IPad, Apps & Happiness

Since I've had my iPad for about a week now, I thought it might be time to write down a few thoughts about it.

I'm not someone who's going to be able to push its abilities, especially right off the bat, because most of what I do tech wise isn't very intense to begin with but I've been trying to use it for all the normal things I would do on my full sized laptop.  Generally, so far, so good.

I now understand the issues people have had with the fact that Apple has made it so that anything flash animated can't work on the iPad but it's only a small annoyance and not anything major.  Mostly, there are one or two silly internet based things that I would normally like to have access too but can't use so I have to wait till I can get to the laptop.  Otherwise, there really isn't anything I've asked it to do that it flat out hasn't done.

Internet access is quick and easy, for the most part, and I have been able to access all my usual websites and forums.  Typing on the inbuilt keyboard is quick and easy, though having to rely on the touch of my finger to move back or forward in paragraphs that have already been typed can be a bit of a nuisance.  That being said, the external keyboard (which I am using atm) is small, light weight and dead easy to use with EVERYTHING I've tried on here.  I do wish that I could use a Firefox based platform on here instead of a Safari one but Safari does work fine.  I'm used to the tab system and a few other small features that Firefox has and Safari doesn't but it hasn't actually caused any problems.  Opening links to a new page turned out to be quite intuitive and holding down a touch on most things within the internet scope seems to work great.  You get a relevant list of choices and need only pick what you want, whether it is to email, reply, save an image or open a new window, it all seems to come up easily.

Several of the sites I would normally visit on any given day actually don't need to be seen through Safari on the iPad because that is where the apps come in.  The main exceptions to that rule seem to be Facebook and Myspace.  I have looked at apps for both but there aren't any dedicated to those sites yet and only ones using Facebook's chat ability as a tie in to other chat apps.  As I don't use the FB chat option, this has not interested me so far.  Twitter is a different matter.  Twitterific is free and I have found it very convenient in using and quick to update, so I check it constantly.  I have yet to try the AIM chat app since I haven't used my AIM account in years but the MSN and Nimbuzz ones seem to work alright.  The only downside to those are that they were originally built as iPhone apps, not iPad.  The iPhone apps all still work just the same but they aren't created at the same resolution so you have to expand them to fill the iPad's screen.  This makes them a little pixelated and blocky.  I'm sure, with time, iPad dedicated apps will come up for most of the major chat programs and then those problems will disappear.  The apps are all free ones so downloading them for use until something better comes along is not that big a hardship.

Removal of unwanted and/or unneeded apps has proven to be very easy, as is moving and arranging them to your liking.  I currently have three separate app windows in use, personally.  You also don't have to worry about accidentally erasing the apps because it takes a very deliberate series of touches to delete them.

I have played a few games, some very simple and some slightly more graphically intensive, and enjoyed them all so far.  I highly recommend Soosiz for those looking for something fun and addicting but be warned, it can make you a little motion sick if you play it for long periods.  NOVA is a fun first person shooter with nice looking, though a little repetitive, graphics.  It makes me think it's the iPad lovechild of Halo and Doom.  All your easy computer standards are around for use, such as solitaire and sudoku, and the air hockey game is great whether you're playing with friends or against the computer.  Great way to pass the time.

I have only had one or two minor crashes, most of which were based around the NOVA game.  I think that because it is a rather large app (in comparison) and somewhat more graphics intensive, sometimes the iPad just doesn't like it and closes itself.  It only takes a moment to reopen and try again and it's only been on start up so far, not during gameplay, so you don't lose anything that you've done.  The only other app to cause the same issue was Tap Tap and only after I had just downloaded a whole bunch of new songs for the game so it could be that everything hadn't quite settled in yet.

Other than that, no major issues to report.  The Apple standard apps have worked great; photos was easy to figure out, as was iTunes, iPod, calendar and notes.  I'm using notes to originally type this up, actually.  The intuitive typing has worked very well for me, to the point where I wasn't actually sure if I was just typing well or not spelling things wrong or if it was the application fixing things for me.  And, again, anything it doesn't immediately recognize and brings up as an error is easy to check with a gentle touch as it is underlined in red.  I have noticed that it is more intuitive with the on board keyboard than the external but only slightly.

The sound for playing music is pretty good, considering how small the speakers are so I have no problem with putting on music or a movie and propping the iPad up in a corner while I do something else.  iPad is very good at multitasking and allowing you to do the same.  And, finally, the battery life is good, IMO, as I can use it most of the day for wifi and videos, games and so forth without having to worry about dieing.  Charging could probably be a tiny bit faster but I haven't really seen how fast it is on straight charge since I usually charge it WHILE I'm using it.

So, yah...no major complaints so far.  One week in and I'm as happy as a clam with my new toy.  It goes everywhere with me atm, which was made even easier by the recent purchase of a small fitted shoulder bag for it.  If any issues come up, I'll mention them but it has been good so far.  I DO hope that Apple makes an update for the built in keyboard though, so it has directional keys like a normal keyboard.  That is one place that the external is much better because the touch direction can be a small problem in some situations and with some sites.  But that's my only concern so far.

Now I have to go play Red Dead Redemption some more so I can give some honest thoughts on how that works out.  I wish Christmas wasn't so far away because now that I have this iPad, I'd love some iTunes cards!  Lots of tempting apps to try out but I'm trying not to spend too much money!

Extra note:

Something I haven't tried yet is using the 3G net connection for my iPad since I haven't gotten a micro sim and some credit for it yet.  That's next on the list.

Also, some other apps worth mentioning are:

iJournaler - A password protected, simple electronic journal.  Great for on the go and for privacy
IMDB - everything the website has in one app at your fingertips, so if you're watching a movie and can't remember who someone is or what they have done before, it's right there
Miso, eBay, & Photobucket - all great dedicated apps that make surfing from the iPad that much easier
Wikihood - This is a relatively new app and it takes info from the various wikis and Google and tells you things you may not know about places, like your home town, somewhere you intend to visit or just a random place you type in. 
Cat Piano - A must have cat lovers!!  Each key makes a cat meow and it's great for having fun with you kitty. XD
DC & Marvel comics - Can't say enough good about these!  For quick, cheap comics to read on the go and a great interactive paneling, they're one of my faves.
Weather HD - a beautifully designed multi city weather app with gorgeous graphics.  You can add as many cities as you like and get the time and weather for the location in C or F and it looks beautiful doing it. :)

Birthdays & Novas

Time for me to try and play catch up on here again. Told you I would go for months at a time without blogging! I'm horrible about stuff like that but I do try.

There has been a lot of things going on of late, so I don't know if I will be able to cover all of them. There have been movies watched at some point but atm I honestly can NOT remember what any of them were. Great reviewer I am! Note to self, make sure to do all blog posts as soon as I watch a movie or I'll forget I even watched it. *snicker* Duh!

Now, where to start? I'll start with the silly stuff and then get stuck into the meat of this little post. I cam across a fun site that gets you to enter some samples of your writing and then it will analyze you and tell you what kind of a writer you are and who you write like. I decide this sounded like fun so I entered a couple of the blog posts from here to see what it would say. Here is the result...which I really can't say I mind at all!! XD

I write like
Douglas Adams

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Nope, I can not complain about being compared to Douglas Adams. Admittedly, I am nowhere near as funny as he is nor as good a writer but I like it and maybe one day I'll get off my butt and actual write something worth publishing.

Now, onto meatier subjects. In the last few weeks, two major events have occurred. The first being the annual Sydney Supanova convention and the second being my birthday. Sydnova was wonderful, as always, and because I was able to just enjoy it as a visitor for the first time in several years, I had a great time. Caught up with a lot of people, though I did manage to still miss quite a few, had a lot of pictures taken and generally had a good time. It was nice and I'm looking forward to being able to do the same thing next year at Brisnova.

Of course, my birthday was a MUCH more important event, wasn't it? XD It was generally a smallish affair but a fairly extravagant one at the same time. Saturday, M and I went into the city to the Blue hotel in Woolloomoolloo to check in because we were staying the night there. Then it was off to the lovely 360 restaurant in the Sydney Centerpoint Tower for dinner. I had venison carpaccio, Barramundi with semi-dried tomatoes and a tasting platter for dessert. All very lush and delicious!

Back at the hotel, fashion designer Alex Perry was holding a special show called Fashion 4Ward that helps to raise money and cancer awareness for 20-30 year olds with cancer. Seeing the show up close from our balcony and listening to the music live from the Rogue Traders was a fairly surreal moment and really amazing. Definitely not something I am going to forget soon.

The next day was spent having a quiet dinner at the Bavarian Bier Cafe in Parramatta with friends, including a young lady named Jodie who I had just met in the city on Canada Day. We got talking only to find out that, not only did we both live in the Parramatta area but, we also were from the same area back in Canada as well. I grew up in Kelowna and she grew up in Penticton. Very strange and very small world!

So that was my birthday...wait, what....I've forgotten something haven't I? that's right!! PRESENTS!!! Can't forget those. One would have thought that a deluxe dinner out and a night at our fave swanky hotel would have been enough but M decided to spoil me rotten as well. First, I got a bright pink Nixon watch that has both tidal and moon phase settings on it. Now, I would have been more than happy with that but he didn't stop there. Then I got a book called Bad Girls & Wicked Women. I really look forward to reading it; it's all about the most powerful, shocking, amazing, thrilling and dangerous women of all time. But it didn't stop there because I also got a video game in the form of Red Dead Redemption. I've been eyeing it off for a while because it looks really interesting and is entirely western based. Anyone who knows me will realize why but I happen to be fond of country and western stuff and also have a huge soft spot for cowboys so...it's really a perfect game for me. I haven't gotten too stuck into it yet but once I do, I'll be sure to post a review here. :)

Now, this is already enough to spoil me like crazy and I was very much thankful for everything, It was all so amazing! But M still had MORE up his sleeve, the main piece being what I am writing this entry on as we speak. Yes, he got me and IPad. *jaw drops open* I was floored but ecstatic. I've been drooling over theme since before the came out and it's now my new best friend. He also got me a cover for it, a neon pink neoprene case and a keyboard dock to make it even easier to type. I'm using that right now and I have to admit that it's great. Typing is pretty damn easy as it is on the IPad but this keyboard makes it even faster and easier. It's also small enough that I can carry it along with the IPad should I feel the need.

I haven't added too many in the way of apps to the IPad yet but that's partly because I'm not an IPhone user so I didn't have a backlog of things for it to grab onto. I'm also being selective on what I do put on here. It may have a lot of memory (M got me the largest one with both sim and wifi capability) but I don't want to fill it up with silly trash and I don't want to spend money on things I end up hating so I'll take my time and enjoy it as I go along. In the near future, I think I will write a proper review for the IPad as well. I know a crap load of people have already done that but I have one now and I might as well say my piece. If anyone reads it, than that's all good. :)

So, yah. Got spoiled for my bday. V got me a movie voucher and Jo got me a Borders card so I'm looking forward to using those too. In all, it was a great birthday. Unfortunately, spending so much time running around (the friday before my bday was spent at a bbq as well) means that I am now running low on energy and fighting off a possible cold. Ick! Fingers crossed that it doesn't get stuck into me cause I can't afford to deal with it right about now.

Once I get more stuck into things, I will post reviews on the IPad, Red Dead Redemption and on Bad Girls & Wicked Women, so keep an eye out for those. 'Til then, I'm going to put my feet up and watch The Losers.