Whether you're looking for news about Ipad? You should not bother to look because I would memberitau you about the ins and outs of the iPad in my post this. Many aspects of the iPad is covering: design, display, books, videos, cool applications, productivity, games, web, battery ... whatever. After reading this, you must have a good idea or not IPAD is for you and what's really going to bring on the table. If not, well ... You can leave a comment on my blog! Let's go ..
CONTEXT
We all feel the usefulness of these devices vary depending on our lifestyle, so let me tell you where I came from. I spent most of my time using a powerful desktop computer (PC) with a very large screen. If I need to get some real work done outside the office, I use a laptop (Sony Vaio, or Macbook Pro + Win7). On the left, I track an email with a smartphone, but I tend to respond only slightly from the phone because the old email typing painful (even more so on mobile touchscreen). I check the news sites a lot, and I often use my laptop on the couch. Now you know ...
EXTERNAL DESIGN (BEAUTIFUL)
Build quality is excellent. The rear aluminum feels great under the fingers and nothing feels cheap. There is an audio connector jack for headphones and a microphone for applications that need it. These speakers on the bottom of the device where the "Home" button. The audio quality is so-so and the maximum speaker volume too soft for my taste. My advice: use headphones whenever possible. The volume buttons are accessible and active every time the IPAD is playing something.
In addition to the standard 3.5mm audio jack, only an external connector is a connector of Apple, which seems similar to that found in the number of iPhone.A accessories can be connected with it, and this is the only way cable to connect to the outside world. Update: I've seen a IPAD to the VGA connector on the Apple Store.
IPAD is heavier than most people expect: at 1.5 pounds to 1.6 pounds (3G), it is quite heavy so my wrist would get tired after less than 30mn from holding fast to it. $ 499 is a good amount of money, but something with this decision to build quality at a price that is not easy. iPad technical specifications on Apple's website
Display (Very good)
The screen deserves its own section: with a resolution of 1024x768, it has a pixel density which seems low compared to select high-end smartphones. That said, everything looks sharp and colorful. Contrast and colors are very nice (dare I say "Amazing"?). Plus, the brightness distribution is very stable regardless of viewpoint.
Under direct sunlight, you'll get a good amount of reflection, but overall, the look iPad not OK, especially if you're looking at the pictures with bright colors. If you watch a dark movie, only the trans-reflective screen can help you in that situation. Note that the 3G iPhone look a bit better in direct sunlight.
I've heard many complaints about the thick bezel around the screen. There is no question that thinner is better, but the bezel is needed because the thumb or other finger would land on it while holding fast to the device. If it were not for the bezel, your fingers will touch the surface active and which will disrupt the user interface (UI).
Eye strain: some fear that the reading of the LCD screen will cause headaches and eyestrain. I can only speak for myself, but I did not experience eyestrain, and you can imagine that I have spent a lot of time on the device to write this review. However, remember that I was looking at the LCD computer most of the time too ...
USER INTERFACE (EASY)
For those who have been using the iPhone or iPod touch, there is no learning curve whatsoever. This is the same view (with the addition of many) and feel productive and you will soon leave. If you are unfamiliar with it, is arguably one of the best touch interface out there, and I expect most people to walk up quite fast.
There are many: "great parents will like it". Maybe so, but this is largely unproven. I think that most people who believe this never really tested the tech-reject their relatives. If you have, do not hesitate to drop a comment at the end of the review. After all, if you're thinking about getting one for parents, just keep in mind that: 1 / It may not be as easy as you think about it. 2 / A computer is still required to register and setup the device.
MEDIA CONSUMPTION (VERY GOOD)
iPad promised to "revolutionize" the way we consume media, in ways that "magic", according to Apple. "Magic" is redundant, but yes, this will shake some habits.
Book
iBooks: I like the user interface of Apple's book reader, very simple and easy to read, it has a search feature and most importantly, the book most (if not all) come with free samples. Overall, I do not think that there is a big difference between Apple and reader book reader Kindle when it comes to the act of reading but ... Amazon seems to be the provider of a better book.
For iPad Kindle: Amazon has done a good job of making the application available on many platforms Kindle. As a result, it is possible to buy books from Amazon on the iPad (on amazon.com) and cut Apple completely. The great thing about Kindle is the application once you have a book, you can re-download the tool as much as you want (for PC, iPhone, etc. ..). Kindle also lets you take notes, if you care about it. Finally, Amazon has about 450k books versus Apple 60k - oh and Amazon eBooks are getting cheaper as well.
Comics: Marvel comics look fantastic! This is really a great demonstration of what might be in a good color screen and why black and white is not a sustainable value proposition. App Marvel is a must-see and there's a free comic for you to try it with. Now, I will love it * * if the old Marvel comics will make available ...
Magazine: I'm a big fan of the magazine and I had high expectations for them in the iPad. At present, it is promising, but I do not think that I would buy them with a dozen each month. First, you do not know what you get before you pay. Second, there are really too expensive. Time Magazine (which has a rating of 2.5 / 5 in the app store) sold for $ 4.99 while you can get a 12-issue subscription is less than $ 10 on amazon: This paralyzed. Other (3D Artist) will sell the applications needed to download the magazine itself ... For the sake of this review, I bought one issue of GQ and 3D Artist (this one is messy). Overall, they are visually very promising, but not quite there yet: it is buggy and often slow. Moreover, while there is only one way to read the magazine paper, every e-mag has set its own rules of user interface ... not good.
PDF files: iPad has great support for PDF files .. This is far faster than Kindle for handling and rendering them much better. If you read PDF files complex, this is a no-brainer.
News
Arrival IPAD received a lot of publishers excited. Thanks to the form factor "pad" -, many have dedicated applications to access their content. There are many out there, but I tried three to provide a sense of what's out there.
USA Today: This is my favorite implementation news applications. It is well laid out and very fast to load and navigate. Unfortunately, does not offer video playback. Content is free.
BBC: BBC fast and clear. It's more like a mobile website from the "newspaper", but I do not think that "felt paper" is really what I was looking for. I want good news and easy to read, that's all. BBC video features as well. Content is free.
Wall Street Journal: WSJ most subscribed / paid content services. They arguably have a great design that looks most like the "newspaper", but I was disappointed after using it. It's slow, it seems buggy and freezes for a few seconds after each turn the page, this is disturbing.
Bloomberg: I usually go to Yahoo Finance to track the market, but the Bloomberg app is very well done and make me follow a variety of things (indices, news, currency ..) better and more clearly than I do on their website. Because there is less screen surface, the developers have to prioritize important content. The result is access to information without the nonsense. It's free, too.
Video
Netflix: I tried to watch some movies on Netflix and succeeded beautifully. Resolution streaming movies are slightly lower than the iPad 1024x768 screen, so that things are not as sharp as they could, but it's quite fun to have fun.
YouTube: YouTube has more content with high resolution, so we tried to watch some movie trailers and they all come out looking smooth and sharp - much more than what we've seen on Netflix as well. Can not wait for the application of Upper ...
DLNA: If you do not know what DLNA, skip this paragraph. Apple does not support DLNA network access out of the box, but I see at least one application that brings DLNA support to the iPad: http://plugplayer.com/. Remember that you are still limited to whatever format the player supports iPad.
Music
The user interface is slightly different from the version of the iPhone, but basically the music playback works well, not much to report on the front of it. the iPod after all.
PRODUCTIVITY (BELOW AVERAGE)
Virtual keyboard: after typing on it for some time, here's my feedback: it is much better than the smartphone well in portrait or landscape mode. However, this is not as fast as a keyboard 10 "Netbook, or a full-sized keyboard typing Here's my own speed:. 60 words per minute (wpm) with iPad, 70wpm on a Netbook and around 80wpm with a private full-size keyboard,. I think that IPAD very good for typing relaxed (replies paragraph one email), but I do not like typing sustainable (10mn +) on the virtual keyboard.
Email: Email Experience a comfortable, in some instances, more than on a Netbook. Because the Mail application user interface is tailored to the small screen, it's better than it will be at 10 "Netbook with Outlook or Gmail. Email is easy to read and also easy to switch from one account to the next.
Calendar: a calendar of other elements that make a profit from the increased size of the screen. Seeing a week appointments can be done easily. In two taps, you can ener in Edit Mode and change the time and other properties of an event. Cool stuff.
File management: outside of iTunes, there is little or no way to manage files. Apps sandboxed so that their access to files which are very limited. If you email yourself a PDF file, you will be able to open it, but do not save it. I do not think that you can even create folders to dispose of the goods. Photos of the emails can be stored in the directory "images", but not elsewhere. Is it for security (sandbox) or reasons of simplicity, I do not like it. I want to "users" folder that I can adjust the way I want, and access it like a USB key - another device that most work like that. In the meantime, I use Memeo Connect Reader (free) and Google Doc file to work around this. It works pretty well, but a little more work than just dragging and dropping into folders.
iWorks: Microsoft has announced that there will be no version of Microsoft Office for the iPad, but Apple has its own productivity suite, which received rave reviews. In the end, I think that the question is: how much typing can you really on this platform? For me, the answer is "not much", so regardless of how well the software, you are in the end is the limit.
GAMING (GETTING BETTER, BUT ...)
Hardcore gamers may consider the iPhone platform into a system of sub-par game, but commercial, it quickly becomes large. I may be a hardcore gamer but I'm trying to keep an open mind: 3D games recently it does look great on and this is just the beginning of the iPad. The thing I love about gaming IPAD is tactile control. I just prefer to game controller, keyboard + mouse or wheel. You may or may not like it better - there's only one way to find out: try to play on your iPhone or iPad.
There are reports of overheating iPad, but at the moment, I am not experiencing any problems, although 3D gaming to more than 30mn - 45mn.
WEB BROWSING (GOOD BUT NOT COMPLETE)
Web browsing experience is very like the one in the iPhone / iPod touch, but a little faster, and with the view that much more comfortable. Now, do not need to zoom a lot and it feels very much like browsing on a computer but, they are some significant hiccups:
2 / There is no flash, and a lot of flash-heavy sites such as local restaurants or entertainment site will not work properly (if any). See: fleurdelyssf.com, jpchocolates.com and starz.com / original / Spartacus
3 / docs Google will not let you edit documents, and I have seen problems with some widgets may also. Expect some difficulties with tense Web 2.0 sites.
Overall, it's not a real problem but I want to make sure that you realize that this problem exists, and that they may not remain in the near future.
SOCIAL MEDIA (EFFECTIVE)
There are a ton of applications for using Twitter more efficient. I have tested the web, and I like their interface is clean and clear. As for, it was nice that you can use the website directly to get the whole experience (minus the Flash video). When chatting with AIM, the screen is rather small if the virtual keyboard, but switched to portrait mode to make it work. Overall, there is usually "an application (iPhone) for it", or you can go to your favorite social networking site directly. Applications that allow you to receive notifications when something happens, that's why I still use Facebook app for the iPhone. Can not wait to see the version of the iPad ...
MISC APPS
Adobe ideas (free): There are tons of applications, but this one caught my eye. This is a fun finger painting program that lets you sketch things. Autodesk has a more luxurious, but pay an application that does something like this as well.
Memeo Connect Reader: Google Docs lets you synchronize files to the iPad. Because of the built-in file management IPAD can be repaired, small programs can be very useful.
WIFI FASTER CHIP FROM THE 3G IPHONE
3G model is not yet available, but the good news is that the WiFi chip IPAD faster than the iPhone's - if you can find the network fast enough to meet both the chip ... It is not thought surprising, because Apple has less power and thermal constraints with WiFi chip IPAD, they can crank it.
Just as we predicted, IPAD $ 499 is the one that has been sold out, but some people we know have bought MiFi or Sprint Overdrive (read the complete review our overdrive) wireless modem to create a WiFi "bubble" that IPAD can connect with.
IPAD HOW TO SPEED 3G?
To find out how the 3G model will be, we have been playing with us and Overdrive iPad Sprint in the 3G mode. Of course, this means that we are not using the network of AT & T, (!) But it will give us an idea.
Obviously, things slow down a bit when going from WiFi to 3G. In general, it's OK for text based applications such as email. Website looks slow, but things are still fast enough to enjoy movies Netflix - on a lower resolution. Maps application is still working very well. In fact, almost as soon as it is with WiFi. Download Content is the part that has to suffer the most under 3G, and of course, there is a general reliability of the network AT & T still to be proved. By the way, AT & T has confirmed that for the iPad "limited" really means "limited" and not 5GB.
Note that using MiFi or Overdrive works perfectly, but both devices have a battery life of about 3 hours, which is far from the 10 + hours iPad. Download speed as tested: 803kbps (3 / 5 bars, a Sprint network with Sprint Overdrive)
BATTERY LIFE (EXCELLENT)
Thanks to advances in low-power design, testing the battery life becomes a serious computer term. IPad custom processors consume power A4 is very small, so in many cases, the screen will be the biggest drain on the battery.
Local storage * Video: 10 + hours
* Streaming video (Netflix): 10 + hours
* Book reading :11-12hrs
* Music (display off): (too long, if I want to publish this week)
Weekdays: For my personal use, IPAD will remain alive for about 1.5 days, and maybe 2 days if I stop trying all applications with a shiny icon.
Sleep mode: a gadget that most continue to drain power when they are in sleep mode. In the case of the iPad, I saw that it lost about 1% per night (7hr), which is quite low. This may be positive effects of not having too much stuff running in the background ...
USB charging mismatch: although it is mentioned that IPAD can be charged from a computer USB port, it turns out that this is true especially for the USB port of a Mac because they have less juice. This does not work on most PCs, or USB hub. More details about the topic of USB iPad.
Replacement batteries: the battery is not user replaced, and like most batteries, may lose the ability by itself or simply die (after a while). Currently, replacement cost $ 105.95. For more info head to the page replacement battery Apple iPad.
WHAT CAN BETTER? (Many)
IPad is as good as he is not perfect. Here is a brief list of things that critics iPad usually complain about:
* No cameras
* No USB port
o We are stuck with an iPhone to all ports
* No background execution (multi-tasking) to third-party applications
o Not always-on IM
o No music-based applications in the background
o No data crunching in the background
* It should be handled by the iPhone OS 4.0, which will be released for the iPad in the Fall.
* Virtual Keyboard is not as productive as the original
* No Flash (see the Web Browsing)
* AT & T-only (in practice)
* Widescreen Display No
* Market Closed application (IPAD has been jailbroken)
* Unable to create a list of applications / files to buy / download
* And more ...
Most of the critics quite legitimate, but many people do not factor in the cost that they will push in terms of form factor, power consumption or the dollar. The reality is that there are not many competitors out there and by and large, the iPad is "good enough" for a particular person. Joojoo, a tablet that supports Flash in the browser appears to have been pre-sold 90 units ...
How bad it has no multitasking? Can not leave the application running in the background is annoying sometimes ... Personally, I want to get such a notification if someone sends me an Instant Message (IM). Now, even that is impossible. It's really the only thing that bothered me, although I understand that other people will want to do more things that require multi-tasking. I suspect that the iPhone OS 4.0 might address, to some extent.
THIS IS A Netbook / KILLER LAPTOP? (NO)
In general, it's not a killer iPad netbook, but it will take revenue from that market. From the viewpoint of hardware and functionality, there is no argument that the iPad only perform a subset of the things that people can do with classical computers. If you currently use your laptop to do things that overlap exactly with the functionality of the iPad, then yes, IPAD can be a substitute for the Netbook, but I'm not going to generalize this. It's just "different", let us accept it.
Limitations listed in the "What could be better?" paragraph indicates that the IPAD can not do the things that most people take for granted such as leaving your IM client in the background, go to the Flash-based website, copy the data to a USB key, or simply type comfortably for a long time. Many observers are also not forget how important Microsoft Windows is for most buyers Netbook. Linux Netbooks failed because of it. Ability to install Windows applications is still very high on the list of people on the "must have".
Btw, the first thing that happens when you turn this iPad that it is asking you to plug into the computer to initialize it (PC or Mac).
WHAT IS GREAT FOR IPAD?
I'll speak for myself, and you have to realize that I have not tried all the possible applications on the platform, but in my case here is what IPAD is great for:
Web browsing, Email: I tend to use my laptop on my sofa / bed, and for most web browsing and email that I do, IPAD is great. The battery lasts longer, it is lighter and most importantly, it is "instant-on" - no boot, not shut down. As I said earlier, some sites can not be accessed because Flash is not supported, but 95% of the time did not matter.
Browse my Netflix account: DVD Add or instant-on movies to the queue and check for new releases. Watch streaming video of major works as well.
Read news & comics: Read a comic book is truly awesome, it is so much better for me than the experience of paper ... Some applications are also big news. They are faster than going to the website, although I'm not quite sure whether the web is not going to win in the long term. It's too early to say. The book is good too, but I feel that the screen could use a higher resolution and larger size before I can really liked it. That said, I would choose for iPad Kindle every day.
Watch a movie on an airplane: Due to its size, very good IPAD showing movies in cramped environments like airplanes but you will need some kind of stand, because it is not comfortable to hold for a while. movie playback is something that netbook recently to deal with, but most of them will run out of battery after 3-6 hours while the IPAD could continue for 10 hours.
Maps: Maps application looks great on the iPad. At this time, we have not tested the 3G + GPS enabled, but it will be interesting to take it to go up. Using IPAD as personal navigation sound cool, especially if we have a good way to mount in the car (like this). Are there any accessories for it?
Watch a photo, video: I like playing with a photo gallery, and I love to watch the trailer quickly to decide whether I should record something on my video recorder, or rented movies on my PS3 or Netflix.
This (very) instant-on: not like my laptop, IPAD started and stopped directly and in a situation where I would change everything and turn off a lot (on my couch) is quite useful and convenient. Plus, extending the battery life.
IPAD WHAT IS NOT BIG IN
This is my personal preference, but here's what I do not like to use iPad for:
Write a review: it's just painful to write for a term on the iPad. Yesterday, I had a 10mn IM sessions with friends and I was getting tired at that time. There is no way that this will be the basis of my text input system.
Games: I know, the contents of the App Store is the game blow up today, but I'm a hardcore gamer, I like console games, I like to play on PC, and I just have a hard time to be entertained with games iPad. Control not too good - although they get better and more creative. In the end, it's just that I am not the type of game. Maybe this will work better for me: iPad arcade cabinet
Productivity applications: While IPAD is able to do things like Word Processing, Presentation, or even a spreadsheet, I'd rather do it on classical computer. In an emergency, it's great that you can get some stuff done, but I do not buy the argument that the application of productivity is the "pleasure" to work with.
Instant Messaging: IPAD is not big on instant messaging for two reasons: 1 / I get tired when I type. 2/When I put it to sleep, the IM application is closed and I will not get the notification (my Blackberry did not tell me about incoming IM). 3/Each time I switch to another application, the IM was closed, too.
This list of "not so big on" limited to the things that will I do with my laptop while sitting on my couch. The conclusion is: the laptop is not going too far.
CONCLUSION (VERY GOOD, BUT NOT FOR ALL PEOPLE)
What iPad is "useful" will evolve with new applications and ideas, but in the end, it was just a tool that will help you do what you usually do ... more easily and in a better way. You must ask yourself why it would be useful for you. Actually, if you think "what is the purpose of this?", Then there can be no reason for you to get one.
For those who know what they will use it for, I hope that this review has clarified some things and give enough information to make an educated decision.
All will serve well when used appropriately and used according to the portions.
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