iPad

happy2bretired said:
I'd love to have on when the 3G model comes out. I can't really see having one with WiFi. One thing I haven't seen, that I'd like to know...can the battery be replaced after it dies. I like the 10 hour battery charge length too and the monthly charge isn't too bad either.
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Can you explain why? I don't know anything about wireless, broadband etc. I don't even have a cell phone. How is WiFi different from 3G?
 
Definitely tempting. Issues for me:

1. What will it be like to type on that keyboard? I had one of these

139100-atari400.jpg

and that keyboard was not fun to use.

2. How much will books cost? I'd love an electronic reader, but it's hard to compete with FREE (library).
 
kyounge1956 said:
Can you explain why? I don't know anything about wireless, broadband etc. I don't even have a cell phone. How is WiFi different from 3G?
Click to expand...

There are several different twists, but in general:

3G = cell phone related. Wireless connection via a built-in or external "air card" or tether to a cell phone. Signal range may be several miles from the nearest cell phone tower to your computer/device. Monthly fee to provider (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc)

Wi-Fi = local wireless network. Wireless connection to a wireless router connected to the internet. Signal range of 100 feet or so from the wireless router to your computer/device.
 
kyounge1956 said:
Can you explain why? I don't know anything about wireless, broadband etc. I don't even have a cell phone. How is WiFi different from 3G?
Click to expand...

I'm no techie, I only have a Kindle with 3G, but I love it. I can just turn the device on and it's hooked up to the internet. With WiFi, you have to be in an area that provides WiFi and then hook up to it. Sometimes it costs and sometimes it doesn't. If you are in a hotel for example, you need to find their network and then hook up to it before you can get the internet. With 3G, it's "there" without doing anything. It's more mobile...very much more mobile.
 
TromboneAl said:
1. What will it be like to type on that keyboard?
Click to expand...

Good question. My biggest concern is about ergonomics. With a laptop, you set the keyboard horizontally on your knees and the screen can be adjusted vertically so that your head/bust can remain upright when reading the screen. With a smart phone, you can hold the phone at a comfortable angle with one hand and type with the other. The ipad is too large to be held like an iphone. And if you set it flat on your knees to use the keyboard, it seems like you will have to hunch over in order to read the screen.
 
I have a cover for my Kindle. It flips open from the top and I can stand it up and read hands free if I want. Nice when it's cold in the house (reading in bed) with the covers pulled up to my chin. Kindle balanced on my tummy and turning pages thru the covers without exposing my hands to the cold room. Boy, I really am weird.:uglystupid:
 
Same with the Kindle. There are all kinds of covers for the Kindle from various mfgs. New products to stimulate the economy.:LOL:
 
FIREdreamer said:
From what I hear, the ipad is only GSM-compatible at this point. So it would not work with Verizon for example.
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See, just like the iPhone, a dependency on a single wireless provider is a showstopper for me. I don't want to be held hostage by one provider should their pricing or service become uncompetitive.
 
ziggy29 said:
See, just like the iPhone, a dependency on a single wireless provider is a showstopper for me. I don't want to be held hostage by one provider should their pricing or service become uncompetitive.
Click to expand...

I know that Apple is getting ready to launch a CDMA-compatible iPhone this summer, so it may be a matter a time before they propose devices compatible with multiple standards.

I believe that T-mobile also operates a GSM network and so, at the moment, you could still have a choice between AT&T and T-Mobile.
 
FIREdreamer said:
I see. If they were so quick to offer these accessories, then Apple must have realized early on that typing on the ipad was not going to be all that comfortable without the tablet being propped up by some kind of holder.
Click to expand...

Probably so. Looks like it would convenient to just surf, read, or watch movies without needing the keyboard. Maybe make a twitter post or facebook status update, or type in a url or username/password.

Not sure I'd want to do more writing than that with an apparently ergonomically painful device (absent bulky accessories). Doesn't look like the accessories are the kind of thing you would want to tote around much if you were trying to travel ultralite.

Which leaves me favoring a netbook type device. Or something much smaller and pocket size (iphone/itouch type device). Either I want to have it unobtrusive enough to carry almost all the time or I want it functional enough and versatile enough (yet portable) to take on the go if I might need it for longer than a few minutes. Having to get a bunch of extra accessories just to get netbook type functionality doesn't appeal to me personally.
 
FUEGO said:
Doesn't look like the accessories are the kind of thing you would want to tote around much if you were trying to travel ultralite.

... Having to get a bunch of extra accessories just to get netbook type functionality doesn't appeal to me personally.
Click to expand...

I agree. The sleeve/holder pictured at the bottom of the link provided by happy2beretired seems pretty slick and unobtrusive and it would not deter me from buying an ipad. But if an external keyboard (like the one pictured in the same link) prove to be a necessity to type anything longer than a few sentences, it would be a big turn off.
 
ziggy29 said:
See, just like the iPhone, a dependency on a single wireless provider is a showstopper for me. I don't want to be held hostage by one provider should their pricing or service become uncompetitive.
Click to expand...

Interesting leap.
Isn't GSM the biggest globally wide standard for cell networks?
Also, different from the iPhone, the data plans with AT&T require no contract, it is month by month.
Pull the sim, put in a new one and you are with a new carrier.
 
ziggy29 said:
See, just like the iPhone, a dependency on a single wireless provider is a showstopper for me. I don't want to be held hostage by one provider should their pricing or service become uncompetitive.
Click to expand...

Here's a list of GSM providers in the USA. GSM is the most widely used wireless telecom protocol in the world, so it is not surprising to see it available in this product as an option. The device is unlocked, so for data services all you'll need is a microSIM card for data access from your favorite vendor.

GSM Coverage Maps | United States

The iPad supports up to 7.2 Mbit/sec over HSDPA, the GSM data communications protocol.

Apple has cut a pretty good deal with ATT as a US provider at $30/month for unlimited data with no contract, and $15 for 250 MB. Most a-la-carte US plans charge about $0.10-$0.14 per 10 kilobytes (who comes up with these things?), so you could be looking at 10 bucks to see a web page with lots of graphics. The T-Mobile webConnect 200 MB data plan is $29.95, and the unlimited plan is $39.95.
 
Would I like to have one, yes! Will I pay the price for the computer and contract, NO! However I have an Asus 1000HE, a 15" Laptop, and a Desktop. If I did not have the Asus, I might consider the IPad. If AT&T offers a $15 all you can eat USB, then I would get it for my Asus, Especially if it was pay by the month no contract.
 
REWahoo said:
I'm not sure what he would say, but I am dead certain it would include the term "pixie dust" in there somewhere... :cool:
Click to expand...

I think so. Around $200 worth.
 
How much are monthly fees for the iphone (with internet). I would expect the fees for the ipad would be similar (for internet).
 
The iPad is much cheaper. Fees through the AT&T deal are (as others have mentioned) $15 and $30 with no contract. The iPhone is double that?? and requires a contract.
 
Rustic23 said:
I use this sight all the time Maggwire: Experience magazines online. I have a feeling it will be even more popular on the Ipad.
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I've never used Maggwire, but I've read that they're hoping to move to a subscription model.

I'm curious about their business plan-- as useful/convenient as the site is, would you pay for subscriptions to the content that Maggwire agglomerates?

Or would you use a search engine to get around that?
 
So Kindle actually includes a web browser, thoughit's hidden away under "experimental programs" and it is atrocious (slow, formatting errors, bad javascript support, etc.)

But if they built a competent browser with all the functionality that would enable, I could hold off a long time before buying a "magical" tablet PC.
 
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