iPad

[Ronstar]

I'll get one - but I'll wait until the price comes down. I just started developing apps for the iphone, and now I get daily emails from apple coaxing developers to start developing apps for the ipad. It wont be long before developer driven apps will propel sales of the ipad. There could be a lot of unique possibilities for killer apps on the ipad that dont exist on other platforms

 

[audreyh1]

You can get very portable and lightweight USB-based hard drives. They are the tiny ones, a little bigger than a pack of playing cards (not Identical but similar). Just checked the specs - 3"x5" and 0.5 inches thick. 5 ounces (140 grams). I saw some of these recently for $50-60 for 320 GB-500 GB. Get the kind with the 2.5" hard drive inside, not 3.5" if you want light weight and portability. Plugs into any usb connection and is powered via the usb. Unfortunately won't work with an ipad unless you can get usb connectivity (maybe the camera connectivity kit dongle ).

I gues you could stop by an internet cafe and use a computer to copy files from the SD or other memory cards onto the portable hard drive for backup.

Or just get a $200 netbook. Comes with a built in hard drive, usually 160 gb or 250 GB. Wireless, a keyboard, etc. Of course it wouldn't make sense to me personally to carry an ipad and a netbook if one was trying to travel internationally and pack light.

No - I don't intend to use the iPad for storing photos. The drive I'm talking about copies from camera memory cards directly, no need for an intermediary. I own several bus-powered portable lightweight USB drives, but they require a computer to interface to them, they aren't designed for direct memory card backup.

I won't connect my stuff to any public computer and I certainly don't intend to mess with anything that runs Windoze no matter how inexpensive.

Audrey

 

[TromboneAl]

Wish it had handwriting recognition,

I found that the Graffiti keystroke system

on the Palms worked pretty well. I could write almost as fast as with pencil and paper, although with less accuracy.

It was smart because it worked around the source of the problem (our alphabetic characters aren't easily distinguished by a machine).

I guess too many people were put off by having to learn the keystrokes.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I found that the Graffiti keystroke system...

I did pretty well with Graffiti, too.

I had two problems with it though: writing on the bottom of the screen while characters and the insertion point appeared above it (versus a touch screen) and also I found myself writing prescriptions in Graffiti once or twice. The pharmacists were confused.

 

[FUEGO]

I won't connect my stuff to any public computer and I certainly don't intend to mess with anything that runs Windoze no matter how inexpensive.

Windows? Is it really that bad?

 

[Rustic23]

I looked at my Asus 1000 this morning in a new light. No I can't write on it, and it is a little thicker than the IPad, about twice as thick. It is a little heavier. I am not sure how much, it seems light. Maybe a pound or so. It has a solid 7 hr. battery, sometimes more. It has three usb ports, and a 160 gig hard drive.

While I think the Ipad is really neat technology, I just can't justify it at twice the price. For travel I'll stick with the Asus. Now the IPhone, that is another type of cat. If AT&T would offer a $15 plan for the IPhone, I would have one..... maybe.

 

[FUEGO]

I looked at my Asus 1000 this morning in a new light. No I can't write on it, and it is a little thicker than the IPad, about twice as thick. It is a little heavier. I am not sure how much, it seems light. Maybe a pound or so. It has a solid 7 hr. battery, sometimes more. It has three usb ports, and a 160 gig hard drive.

While I think the Ipad is really neat technology, I just can't justify it at twice the price. For travel I'll stick with the Asus. Now the IPhone, that is another type of cat. If AT&T would offer a $15 plan for the IPhone, I would have one..... maybe.

I'm about to take my little netbook on a week and a half trek in Uruguay and Argentina. It is nice to have all the devices, storage, usb/memory card ports, etc all in one piece of plastic to do everything. Easy to whip out and put up. No need to keep track of multiple accessories, dongles, cables, docks, external whatevers, etc. It's a robust solution that keeps everything in one package and doesn't require multiple pieces of equipment to serve my needs. And it is cheap! The netbook is obviously not as slick as an apple device, but it is much more versatile, acts as an all-in-one device, can replace a notebook computer for most applications, and infinitely customizable (including able to have linux derivatives or even a bootleg copy of mac OSX installed "Hackintosh").


Here's a funny comparison of the ipad, kindle and other recent technology:

 

[tulak]

I am considering just buying several large memory cards and/or a standalone backup drive (Sony makes 40G one for $199).

That's my strategy. Flash is so cheap now, I just buy a new memory card when it fills up. Plus it's small and lightweight. Perfect for travel.

I eventually copy all the pictures to a hard drive, for additional backup, but the flash will probably be safer/last longer than the drive.

 

[tulak]

I'm about to take my little netbook on a week and a half trek in Uruguay and Argentina. It is nice to have all the devices, storage, usb/memory card ports, etc all in one piece of plastic to do everything. Easy to whip out and put up. No need to keep track of multiple accessories, dongles, cables, docks, external whatevers, etc. It's a robust solution that keeps everything in one package and doesn't require multiple pieces of equipment to serve my needs. And it is cheap! The netbook is obviously not as slick as an apple device, but it is much more versatile, acts as an all-in-one device, can replace a notebook computer for most applications, and infinitely customizable (including able to have linux derivatives or even a bootleg copy of mac OSX installed "Hackintosh").

The older I get, the simpler I like my technology. This is what's appealing about this device. 3G unlimited internet access for $30 with good e-mail and web browsing. I actually expect web browsing to be better than a laptop, based on my experience with the iPod Touch and looking at the dimensions of the screen on the iPad. Vertical viewing (768x1024) can be very nice and something you can't do on a laptop/netbook.

And when I'm travelling, why would I want more? I want to see the sights, not tinker with hardware. The only reason I take any type of laptop is because I might need to book a hotel or find directions somewhere. Or maybe send an e-mail or two. Anything more can wait for when I'm back home.

 

[Rustic23]

KIKI,
When I travel, I slip the SD card from my camera into my netbook, and download all the pictures to the laptop, check email, and sometimes edit some of the pictures. I usually run the new pictures as a slide show in the motel room. That is why I really like the 160 gig drive.

While I do not use 3g it is available, however, 99% of the time I use the motels free wifi, so i choose not to subscribe to 3g. In fact the only place I really would use it is in the car, and it sure is not worth $30 a month for that.

 

[FUEGO]

The older I get, the simpler I like my technology. This is what's appealing about this device. 3G unlimited internet access for $30 with good e-mail and web browsing. I actually expect web browsing to be better than a laptop, based on my experience with the iPod Touch and looking at the dimensions of the screen on the iPad. Vertical viewing (768x1024) can be very nice and something you can't do on a laptop/netbook.

The speeds may be slower than a laptop. Flash won't work. Processor intensive pages may not display well (if they are even compatible). But yes, the ipad will do the trick for checking your bank balance, booking hotel rooms, getting directions, etc.

There are very reasonably priced netbooks that have 1024x768 resolution on the 10" screen. And you can rotate the display 90 degrees on a lot of them (depends on graphics adapter). This display rotation was accomplished by the press of one button on my old Asus Eee PC. Never found the need on my Dell Mini, but just looked for a few minutes and it looks like it can't do it. Of course it would be clunky to rotate the netbook given the built in keyboard.

 

[audreyh1]

Windows? Is it really that bad?

Yes, I spent too many years writing software for that piece of cr@p operating system in various permutations and occasionally "get" to help someone wade through things even today. It's like work - I did my time, no more, never again.

Audrey

 

[M Paquette]

This did cross my mind. According to the article, a good 3G chip costs about $7, so charging $130 for the feature seems obscene on its face.

Chip, plus antennas, RF module, subassembly board, and most expensive, the patent licensing fees charged per unit to the patent pool, and to escrow pending settlement of litigation with two companies that broke from the pool and are demanding additional fees.

Figure about $70 per unit, in addition to amortization of legal and engineering costs for 3G support.

Costs for anything that touches the cellphone networks, in any country that honors intellectual property law, gets ugly really fast.

 

[TromboneAl]

Another app for a tablet like this, that is long overdue, is consumer-level sheet music display. I already have hundreds of songs in electronic format, and the software that will let me transpose it to any key, but to be able to take a tablet to a gig instead of several books would be nice. Especially true with a singer who may feel that F is too low, and G is too high.

I had once considered writing an app that would do this, with a laptop held sideways on the music stand, but realized that there was no market (other than starving jazz musicians).

​

 

[W2R]

Another app for a tablet like this, that is long overdue, is consumer-level sheet music display. I already have hundreds of songs in electronic format, and the software that will let me transpose it to any key, but to be able to take a tablet to a gig instead of several books would be nice. Especially true with a singer who may feel that F is too low, and G is too high.

What a great idea! I would imagine that it would be easier to see the tablet in a half darkened room than the sheet music, too. Plus, it could be made a little larger as desired, for those of us with aging eyes.

 

[FUEGO]

What a great idea! I would imagine that it would be easier to see the tablet in a half darkened room than the sheet music, too. Plus, it could be made a little larger as desired, for those of us with aging eyes.

And make page turning quicker vs. paper sheet music by having the page turn with a simple touch or touch-drag functionality.

 

[Zathras]

That is such a cool innovative idea W2R

 

[W2R]

That is such a cool innovative idea W2R

Yes, I think Trombone Al should patent it, have it made, market it, distribute it, expand the business, sell more, make millions, and then he could retire!!!
Oh.... wait.... he already IS retired. Oh well. Anyway, I thought his idea was terrific.

And make page turning quicker vs. paper sheet music by having the page turn with a simple touch or touch-drag functionality.

Definitely a "must"!

 

[tulak]

What a great idea! I would imagine that it would be easier to see the tablet in a half darkened room than the sheet music, too. Plus, it could be made a little larger as desired, for those of us with aging eyes.

And it could track your progress through the song and autoflip to the next page. No more having to manually turn pages.

 

[Rustic23]

Too late Al, looks like it is out there for the Iphone, no gazillion dollars this year, you will have to stay retired.

YouTube - iPhone sheet music for piano : Sarabande, Haendel

 

[ERD50]

Be interesting to "tap in" the BPM at the start, and then have the first line in the middle of the display and then advance a line (or two, or three) at a time as the piece progresses at that BPM. That would keep the line you're playing in the middle of the screen for a while, even if you played a little faster or slower than you tapped in. A tap of a line could recenter it, and slow down or speed up based on whether you tapped the line above (scrolling too slow) or below (scrolling too fast) the center of the screen. I think this would work OK on a big display.

Only question would be whether moving every line or two would be too distracting, or maybe just scrolling at that rate would be better, rather than a jump? Same idea though.

-ERD50

 

[FUEGO]

Just saw this youtube video about Hitler's take on the ipad. Good for a solid laugh!

YouTube - Hitler responds to the iPad

 

[NW-Bound]

Funny video!

I have not owned any Apple product, though I am so pissed at Windoze and have been known to curse MS and everybody who ever works there. It is still prevalent at megacorps, and one has to go with the flow.

I am not so interested in consumer electronic gadgets like most people here, even though I am an EE. Must be because I work in industrial and aerospace fields.

About displaying sheet music, why not have the scrolling or page turning done automatically with note recognition using the microphone? If the player is so lousy that he often hits the wrong keys, it would be a good challenge to the software writer to figure out how to resynchronize to the player's intent.

 

[audreyh1]

Another app for a tablet like this, that is long overdue, is consumer-level sheet music display. I already have hundreds of songs in electronic format, and the software that will let me transpose it to any key, but to be able to take a tablet to a gig instead of several books would be nice. Especially true with a singer who may feel that F is too low, and G is too high.

I had once considered writing an app that would do this, with a laptop held sideways on the music stand, but realized that there was no market (other than starving jazz musicians).

Wow - what a cool app!

 

[tulak]

So I ran the numbers for iPhone vs iPad:

iPhone:
$199 - iPhone
$40 - Voice
$30 - Data
$36 - Activation

For 2 years, $1915.

iPad:
$629 - iPad
$30 - Data
$25 - Voice

For 2 years, $1949.

About the same cost. To make it a fair comparision, I added voice to the iPad, since I'd either have iPhone or iPad + cell phone. I've averaged about $25/month using prepaid tmobile.

Still unsure about the form factor of the iPhone. That's what would sell me on the iPad, better web-browsing and e-mail. But having one device for everything is also appealing. Maybe it's worth it and just suffer through using the smaller screen...