iPad

I got the device today, mine came from a nearby Best Buy store that opened at 10AM. I stayed in the store until 11AM and talked to the sales clerk right before I left – she was helpful and ran the inventory numbers for me – they sold 112 iPads in 60 minutes – that’s pretty impressive… I’ll do a lengthy post with my first impressions a bit later – for now check out the torrent of news that keeps pouring from engadget, gizmodo, traditional media and alike – here it goes:

Should I buy an Ipad

NY Times, by Lisa Iaboni – Should I buy an iPad

In the days leading up to the arrival of Apple’s iPad, New York Times reporter Claire Cain Miller hit the streets of New York City to find out if consumers are willing to carry yet another gadget.

Doing the iPad Math: Utility + Price + Desire

NY Times
Another expose on the “to buy or not to buy” dillema.

On Lines at Apple Stores

NY Times – hit the link here.

By all accounts, the lines for the iPad were shorter and more subdued than those three years ago for the iPhone — although this time Apple has allowed people to order the device online and have it shipped to them.
…The iPad has been generally well reviewed, although there are features noticeably absent: the ability to run more than one application at a time, for instance, and lack of support for Adobe’s Flash, which means video on many Web sites will not play.

Spreadsheets, Presentations, Utilities

Engadget has a lengthy post on ipad productivity aspects.

Bottom line? My first impressions of the iPad as a productivity tool are pretty good. The XGA display renders it much more usable than many netbooks and its performance proves quite capable of handling complex tasks. In addition to Office tasks I also used SketchBook Pro and PhotoGene to both create and edit graphics and photos. Both allowed a degree of sophistication not found in their iPhone counterparts.

In depth review

Engadget has a lengthy post with an In-Depth Review of the ipad.

Unboxing the iPad

Engadget unwraps a new toy

Essential iPad Apps listed

This one comes via Gizmodo, a nice collection of apps is reviewed by Gizmodo

iPad Compatible Site Version

Gizmodo has a new site in html5 – it’s iPad friendly

iBooks review

Gizmodo sheds more light on iBooks app.

iPad vs iPod – a Speed test

Gizmodo
iPad kicks butt (the link is here)

Top iPad Games

Kotaku reviews dozens of games for iPad

Charing Issue

This is a Consumer Report post on the issue that many (including myself) experienced when trying to charge iPad via non-Mac USB port… Ahhhh…

If you’re used to charging your phone, music player, or device in the USB port of your computer, take note. So far, we’ve been unable to charge our iPads in any USB port on a non-Apple Computer. Apple Tech Support has told us that the iPad is designed for the 10W AC adapter that comes with it, so if you want to use anything else, all bets are off.

Lines form

Business Insider
NYC Apple Stores Apple stores crowded this weekend.

Lines shorten quickly

WJS on long (or not) lines at Apple stores
WSJ notes that while interest into product is high, cords seems to be more an exception than a rule.

Random House is Absent from iBooks

href=”No deal with Random yet – the mega publisher is still absent from the iBookstore…

Titles published by Random House, the world’s largest consumer trade publisher, were unavailable for sale directly through Apple’s iPad iBooks app on Saturday morning.

A Buyer from Down Under flys to New York

Adverising Strategy

Wall Street Journal
Conde Nast’s add strategy is a bit more clear after the first review of their editions.

iPad – Buy or Wait dillema

David Pogue at NY Times has a non technical review of the Ipad – check it out here.

The post has a video component as well, I am embedding it here – scroll down and push the play button (you’ll have to endure a gruesome 20 sec Toyota ad though).

Here is an excerpt (emphasis added) – my focus is on the non-tech segment:

The Apple iPad is basically a gigantic iPod Touch.

The simple act of making the multitouch screen bigger changes the whole experience. Maps become real maps, like the paper ones. Scrabble shows the whole board, without your having to zoom in and out. You see your e-mail inbox and the open message simultaneously. Driving simulators fill more of your field of view, closer to a windshield than a keyhole.

The new iBooks e-reader app is filled with endearing grace notes. For example, when you turn a page, the animated page edge actually follows your finger’s position and speed as it curls, just like a paper page. Font, size and brightness controls appear when you tap. Tap a word to get a dictionary definition, bookmark your spot or look it up on Google or Wikipedia. There’s even a rotation-lock switch on the edge of the iPad so you can read in bed on your side without fear that the image will rotate.

If you have the cellular model, you can buy AT&T service so you can get online anywhere. (Cellular iPads aren’t available until next month; I tested a Wi-Fi-only model.)

But how’s this for a rare deal from a cell company: there’s no contract. By tapping a button in Settings, you can order up a month of unlimited cellular Internet service for $30. Or pay $15 for 250 megabytes of Internet data; when it runs out, you can either buy another 250 megs, or just upgrade to the unlimited plan for the month. Either way, you can cancel and rejoin as often as you want — just March, July and November, for example — without penalty. The other carriers are probably cursing AT&T’s name for setting this precedent.

Here is the video:

• Doubleclick opens a message, PDF attachment viewed, Keyboard demo.
• Video play demo, Chapter switching, double tapping zooms into the video and making it full screen, doubletap to get out, single tap calls the controls, speakers next to 30 pin conector, microphone view, on/off switch, volume on/off.
• New Yorker page previewed, New York Times page previewed, Bookmarks icon click, double Tapping fills the screen.
• Calendar a week view as well as a single day view.
• Bookshelf concept previewed, Tapping a book opens fullscreen, Page-dragging works, book font size changeable, single tap opens controls.
• Facebook app fills the screen, Starwalk (app lets you view and identify stars – star tapping idenrfies a star).

Here is the video (PC Mag via YouTube):