So, who else grabbed an iPad this weekend?

[CTScott]

I had been contemplating getting an iPad since the announcement. I am overall not a fan of Apple, but I really like my iPhone. A week or so ago (after some promising announcements from some of the people who create the jailbreaks for the iphone, about the serious potential for a quick release of a jailbreak for the iPad) I decided that I would go ahead and pre-order. I didn't make the first preorder run, so I was not due to receive mine until April 12th. Last week I was talking with a friend of mine and he suggested that we go Saturday morning and see if we can actually get one. We headed to the Apple store at our local mall Saturday morning and arrived 7:40 AM; An hour and 20 minutes before opening. We were about 10th in line (for the non-preorder line). By the time 9:00AM rolled around there were 100+ people behind us.

I give Apple some serious credit for how they handled crowd control - Everything was very friendly and organized and they had people moving up an down the line offering free coffee, water and cookies. They also checked with each person in line to see what they wanted to purchase, so they could compare it with their inventory and be able to tell you if what you wanted would be available once you entered. You were allowed to purchase two, and I decided on the spot to grab my 64GB one and to also grab my wife a 16GB one (as an anniversary present to replace her Kindle).

Once the doors opened, they let about 10 people (5 preorders and 5 non) enter at a time, each one with an employee escorting them through the process. When my turn came, I was in and out of the store with the two ipads and cases for both in less than 5 minutes.

After a weekend of monkeying with them, we are both really liking them. She will use hers most of all, as an eBook reader. She reads 2-3 books a week on her Kindle now. She will also use it for email (so she doesn't have to go down stairs to her office to check her email), web browsing, patient scheduling (synced with Outlook on her PC), and for doing presentations via the optional VGA adapter (she does some community lectures on nutrition, as she is a registered Dietitian).

My primary use will be as a digital notepad. I currently use the graph paper steno pads for taking meeting notes, hashing out ideas, etc. and have hundreds of them on the shelves in my office. Finding anything form the past in them is a real feat and deciphering it once I do is nearly impossible (with my handwriting, I think I was destined to be a doctor). I prefer typing to writing, and I found a couple of apps that I am experimenting with that allow you to add sketches within the text. I really like email and web browsing on it (and the lack of adobe flash isn't a huge deal to me). Watching movies on it when I travel for business is going to be awesome, especially with the battery life.

Positives thus far:

Screen - Nice size and looks excellent. Daylight readability is better than I expected as well.

Speed - Instant on, super fast app launching, and performance within games is excellent (I had to load some to do proper testing).

Battery life - I used it out of the box (without charging) for about six hours on Saturday and the battery was still at 79%.


Negatives thus far:

"Accessibility" - My wife has some visual impairment and the advertised accessibility features sounded great. They could definitely use more work - The principles are sound, but the implementation is not ideal. The screen reader mode is a great idea, but you have to learn about 20 gestures (one to three finger tap or swipe combinations) and not all third party apps work well with it (the Amazon Kindle app for example doesn't work well with the gestures required when it that mode, and Kindle books won't play in audio mode on the iPad). Also, the high contrast display mode doesn't make apps like the calendar any more readable. The calendar uses very fine, light gray on white in normal mode and dark gray on black in high contrast mode. Neither of these is super readable, even for me with 20/20 vision.

"Voice quality" - In the Apple iBooks app (their equivalent to Kindle) the iPad will play the books if you have the Voice over mode turned on. There is only one voice (female, whereas the kindle lets you chose male or female) and the reading is a bit more mechanical and choppy as compared with the Kindle.

No calculator - Both of us see the need for one and were surprised that there wasn't one built in (although we found a free one that suffices).

No true "notepad" app - With my primary use case being to replace paper pads, I would have liked to see a text and sketch combo app built in (like the one that comes with XP tablet edition). I have found a couple of apps for $5 or less that I am experimenting with, but it would have been a nice factory feature.

[Altitude]

iDidn't :wink:

Hope you find it useful!

[tomato]

Sounds like a great, positive review, Scott. :thumbsup:

I didn't get one "pre-ordered" and am not planning on getting one in the near future (I don't have an immediate need for it right now) but I'll be heading out to the Apple store later today to get try to get my paws on one of them and see what the hoopla is all about. I'll admit it, I am - at the very least - curious.

[SailDesign]

Let's see -
1. I have a phone that "does" the interwebz - but it costs a lotta $$ to do so.
2. I have a Palm thingie that does likewise, but is pretty much free as long as I can find an unsecured network...
3. I have a netbook that does everything the Palm does, but can actually be typed on, too, without a magnifying glass, and
4. I have a fixed 'puter at home that does everything better than all of the above.

I'm not mocking, Scott - I have just never been able to understand the need for Interwebz access everywhere, especially coupled with no keyboard on a machine where the screen is basically unprotected.
But I'll bet that if someone gave me one and paid for service, I'd have fun with it. :smile:

[Kal-El]

Apple sold 300,000 iPads on the first day. That's particularly impressive since most people are waiting for the data plan supported unit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36175932/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets//deck/

[CTScott]

Apple sold 300,000 iPads on the first day. That's particularly impressive since most people are waiting for the data plan supported unit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36175932/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets//deck/

Except for people like me, who are running pdanet on their jailbroken iphones to avoid the $40/month data plan for the iPad.

[127.0.0.1]

I have a bike.

[eTiMaGo]

I'm not mocking, Scott - I have just never been able to understand the need for Interwebz access everywhere, especially coupled with no keyboard on a machine where the screen is basically unprotected.
But I'll bet that if someone gave me one and paid for service, I'd have fun with it. :smile:

Yegads, Steve, think of the possibilities! Think of the time wasted everyday as you sit in the toilet, you could now boost your productivity thanks to the iPad!

I kid, I kid, I find this device quite intriguing, definitely the way mobile computing is going to go in the future.... I'll wait a couple more hardware generations though, spent far too much time and money on the bleeding edge of consumer electronics :D

[Gideon]

I went in to check one out in person. I'm waiting to hear from my company if I can get one to use for business purposes. :biggrin:

If not I'll probably pick up a refurbished one when they finally have them in stock.

I have two laptops, one netbook and two tablet PCs that I have tried to use for work/play and I'm fairly confident that I can use the iPad instead as none of those PCs listed may do more than the iPad but really don't do anything particularly well. (Laptop is too heavy and has a crap battery life, netbook takes forever to do anything and the touchscreens on the two tablets blow.)

[eht13]

Is it safe to assume you didnt get the wifi version of it as its not released yet? Actually safe to assume he got the WiFi-only version. The WiFi and 3G version comes out later this month.

[Gideon]

Well as long as you like it Scott. Is it safe to assume you didnt get the wifi version of it as its not released yet? And like Sail said the screen is unprotected and i would suspect the digitizer has a limited life span, there is serious risk of constant recalibration. And like Sail said we're not knocking you Scott , i just think you might have been caught up in the marketing net of Apple, and. I gotta give it to them they are great at marketing. But for the money i would have bought one of the new toshiba tablet PCs, everything a computer has and can act as a digital scribble machine. Even a small netbook can be upgraded for about 30$ to have the touch screen/digitizer , they sell the modules on ebay.

I'm sure CT isn't worried as I'm also sure he's aware that the iPad (as well as the iPhone/iPod touch) uses a capacitive touchscreen panel which does not require user calibration, unlike resistive touchscreen panels which do require recalibration after a bit of use. :thumbsup:

[CTScott]

I went in to check one out in person. I'm waiting to hear from my company if I can get one to use for business purposes. :biggrin:

If not I'll probably pick up a refurbished one when they finally have them in stock.

I have two laptops, one netbook and two tablet PCs that I have tried to use for work/play and I'm fairly confident that I can use the iPad instead as none of those PCs listed may do more than the iPad but really don't do anything particularly well. (Laptop is too heavy and has a crap battery life, netbook takes forever to do anything and the touchscreens on the two tablets blow.)


That's exactly why I was so interested. I own 4 laptops (each has it's own purpose based on size, power, battery life, etc.), but none can run for an entire day (even doing simple things) without needing a charge.

I have owned two Windows based tablets (the Motion Computing tablet and a Compaq one). My biggest complaints with both were boot time, battery consumption in sleep mode, and the digitizer mechanisms). The iPhone's touch screen is so much better than anything else I've ever used, and a giant version that works just a well is a serious win.

I plan to do some development for the iPad. I did some for work for the iPhone, but with the screen size of the iPad, there is so much more potential.

[tomato]

I still say, "good for you" Scott.

Yes, we're all aware of the shortcomings, it doesn't do flash, memory could be better, doesn't multitask, etc., etc.

I went to check them out an hour ago at the store and was impressed with the net surfing / pinch-zoom experience. The display is awesome (that's indoors, though) and over at the Apple store, on their Wi-Fi , the pages loaded FAST. Wow.

I can totally, totally understand the appeal. (I didn't say I'd buy it though)

To those of you who are bashing the device based on the lack of flash support, etc., think about it this way:

Let's say you have to get someplace 3 miles from where you are now. You can either 1) walk, 2) drive, 3) bike over, 4) take public transportation, 5) other ....

There is no "one way is better than the other" Sure, to get over there faster, you'll drive. To get there while getting some exercise, you probably want to walk it or bike it. To get there while spending the least money, another option might be best. Etc., etc. I guess it's all a question of personal preference.

Apple's iPad is just giving you a different way of accomplishing things you can already accomplish with your iPhone or notebook or whatever else device. There is nothing wrong with that. :iono:

BTW, For the record, I'm no Apple fanboy, and 4 out of 5 electronic devices I own are non-Apple products. And I have my opinion about Apple as a company (which I'll keep to myself ;) but I don't see the need to bash the iPad :iono: (well, except perhaps the name ;) :laugh::tongue:

[BailOut]

I have just never been able to understand the need for Interwebz access everywhere
When my company first handed me an iPhone I felt the same way, but having near-constant access to the Net at your fingertips is sort of like getting your first microwave. You never knew how useful it could be until you got one.

From the work side I can get onto any of our networks and troubleshoot any issues even when I'm sneaking in a few snowboard runs before work, or when a server melts down while I'm mountain biking in a canyon somewhere. This level of freedom is hard to describe unless you've ever had to cut an outing or event short because you needed to get to a Net access point, or had to lug a laptop everywhere you went.

From the personal side you basically have the largest collection of human knowledge in history at your fingertips nearly 24x7. Looking up a recipe at the grocery store, real time price comparisons, user reviews, movie show times, reference materials, email, etc. are all great examples of this power. There are lighter aspects as well, like checking forums or social networking sites when you have time to kill.

Combine all of that with a bucket of local-only applications on a computer in your pocket and it becomes a part of your daily life.

With all that said I still can't think of a use for the iPad. I much prefer my Linux netbook (another company asset, which I usually keep downstairs) for tooling around the Net or typing anything, and my Linux desktop upstairs is by far the most usable of all 3 devices. I just can't imagine having something as limited as the iPhone in a larger size that's too big for a pocket and too unprotected for anything but a laptop bag, and at a price point that starts above full featured netbooks.

[Altitude]

I'd be most interested to hear how your wife feels about using it as an eReader especially compared to the Kindle with the eInk display. I could never read a book on a backlit display be it a PC or laptop monitor or any display that has a refresh rate due to eye strain. I use the Sony eReader for books and find the eInk to be the deciding factor in my ability to read anything at length.

I won't bash the iPad because I'd be thrilled to play with one for a while, but I don't think it's something I would find much use for over the long term. Of course if I could turn one into a home automation interface I'd be in heaven, so it's possible I would pick one up on eBay in the future (though the lack of standard ports would be a hindrance.)

It's definitely got the cool and wow factor going for it, but after that wears off it comes down to usability. It'll be interesting to see how you feel about the prospects for longevity after you've used it for a while.

[tomato]

Meanwhile ... this is Tomato reporting Live from the Apple store :biggrin:

sorry about the pic size

The screen is made of glass and at that angle, I'm getting the reflexion of the overhead lights ... hard to take a picture with one hand with this phone... but the display really is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

[tomato]

So this gives you an idea of what it feels like to surf the net on that thing. ^

Sorry about the pic quality

OK. Resized finally. Pfeww.

[cali yaris]

you can do more than try, you're a Mod. Clean up the thread?

I almost bought one, but my main criticism (besides the popular and obvious ones) was that it doesn't support an iPod cable, which all of my cars are built with, so I can control an iPod from the head unit. If I buy an iPad, I would want to use it for my music.

[tomato]

*sigh*

Not even ONE little thank you for going to the Apple store and bringing you live reporting!! tsk , tsk, tsk

[CTScott]

you can do more than try, you're a Mod. Clean up the thread?

I almost bought one, but my main criticism (besides the popular and obvious ones) was that it doesn't support an iPod cable, which all of my cars are built with, so I can control an iPod from the head unit. If I buy an iPad, I would want to use it for my music.

Interesting - I hadn't heard that one. I just tried mine with my Eclipse head unit and sure enough besides the "Can not charge from this device" message, I get a "This device is not compatible with the iPad" message.

[tomato]

you can do more than try, you're a Mod. Clean up the thread?

I almost bought one, but my main criticism (besides the popular and obvious ones) was that it doesn't support an iPod cable, which all of my cars are built with, so I can control an iPod from the head unit. If I buy an iPad, I would want to use it for my music.

Well, the thing people tend to forget is that this is a first gen. device. A first draft, if you will.

Take the iPod for example, the first one was cool but nowhere near as cool as the iPod photo when it came out, then the iPod with flash memory, iPod touch... Keep giving your feedback (preferably without killing each other :smile: ) and watch the devices change over time . :iono:

[CTScott]

The iPad is Crashy approved; I loaded the service manual and the '08, '09 and '10 EWDs into it tonight.

33112

[CTScott]

now see, this is something that i find very useful :thumbsup:

does the Ipad have any external ports?

Just the iPod connector. There is a digital camera / SD card reader that Apple will be shipping in a couple of weeks. The iPod connector also has an RS232 port, which I did some experimentation with on the iPhone.

[tomato]

The iPad is Crashy approved; I loaded the service manual and the '08, '09 and '10 EWDs into it tonight.

33112

sight for sore eyes! :thumbsup:

[yaris-me]

CTScott, please keep us informed on your experience with the iPad. I have an iPod Touch and love it, but it is small and limited. My problem with Apple is the Script is not compatible with Words.

[Aothachos]

iDidn't but droid does :) lol droid does everything for me that the ipad does

[tomato]

Except for people like me, who are running pdanet on their jailbroken iphones to avoid the $40/month data plan for the iPad.

OK, now I'm really curious. I have Pda.net but I can't find good evidence that it works well for Android phone / iPad. Did you buy any chance run into some info about that when you were doing your research?

I can see ANDROID / PDANET / laptop, no problem, but iPad, a completely different platform ??? Any pointers greatly appreciated. :smile:

And by the way, Scott, did you use any specific applications to process your photos when you took your iPad on vacation, or just sync with the camera kit they provide and upload from there? Thanks.

[CTScott]

OK, now I'm really curious. I have Pda.net but I can't find good evidence that it works well for Android phone / iPad. Did you buy any chance run into some info about that when you were doing your research?

I can see ANDROID / PDANET / laptop, no problem, but iPad, a completely different platform ??? Any pointers greatly appreciated. :smile:

And by the way, Scott, did you use any specific applications to process your photos when you took your iPad on vacation, or just sync with the camera kit they provide and upload from there? Thanks.

Actually the pdnet SW I have to run for the ipad to tether to my iphone is MiWi. The ipad doesn't support peer to peer networking, which is required for the real pdanet, so MiWi makes your iphone look like an access point.

[tomato]

hmmm... looks like I have my work cut-out trying to tether an iPad to a non-rooted Android phone :/

but thanks anyway :)

[CTScott]

hmmm... looks like I have my work cut-out trying to tether an iPad to a non-rooted Android phone :/

but thanks anyway :)

Everything I've seen, as far as tethering for Android, required rooting. Did you pick up an iPad?

[tomato]

Everything I've seen, as far as tethering for Android, required rooting. Did you pick up an iPad?

I'm afraid so.

I needed something ultra portable, for long plane trips and to take to Europe, for quick internet access, email, and to store and show photos (my Android phone won't work in Europe :thumbdown: and the iPod touch is a bit small for photos) . Last time I took my laptop to Europe was a real pain, first of all it's heavy, especially with the accessories, spare batteries, etc. plus going through security with it is a pain, having it open or on your lap is a pain...

I got the cheapest one, 16 GB / Wi-Fi only. I think it'll serve my purposes just right, for now (I know there is talk about an Android tablet coming out soon in November on VZW but I couldn't wait that long, plus no one really knows if it will indeed come out at that time, if it'll have a contract attached to it, or whatever).

After I got over the initial "oh, it doesn't do this, or that?" (comparing it to an Android powered device) I got to really liking it. Intuitive operation, instant boot time (no clicking or spinning of anything, device doesn't heat up), battery lasts for ever. Doesn't crash. Ideal to surf the net from anywhere in hour house including in bed, on the couch. ;)

Initial impressions

[tomato]

initial impressions:

display is amazing. THAT is how the Internet [minus flash ;) ] is supposed to look like on a mobile device :smile:
battery just won't quit (device came preloaded with 90% juice and lasted a day and a half)
plug and play with my old iPod chargers
extremely intuitive and easy to use (not that I know everything there is to know about device by any means)
worked right out of the box, sniffed out my network at home without me doing any config
Netflix app to stream movies a little slow but still works pretty well

[CTScott]

I was mighty glad to have mine for our France trip. I used it the entire time on our flights from Newark to Dusseldorf to Paris and the battery was still at more than 50%. Finding free WiFi was not too bad (many cafes, museums, etc. had it). Once I picked up a sim card for my iPhone, I was able tether the ipad to it and to use it mobile (which was mighty nice on our 3.5 hour each way bus ride to Normandy).

Having it jaibroken is handy for "try before you buy" with apps. Once I find ones that I think are worth the money I do purchase them, but being able to initially load them without paying is handy, as most don't have trial versions and many are not worth the price. I bought the camera connection kit and found that to be great for getting pictures from my digital cameras to FB and photobucket while I am traveling.

My favorite apps so far are:

GoodReader (the best $.99 I've spent) Which allows organizing and viewing of PDFs and all MS Office docs.

WhiteNote ($3.99) The best note taking (typing, sketching and audio recording) app that I've found so far.

Zinio (Free) Magazine reading/purchasing app, where subscriptions are very reasonable (Import Tuner for example is $11.25 for 12 issues).

Live Cams HD ($2.99) Nice webcam viewing app that I use to view my own security cameras and it has a huge database of cameras all over the world.

[cali yaris]

^ this is cool. I've been thinking about using one we can walk around the warehouse with and do inventory.

[tomato]

^ Good to know about the apps.

Haven't downloaded anything interesting yet, using it primarily as a net surfer at the moment.

Oh, and I got a book (couldn't resist)

Still working out the tethering part :( I can't root my EVO on Froyo just yet, so I may just end up having to turn on the Sprint's mobile hotspot feature instead (still cheaper than getting the 3G iPad w/ AT&T monthly data plan, I think).

[why?]

I'd be most interested to hear how your wife feels about using it as an eReader especially compared to the Kindle with the eInk display. I could never read a book on a backlit display be it a PC or laptop monitor or any display that has a refresh rate due to eye strain. I use the Sony eReader for books and find the eInk to be the deciding factor in my ability to read anything at length.

I won't bash the iPad because I'd be thrilled to play with one for a while, but I don't think it's something I would find much use for over the long term. Of course if I could turn one into a home automation interface I'd be in heaven, so it's possible I would pick one up on eBay in the future (though the lack of standard ports would be a hindrance.)

It's definitely got the cool and wow factor going for it, but after that wears off it comes down to usability. It'll be interesting to see how you feel about the prospects for longevity after you've used it for a while.

I hear that about the eye strain, I can't even use a smallish laptop or computer monitor without my eyes getting crazy strained. And forget using ipod's or anything like that for anything but music.

I tried a netbook with a 13" screen and after 5 minutes I had a headache. Oh well, just need to wait for cybernetic implants to be a reality.

[JumpmanYaris]

So its safe to say that most ppl that have the ipad like it ?

[tomato]

@jumpman : Oh yeah, I would think so.

Critics are waiting for something better to come along, and I'm sure there will be an equivalent out there shortly, doing what the iPad does and then some, that's the way it always is with technology :iono:

Myself, I was hoping an Android tablet would be out by now but it's not, so ... for me an iPad, however limited, is a lot better than shlepping around 10 pounds of laptop + accessories.

[tomato]

do you mean the Motorola tablet?

http://www.phonedog.com/videos/noah-on-cnbc-google-s-ipad-killer-coming-to-verizon/

yeah, but is it gonna come with a contract attached to it? :iono:

no one knows.

[CTScott]

Sure there will eventually be better options out there, but in the 5 months since I purchased mine many of those theoreticals have fizzled and thus far there's nothing equivalent out there.

I've owned 3 different UMPCs and one Windows based tablet, and after a month or so with each I abandoned each due to poor battery life, too tiny to be useful screens, or annoying input devices (stylus, keyboard, etc.) So, at this point 5 months and I'm still happy with it says a lot.

[eTiMaGo]

Sure there will eventually be better options out there, but in the 5 months since I purchased mine many of those theoreticals have fizzled and thus far there's nothing equivalent out there.

I've owned 3 different UMPCs and one Windows based tablet, and after a month or so with each I abandoned each due to poor battery life, too tiny to be useful screens, or annoying input devices (stylus, keyboard, etc.) So, at this point 5 months and I'm still happy with it says a lot.

+1, we had a $3000 Fujitsu TabletPC we used for work, it was pretty decent but using a stylus was a pain (and it was pretty chunky and heavy).

then later I got a "cheap" HP convertible laptop with a touchscreen that does not require a stylus, this turned out to be a resistive touchscreen like on earlier PDAs, no accuracy at all...

And now I have an iPad ordered and coming sooon :D And if a better alternative comes around, I'll probably get that too hahahah.. I can think of many many uses for these devices :smile:

[tomato]

...

And now I have an iPad ordered and coming sooon :D And if a better alternative comes around, I'll probably get that too hahahah.. I can think of many many uses for these devices :smile:

Congratulations! I think you're gonna love it (well, there is thAT initial android-adaptation time :tongue: but you should get over that pretty quick:wink:)

If a better alternative comes along and I have a need for it, then, I guess I'll just get it and sell my iPad. There is a huge market out there for used Apple equipment, so it won't be too hard and in my experience, Apple stuff doesn't depreciate that fast.)

[tomato]

@ jumpman, anyone curious about the iPad

you might like this review (video in 2 parts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THxCwThjBMA

that guy is pretty honest, user friendly, and tells you pretty much what you need to know about the device. He's also done some useful app reviews.

[Altitude]

wait for black friday, Google is rolling out its tablet with the Chromimum OS.... mmmm cloud computing

Booooooo cloud computing. Don't drink the koolaid!

[tomato]

Just got back from the Apple. They're telling me that comes November, Apple will roll out a major update for iPads enabling multitasking.

This ought to be really cool!

@Scott , have you found some more useful apps lately? Any good productivity apps, maybe?

Angry birds? ;)

[CTScott]

Just got back from the Apple. They're telling me that comes November, Apple will roll out a major update for iPads enabling multitasking.

This ought to be really cool!

@Scott , have you found some more useful apps lately? Any good productivity apps, maybe?

Angry birds? ;)

I'm up to over 100 apps on mine. The jailbreak recently came out for version 3.2.2, so I finally upgraded the iOS as well. With jailbreaking, I can already do multitasking on mine.