iPad

[Nubbins]

So, nubbins, Matt, you guys have had your iPads for about a week now, right?

What are your verdicts: how does the web surfing cope without flash; what killers apps make the iPad a must-buy; does it replace any of your gadgets?

I am very happy with mine so far and only have a few minor gripes about it.  The biggest gripe is that there is no camera on the thing, which makes no sense to me.  One of the most attractive things about people's iPhones is the pictures that they're able to take with them, so I just assumed there would be a camera on the back of the iPad.  Guess not.  Still, a minor gripe.

The web surfing is great and everything runs well.  Pages load quickly and it picks up a wifi signal as well as my laptop.  No flash kind of sucks, for sure.  I feel like if it had flash, it would feel much more like a laptop and less like a "mobile device" or whatever.

As much as I would love to say that it's going to replace my laptop, I don't think I could completely get rid of my HP for all of its office software, keyboard, etc. that just make it more able to do specific things like type up a report or look for a job.  The iPad keyboard is great, but I have to peck in order to type things out... putting fingers on home keys and trying to type like you would on a laptop just isn't possible (at least for me, anyway).  Maybe in time the iPad could replace my laptop computer completely.  It has already replaced it in many respects, like Netflix instant streaming.  For those kinds of applications, it is unbeatable.  Being able to lay on the floor or recline on a sofa and have this tiny thing in your lap or hand while you watch a movie is really great.

As for apps... they have been kind of slow in releasing things tailored for the iPad... plus everything is more expensive.  $4.99 for games seems about average, for instance.

That said, I have a bunch of apps, my favorites are the music related ones that let you goof around with loops and twiddle knobs and shit.  Lots of fun, plus it's fairly easy to crank out your own electronica at the drop of a hat.  The art programs are fantastic and the iPad almost seems designed for finger doodling on its big screen. 

So yeah, I am still really happy with mine, but I don't feel like it's quite to the point where it can replace my computer for everything, but it has already trumped it in many respects. 

[Nubbins]

Also this

[Matt]

I freakin' love reading things on this damn thing. Like, I have downloaded so many pdfs that are just a pleasure to read.

[Tatertots]

I sold my computer and bought an iPad (really).

So far, I fucking love it. Oh my god, it's like sweet release from clutter. I love checking my email, love playing games on it (Angry Birds, especially), love Twitter, love Google Reader, etc., etc. Netflix and Pandora are, as expected, wonderful. I feel like I'm living in the future when I use it. So easy!

That said, it's good at content consumption, but not content creation. It never was intended for content creation (beyond, say, email, and some really fascinating music and image editors/creators, really. So I'll always have a laptop for work and personal programming, etc.

Still -- probably the best $500 (plus $100 of apps so far) that I've spent on technology.

[Tatertots]

Also, all you bitches get Instapaper. You load a bookmarklet in your browser and on any page that you want to read later, you hit that and it gets synced to your iPhone/Pad/Pod/other computers. It formats it beautifully and it makes reading long-form writing so nice. I've been using it ever since it came out, but the iPhone/iPad make it so useful.

[Matt]

Tyson did you get the Pages app? I'm really curious to see what you could pull off with a good amount of practice with using that for wordprocessing.

[Tatertots]

Yeah, I downloaded the three iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) even though I suppose I don't really need them. I played with it, though, and it's amazing. I totally would have used it for papers and stuff in college. Distraction-free writing.

Other amazing apps y'all should try:

AirVideoFree - Watch videos from your computer on your iPad.

Weather HD - Pointless video wankery weather app. But... It's so pretty.

Penultimate - Beautiful sketching/handwriting app. Really nice pen effect.

NPR - Well, you know.

Angry Birds - Still my favorite iPad/iPhone game.

[monkey!]

There is an 'official' Apple Reseller shop, next best thing to an Apple shop 5 minutes walk from my apartment: I stopped in to play with one of their display iPads. It may be hard to resist for long.

[monkey!]

Who the hell needs Flash?

http://www.apple.com/html5/

[monkey!]

Quick question, guys: does one need to hook up the iPad to a full OS computer/laptop to begin using it like with the iPhone?

[Nubbins]

No idea.  I think it just works automatically?

[Tatertots]

Yeah, you have to do it when you first get it, but after that you're free to go. You'll have to tether it to a computer to upgrade the OS, though.

[monkey!]

I'm assuming that iOS 4.0 will be rolling out to the iPad soonish?

[RottingCorpse]

Gay.

[Sirharles]

So we got one of these at work.  For the sales monkeys to use in their presentations.  Our company was one of the first ones to develop an app for it.  Apartment Guide if anyone wants to look it up.

However, when I was screwing around with it trying to watch Youtube, none of the videos were being shown in HD.  Is there a setting on the iPad that I need to use to turn on the HD?  Sorry for the noob question, but I'm not a Apple user.