My First iPad Report
I did it. I got an iPad.
And while I can see the applications for work (you can use Google Docs, for example, to create documents and spreadsheets), I have to admit that the fun applications are by far the greater incentive!
You can check your emails, of course, but if you want to text you're going to have to have 3G, or download an app like TextPlus (which I am testing out now, with mixed results), which runs over WiFi.
One of the things I have used my iPad for most, other than emails on the go (assuming I find a WiFi connection!) is movies. Yep, movies. With Netflix and a WiFi connection, you can stream movies to your iPad, thus creating your own private movie theater wherever you are. And of course there are games galore (you do have to try Angry Birds HD!), Pandora, weather and traffic reports - pretty much whatever you could do with your iPhone, you can do with the iPad (minus 3G, if you don't opt for that).
If you want 3G, of course, you're going to pay for that, just as you would with your phone. So, you will have to have a data plan. AT&T charges $24/month for a 2 gigabyte plan. Trust me, 2 gigabytes can be used pretty readily if you consume much on-the-go data. Users will no doubt become adept at turning on the WiFi, and turning off the 3G, whenever possible, to save data usage.
Synching is pretty much the same as synching an iPhone. You plug it in, authorize the computer of your choice, and your purchased music and apps are automatically transferred to your device. And while most of the time you'll prefer to charge your iPad using your ac interface (wall plug), you can recharge using a computer's USB port. I had the odd experience the other day of plugging to iPad into my computer's USB port, and while it was recognized, it announced that it was "not charging." I read today, however, that when you plug an iPod into a USB hub or low-power USB port, it will charge - just verrrryyyy sllloowwwly, so it may not register as charging.
You will probably also want to invest in a couple of handy addons: a usb port interface, and perhaps a card reader. These will help you transfer files, because the iPad itself doesn't have a USB interface, nor a card-reader port. And I recently learned that you can use a USB powered microphone (and I understand a headset equipped with a mic), as well as the built-in mic to record notes, and even (with the appropriate app) record and edit sound. I am testing out VC Audio Pro now, and so far the results are excellent - the app is $5.99.
The most glaring failing of the iPad is the lack of Flash. Though as a practical matter, for 75% plus of the things you'll want to do (such as watching YouTube videos), you don't really need Flash. In fact, some of my geekier friends see the demise of Flash looming in the somewhat-near future. Video compression has gotten so much better (witness the fact that YouTube will send a Flash-video to Flash-enabled devices, and a non-Flash video to others) that it's very likely that a lot of the production that had been done in Flash will now be done in video/After Effects. But what matters to you is that you can still have a relatively full Internet experience without Flash. Having said that, though, it would still be nice for Apple to get over itself and allow it!
Finally, the beautiful screen of the iPad just begs for it to provide GPS - and it does, but again, you're going to have to opt for the 3G data plan to make that dream a reality.
I'll spend some time using the device, and I'll get back to you in a few months with an updated report. But so far, it's worth every penny.
And while I can see the applications for work (you can use Google Docs, for example, to create documents and spreadsheets), I have to admit that the fun applications are by far the greater incentive!
You can check your emails, of course, but if you want to text you're going to have to have 3G, or download an app like TextPlus (which I am testing out now, with mixed results), which runs over WiFi.
One of the things I have used my iPad for most, other than emails on the go (assuming I find a WiFi connection!) is movies. Yep, movies. With Netflix and a WiFi connection, you can stream movies to your iPad, thus creating your own private movie theater wherever you are. And of course there are games galore (you do have to try Angry Birds HD!), Pandora, weather and traffic reports - pretty much whatever you could do with your iPhone, you can do with the iPad (minus 3G, if you don't opt for that).
If you want 3G, of course, you're going to pay for that, just as you would with your phone. So, you will have to have a data plan. AT&T charges $24/month for a 2 gigabyte plan. Trust me, 2 gigabytes can be used pretty readily if you consume much on-the-go data. Users will no doubt become adept at turning on the WiFi, and turning off the 3G, whenever possible, to save data usage.
Synching is pretty much the same as synching an iPhone. You plug it in, authorize the computer of your choice, and your purchased music and apps are automatically transferred to your device. And while most of the time you'll prefer to charge your iPad using your ac interface (wall plug), you can recharge using a computer's USB port. I had the odd experience the other day of plugging to iPad into my computer's USB port, and while it was recognized, it announced that it was "not charging." I read today, however, that when you plug an iPod into a USB hub or low-power USB port, it will charge - just verrrryyyy sllloowwwly, so it may not register as charging.
You will probably also want to invest in a couple of handy addons: a usb port interface, and perhaps a card reader. These will help you transfer files, because the iPad itself doesn't have a USB interface, nor a card-reader port. And I recently learned that you can use a USB powered microphone (and I understand a headset equipped with a mic), as well as the built-in mic to record notes, and even (with the appropriate app) record and edit sound. I am testing out VC Audio Pro now, and so far the results are excellent - the app is $5.99.
The most glaring failing of the iPad is the lack of Flash. Though as a practical matter, for 75% plus of the things you'll want to do (such as watching YouTube videos), you don't really need Flash. In fact, some of my geekier friends see the demise of Flash looming in the somewhat-near future. Video compression has gotten so much better (witness the fact that YouTube will send a Flash-video to Flash-enabled devices, and a non-Flash video to others) that it's very likely that a lot of the production that had been done in Flash will now be done in video/After Effects. But what matters to you is that you can still have a relatively full Internet experience without Flash. Having said that, though, it would still be nice for Apple to get over itself and allow it!
Finally, the beautiful screen of the iPad just begs for it to provide GPS - and it does, but again, you're going to have to opt for the 3G data plan to make that dream a reality.
I'll spend some time using the device, and I'll get back to you in a few months with an updated report. But so far, it's worth every penny.
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