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. :)