iPad 2: Is it worth it?

Hi folks,

Let me start by saying that I have the best wife in the world. This past Friday she stood in line at not one, but two different stores just to get me an iPad 2. And she was successful! She scored a black 16gb wifi version. She was going to grab a 32Gb but the store sold out of them before she got the front of the line.

Over the years I've been fortunate enough to have a lot of great products to play with (Awia MD player, Motorola RAZR, iPhone 3G and 4, etc.). All were ahead of their time and the iPad 2 is no different.

I'll try not to bore you with the normal speak about the design, performance, etc. My goal to write about the things that others are not pointing out. So far here's what I've noticed:

1. FaceTime is cool but the forward facing camera doesn't point in the right spot.

After using FaceTime I noticed that the camera points perpendicular to the face of the device. Unfortunately I think it would have been better to angle the camera so that it pointed to the center of the device about arm's length away. This is a minor issue but when you use the device for FaceTime it feels like your looking down at the screen in order to have the conversation.

2. The onboard keyboard is smart!

I'm a pretty proficient typist and I have to say that the onscreen keyboard is pretty usable when in landscape view. It's not perfect but I swear it's adapting to my typing style. Conjunctions are tough because the shift + double quote isn't there so you have to get used to typing without the single quote but it works. I go to a lot of meetings during the day and I love using Evernote to take notes...so I'm considering the bluetooth keyboard (does that defeat the purpose of the iPad??)

3. The Apple created magnetic cover isn't worth it.

Do yourself a favor. Don't buy the cover from Apple if you can hold off until 3rd party products hit the market. I Nike there isn't a lot out there but anything has to be better than this thing. Sorry Steve Jobs but it's just no that good.

4. Three free apps you shouldn't be without. Be sure to download Evernote, Dropbox, and Zine.

Evernote and Dropbox are self explainatory. But Zine was a surprise. It's kinda like google reader with style. I just started using it so dont shoot me if I missed what this thing is really meant for but so far I love it for content viewing!!!

So far this thing has been amazing and was totally worth it. I don't feel attached to an oversized laptop and I do everything except manage servers and work command lines but that's not what it was meant for anyway!

Feel free to add other comments or app suggestions. I'll add my thoughts to new posts as I use this product.

Have an execellent night!

Chris

Apple TV 2G: Kind of a let down?

Hi All,

So I was one of the people that order the Apple TV 2G as the words were coming out of Steve Job's mouth way back a couple months ago...  I was really excited to see what Apple had to offer next.  Now I'm not Apple fan boy.  In fact, for me, using a Mac is as uncomfortable as running without stretching first.  It literally hurts my brain.  But iPod touches, iPhones, and iPad all seem natural.  So maybe this Mac OS Apple product will be just as awesome, right?

Wrong...  I have to say the interface looks really nice on my 42" LCD.  But let's face it...  Unless you are starving for content, you have pockets full of money, and the Internet is your only means to gain media access, this product just doesn't cut the mustard.

Here's what I think Apple TV is good for:

Streaming Netflix

The number one reason to get an Apple TV is if you want to stream Netflix and get HD on your screen.  Sure you could use an Xbox or a PS3 but I don't have time to be a gamer so here is the next best thing (or a Roku HD).  But ATV does a pretty good job showing Netflix movie selections, sorting titles, etc.  The only drawback I see so far is that the user interface doesn't do a great job indicating what shows you've already watched like some other systems (Wii, online viewing, Xbox, etc.)

Podcasts

I'm not a huge video podcast guy but there are two things I love watching online:  Diggnation and GeekBeat.TV.  So far ATV has done an excellent job bringing this media to my TV.  I like that I can mark them as favorites and not have to search and find them again.

Pictures

This isn't such an amazing feature as it is convenient but the photo slide shows are pretty cool.

Music Channels

Again, nothing that will blow your mind here but it's cool to surf through the many channels the device has to offer.

Other than the things I just listed, I'm having a really hard time trying to find ways to leverage this device in my home.  Mods are cool and all but I would love to hear what others are doing with it using the native OS.

Until next gadget...