer to ipad for watching on plane or wherever, can have loads of music, turns on in about .6 seconds, no booting, web page browsing easier, no sore hands from holding mouse, can upload as many documents as you want from main computer and edit/show to anyone, you can log into your main computer from ipad and run computer remotely if need be. Capabilities are quite incredible. Is a better business tool in my mind then entertainment, this is where apple will make money. Will be in many many schools in 10 years. Wonder if apple will win that contract, they have the jump. I am not a mac user but am a iphone user.

 

hope of interest

[Ohall39]

Hi ,

I have a iPad 1&2 , and I can say there they are a great piece of kit !! Always on no booting up ! Great to travel with, never go wrong . As a really gadget guy I would well recommend buying one. Beats anything out there on the Market .

Anyone who says anything different has not tried one or has not got anyone to show them how's it works. , the iPads are Fab!!

Steve

[s0315]

Personnal report about my iPad, I use it since nearly one year.

It doesn't replace a laptop if you need to do rocket engineering application, like creating music, video editing, but it is starting on this area.

On the Internet it is more comfortable, but using a laptop is faster if you are in a desperate search of information, mostly because the iPad needs to reload pages after a while due to Ram litmitness.

I always check my emails with my iPad, also check the news via rss using the app Pulse.

Some games are very funny to play with when your travelling, but in my opinion the best advantages is the ability to store many books, comics, mantas, and videos on it.

 

The iPad is the best when you want to see the content, I find a laptop more easy and faster for creating content.

[Arms]

I have an Acer A500 Iconia, 32Gb No 3g deliberately, Android 3.1 honeycomb O/S, front and back cameras

 

Probably the best thing I've ever bought, I can insert another 32 Gb MicroSD, can plug in usb (cards, portable hard drives etc), has bluetooth (if I have to I can tether my phone foe 3g) and GPS so can be used as satnav for free via google or free apps, 3g is unneccessary since I only need immediate net access for news, youtube and video skype as an example with the proper apps I can download offline versions of news and I don't need instants access to clips (why pay for access when I can find some free wifi in most areas)

 

Because I read a,lot I carry hundreds of books to read althought I prefer the paper versions can cost a lot of airweught and volume to carry them

 

Ipad users admit display on Acer far better than Ipad, 10.1 inch screen, can't recommend it highly enough

 

Best of all not tied in to one coroporation and ripped off by them

 

Worked exceedingly well in both BKK and Pattaya

Edited December 17, 2011 by Arms