— witsandnuts

Why do I like thee?

[Here's my inaanak (godson) who took this early morning flight with his parents to Manila, to migrate to Australia soon. This photo was taken after the christening. He was asleep here and it was very funny how his hands seemed to be talking. One of the first few photos edited using PhotoPad.]

Thank you for your comments when I blogged about the stunner last week. To those who asked about my (first) impressions, I am afraid that I cannot write objectively because I absolutely liked it since Day 1. Although it is also a question of who needs it, I shall say that it is generally not a must, but it would really depend on the consumer (user). The truth is I debated with myself many times if I should get it or not. To get a decent netbook has been a plan since early last year. But nothing convinced me, especially because of the storage and battery limitation. However, when the iPad was coming then promising at least a 16GB storage and 10 hours battery life (promise is true! sleep mode also helps to conserve the battery), I took a serious note.

(The email provides a column on the left to display listing of mails received.)

Another question is if you should get the unit with 3G capabilities or not. Again, it would depend on your intended manner of consumption. If you have an iPhone which is 3G enabled, it is better to get the basic one (with wifi capabilities). Aside from that it is cheaper, you can actually create a wifi network through your iPhone 3G. Whether you do or do not have a mobile with 3G capabilities, you need to assess if you would be willing to be tied up to a fixed monthly bill and if you are going to utilize it. In my case, I am using a Samsung dual sim phone (got tired of maintaining two phones for my UAE and roaming sim cards, respectively + I maintain a company issued phone with 24/7 connection). I hardly saw the need to get the iPad 3G because wifi network is generous in my location. Most of my usage of iPad will rarely require a connection when I am out of the house. But basically, I don’t want the monthly fee.

In a week’s time, I declare that it was really worth it. Especially when I started installing the FREE applications. I have not taken any paid application, and no plans yet. If you can get it for free and legally, why not.

If you know me personally, you would be able to figure out what exactly got me. Why do I like thee? Aside from its remarkable speed and crisp interface, let us count the many ways (on the first week):

(a) iBook

What a clean and elegant reader. Upon installation of the application, I automatically got my first free book on the shelf. It is Winnie the Pooh! The virtual shelf looks like my real bookshelf here.

Did you just see the pages? It feels like flipping a real book.

(b) National Public Radio (NPR)

I love this site. It offers a good selection of podcasts, you may listen to programs and read the articles simultaneously.  I think that the application is way better than the website.

(c) Fluent News

Checking the news is part of my breakfast. This application consolidates news from different sources/ sites. It is as easy as one click to sort the headlines.

(d) PhotoPad

As captioned for the first photo, this photo editor is user friendly.

For the farewell party for my inaanak and his parents-friends-colleagues, I have uploaded the dedicated album to the iPad. I gathered the photos we had with them during their stay in the UAE.  Some videos were uploaded, too.  As the iPad is very handy and presentable, it is much better than bringing a notebook/netbook or other tablet. The same goes when using it for business presentation. Glenda of Oodles of Goodles blogged about it, too.

(e) Wall Street Journal

One of my must haves. It is a good idea that saved articles and earmarking were made possible.

(f) TweetDeck

I have also installed Twitterific. The interface for both is commendable. A must have for those who are into twitter. Don’t tell me you don’t have an account. Don’t you think that it is a must? Hahaha. Seriously, a lot of good things are happening and can be found there. The real time updates especially for the issues of national concern are unbeatable. Much better than watching the local television.

(g) Organizers

You can facilitate it through the calendar (great layout whether it is on a day, week or month view), memo or tap and dictate (voice notes, cool eh?).

(h) IMDb

Yes, one of the things that I monitor just because I’m like that. Have you seen Iron Man 2? I think that Robert Downey, Jr. was born for that movie.

(i) Dictionary and Thesaurus

It comes so handy. And yes, it’s reliable.

(j) Virtuoso and other music-related applications

It is worth mentioning that the audio quality of the iPad is far better than the laptop’s, iPod’s and iPhone’s. I particularly liked the Virtuoso application. You can at least always play the piano while singing a birthday song to the celebrant. Haha. Seriously, it sounds very nice.

(k) These and counting!

[Did you see the icons of ongoing downloads? One of those is for Crunchyroll, I engage in selected Asian series, in case you don't know. As an aside, The Vampire Diaries Season 1 (ten times better than Twilight), Shawshank Redemption, Ironman 1 and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist are currently in My Videos. I don't maintain several albums though because I house them (they're a lot!) in the iPod.]

It has been a week since this toy met me. The free apps seems more than sufficient. You can just imagine the difference that the premium and future apps will make. Well, the games (although I am not much into it), I think, deserves a separate post.