FAQs about Maxi my iPad

Is that an iPad?

 Yes it is.

OMG you have an iPad! Do you love it?

um, well… kind of. It's limiting for what I usually do on and with the net since it really is a content consumption machine. However, I still I find myself using it all the time and it's getting me using the internet in a whole new way. Consuming content on the net in a way I never have. Hell, I even found myself watching YouTube videos (which normally only happens at Rockr & Junkii's) So while I didn’t expect to love it, the longer I have it the more I do.

Should I get one? 

It depends. I wouldn't have bought one: no keyboard, pricey and first generation tech. But since I won it, I was happy to take it. Who turns down free tech toys? Not me!

You won it!?! How did you win it? 

I won it from a draw blubrry.com had at PodcampTO this year. Thanks to Gerry for reminding me to fill out the form when we got home!

Can I touch it?

Of course you can.

How's the battery life?

It’s GREAT! I have never used the battery up, or even gotten a low battery warning. In general I can get 2 full days occasional use out of it. Though I usually plug it in each night.

I've even used it as my walking around computer a couple of days now and been pretty pleased with it for general tasks like email and scheduling.

Is it good for writing on?

Not really. At least not out of the case. Typing on the screen leaves you fingers sore and it's frustrating not to have the tactile feedback of a keyboard to make sure you are typing the right letters. The predictive typing, which I love on my HTC smartphone, is less accurate, and doesn't learn my common words as quickly. The lack of cursor control is a major pain in the ass! And you have to find a way to prop it up to type or it rocks on the table since it's not flat. You could try thumb typing but it's too big for my hands to do that.

Buying stuff fixes most of that - specifically the carrying case that folds back on itself to provide a wedge support. You can also buy a dock and/or Bluetooth keyboard. But that doesn't make it more functional out of the office. Which is when I want to use it most.

Why didn't you get the case?

I won it and it didn't come with add on options. Once it's available in Canada I'll likely get the adapter cables to let you use USB devices.

What do you like best about the iPad?

I like the fact it's super portable with a decent sized screen. It's slightly bigger than my net book, but thinner so it slides in the back pocket of my baggallini pack. No muss. No fuss.

How is reading on it?

It's okay. In addition to the iBook app, I've installed the kobo app, the kindle app and the Alice lite book app. (Yes that is Gerry holding an actual Kobo book reader)

At this point they all serve the book, have pros and cons, but the biggest differentiator to me is that they don't all offer the same titles. For example Mitch's book is on iBooks and Kindle but not Kobo And Tara's is on Kobo and Kindle but not iBooks.

Of course I also find the interfaces a real pain in the ass. Specifically when you want to get out of a book and back to your library. Each of them for different reasons, but all of them bug me.

I've installed Zinio for magazines which I love, and a couple of newspaper apps just for playing around. And of course the Marvel app, which is marvelous! It's great that they let you read page by page or frame by frame - just like you'd do with a read comic.

It's just like a big iPhone isn't it? 

I don't know. I don't have an iPhone or an iPod Touch or even an iPod. I have 2 varieties of shuffle and it's nothing like them. 

I can say that compared to the Palm Pre (which is unfair) the Pre wins in multitasking, built in keyboard and some of the more intuitive gestural controls.

 Do not flame me. It's true!

Should I get the 3G version?

Sure. And you should get me one too please. With 64G, a case, keyboard, and all the adapters to make it work with with my camera... And yes, that'll run you over $1000... Plus the monthly G3 contract at $15 for 250mb/month.

Hmmm maybe a MacBook would be more practical?

What are you doing? Don't slide it across the table, aren't you afraid you're going to scratch it?

Nope. It's already scratched. It's not like that's going to effect resale value. There won't be resale value until the collector market starts up for real in... 50 years?

I am waiting for a Zagg shield to protect thee screen... And maybe (fingers crossed) make the screen less like a mirror and reduce the need to clean off the finger prints every half hour.

How is tweet deck?

Slow. All the apps that were simply ported to iPad are slow and slightly irksome. And since sites don't know if it's a mobile device or a computer, some of the sites behave funnily too. E.g. You can't organize photos in flickr because attempting to drag and drop photos just moves the screen around. Hootsuite doesn't provide scroll bars so if you have a lot of columns, you'll only see the ones that fit.

BUT One Zone thinks it's an iPhone so you can get unlimited net access for $5/month. (hey, they just update their pricing list to include the iPad).

Of course, it's only unlimited service in downtown Toronto, and only when you can get One Zone to work.

Is this app on the iPhone too?

I don't know.

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If I missed your question add it to the comments below and I'll answer it ASAP -- Post From My iPad using the BlogPress app (which dropped the last set of changes and all the photos... Nice)  -- post-posting note: one cool thing BlogPress did as a surprise was to upload all these photos to Flickr automagically for me. NICE!

[This post edited after the fact on a netbook to add formatting, links and generally pretty the whole thing up.]

Comments

[Erin]

Total red herring here - but I'm more interested in that Kobo Gerry's holding!! Do you guys have one? I'm on the edge of ordering one (just waiting for payday) and am VERY VERY excited about it!

[lex]

Yes, we got Gerry a Kobo the day it came out. only meed fair with me having the iPad and being a bad sharer.

I've just asked Gerry if he'll do a guest post answering the FAQ for his Kobo.

We'll also have more educated opinions after Mark's Digital Do Dad's session at BookCampTO on Saturday.  He's planning a side by side comparison of a bunch of ebook readers.  Looking forward to the hands on!

Sent from my iPad

[Rockr]

Thanks for sharing this info, Lex. That's a great first-person user rundown of the pros & cons. I'm gonna make sure Junkii reads this.