Life In 19x19

Mivo wrote:Is it the same mystery app that Anders briefly (and without any details!) mentioned, or a different project that's luring in the bushes and waiting to surprise us with its awesomeness?

Yes, it's the same.

After using it for awhile, I still love the iPad 2 and I find myself using it quite productively.

The screen resolution is turning into a minor problem. I don't really care about the resolution for games and such, but rather for reading. Letters on my iPhone 4 looks MUCH clearer than those on the iPad 2, and I think the fuzziness causes me a bit of eye fatigue. So, I guess I'll cough up the extra $$ whenever the iPad comes out with the "retina" display.

My hardware vendor informed me today that they will receive a new shipment of iPod 2 devices on May 9, but may receive smaller numbers before that, so I may want to place an order already now, they suggested. (In fact, they did have the white 64 GB model in stock today, but it's not what I wanted). Now that I have waited three weeks, I guess I can wait another two! Ended up pre-ordering it and shelling out €630 for the 32 GB wifi version, a smart cover (would normally have taken the grey one, but figured I may as well try something more "fresh" and went with the green cover!) and shipping costs. (The actual device is €579.)

It's all pretty pricey for what it does, and I know I'll shell out another hundred bucks for some of the apps I want. I guess next year I'll then have to buy the next model.

Mivo wrote:My hardware vendor informed me today that they will receive a new shipment of iPod 2 devices on May 9, but may receive smaller numbers before that, so I may want to place an order already now, they suggested. (In fact, they did have the white 64 GB model in stock today, but it's not what I wanted). Now that I have waited three weeks, I guess I can wait another two! Ended up pre-ordering it and shelling out €630 for the 32 GB wifi version, a smart cover (would normally have taken the grey one, but figured I may as well try something more "fresh" and went with the green cover!) and shipping costs. (The actual device is €579.)

It's all pretty pricey for what it does, and I know I'll shell out another hundred bucks for some of the apps I want. I guess next year I'll then have to buy the next model.

Woah! You should take a trip to the U.S. and grab one for about a third less--take advantage of the relatively weak dollar.

judicata wrote:Woah! You should take a trip to the U.S. and grab one for about a third less--take advantage of the relatively weak dollar.

I considered asking one of my American friends/colleagues to pick one up, but the problem is with the warranty. If something went wrong, there'd be mailing back and forth, hassle, and extra expenses. I also realized I can put it on next year's tax form as a somewhat work-related purchase. But, yeah, electronics in Europe are overpriced. Always been that way, sadly, and it's especially obvious with already overpriced hardware (like the iPad).

Mivo wrote:

judicata wrote:Woah! You should take a trip to the U.S. and grab one for about a third less--take advantage of the relatively weak dollar.

I considered asking one of my American friends/colleagues to pick one up, but the problem is with the warranty. If something went wrong, there'd be mailing back and forth, hassle, and extra expenses. I also realized I can put it on next year's tax form as a somewhat work-related purchase. But, yeah, electronics in Europe are overpriced. Always been that way, sadly, and it's especially obvious with already overpriced hardware (like the iPad).

Apple's warranties are international.

And don't forget that part of the price difference is VAT. In the US, only a few states don't have sales tax, but it's added on to the announced price, not included as it is in Europe.

Mivo wrote: . . . and it's especially obvious with already overpriced hardware (like the iPad).

For the actually utility it serves, I agree it is "overpriced" in some sense of the term. But comparing it to other tablets and similar gadets--the price can't be beat.

judicata wrote:

Mivo wrote: . . . and it's especially obvious with already overpriced hardware (like the iPad).

For the actually utility it serves, I agree it is "overpriced" in some sense of the term. But comparing it to other tablets and similar gadets--the price can't be beat.

Uh... Actually, the hardware, functionality, AND price can all be beaten.

http://gadgetian.com/9262/asus-eee-pad- ... ecs-price/

The Asus eee Pad Transformer is just one example.

LocoRon wrote:Uh... Actually, the hardware, functionality, AND price can all be beaten.

http://gadgetian.com/9262/asus-eee-pad- ... ecs-price/

The Asus eee Pad Transformer is just one example.

Nonsense. It doesn't have a 64 GB version.

hyperpape wrote:

LocoRon wrote:Uh... Actually, the hardware, functionality, AND price can all be beaten.

http://gadgetian.com/9262/asus-eee-pad- ... ecs-price/

The Asus eee Pad Transformer is just one example.

Nonsense. It doesn't have a 64 GB version.

Granted.

Although, it looks like the 64GB wifi-only iPad2 is ~$800, vs. the Transformer's most expensive option of $700 (presumably a 32 GB + 3G model, and possibly including dock, I'm not sure) plus ~$60 for a 32 GB microSD card. :O

Here is my unbiased opinion:

Although I use both the iPod and a Mac Box, and love it, I honestly cannot find any use for iPad.

My brother-in-low bought two of them (iPods1), one for himself and one for his wife, and I got to use it for a month or so... I tried, I really tried... with so much hype and my new preference for Apple devices, I really wanted to make it work. But I couldn't. I could not use it as a phone.. do-oh. I could not replace my laptop (can't run my software on it), can't use it as a book reader (eyes hurt and battery dies too soon), and could not even use it as a decent netbook.

My main gripes were:
1. No extensions... like USB, sim card, ANYTHING!!!! Argh! I guess this was the worst. Can you even install DropBox on it?
2. Did not find a way to print from it (thus - useless as a netbook.)
3. No real multitasking.
4. I don't mind proprietary software or paying for everything I use (pretty much do it anyways), but it just did not have the software I needed.
... and many many more.

Pretty much the only use I had from it was watching a movie every now and then (something I don't really need, the TV takes too much of my time as it is) and an occasional Google Map lookup (something I little TomTom can do much better at a fraction of the price.) Even my brother sold one of his and the other is gathering dust in the corner.

Did anything change in iPod2?

Anyhow... my best meant advice is to save some more and actually get the 11 inch MacBook Air. Now - this is a sweet device, filling in most of the holes of iPad, at least where my needs are concerned. Maybe iApd3... but I honestly lost faith in the whole concept since the time I had to play with iPad1. It was crap, pure and simple. And I don't see that much improvement in what I read about iPad2. Might be good for some, but not for me. Just like McDonalds might be gourmet food for some and they argue about it for hours... but not for me.

No offense. Just my 2c.

Bantari wrote:1. No extensions... like USB, sim card, ANYTHING!!!! Argh! I guess this was the worst. Can you even install DropBox on it?
...
4. I don't mind proprietary software or paying for everything I use (pretty much do it anyways), but it just did not have the software I needed.
... and many many more.

You can install Dropbox. Almost every reading app and productivity app syncs via Dropbox (each app pulls its files from Dropbox, stores them locally, sends them back up--not sure how the Dropbox API works).

Oddly it seems to cap your local storage at 1GB, and doesn't offer an easy way to locally store everything (even if you have less than 1GB in Dropbox)--it seems like it will cache files you read recently, but not do that prior to you looking at them? I'm not 100% sure about that, because I don't use the Dropbox app much--I use other apps that exploit Dropbox as a service.

LocoRon wrote:

hyperpape wrote:Nonsense. It doesn't have a 64 GB version.

Granted.

Although, it looks like the 64GB wifi-only iPad2 is ~$800, vs. the Transformer's most expensive option of $700 (presumably a 32 GB + 3G model, and possibly including dock, I'm not sure) plus ~$60 for a 32 GB microSD card. :O

It was tongue in cheek. I think that sort of spec comparison is less important than it's made out to be. The very rare person may need 64GB--in which case, they should get the tablet that has it! Otherwise, who cares?

P.S. It's $700 for a 64GB wifi iPad. $100 for each storage bump (which is ridiculous). $130 bump for 3G.

Yeah, I suspected that your post was meant in good humor, hyperpape. However, storage capacity can really be a deciding factor in these things, so I decided to respond on a more serious note. (I used to think certain capacities were a lot, but... when I quickly filled my first 14GB drive so many years ago, I realized that no finite limit will ever be enough... and now I have two 2TB and one 1TB external, all at a "healthy" fill level, so I may need to be upgrading again soon)

judicata wrote:For the actually utility it serves, I agree it is "overpriced" in some sense of the term. But comparing it to other tablets and similar gadets--the price can't be beat.

Well, side by side, the Wifi-only version of the Motorola Xoom beats the iPad 2 hardware in several ways: twice the RAM, higher resolution, slightly larger physical screen, ports, card reader, for essentially the same price. The HTC Flyer, which costs slightly more, trumps the hardware similarly (and has dual 1.5 Ghz CPUs). But I find tablets in general rather costly and "overpriced".

I had planned to get an Android-based tablet, but then switched to an iPad because of the software, and the software alone, in spite of the downsides associated with the iPad (no Flash, no ports, no card reader). SmartGo Kifu alone makes up for the disadvantages because that is what I want the tablet for the most (as a Go study tool). SmartBooks sealed the deal, though I expect this to be available for Android eventually as well. Tablet-wise, the iPad app store looks a lot more impressive to me than the Android market for tablet-designed apps.

Also, commercial game makers embrace the iPad. When I saw Final Fantasy 1-3 for the iPad, I jumped in joy. (I especially love FF2, but most gamers will not agree with me on this. ) There is just a lot more stuff I want to waste time on than I can find for the alternate tablets. My employer also recently produced an iPad client for one of our online products, so there is tax-relavent, justifiable reason! (But we are currently working on some Flash-based projects, which are more relevant for my actual work, although the workaround for that is that I just keep my netbook around, and no, jailbreaking isn't something on my list).

I also wanted a mobile media device that goes beyond what I can do with my Sandisk Sansa, though any tablet would meet my needs here. Then again, the Apple bookstore has some titles that I couldn't get anywhere else, it seems, so that's another plus.

If I have one major concern, it's multitasking, but I'll see how that goes. Maybe it'll come in handy that my first two computers didn't have multitasking capabilities either, but ... yeah, it'll take some getting used to, and realizing that I don't get an iPad as a laptop/PC replacement, but as a niche filler for tasks where a netbook or laptop is too bulky or simply unnecessary, or doesn't have the battery life. I know that I don't "need" an iPad, or any tablet, and that it is mostly a geeky, emotional "want, must have, new toyyyyy!" sort of thing. But unlike some other geeky things I spent money on, this may actually be one that I get plenty of use out of. And being an iSheep is a new experience and completely out of character for me, so, it should be fun!