Wow! It’s Wednesday! Up in the Air [iPad Review]
Hey darlins, as you’re reading this, I’ve probably just set down in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. If you’re in STL and somehow managed to miss my 50,000 mentions of the 32 CANDLES Book Event going down at Left Bank Books tomorrow, do go HERE for more info. For the rest of you, who aren’t in St. Louis, though, I thought you might enjoy this iPad review that my bestie, Monique from “Political Physics” and I did for a newspaper called The Fourth Estate. It’s kind of a east coast vs west coast, politico vs artist thing. Either way, enjoy it after the jump!
From East Coast to West Coast,
Two Bi-Coastal BFFs Weigh in on Their iPads
Ernessa T. Carter is an author and blogger, living in Los Angeles, California. Monique M. King-Viehland is a government executive, living in Trenton, New Jersey. They both requested iPads for Mothers Day.
Why did you ask for an iPad?
MMKV: I’m a shameless early adopter of tech toys. A friend said she was surprised that I waited a whole month to get the iPad, but the truth was I only waited a month because the 3G version was not available right away. It came out on a Friday and I had mine that Monday. I use my iPhone a lot less now, and spend about 4 hours minimum on the iPad a day reading email, newspapers, blogs, Facebook, etc. The way I take in digital information has been reduced to this one machine.
ETC: I am extremely “cult of Mac.” My husband and I both have iPhones, and Mac laptops. We have a Mac Desktop for the office. We have Apple TV, and we bought my mother-in-law an iPhone six months after she moved in. My husband got me an iPad for Mothers Day and I plan to get him an EyeTV HD for Fathers Day. We represent for Apple. Hard.
How do you use the iPad? Has it replaced your computer?
MMKV: The bulk of my iPad time is spent reading national publications, blogs, Facebook, surfing the net, checking email, etc, with the exception of reading the local newspapers for work. I’m disappointed that the iPad has not even begun to meet my business needs, because there aren’t any really effective apps for word processing, managing spreadsheets, presentations, etc. The iPad is awesome, but it hasn’t replaced my Macbook Air.
ETC: I’m also using my iPhone way less. It’s basically a cell phone and iPod for me now, nothing more. And my Kindle is collecting dust. I think they should start a support group. I use my iPad in the same way as Monique, but until they come up with better WordPress and Word Apps, I won’t be using it to post blogs or write my novels.
How does it compare to reading on an e-reader?
MMKV: I didn’t own an e-reader myself. I didn’t think I was an avid enough reader to make one worthwhile. But my iPad is worth the price, because it’s far more than an e-reader. Also, reading books with images is far easier than on an e-reader, unless, you’re outdoors on a sunny day. Then it sucks, because the glare from the screen is really awful.
ETC: It was easy to upload my Kindle books to my iPad using the Kindle app. However, the iBooks app is more user-friendly than the Kindle app. iBooks actually have page numbers and they even tell you how many pages are left in the chapter that you’re reading, whereas Kindle uses locations, which makes it \ hard to tell where you are in the book. I wish there was a way to have the iBook interface and the Kindle selection.
3 Favorite Things & 3 Worst Things about the iPad.
MMKV: Three favorite: 3G availability, screen brightness and size, availability of apps. Three worst: 3G availability only on AT&T, screen glare and finger prints, lack of apps.
ETC: Three favorite: iBooks, Bigger and brighter screen, Great apps. Three worst: No camera, hard to hold and use with one hand (unlike the iPhone and Kindle), and yes, the finger prints issue is intense.
Is it worth the price?
MMKV: Yes, but just buy 16 or 32 GB version. I have the 64 GB and truthfully, I’m not sure the extra space was worth the money since I can’t store and edit files. Overall though, my iPad is my new BFF….no offense ETC!
ETC: None taken! I recommend that everyone replace their BFFs with iPads. Seriously though, the iPad is totally worth it, especially if you take a lot of trips. When I go on my book tour this summer, I’m going to just take my iPad and leave my laptop at home!
ETC UPDATE: Well that last sentence was just a dang lie. I don’t know what I was thinking. Will definitely bring my MacBook Air with me on the trip, just because it’s way too difficult to hardcore blog from my iPad. But I’m also happy that I was able to download videos onto the iPad, which will hopefully keep my toddler entertained on the many plane rides she’ll be taking this summer.
I didn't know you ladies were going to talk about the iPad today too! I feel like the Me Too guy now, especially since this was a really great review.
For what it's worth, if I had a MacBook Air, I would definitely take that on all trips. But alas, I have a 17" MacBook Pro, which weighs about 9 pounds with the charger. I'm a wimp, and it actually wears out my shoulder carrying it around the airport for hours.
I didn't know you ladies were going to talk about the iPad today too! I feel like the Me Too guy now, especially since this was a really great review.
For what it's worth, if I had a MacBook Air, I would definitely take that on all trips. But alas, I have a 17" MacBook Pro, which weighs about 9 pounds with the charger. I'm a wimp, and it actually wears out my shoulder carrying it around the airport for hours.
Justin, I think both reviews were awesome but you actually provided a much more technical perspective than we did and that was great! The recommended software apps to really make it easier to truly replace your laptop while traveling was very helpful. I will definitely look into them.
But unlike Ernessa, I have taken to just using my iPad for most things, including travel. Although I am not a hardcore blogger and not have access to the occasional website because of the lack of Flash can be annoying. I find that it meets 99% of my needs, so my Macbook Air and even my iPhone have been collecting a bit of dust.
But the funniest thing is that my son loves the iPad even more than me! He loves to play the toddler drawing apps and the learning games on the “big screen.” So now at least once a day I get, “I want to draw on Mommy’s e-Pad.” I keep trying to say iPad but it does not seem to take!
MMKV, we need to do a follow up article about apps for toddlers! Betty adores the BabyPiano.
Justin, I think both reviews were awesome but you actually provided a much more technical perspective than we did and that was great! The recommended software apps to really make it easier to truly replace your laptop while traveling was very helpful. I will definitely look into them.
But unlike Ernessa, I have taken to just using my iPad for most things, including travel. Although I am not a hardcore blogger and not have access to the occasional website because of the lack of Flash can be annoying. I find that it meets 99% of my needs, so my Macbook Air and even my iPhone have been collecting a bit of dust.
But the funniest thing is that my son loves the iPad even more than me! He loves to play the toddler drawing apps and the learning games on the “big screen.” So now at least once a day I get, “I want to draw on Mommy’s e-Pad.” I keep trying to say iPad but it does not seem to take!
MMKV, we need to do a follow up article about apps for toddlers! Betty adores the BabyPiano.
E, you are so right! Sekou loves the Baby Piano too! We ended up just giving him my old iPhone 3G. We took off all of the non-toddler stuff that we could and out the rest in folders on the back pages. Then we kept all of the toddler apps on the front page and in the tool bar. So now he calls it Sekou’s phone and it can be a parent’s dream distraction in a pinch!
Justin, too funny!
E, you are so right! Sekou loves the Baby Piano too! We ended up just giving him my old iPhone 3G. We took off all of the non-toddler stuff that we could and out the rest in folders on the back pages. Then we kept all of the toddler apps on the front page and in the tool bar. So now he calls it Sekou’s phone and it can be a parent’s dream distraction in a pinch!
Justin, too funny!
I found this site under my bookmarks, probably bookmarked it my wife. Do you have a rss or something like this? I want to add you to my rss reader, becous liked this article especially your way how to explain this.
I found this site under my bookmarks, probably bookmarked it my wife. Do you have a rss or something like this? I want to add you to my rss reader, becous liked this article especially your way how to explain this.
Do u have any thoughts on what Apple will come out with after the ipad?
Do u have any thoughts on what Apple will come out with after the ipad?