I'm Coming Off the Fence. The iPad Will Be Huge

[itlnstln]

I'm looking for big things from WinMo7.  I really like WebOS on my Palm, but the hardware is underpowered, and I don't think they will be around when I get my new phone later this year.  I am not very impressed with the iPhone OS.  That, and the iPhone is not an option on Sprint.  Android will be nice, too, but we'll have to see what hardware Sprint offers later this year.

[wellington1869]

I'm looking for big things from WinMo7.  I really like WebOS on my Palm, but the hardware is underpowered, and I don't think they will be around when I get my new phone later this year.  I am not very impressed with the iPhone OS.  That, and the iPhone is not an option on Sprint.  Android will be nice, too, but we'll have to see what hardware Sprint offers later this year.

if i were in the market for a smartphone today i'd seriously consider the android i guess. Palm on verizon by the way has an amazing deal right now but prolly they're going out of business soon (at least the rumors in the business press keep saying that, if they dont find a buyer soon). Fantastic price and features though.

yea winmo7 is getting good reviews for a change. nice to see MS get off their asses.

[hyperlinked]

i dont think as an adult i should be forced to pay $100 at the genius bar for some 16 year old kid to do it for me

I don't think the visit to the Genius bar is the problem. Of course you can change your own batteries, but you just can't swap in a new battery if you're out on the trail and need about 4 hours of juice.

I don't think the no removable batteries thing is some evil trick to make you subservient to 16 yo's at the Genius bar. Take a look at how they managed to jam a 10+ hour battery into the iPad:

iPad Test Notes: Battery Life (Gizmodo)

[wellington1869]

as much as i like my sony e-ink reader and its features...  and even tho i'm sure i wont like the glossy screen and 1.5lb weight of the ipad-as-reader... I cant deny ipad-as-reader is something to marvel at.  Its liquid.

My favorite feature is the way you can hold the page as you turn it (and see the text on the reverse side):

[youtube][/youtube]

[Rajagra]

I'm no tree hugger, but even I can see there's a huge problem looming with the 'appliance' model of pumping out gadgets that become obsolete within months and aren't designed for continuous use (read: able to be repaired for less than it costs to replace.) We have this situation already with mobile phones, and it's spreading to, well just about everything we buy.
 
My generation (people 40+) has been constantly browbeaten for wasting the world's resources, but consumerism is rising exponentially. Young people don't need to worry about the world we leave behind for them. They are going to do an infinitely better job of ruining the planet than we ever could.

[wellington1869]

I'm no tree hugger, but even I can see there's a huge problem looming with the 'appliance' model of pumping out gadgets that become obsolete within months

This is a good point... whatever trees are saved with ebooks, that benefit is  offset with more e-waste in the landfills. E-books are the future though, even with the pollution and censorship concerns and licensing battles. It'll all come to a head at some point with a rash of lawsuits probably.

Young people don't need to worry about the world we leave behind for them. They are going to do an infinitely better job of ruining the planet than we ever could.

i have a theory that the human species basically peaked between 1950 and 2000 in terms of quality of life. Its all downhill from here on so many levels.

[wellington1869]

You guys are real downers.

hey, rejoice, you were one of the lucky few humans to have caught some part of that peak  Thats the way i see it... When I die on my deathbed i'll be like "good luck, suckas!!!" ;-D  haha.

[ch_123]

You guys are real downers.

I don't know about the US, but over here if you called someone a downer, you'd probably get a rather hard thump.

[wellington1869]

The G-Pad?

[youtube]

[/youtube]

article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/12/google-tablet-pc-details_n_533860.html

Also MS's upcoming courier looks neater and neater:

[youtube]

[/youtube]
article: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/

The more competition, the merrier, i say.

[wellington1869]

Of course this is all concept junk.  By the time it ships Apple will be onto Rev 3 of their product.

true, but by then i might be ready to buy something ;-)

[hyperlinked]

Also MS's upcoming courier looks neater and neater:

article: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/

Yep. The Courier sure looks slick! Looks like Microsoft may have finally gotten all their internal politics sorted out and people stopped sabotaging other people's projects.

The only thing against the Courier that I started to realize as I pondered the entire iPad world is that the split screen could be a detriment. If the Courier is as solid as it looks in that demo, I'd be willing to bet that it'll end up being a one piece solid tablet within three product cycles. I think what's making the iPad so compelling is that it's basically formless. Whatever app is made for it can more or less become the device.

The form factor of the Courier locks it to a certain category of usage. While it's added portability will certainly be a plus to a lot of people, it also puts some constraints into what it'd be ideal for. The name and the form factor suggest it's primary function is to be the ultimate digital organizer, but I don't think the world of users who really want a better digital organizer is really that large and even more complicated is that it's hard to get people to adopt new ways of organizing themselves. If it's primary strength is something that requires some time for the adoption curve to swing in its favor, it'll be in for a rocky start.

Let the competition roll. It'll be interesting to see what everyone comes up with in response. It'll be interesting to see where the tablet industry is in three years when companies that either do not have the marketing reach, the halo, or the money of Apple may find it possible to enter the market after Apple and other big companies have proven (or failed to prove) that there is a new market to play for.

[wellington1869]

yea it'll be interesting to see if the different form factor of the courier finds a sustainable audience/market.  

Other than the form factor, the other interesting thing is the focus on pen-based input rather than on-screen keyboard. Its focus seems to be as a kind of pocketable "universal clipper" (into the "infinite journal"). You get data into it (photos, voice, web, writing) and organize those clippings into folders. This makes it focus on being a creation/clipping tool, rather than a consuming/viewing tool which the ipad mainly is (as my ipad-owning-friend put it).

Of course those lines will blur as both add more features over time.

[hyperlinked]

Well, I finally got my hands on an iPad. There were no big surprises or revelations. It was neither a relgious moment nor a disappointment. It mostly confirmed for me what I thought about it already. As a device, it's a device. It's all about the apps and the form factor does indeed affect how you experience some of the apps.  

I found the size of the on screen keyboard a non issue. Some hay was made over that you couldn't quite fit your fingers over it in landscape mode. The typing experience is only a problem if you're trying to use it like a laptop, which I wouldn't expect to try. I was probably doing around 40wpm typing with a one handed method or 50wpm doing a two hand hunt and peck.

I think this will indeed harm the netbook market as many have thought. My netbook is my fun PC, but it's not in a very practical form factor for impulsive use. If I carry it around, I have to find some spot to sit down so I can check my email or compose a quick note on it. If I try to use it for serious work, I spend all day either waiting for it to catch up or all my time goes into scrolling through the tiny screen. Now that I've tried it, I'd much rather have one of these than a netbook.

There was one app on there that was particularly intriguing. It was "MLB At Bat" an app that's clearly meant while you're doing something else. Baseball junkies can use it to get stats and info on players while they're watching a game. Yes, you could easily do that on a laptop, but for psychological reasons, it just felt far less cumbersome to be doing this with a tablet than on a laptop. Even a small netbook feels like it's in the way.

The MLB At Bat app is the kind of cross-over app that makes me think the iPad/table hype is worth keeping an eye on. They're apps that aren't really just for people who want to consume content, but who want to consume content in a way that affects their experience of other things in real time. It's low tech augmented reality. Not as sexy as those apps that let you use a mobile phone to view your landscape with all sorts of special embedded messages overlaying a picture of what's in front of you, but with greater practical application.

Edit: I didn't buy one yet. I just waited out the long line at my favorite deli by dropping by the Apple store today. I still don't feel a strong personal desire to have one, but plan to follow through later this year on getting one as first hand research for work.

[zerocool]

if it lowers prices of netbooks then i wont cry over it, i need a new one and dont fancy the iPad, i am waiting for an iPhone (belated graduation present and waiting to see what happens with a possible new one).

[maclover]

You can hook up a regular usb keyboard to the iPad if you get an Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit. So when can we expect a picture of the iPad being used with a real keyboard?

[EverythingIBM]

You can hook up a regular usb keyboard to the iPad if you get an Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit. So when can we expect a picture of the iPad being used with a real keyboard?

Yeah, hook up a model F AT to that sucker: you'll need a AT to PS/2 and PS/2 to USB adapter though.

[ricercar]

The G-Pad?

Complete with G Spot NSFW!!!!

The only 'tame' pic.

[itlnstln]

OMG, that is epic.

[Rajagra]

I'm shocked. In fact...

[Input Nirvana]

I really, really liked my 2 week iPad test cruise. Convenience, comfort, a nice "inbetween" iPhone and Mac Book Pro...but what I really should have used it for is THAT!

[clickclack]

I just got to test an Ipad at a local Pestbuy and and well...

1) It was a tad smaller than I thought it would be and that's a good thing for portability.

2) Felt nice and sturdy and constructed well.

3)Was a bit heavier than I thought it would be. I expect one would get used to the weight but for some reason I kept thinking my had would get sore while my other hand was trying to type.

4)That glossy screen is just that, WAAAAAAY glossy. In the store I kept getting really distracting sharp reflections. Finger smudges and general oils from the hands make it look greasy than the pizza I just had...ewww, but YUM! =P
Outside of the glare the screen has a good vewing angle

5)I tried all three that were on display and they all downloaded web material pretty slowly. I thought it important to mention I have a really slow connection at home that I am comparing this with.

6)Geekhack looks nice on it, and I left each one at the store on Geekhack when I left.

7)It was pretty responsive only the slightest of delays with finger motions. It opened and closed things slightly slower than I expected. I don't know if there is an option to change its sensitivity but it seemed a bit too sensitive and would make mistakes a bit.

8)I went to youtube on it and it played the videos, which I found odd since I thought It couldn't use Flash. Was I wrong? The interface was a bit off for youtube but I don't know if anyone would care.

9)Still really wish it used a competent stylus.

10) Using the keybaord was a joke, although I really liked the ".com" button. Haahaa I thougth that was fantastic. I was not able to use both hands even when I set it down and I certianly couldn't touch type on it. But the thing I found the most odd about it was since I had to hunt and peck with one finger I never looked at what I was typing until I was done. and I really disliked that disconnect.

Over all I can see how some may really like it, I found It fun to use. I can even see how it could prove to be usefull for a bunch of different things. I could possibly use it for very light emailing (mostly just checking the emails) and quick web surfing. Perhaps even the occasional quick portfolio viewer. But I don't see one on my shopping list.

crap! I just noticed how long that was, sorry :S
I guess I quick summary from me is... meh, a good stepping stone to something better to come.

[ch_123]

Youtube supports HTML5, which is the thing that Apple is pushing to replace Flash.

[clickclack]

Youtube supports HTML5, which is the thing that Apple is pushing to replace Flash.

Oh I see, thanks for clearing that up. From the way I hear HTML5 talked about I thought it was yet to become available. So me and my program neewbness is going to hide behind my chair now XD
haahaa

[hyperlinked]

Oh I see, thanks for clearing that up. From the way I hear HTML5 talked about I thought it was yet to become available. So me and my program neewbness is going to hide behind my chair now XD
haahaa

Well, you're sort of right. It's not finalized yet, but a lot of people are getting really impatient. Even if it were to be finalized tomorrow, you might still get the feeling that it hadn't arrived yet as HTML4 is so entrenched that a lot of designers won't update for a while.

Besides... IE won't ever disappoint in its ability to be a drag on progress.

[ch_123]

Oh I see, thanks for clearing that up. From the way I hear HTML5 talked about I thought it was yet to become available. So me and my program neewbness is going to hide behind my chair now XD
haahaa

The last I checked youtube had it as an experimental feature. I was surprised by your post because I didn't know that youtube would handle the iPad transparently (or is it the other way around? hehe)

[clickclack]

The last I checked youtube had it as an experimental feature. I was surprised by your post because I didn't know that youtube would handle the iPad transparently (or is it the other way around? hehe)

Interesting, I checked a bunch of different random videos and all worked as they always had.

The only reall different things to note revolved around the layout of youtube and that that vids would start playing in their thumbnail sizes while still in list format, so you had to enlarge them (unless your living room can fit into a thimble).

Oh, that reminds me I forgot to list another one of my observations-

11) since the speaker is inside when audio is played your hand feels the vibrations of the speakers. I must say I was not terribly fond of that, especially since the speaker is relatively weak when it's turned up the vibrations kinda got on my nerves. Headphones would counter that annoyance though if you felt inclined to use them.

[ironcoder]

For now, it's just a device that is cool but we don't need because doesn't replace or outperform existing devices.  The iphone had/has the ability to replace your iPod, PDA, cell phone, home phone and take on many functions of your computer while being in your pocket.  The Ipad doesn't do this and won't fit in your pocket.  It has no proper input device, onscreen input is "lived with" on a phone but is not ideal and certainly no replacement for a keyboard and mouse.  But you say "you can use a keyboard with an ipad" but the moment you do that, it loses it's cool "pad-ness" and becomes a very wimpy competitor to a tablet or netbook... and with apple's refusal to let you add storage via memory card slot or install apps that YOU want, it's very big brother, very hyped and though cool is not what iSteve says it is.

It may open the door so iPad v.3 or v.5 or v.25 could do more of what they say it will, time will tell.

The iPhone doesn't really replace anything but an iPod. It's painful to use any touch device for anything you really need- to be prodctive you need a physical keyboard. It can't replace a PDA because it can't multitask (and OS 4.0 doesn't bring real multitasking). It can't replace a cellphone because it's a bad cellphone, it drops calls and has short battery life. It doesn't have a user-replaceable battery. It's too big for a phone (and has low resolution for its screen size) and too small to browse as well as a small tablet. It's locked to the App Store. It doesn't support Flash, so you're locked out of many e-commerce and other sites. It doesn't have memory card support, so you're tied to a PC.

It and the iPad are just fashion accessories for the technology-impaired. At the end of the day they're both just overpriced toys.

[EverythingIBM]

The iPhone doesn't really replace anything but an iPod. It's painful to use any touch device for anything you really need- to be prodctive you need a physical keyboard. It can't replace a PDA because it can't multitask (and OS 4.0 doesn't bring real multitasking). It can't replace a cellphone because it's a bad cellphone, it drops calls and has short battery life. It doesn't have a user-replaceable battery. It's too big for a phone (and has low resolution for its screen size) and too small to browse as well as a small tablet. It's locked to the App Store. It doesn't support Flash, so you're locked out of many e-commerce and other sites. It doesn't have memory card support, so you're tied to a PC.

It and the iPad are just fashion accessories for the technology-impaired. At the end of the day they're both just overpriced toys.

I wouldn't use an iPhone or anything of the sort for real work, but a lot of people say they're good and like them (Apple did do something right to control so much of the market in that area). Although I guess the Commodore 64 will always remain as the best selling computer of all time.
Apple computers I must decline, they are impossible to work with and give me headaches. Poor quality too.

I agree; a keyboard can't really be replaced in terms of speed an functionality; nor can a mouse.

[Rajagra]

"iPad uses Typing on an iPad" Is that some kind of recursive procedure, or doesn't that keyboard have punctuation?

I preferred this video. Here's a Yank who gets irony. :smile:
[youtube]OyEhWeAseSo[/youtube]

[kishy]

RESPONSIVE?!?

I don't think that's even possible...