iPad Review
April 13th, 2010Author: Hailey
It’s been a week since I acquired the hyped up iPad, so I thought it would be appropriate to review my new gadget.
I was surprised by the weight of the iPad, though I didn’t really have an expectation as to its weight. It could be cumbersome if you’re standing up on a train or bus because of the weight and size (just about the weight and size of a hardcover book).
The screen is also hard to keep clean, especially if you play Bejeweled, which is a must-have for an iPad user. Using an eye glasses cloth cleans up any smudges quickly.
When I started to consider purchasing the iPad, it was hard to imagine whether or not I would want one that runs off a 3G network (which means waiting even longer to acquire the latest from Apple), or just the WiFi machine. In retrospect, I think it makes sense to purchase the 3G iPad if you can afford to fork over some extra cash and come to terms with paying extra for the service each additional month. However, if you forgo a laptop and the internet in your home, it would make sense.
Another thing I didn’t particularly care for about the iPad is that you have to purchase a lot of applications for it to be comparable to an iPhone. Yes, it does have the feel of an iPhone, so one could claim it is a glorified iPhone. It doesn’t come with a clock/timer or a calculator, the stock application, or the weather application. If you want these, you can purchase them – and despite many rumors I’ve been asked about, not every app for the iPad costs $10 or $40 or some other ridiculous amount.
Besides these grievances, which I am happy to work around, I personally think the iPad is awesome.
The battery life is fantastic, promising you 10 hours of fun – that’s far more than my laptop and phone can last, combined.
The iBooks application is great, and reading on the iPad is definitely enjoyable. The machine comes pre-loaded with Winnie The Pooh, so you can really get a sense of what it looks like for books to have graphics. If you have kids, it could be the perfect piece of technology to bring on vacation and have a bedtime story literally at your fingertips.
My favorite application is the ABC Player. As an iPhone user, I dreamt of the day that ABC would have a video player application for the phone. I enjoy having the ability to watch my favorite shows from ABC on demand online. This application takes it to a whole new level. The graphics are perfectly clear, and there is no network interruption that I frequently experience on line. The video quality in general on the iPad is pretty stellar.
Another fantastic application is Tweet Deck. It brings interaction to a new level – if you own an iPad you should download this application immediately. If you do not own an iPad, you should go buy one and then download the application immediately.
The App store has a lot to offer anyone, allowing you to really tailor your iPad to use it however you want to. You can use it to work, and conduct slideshows, and edit documents, and use your email. You can use it as a reader with the added benefit of the Internet, iPod, and tweeting. You can use it to watch videos or to occupy the kids during a long car ride. Or you can use it for all of the above.
The videos and descriptions really don’t do the iPad justice – I would recommend heading over to your closest Apple store and playing with one. They’re pretty unbelievable.
