The iPad

[Callie Del Noire]

First four days with it.

Look: It's a nice well polished unit with the same sort of feel to it as an iPod Touch. The switches are well placed and a bit resilient in their feel and build. But not so much so that you can't use them without having to work at it. But no accidental volume changes or turn offs or locks.

Set-up: Easy Peasy. You install the latest version of iTunes and you hook up the iPad to your computer. It synchs, registers and moves along fine. The power situation is a bit differnet from an iPhone/iPod. It takes a bit longer to charge off a computer's usb power port and requires a different power adapter than the iPod/iPhone so some of your peripherals won't work out for power charging purposes.

Interface: It's your standard iPhone/iTouch interface gone big. You can touch, tap, drag and pinch to zoom in/out. With more space you can do a bit more. The menu bar can hold up to six apps vice the four of it's little brothers. The keyboard is quiet and typing it is very useful but takes some getting used to. Depending on the way you orient the keypad takes a little getting used to. Tilted into landscape orientation and the keyboard is fairly useful for a ham fingered guy like me. Or you can use any bluetooth 2.0 keyboard like the chiclet apple bluetooth keyboard that I have for my mini-mac/mac book docked projects. (which is how I'm typing up this post with the iPad)
Systems settings are fairly intuitive, you tap to the app or general setting and bang you've got some options to choose unchoose (bluetooth/wi-fi on/off, hidden, ect). You can set wallpapers for the background (something I wanted to do FOREVER with my phone), set portraits, set things so you can go into picture frame mode when you're locking the iPad and a variety of options for the aps you download.

APPs: The meat of the iPad. I got a bunch of apps from my iPhone and more than a few free or majorly discounted with release weekend. A LOT of free aps that deal with my interests and/or plans for the iPad.
-Ebooks: iBooks: Haven't done that much with it. Yet. It comes with Winnie the Pooh and is very nice. Scaleable fonts, crisp looks and smooth page turning back and forth. The bookstore interface isn't so good, but then neither is the Kindle's native browser store (I usually buy it off the website)
Kindle Reader: Updated release day for the Ipad. It's 'shelf' isn't as pretty as the iBook app's but you have access to your archived books, which means any book  you've bought for the kindle is there the second you connect with the net. No notations (as yet) but I am sure that is coming.
Comic Readers: Marvel, IDW Comic reader, Comics X: all of them are fairly the same. Nice shop interface, and all of them have a fairly crisp graphics. You can sweep from panel to panel or page to page. Each of them have a good selection of books (free and otherwise). My only major complaint is backing out of the durn comic when you're done. (minor bitch)
Barne's & Noble: Haven't tried it yet, but I'm betting it'll be as flexible as the Kindle reader.
-Productivity: You can buy the entire iWork's suite in three small bites (9.99 each). Haven't done it yet, but most likely I'll wind up getting Write as least (Particilarly since MS won't be releasing Office for the iPad and OpenOffice isn't coming either). I downloaded a few note programs to try out as I get into school. As I use Bento on my Mac for character databases, I've got it on special for the iPad (thus far.. I'm not too happy with it.. but it's 4.99). There were a couple pdf readers that were on special and I got a few of them trying out, but thus far I'm not too happy with the interface of them (they tend to scroll rathter than allow back and forth like I want to do. Aside from reading them they don't have much options)
-Network tools: This is one of the areas I was curious about, using it to troubleshoot a network and remotely control computers. (I got a special ap and one of the better aps that I had read about). I'm currently testing them out. The small display and sometimes quirky controls makes my main mac hard to control (dual monitor displays) but my mini-mac server and mac book are doing fine. I'm going to put my PC back together to test it out but from what I read it was just as good with a windows network.
-Entertainment: ABC came out of the release weekend with an ap to stream their shows. Very impressive on the iPad screen, with minimum lag over the wifi connection (Watched an episode of V and Castle after going to bed. Both angles work good) The Sony tailer ap for the iPhone works well on the iPad and was updated for the increased size and resolution. I haven't tried the NETFLIX ap but I think it will be just as good. I expect a few more apps to come up in this area.
-Games: I got a few free specials. iMahjong for one. Not a bad version of the game. Godfinger/Turf Wars are two online social games that came free. (you can buy power ups). Godfinger is a 'god game' where you get your own world to play with. Smite your worshipers, build stuff with them whatever. I like it, it's fun and quirky. Turf Wars is an adaption of the iPhone version where you stake a claim on real world turf and work your way up as a mobster (I own my apartment complex..LOL). Lots of fun. I live in fear of reaching the level where my nearest foe can hit me (he's about 5 miles from my turf at this moment).
I also broke down and bought two games I knew I'd like. Plants vs Zombies (I am sooo sooo weak). It's crack on any platform. You play it you'll understand. Implode XL. Blow up buildings on a blue print. Almost as much fun, playign with the level creator now.

Grouses:  No native clock, calculator apps (I like playing my iTunes till I fall asleep and use my iPhone as an alarm clock).
  Serious limits in what you can put in the iPad's memory (I'd like to be able to drag/drop my pdfs as I wish)
  Occassional Wi-fi issues (but it's like the first iPhone release and that would go on to be fixed by a hot patch)

It's an interesting piece of tech and I am definitely looking forward to further testing it's battery life (it's taken about an hour and half with wifi and bluetooth) typing this out and I've only lost 7% battery life from full charge. I think the ten hour battery life is a conditional thing but we shall see.

I'll post more as time goes on. Feel free to ask questions.

[Callie Del Noire]

Wow.. no questions.

I'm surprised.. at least no one acted the tool like the other site I posted on. (Lots of sarcasm and mac hate)

[Teke]

That's a nice review of it so far, Callie.  I'm in the market for a new laptop, and I admit I considered the iPad for a little while, but I think I'll be going with something more traditional.  Probably something with that new i3 chip from Intel.

[NCIJade]

I've been wary of it since it was announced, most of the reviews say it is a giant iPhone with less features. I'm not hating on it because I hate Apple or whatever; I LOVE my iPhone. I just can't imagine what I would ever need an iPad for. Everything it can do I can do on my phone, and the phone is easier to carry and keep up with.

So I have a few questions. What kinds of things do you see it being a must-have gadget for? Is there a niche it fills that needs filling? Is there anything it can do that other devices can't?

[Callie Del Noire]

Well NCIJade, I think it fits the 'netbook niche' pretty well. Something small, portable, with a long battery life.

I like the bluetooth feature a bit more since I got the 'Camera for iPad' app. It lets you like the iPhone and iPad (or iTouch) to take and download photos on the fly. Not a BIG thing but it's cute.

My biggest CURRENT gripe is the lack of ease of downloading things that aren't covered by iTunes (like.. PDFs) and I'm looking for more options in that field. It's got some quirks. (The current big one on the boards is the Wi-Fi connection, which I have seen..but I have heard that is some how strangely tied into screen brightness).

Must have? Not really any. I do think it's handy (and smaller than my macbook or old pc laptop, small enough infact that I can stuff it and it's bluetooth keyboard in a netbook case (with a little room to spare for a bottle of screen cleaner and a spritzer.

I anticipate that the iPhone OS upgrade coming will make the iPhone and iPad even more interconnectable (too bad tethering will never happen with AT&T being a tool about it.

I wish that OpenOffice was going to come out for it. That would be a GREAT tool for typing out notes. I'm also thinking of looking for a small non-chiclet style keyboard (I LOATHE Apple keyboards more often..they are sturdy and well built but they don't feel right )

[NCIJade]

Hmmm... I can see that. I work in a computer repair shop, and netbooks are just awful to work with, in my opinion. I can see where the iPad would have the same ultra-portability with more ease of use.

I just honestly can't think of a single reason I would want or need one. But then again, I'm not the type who needs an ultra portable device with more power than my phone.

[Dizzi]

I'll be honest.  A lot of hate towards the iPad was originally because rumors made people think that it would be a whole new tablet.  But it's not.  It's something else.

I, personally, have no use for it.  but I will probably buy a courier when it comes otu (Or the second or third generation of it) because it fits my needs.  it's smaller than an ipad, two screens for easier organization, shaped lie a book etc.  Or the HP slate which is a treue tablet PC.  Cameras (Yes. two), USB etc.  But

[Callie Del Noire]

I confess to wishing it had it's own camera or a mic built in. I REALLY want to use it for notes. Adding in the ability to 'tape' a class while you're writing makes it easy to backtrack and check some things. I've had more than one evil teacher in college who wrote with one hand and erased with the other.

A nice bluetooth mic would cap things out. (No recording app is native to the iPad) NOT A headset though

[NCIJade]

It took me a while to hop on-board with the iPhone, and I ended up loving it. I think I'll just wait for a friend of mine to get an iPad and play with theirs to see if I like it. >_>

[Callie Del Noire]

Or go by the Apple store or Best Buy and play with them. I do think if they find a way to multitask and a few other tweaks it will be a scarey good tablet. I'm still wondering about the microsoft tablet.. it looks promising but I mean.. MS isn't too tech innovative, I HOPE it comes out but I'm not sure the higher ups will buy into it.

I thought the Crunchpad was a good idea but too bad the partners were set to screw the developers.

[Callie Del Noire]

One of my grouses will possibly be going away. the 4.0 version of the iPhone OS was announced today. Several features of note came out during the announcement.

-Folders: so you can stack all your social network programs, games, and such in a special for each, vastly eliminating clutter.
-Multitasking: You will be able to run your Pandora app and other apps at the same time for example. (nothing clear on the limits to that yet)
-Backgrounds/wall papers (I know at least one friend who is happy to hear he can put something on his iPhones background)

How long it will be till it comes out for the iPhone/iTouch isn't clear in what I've read, but I'll bet that it will be coming out for the iPad sometime after them.

[NCIJade]

One of my grouses will possibly be going away. the 4.0 version of the iPhone OS was announced today. Several features of note came out during the announcement.

-Folders: so you can stack all your social network programs, games, and such in a special for each, vastly eliminating clutter.
-Multitasking: You will be able to run your Pandora app and other apps at the same time. (nothing clear on the limits to that yet)
-Backgrounds/wall papers (I know at least one friend who is happy to hear he can put something on his iPhones background)

How long it will be till it comes out for the iPhone/iTouch isn't clear in what I've read, but I'll bet that it will be coming out for the iPad sometime after them.

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!!!!!

[Callie Del Noire]

That was the example used in the article..

Of course with every 2 steps forward .. there has to be something backwards..

The Abode Flash Compiler might not be allowed under the new OS's Developer Program License Agreement. (Not sure of the specifics)

Also..while messing with my iPad while eating at Tijuana Flats (and leeching off someone's unsecured Wi-fi behind the mall it was in) I discovered that the iPad DOES have a built in Mic.. (Used Shazam to tag a few songs I heard)

[Callie Del Noire]

Found the data/file sharing section (It's under the apps page), still wish it was more of a 'drag n drop' like a USB stick.

Also discovered the World Fact Book, lots of fun stuff. :D