iPhone, iPad & iOS Discussion -- White iPhone on Sale 4/28

[quote name='mykevermin']Y'all should be jealous of me. I'm sitting pretty on a grey smart cover.

I can look at it, and it's like...there, man. there.

;)

How many of y'all play words with friends?[/QUOTE]

I got my blue smart cover 1 day before my iPad. :D

I downloaded words with friends but haven't played yet. Username is the same as here--dmaul1114.
 
Some quick impressions of my iPad 2 after using it since Tuesday.

In short, I really like it. It's very thin, reasonably light and comfortable to hold. The screen is very clear and responsive. The device is very fast, web pages are definitely a bit faster loading than on the first (though the iOS update sped that up too so I'm not sure how much is that and how much is the iPad 2 power and ram increase).

Lots of great apps out there. I really love the news app--though it sucks that the NY Times is going to cost $20 a month is a couple of months (website no longer free either--20 free article views a month is all). But at least the top news section will remain free--so it's basically back to what it was at the iPad 1 launch when it was just the Editor's Choice articles (now Top News) rather than the full paper. USA Today, Zite, Pulse News and AP News are all great news apps as well.

Some good sports apps. I was happy to see the ESPN Scorecenter was now free. There's a great March Madness app currently with schedule, bracket, your picked bracket and ability to watch the streaming games.

I've also made it my note taking during work meeting device. I take notes in the native Notes app and send them to Evernote to organize and sych up with my PCs. Handy as hell vs. scribbling on a legal pad that I never archive and can't read my terrible writing months later anyway. I can type fast enough on the on screen keyboard for notes. Wouldn't want to do any real writing on it though.

I also finally scrapped my old (and dying) Palm Pilot and moved to using Google Calendar and syncing it with the Calendar app on the iPad.

Haven't got it set up with my office e-mail yet as I haven't figured out how to get the needed server info from my Groupwise account. I half don't want to bother with it as my workplace is switching to Outlook in a couple months so I'd probably have to redo it then anyway. So for now I just have it set up with my gmail.

Goodreader is fantastic for PDFs. Shame it went up to $4.99 from the original .99 cents back at the iPad 1 launch. But it's worth it as it's fast, easy to crop margins and read in both orientations and has added highlighting and note annotating features since the old .99 cent version.

I also really like the Smart Cover. Like all Apple accessories, it's over priced. But it is handy as hell. I like how thin and light it is. I'm careful with my gadgets and not anal about scratches to the back etc., so I don't want some bulky case. I just go with this and a netbook neoprene sleeve for when putting it in the bag (also gives me something to set it on when using it in public where a table may have something that could scratch the backing etc.). Smart cover works great as a typing stand or to stand it on a table to watch video etc.

So in all, I'm very pleased with the purchase. It's not perfect. I have some minor light bleed as noted above--but not noticeable yet in normal usage, only on a dark screen in a dark room, so that's kind of moot. I wish there was some apps fully compatible with MS Office as reviews of the iWorks apps, Docs to Go etc. aren't very favorable for use with complex documents with lots of tables and figures etc. which is mostly what I work with. I'd love a drag and drop file system (sans jailbreaking)--but using dropbox etc. isn't too inconvenient once you get used to it.
 
Are these still available in Apple stores? I ask because I work at a mall overnight and every morning when I go to leave for the day there is a line outside the Apple store. Its usually only 10-15 people but this morning it was 75-100.

As I was leaving I walked past a guy coming in. He said "Gotta go get in line at the Apple store." and I told it was long. His response was "Son of a bitch!".
 
From posts on other forums, some times Apple stores have a few units to sell in the mornings, sometimes they don't. So people are lining up for hopes of getting one.

Apple.com orders are not listed as shipping in 4-5 weeks.

Demand is high and isn't likely to improve soon as the international launch is on the 25th so they have to be holding units for that unless they plan on delaying it.
 
Not sure if anyone has answered this but is the the iPad 2 worth it if I already how the iPad? I can probably sell the original for $400 or so but I just got it as a Christmas gift in December.
 
It's thinner, faster and has Webcams.

So I'd say it's really only worth upgrading from iPad 1 if you really want the web cams for video calls (I use that a lot myself) or run resource heavy apps like iMovie or graphics intensive games that really benefit from the extra power.

If you don't need webcams and just use simple apps, surf the web etc. then it's probably best to just stick with the iPad 1 and wait until next year and the iPad 3.
 
[quote name='DomLando']Not sure if anyone has answered this but is the the iPad 2 worth it if I already how the iPad? I can probably sell the original for $400 or so but I just got it as a Christmas gift in December.[/QUOTE]

If you just got one, I don't know that it's worth upgrading to the second. It's a really nice revision, but the original design is great. Unless you feel like you NEED the new processor, I'd just hold out for the next generation.
 
Red leather smart cover is nice, just got yesterday.

Such a nice accessory. So simple and useful.
Not to mention it looks fantastic.
 
[quote name='DomLando']Not sure if anyone has answered this but is the the iPad 2 worth it if I already how the iPad? I can probably sell the original for $400 or so but I just got it as a Christmas gift in December.[/QUOTE]

I would say no, wait for the next gen. Sure, this one is a bit faster and has cameras, but the iPad 1 is perfectly usable. Plus you're looking at a wait anyway to get the new one.

Dmaul1114, two other good apps you may like are Dragon Search and Dragon Dictation, both free. I love just being able to speak a search phrase and open the results in a browser window instead of pulling up the keyboard, it's REALLY handy!
 
The google app has voice recognition searches. The Merriam-Webster app has voice recognition too, and that's pretty cool - search for a word by saying it.
 
I went to the apple store yesterday to try to get an exchange but they were all out of black 32gb ones. They did have a white one though.

One of the workers told me all the iPads exhibit the light bleeding problem and the next one I get will be the same. The manager came by to see what was going on and he said he didn't buy that excuse and he would exchange as many as it took to get a perfect screen.
 
Wait a few months before exchanging until the manufacturing issues are sorted out.
I've yet to see one that is 100% perfect. They all seem to have it to some degree.

You have a year to swap.

I'm not too worried as I only see the bleeding when brightness is 75% or higher, and I only use 25% or below.
 
I hope mine doesn't end up having this light bleeding. Has anyone seen the problem go away, or is it staying? Maybe it's just as well that mine isn't shipping for another 3 weeks. No, I'd rather have it now, exchange if necessary later. :)
 
Mine was always minor, but does seem to have gotten even less noticeable.

Honestly, with it being an edge lit LCD and only being glued together, I think most all of them are going to have at least some minor light bleeding.

As long as it's minor and not noticeable in normal usage for you, I wouldn't worry about it as many have exchanged only to get ones with worse bleeding etc. So better wait and see if Apple announce a fix--unlikely since it would probably take a redesign or change to the manufacturing process.

If it's bad bleeding and you notice it all the time watching videos at normal brightness etc., then yeah, by all means exchange it. Just don't be one of those OCD types on other forums that are turning the brightness up to 100% and checking in a completely black room etc. as you're going to find some bleeding on every single one in that case. Use it as you normally would, and if you notice bleeding exchange it. If you don't, then who cares if there's bleeding in unrealistic conditions like above?
 
I'm a bit OCD but will do my best. :)

My smartcover. Shipped. I think it was early, so I'll hold out hope for an earlier the expected shipment of the iPad.

P.s. If you ever played Spectre or Spectre VR, years ago, you should pick up Spectre 3D for $0.99. It's awesome and the memories are flooding back. But it's not just nostalgia - it's a great game. I'm playing on my iPhone, but it is universal. It has online play, but I haven't tried that yet. Will do so later tonight.
 
Man, I shoulda ordered day one like some of y'all. I ordered early Saturday AM the next day (3/12). While some of you have had yours for a week or longer, mine has yet to ship.

Oh well.
 
Yep. Doesn't bode well given the on going fight over in-app purchases now being required starting in June.

On the other hand, Apple did recently approve an update to the Kindle app that still had the same current system for jumping out to safari to have books and not having in-app purchasing. Of course, the new rules on requiring in-app purchasing (which apple gets 30% of) don't take place to June, so they may just have approved it under the current rules.

Anyway, it is absurd. I'm loving my iPad 2, but I really dislike Apple and their business practices.

This doesn't affect me too much as I'm keeping my Kindle 3 as I vastly prefer it for reading novels. The iPad screen tires my eyes to much to read on it for more than 30-60 minutes top in any one stretch and is just to heavy to curl up and read for hours with like I can the smaller and much lighter Kindle.

But I don't like the precedent it sets. Apple is a hardware company. They shouldn't be getting a cut of in-app purchases. Getting part of app sales I can buy as they provide the app store. But they shouldn't be demanding 30% of e-books sold, magazine subscriptions and other things.
 
Let's not forget that Amazon is the company that put a stop to use of the phrase "One Click" by anyone else. I'm not saying this stuff should happen, but I don't think it's that big of a deal and wouldn't affect any other relationship between them.

I.e. if you're going to dislike Apple for suing Amazon for using "Appstore" instead of "App Store", then you should also dislike Amazon for doing the same with "One Click". All these big companies do the same kind of stuff.
 
fair enough.

on another note, it's pretty fucking aggravating seeing the Apple store around here getting iPads in every morning for the past week, meanwhile mine has not shipped.

One old broad stood in the way of me getting a white 32GB this morning. I could have opted for 64GB, but I just don't feel like I'll need that much space.

Stupid morning classes.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Let's not forget that Amazon is the company that put a stop to use of the phrase "One Click" by anyone else. I'm not saying this stuff should happen, but I don't think it's that big of a deal and wouldn't affect any other relationship between them.

I.e. if you're going to dislike Apple for suing Amazon for using "Appstore" instead of "App Store", then you should also dislike Amazon for doing the same with "One Click". All these big companies do the same kind of stuff.[/QUOTE]

Oh I dislike all big corporations as they all care about nothing but getting as much of our hard earned money as they can. :D

I don't care about this App Store lawsuit, it's the forcing in-app purchasing to be an option and Apple wanting to take 30% of all in-app sales that bothers me greatly. I just worry that this suit could make it more likely for Amazon to pull their app from the iOS platform when combined with the major in-app purchase fight that's ongoing.

I like my iPad 2 a lot--but it has it's short comings (closed OS and file system, no USB, no fully MS office compatible apps etc.) and I loathe a lot of Apple's practices and the Apple cult.

So I really hope there's some tablet that's not buy Apple that fits my needs in a couple years when I'm ready to upgrade.

My best bet is probably to hope that MS nails the Tablet OS they're working on that's due out late 2012 as that will be mostly likely to have a normal PC style file system, full MS office, usb ports etc. and let me finally ditch my laptop for work trips and just take a tabet and bluetooth keyboard.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']My best bet is probably to hope that MS nails the Tablet OS they're working on that's due out late 2012 as that will be mostly likely to have a normal PC style file system, full MS office, usb ports etc. and let me finally ditch my laptop for work trips and just take a tabet and bluetooth keyboard.[/QUOTE]

At least we can be sure it will be better than the Tablet PC... I hope.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']My best bet is probably to hope that MS nails the Tablet OS they're working on that's due out late 2012 as that will be mostly likely to have a normal PC style file system, full MS office, usb ports etc. and let me finally ditch my laptop for work trips and just take a tabet and bluetooth keyboard.[/QUOTE]

It sounds to me like you want a laptop. Microsoft tried that tablet-like-a-laptop approach for many years, and it didn't exactly take off. It was both a crappy laptop and a crappy tablet. I really doubt they'll go that route again.

EDIT: I also have to call you on this "Apple Cult" thing. Are there people obsessed with Apple? Sure. There's also similar folks obsessed with Google/Android. The existence of those people is no reflection on Apple itself or of people who like their products more widely. Also, my one experience waiting in line for an Apple product (an iPhone 4 - something I didn't succeed in getting that day) did not find myself in line with obnoxious people, in spite of how some like to characterize it. Everybody was friendly, laid back, and just liked their iPhone and wanted a new one. It was a pretty enjoyable experience... except for that bit about not getting one then. What you have here is mostly people on one side trying to characterize the people on the other side in a negative light. There are some obnoxious sorts on all sides.
 
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[quote name='crunchewy']It sounds to me like you want a laptop. Microsoft tried that tablet-like-a-laptop approach for many years, and it didn't exactly take off. It was both a crappy laptop and a crappy tablet. I really doubt they'll go that route again.[/QUOTE]

Doesn't have to be a laptop or have a full OS.

Just give me some MS Office apps that are 100% compatible with the PC versions, a drag and drop file system, and a usb port so I can get files from my tablet to my thumb drive while at conferences etc. (i.e. work on a presentation on the tablet on the flight out, then put it on a jump drive to plug into the computer in the conference rooms).

That's minor software stuff. Even the USB port can be done with an accessory that plugs into the dock--just need the software to support more than photo transfers. So no need for a full laptop.

That said, prior tablet and slate PCs failed because they didn't make a new touch based tablet OS from the ground up and merely tried to tweak the existing version of Windows slightly.

There's no reason we couldn't see a touch optimized OS that was pretty much full windows or Mac and could replace a laptop when paired with a bluetooth keyboard IMO.

The main thing I dislike about my iPad now is there's almost no way I'll take it on most trips as I always need to do some work (even on vacation) and it's too much to bring both the laptop and an iPad. And the iPad loses out as it's just not useful as a work tool for beyond e-mail and reading PDFs in Goodreader. So I'll still be taking my laptop and much smaller and lighter Kindle as I've done the past few years.

[quote name='crunchewy']
EDIT: I also have to call you on this "Apple Cult" thing. Are there people obsessed with Apple? Sure. There's also similar folks obsessed with Google/Android. The existence of those people is no reflection on Apple itself or of people who like their products more widely. Also, my one experience waiting in line for an Apple product (an iPhone 4 - something I didn't succeed in getting that day) did not find myself in line with obnoxious people, in spite of how some like to characterize it. Everybody was friendly, laid back, and just liked their iPhone and wanted a new one. It was a pretty enjoyable experience... except for that bit about not getting one then. What you have here is mostly people on one side trying to characterize the people on the other side in a negative light. There are some obnoxious sorts on all sides.[/QUOTE]

Oh I hate fanatics/loyalists of any kind. Especially people loyal to a company. But you're right that Apple loyalists are no worse than Android fanboys or the video game console fanboys. They're just a larger and more visible group since the iPods, iPhones etc. are so mainstream--or maybe I just run into more of them in my social circles I suppose. Fair enough on your line experience. I get annoyed everytime I go to the Apple store so I try to avoid that place like the plague and only go in if I get drug by my girlfriend etc.
 
Are you able to load content onto the iPad?

Example: I have a lot of digital comics. There's an app I can download that will let me read those comics. How do I get the comics from my MacBook to my iPad?
 
[quote name='crunchewy'] Microsoft tried that tablet-like-a-laptop approach for many years, and it didn't exactly take off. It was both a crappy laptop and a crappy tablet. I really doubt they'll go that route again.
[/QUOTE]

Heh, anyone remember that coffee-table-as-a-tablet they also tried?

And even if someone comes out with a better tablet it's got to have the apps or software to back it up which is still Apple's biggest strength with the iPad.
 
[quote name='Psykoboy2']Are you able to load content onto the iPad?

Example: I have a lot of digital comics. There's an app I can download that will let me read those comics. How do I get the comics from my MacBook to my iPad?[/QUOTE]

The app may have a drag and drop to load files in iTunes option. Some apps do--if so you'll find them in the ipad section of the iTunes menu in an apps section when you hook up your iPad to your Macbook.

You may also be able to send them through Dropbox if the App is one that adds a "send to app" option in Dropbox. If so then you just drag it into Dropbox on your Macbook and then open Dropbox on your iPad and use the send to option to send it to the comics app.

[quote name='keithp']
And even if someone comes out with a better tablet it's got to have the apps or software to back it up which is still Apple's biggest strength with the iPad.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Though if we're talking more of a full Tablet PC that finally has a built from the ground up touch interface, then I'd think software would come pretty quickly.

Right now the Android and Web OS app stores are lacking compared to iOS.

But I'd probably give that up if MS somehow surprises everyone and makes a good Tablet OS and has a nice interface, fully compatible versions of the MS Office suite etc. Most of the Apps I'm using on my iPad are simple things like NY Times, USA Today etc.--just things I accessed on websites before--the built in Calendar that I synch with Google Calendar, Goodreader for reading PDF files, simple games etc., so I'm really not taking a lot of advantage of the App store anyway.

That said, I'm very skeptical MS will succeed in making a decent Tablet OS. But maybe they will. Having the Windows 7 phone at least gives them one touch based OS to build off of rather than trying to just add touch functionality on to desktop versions of Windows as in the past.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/apple-sues-amazon_n_838947.html

Jaysis. I want to be able to read Kindle books whenever I actually get my iPad, and this doesn't bode well for the future. Kiss and make up, you two. And stop pretending like "app" is something you came up with, Apple.[/QUOTE]

Apple already established that they won't allow apps to circumvent the app store 30% cut a few months ago.

[quote name='mykevermin']fair enough.

on another note, it's pretty fucking aggravating seeing the Apple store around here getting iPads in every morning for the past week, meanwhile mine has not shipped.

One old broad stood in the way of me getting a white 32GB this morning. I could have opted for 64GB, but I just don't feel like I'll need that much space.

Stupid morning classes.[/QUOTE]

Yep, I've been fucked 14 days in a row, and it sucks dick.

I'm bout to slap a Hong Kong national in his fucking face.

[quote name='Psykoboy2']Are you able to load content onto the iPad?

Example: I have a lot of digital comics. There's an app I can download that will let me read those comics. How do I get the comics from my MacBook to my iPad?[/QUOTE]

Download the CDisplay app and STFU
 
I read this cool tip for the smart cover today.
Take it off, fold into a triangle, microfiber side out, and clean glass squeegee style. Worked great for me.[quote name='Psykoboy2']Are you able to load content onto the iPad?

Example: I have a lot of digital comics. There's an app I can download that will let me read those comics. How do I get the comics from my MacBook to my iPad?[/QUOTE]As far as I know, everyone uses one of these 2 as they're the best available.

Comic Flow - free, simple
Comic Zeal - 8 bucks, more options

Getting the files on there is a little different for both, you can do it wirelessly with Comic Flow.
Should be straightforward once you get the apps.
 
[quote name='manthing']
Download the CDisplay app and STFU[/QUOTE]

Search in the App Store for "CDisplay" turns up nothing. Got a link?
 
I'm pretty sure you have to jail break and then get that App in the Cydia app center or whatever it's called. That's the only way any of the apps that let you see the file system and drag and drop work.

That's one of my dislikes of both the iOS and Android currently, I don't want to have to jailbreak or root to get basic functions I've been using on a PC for years.

I get wanting to be simple so non-tech inclined people can use them. But they go way to far with the walled garden stuff with requiring hacking to enable what should be basic features.

Just one of many reasons I'd really like to see MS or Apple finally get Tablet PC/Mac right. Build the OS from the ground up around touch interaction rather than mouse but give a full file system, full office suite etc. Pair it with a blue tooth keyboard for doing real writing work and a lot of us could ditch our laptops finally.

But there's a lot of doubt on whether they can really do that given how crappy tablet/slate PCs have been in the past. The real key is to drop attempts to make it a FULL PC/Mac OS. Make it a smaller, less powerful OS that uses less power to keep battery life up etc. Just make it good enough to run full versions of MS office and other essential apps. Give it a USB port for easy file transfers--pair that with standard file/folder system etc. It's not rocket science, but I'm sure they'll still find a way to fuck it up.

So for now (and maybe indefinitely) my tablet is just a toy basically that I don't use for work beyond taking notes in meetings and reading some PDFs instead of printing them out, while I'll still lug my bulky work provided laptop along on business trips and leave the iPad at home as it's too much to lug both. Rather just keep taking my laptop for work and internet/e-mail and my Kindle 3 for reading books on the plane as that's less bulk and weight than taking the Laptop and iPad.
 
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Yeah, I really don't think they'll be moving in that direction.

The evolution seems to be away from file systems and making things flow better and simpler.
These new kinds of tablets are still babies right now. They'll get better and may show us a new way to 'compute'. Eventually we'll be the dinosaurs staring at these things in the way kids look at command prompts.
 
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I can live without a file system if they at least do things like add some way to hook up a flash drive and export files to it etc.

I can adapt to stuff like that , but it would bE nice to be able to do simple things like that on a tablet without needing a PC!

I'd love to be able to just take my tablet on a business trip and leave the bulky laptop at home. But to do that I at least need PowerPoint and word (or 100% compatible apps) to edit my slides etc and a way to get them off the tablet and onto a flash drive to stick into the PC in the conference room when giving my presentation.

While I like file systems and full os's and so on as it's what I am used to, it's all things that can be done without that using other file import and export options etc. First step is for apple to allow USB drives to be used via an accessory like the camera kit for moving more than photos. Second step is for someone to make apps that play nice with MS price better than IWorks or docstogo do currently as they often wreck formatting if you have a lot of tables, figures, objects like equations etc.

But I don't see that happening as they're focused on the iPad being a content consumption device rather than a content creation device. Which is shame as it has the power to do all I want to do if they'd just make some tweaks to the OS and someone's steps up with some better work apps (Open Office maybe).

Maybe they will. If Apple truly wants it to be a post PC device as they keep stating then it needs things like USB drive support so we can get files on and off it without needing a PC or Mac!
 
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They way Apple is operating they are not likely to make any changes. Sounds like what you need is a slimmer latop. Apple Air or other similar lapton can do everything you listed and not take up tons of space.
 
I don't know why, but this seems to be happening to me more often lately.

I click a link, through a site (like CAG) or google search, and the site automatically loads the mobile version. Now, sometimes that's ok, sometimes it's not. But what's EXTREMELY frustrating is when the mobile site redirects you to a different home page or limited site and I can't find what I had originally searched for. Man, it pisses me off.

/rant
 
Anybody who likes retro games, I do recommend Forget-Me-Not. I haven't played it a ton yet, but it's definitely a lot of fun and it's universal. It's Pac-Man, but he shoots (constantly), the mazes are randomly generated (and get progressively more difficult) and it's sort of rogue-like. You finish a level by collecting all the flowers and the key, then going to the exit. The key is handier then just for getting through the exit - it also blocks your own shots from hitting you in the back when mazes have parts that wrap around! The enemies will sometimes steal the key from you, though. Also if you "grind" by swiping toward a wall as you travel along it, you power up, eventually powerful enough just to run into enemies to kill them. But power up too much and you pop! It's definitely very cool and worth the asking price of $1.99.

http://appshopper.com/games/forget-me-not-2
 
Got my white 32GB this morning. Almost upped to a 3G black, but decided against it b/c it was AT&T and not Verizon.

(3G seemed wholly unimportant to me, until a sales rep was like "hey, do you travel to conferences a lot? because some hotels don't have wifi and some do, but charge an arm and a leg to connect." I found that a compelling reason, as you might too, dmaul, but not enough to drop the extra $130.)

Canceling my online order was easy enough, thankfully. The long ship times for online orders make sense given how prolific resellers are. I saw no fewer than 7-10 in a line of about 20 people. Buying two at a time, no concern for what type they get, paid in cash only, all knew each other and were talking to each other while in line, etc.). They told this tiny old lady she couldn't buy one b/c she was already in line and bought two that morning. Heh.

Too busy today to do anything but let it sit in my office, though. Oh well.
 
Hmm... maybe I'll try picking one up in store. My online order isn't set to ship for almost 3 weeks. Did you get it at an Apple Store or somewhere else? Those resellers suck.
 
Apple store. I've been to the mall 3-4 (jesus, I'm a 12 year old girl) times in the past 10 days. They had them every morning.

Go get in line an hour prior to opening if you are able to. They've opened the store early by an hour each time.

Good luck, hombre.
 
[quote name='Psykoboy2']Are you able to load content onto the iPad?

Example: I have a lot of digital comics. There's an app I can download that will let me read those comics. How do I get the comics from my MacBook to my iPad?[/QUOTE]

Not sure if it can do what you need or not... but there's a freeware program called Calibre that converts any/all text documents/ebooksetc into the ios native .ebub format.

http://calibre-ebook.com/
 
[quote name='62t']Sounds like what you need is a slimmer latop. Apple Air or other similar lapton can do everything you listed and not take up tons of space.[/QUOTE]

I did consider that as part of the problem is I just hate the bulky 15" Lenovo Thinkpad work provided laptop I have for traveling.

But I also don't want to spend the money on a smaller laptop that I'd only use when traveling as I do prefer the bigger one at home as it's a desktop replacement as I don't have my own home PC anymore. So it's really good for that purpose as it's easy to type on and is reasonably powerful etc.

Mac air isn't an option as I'm not an Apple guy and don't want to hassle with Boot Camp to run some of my Windows only applications etc. And I just don't have the time or patience for the learning curve of going to a new OS. Sony makes some small, thin solid state hard drive laptops I've looked at a few times, but like the Air they're just too pricey for something I'd use pretty much only when traveling. Vs. a tablet like the iPad where I'm using it all the time reading news apps etc.

So for now I'll just lug the Thinkpad around when traveling and hope in a couple years MS or someone has a tablet that has a tad more functionality with Office compatible apps and a USB port etc. so that I can get by with it when going to a conference and needing to work on my slides and then move them to a jump drive to load onto the conference room PC and other basic tasks like that. I'm sure something like that will come out (MS is working on a Tablet OS building off their Windows Phone OS I think--but said they wouldn't have an iPad competitor until late 2012).

And again I wouldn't rule it out even for usb file transfer to happen on the iPad. Jobs keeps calling it a "Post PC device." If that's really going to be true one needs to be able to get content on and off it without needing to use a PC. It's more likely they'll just go to their own cloud service that's similar to drop box though. But that's still not post PC as you need a PC to send things to and from it. Seems easy enough to let the camera adapter read a thumb drive and transfer files like PDFs, MS Office files and other app supported files.
 
I think I'm going to give it a shot and go to the Apple store tomorrow morning. Work is a little slow anyway currently. I called a short time ago and they still had 16 GB WiFi models in stock, but I want a 64 GB 3G (I have AT&T pre-ordered, but I might go with a Verizon one. That would give me another service option since my iPhone is AT&T.) Question - if you don't have a Verizon phone, do you have to sign up for an account on Verizon, or can you just start the service on the iPad without an account? I.e. is it truly contract-less?
 
Apple store is your best bet for sure from what I've seen on other iPad forums. Just get there by 8am at the latest as most are opening an hour early at 9am if they have iPads as Myke noted. And lines form early from the hoarders who are reselling them (as Myke also noted).

Yes, the Verizon and AT&T plans are contractless. You just sign up and pay month by month and can cancel whenever. No need to have an existing account.

There was some concern over activation fees on Verizon. There are none now, and Verizon says there will be none. But some blogs still express concern that there could be a reactivation fee with them if you go without a 3G plan for 2 or 3 months or more. But no real confirmation on that that I've seen.

Only other consideration (besides how the two networks are in your area) is if you travel internationally or not. The AT&T 3G will work in a lot of other countries, the Verizon one won't.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']
And again I wouldn't rule it out even for usb file transfer to happen on the iPad. Jobs keeps calling it a "Post PC device." If that's really going to be true one needs to be able to get content on and off it without needing to use a PC. It's more likely they'll just go to their own cloud service that's similar to drop box though. But that's still not post PC as you need a PC to send things to and from it. Seems easy enough to let the camera adapter read a thumb drive and transfer files like PDFs, MS Office files and other app supported files.[/QUOTE]

I think file transfer is really moving to the cloud pretty quickly. Dropbox is an easy to use service. You need a pc for transfer only if the files were created/acquired on a pc. Don't you need a pc to send things to and from the USB drive also - if they were created/acquired on that pc? If they were created on an ipad (for instance) I think the cloud is a pretty easy way to share among devices. Jobs wants you to create on these post pc devices. I would love to see usb file transfer though. I think there are situations like wifi-restricted and no wifi work environments that would certainly benefit from it.
 
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[quote name='bordjon']I think file transfer is really moving to the cloud pretty quickly. Dropbox is an easy to use service. You need a pc for transfer only if the files were created/acquired on a pc. Don't you need a pc to send things to and from the USB drive also - if they were created/acquired on that pc? If they were created on an ipad (for instance) I think the cloud is a pretty easy way to share among devices. I would love to see usb file transfer though. I think there are situations like wifi-restricted and no wifi work environments that would certainly benefit from it.[/QUOTE]

My point is when I travel to a conference I need to be able to:

1. Work on my power points.
2. Get them on a thumb drive to then load on the computer hooked up to the projector in the conference room.

Right now I can work on my slides on the iPad--though there are major issues with formatting getting fucked up going from Keynote to power point some times in my past experience which does limit this.

But I have no way to get them from the iPad onto a thumb drive.

So for business travel my iPad will still stay at home as I need the laptop to work on my slides and get it on the thumb drive. No point in bringing both a laptop and iPad as they're too redundant and bulky to lug both onto the plane.

So I'd love 1 and 2 to be addressed so I can take the much smaller and lighter iPad to a conference rather than my heavy laptop.

But I agree with you about still needing a PC, I don't buy the post pc nonsense Jobs is spewing. I'm always going to want a desktop at work and a laptop as my home workstation as I'll never be able to do all my work on a tablet. But I'd love to see Tablets at least become functional enough that I can get buy with them (and no laptop) for a simple business trip to a conference etc.
 
You might consider a vga and/or hdmi adapter for the ipad. Just an option. When I was teaching my classes back nearly 10 years ago projectors weren't in every room like they are now - I had to tote my own personal projector and laptop because I didn't want to deal with slides! I'll most likely always need a desktop too - photoshop ain't getting any slimmer these days!
 
[quote name='bordjon']You might consider a vga and/or hdmi adapter for the ipad. Just an option. When I was teaching my classes back nearly 10 years ago projectors weren't in every room like they are now - I had to tote my own personal projector and laptop because I didn't want to deal with slides! I'll most likely always need a desktop too - photoshop ain't getting any slimmer these days![/QUOTE]

Yeah, the problem with that at a conference is there are 3 or 4 presenters per panel, time is limited etc. so you don't want to be wasting time unhooking the projector from the laptop everyone else, as well as just being kind of rude to do in front of an audience etc.

If I wanted to use it in our classroom on my campus that would be great. They all have PCs hooked up to the projector, but they allso have a VGA cable for people to hook up their own laptops etc.

But the conferences I got to generally just provided a projector with vga cable attached to the podium, and one of the presenters hooks up their laptop to it and we all load our powerpoints onto it using thumb drives.

Some others have a PC in every room built into the podium and those you have a hard time getting to the VGA cable in the back of the PC inside the podium etc. I've moved from powerpoint to just using slides I make in Word and put on the document cameras we have in the classrooms as that's quicker than dealing with powerpoint and works better in some rooms where the instructor desk blocks part of the screen as I can keep the current bullet point at the top of the slide by moving the paper up where everyone can see it unlike on powerpoint which is a fixed image.

So unfortunately a thumb drive is pretty much a necessity.

Hopefully someday we'll be in the age of having all projectors be able to get signal wirelesses so people can just wirelessly connect their laptops, tablets, smartphones etc. to conference room projectors to give their talks. But that's a ways off given how crappy and outdated most conference center technology is.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114'] But that's a ways off given how crappy and outdated most conference center technology is.[/QUOTE]

That's academia! (well most of it - maybe with the exception of business schools/depts...)
 
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