In May I purchased an iPad after Donna told me to give myself a present for landing a new job so quickly. I have now been using it for two months and have some feedback about this interesting device.
1. I love the touch type keyboard, however I might get an external one. One of the critical success factors for me to purchase the iPad was the ability to touch type on it. I wanted it to be a fairly efficient note taking device as well as crank out email faster than touch typing on the phone. When I tried one out in May it seemed to meet the requirement well (although getting used to the location of some of the non-alpha characters is still taking some getting used to). I also notice that I need to tweak my typing style a bit since I normally hit keys like x, c, and n with the tip/nail of my finger and that’s not good enough for the touch screen. I had thought about getting the wireless Bluetooth keyboard for a while, but don’t care for the idea of hauling two items around all the time. Since I work from home, I am never too far from my laptop anyway.
2. I wish they would upgrade to iOS 4. Since the iPhone has upgraded to iOS version 4 earlier this summer, I am surprised it has taken so long to upgrade the iPad to the same. I really enjoy
background processing on the phone and wish I could play Pandora, for example, then switch apps on the iPad. I also love the idea of folders to group icons together on the iPhone. Just because the screen is bigger on the iPad doesn’t mean it is easier or quicker to navigate around 50 or more apps.
3. It makes a great photo frame. I know, this is one of those simple pleasures and specific applications, but since I already have an iPad, why should I spring an addition $50-100 for something that only displays photos. Besides, out single-purpose photo frame doesn’t stand up all that well.
4. It is a great Netflix viewer. Watching movies works well if you have WiFi, but the 3G service doesn’t keep up very well and can get expensive if you are on the 200MB plan. Not only is the app a movie viewer, but it also allows you to manage your queues. The netflix app UI is very similar to the website in terms of navigation so there is no learning curve to watching your favorite Instant Queue movies.
5. Having 3G service is handy. Although it was a premium on the device, I find it very handy to use while traveling and the ability to turn it off while I am not using it. Around the house and several other places that I frequent, WiFi is the preferred method. My only wish is that I could send and receive text messages. The device has a phone number and this *IS* a data plan after all, isn’t it?
6. Having a case like the Apple one or Incase is a must. One of the first things I noticed when I first got my iPad was that it was heavy and kind of difficult to hold for an entire 2 hour feature film. Also, typing on my lap was a bit tricky with the rounded back and the angle it lays on the lap was sub optimal. The challenge was to find a case. I should note that while I looked, the device was protected with neoprene sleeve. I had two options in mind, the Apple jacket or the Incase leather book jacket. Both protect and double as a stand that improve the angle for typing. While the Apple case is less expensive and thinner, I started hearing people report that the case started to get lint and other funk on it. I opted for the Incase sleeve because it offers three stand angles and is a bit more padded. I ordered it online and it took about two weeks to arrive.
Got one? Want one? Leave a comment.
This article was composed and published from my iPad.
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