DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> iPad - first impressions
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 25 of 297, (reverse)
AuthorThread
04/03/2010 10:34:53 PM · #1
Being the early adopter that I am, I ordered the new iPad as soon as started taking reorders a few weeks ago.

I was going to wait a few days before I posted a review, but scalvert has been bugging me all day. He PMs me every 5 minutes, "how is it? Is it as cool as they say it is? Tell me tell me tell me!!!!!!!" pretty pathetic really. ;-)

So, Shannon, this is for you, little buddy.

I am typing this post on it. The virtual keyboard is much easier to use than I expected. I also bought a Bluetooth keyboard, but I haven't used it yet..

I've downloaded several free and paid apps specifically for the iPad.

Pages - this is Apples word processor. This is the best $10 word processor ever made. Reads and saves .doc files in addition to the nativePages files. Can also save and export as PDF. Graphic handling is very impressive. Pull in files from the photo app,size,effects, rotate, and more. Text wrap is easy too. Don't know if there is a way to print directly from the iPad. Probably best to send or email it to yourself and print from your desktop.

Netflix - if you have a Netflix account, you can stream movies directly to your iPad. Very cool.

Scrabble - new edition made for the iPad. Lots of gem options. Entire bored is usable, multiplayer options using. Single iPad or in conduction with other iPads or iPhones. $10

The Weather Channel Max - new version for the iPad. I loved thi app for the iPhone, even better for the iPad. Free

Camera Bag - free app to apply effects like Helga, Polaroid, colorcrosss, magazine and others.. A lot of fun.

Newspapers . USA Today, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, AP all have free versions all formatted for the iPad. Some have paid subscription plans to get more features.

The book app is outstanding. Downloaded a couple of books. Built in dictionary, color, very configurable. I also downloaded the new Kindle app for the iPad. Not bad at all. Interesting thing is the Kindle books are in color, even though they'll never be in color on the Kindle device. The only major difference I noticed is that in landscape position, the Apple book app shows 2 pages side by side. Only one page for the kindle app.

National Geographic's Global Atlas - very good global road map.

For the device itself, not having a file system interface will take some getting used to for me. I am sure someone will come up with an app for that at some point. I am not sure how to manage files I create. Files are saved in their applications. Not in folders.and such as I am a costumed to.

It is A very impressive device. I'll need more time with it to see if it can become a productive device and not just an entertainment platform.

More later.
04/03/2010 10:44:06 PM · #2
Originally posted by scarbrd:



It is A very impressive device. I'll need more time with it to see if it can become a productive device and not just an entertainment platform.

More later.


I've been looking at it for quite some time and this is the main reason I can't pull the trigger on it. I have a Touch and I love it, but can I see spending that kind of coin on something that I just use for entertainment? I didn't spend that much on my laptop that works 8 or more hours a day at my job.

Matt
04/03/2010 11:29:30 PM · #3
I think it will have it's productivity uses. There is already several good apps. I didn't mention all that I got.

One being Evernote. Kind of a cross platform Onenote that syncs across all your devices. Very useful.

I forgot to mention the web browsing. Very fast. DPC has a few issues. No voting with the iPad yet. DPC sees it as a mobile device and blocks voting. I've put in a ticket about that.

No scroll bars if you fill up the forum text box. The drop down menus jump around a bit. If you've used your iPhone orTouch for DPC you know what I'm talking about.

LightTrac is a cool app that will give you lighting angles, sunrise suset info for anyplace for any time of day.

I also got the WebEx app. That'll come in handy. I attend 5 or 6 WebEx meetings per week.
04/03/2010 11:51:56 PM · #4
Well it's great to hear *you suck* that you got one already, and I'm happy *dirtbag* that you like it. I'm not really in any particular hurry *drool* to get one, but might pop into an Apple Store to check it out *now, dammit* if I get bored. Langdon's aware of the voting restriction, so I'm sure he'll take care of it soon *except for you*. Meanwhile, you can check out new DPC features like DPL, watermarks, and minor changes to the rules *You must send your iPad to Site Council within 48 hours of any validation request...* Happy touchscreening *I hope you get blisters*, buddy.
04/04/2010 02:14:20 AM · #5
Originally posted by scalvert:

Well it's great to hear *you suck* that you got one already, and I'm happy *dirtbag* that you like it. I'm not really in any particular hurry *drool* to get one, but might pop into an Apple Store to check it out *now, dammit* if I get bored. Langdon's aware of the voting restriction, so I'm sure he'll take care of it soon *except for you*. Meanwhile, you can check out new DPC features like DPL, watermarks, and minor changes to the rules *You must send your iPad to Site Council within 48 hours of any validation request...* Happy touchscreening *I hope you get blisters*, buddy.


ROFLMFAO
04/04/2010 02:16:17 AM · #6
Well I think it totally sucks. Ipad's, I believe, are due out in Australia at the end of this month for a price of $900...and with the exorbitant wireless fees...makes it an unfeasible option for many Aussies. Now that sucks!
04/04/2010 02:23:41 AM · #7
Thanks for the review David. I NEED one yesterday. It's holding me up already from doing things I need to do.

When is your next Norway trip? If you pick one up for me, I'll take you another (successful! ;) ) photo excursion. I can also order it from Norway and have it shipped to your place in advance but I suspect the first batches are already sold out.
04/04/2010 02:24:28 AM · #8
Originally posted by Judi:

Well I think it totally sucks. Ipad's, I believe, are due out in Australia at the end of this month for a price of $900...and with the exorbitant wireless fees...makes it an unfeasible option for many Aussies. Now that sucks!


Wireless fee??
04/04/2010 03:15:15 AM · #9
Originally posted by TrollMan:

Originally posted by Judi:

Well I think it totally sucks. Ipad's, I believe, are due out in Australia at the end of this month for a price of $900...and with the exorbitant wireless fees...makes it an unfeasible option for many Aussies. Now that sucks!


Wireless fee??


I think Judi was referring to the 3G
04/04/2010 03:24:24 AM · #10
I take it the wireless is just as expensive as it is here... I am still shocked at the way internet useage is sold here. 10 dollars for an hour of use at hotels and then they give you a freaking 50MB limit. What a joke!!!!

Originally posted by Judi:

Well I think it totally sucks. Ipad's, I believe, are due out in Australia at the end of this month for a price of $900...and with the exorbitant wireless fees...makes it an unfeasible option for many Aussies. Now that sucks!
04/04/2010 09:06:59 AM · #11
Originally posted by TrollMan:

Thanks for the review David. I NEED one yesterday. It's holding me up already from doing things I need to do.

When is your next Norway trip? If you pick one up for me, I'll take you another (successful! ;) ) photo excursion. I can also order it from Norway and have it shipped to your place in advance but I suspect the first batches are already sold out.


What exactly is not having an iPad holding you up from doing? ;-)

I should be coming over in May/June. I can bring you one then.
04/04/2010 09:51:04 AM · #12
Is browsing faster than on the iPhone? The 3G renders pages painfully slowly as far as I'm concerned. Does it cache properly? Using the back button always reloads the page on iPhone (using the network and thus incurring data usage if on 3G).
04/04/2010 10:06:43 AM · #13
What I really want to know is how YOU look with it on the street? Do you look like some Star Trek freak? ;)
04/04/2010 10:11:18 AM · #14
How durable is it? Have you tried holding the iPad over your head and dropping it on a sidewalk?
04/04/2010 10:11:51 AM · #15
Originally posted by Louis:

Is browsing faster than on the iPhone? The 3G renders pages painfully slowly as far as I'm concerned. Does it cache properly? Using the back button always reloads the page on iPhone (using the network and thus incurring data usage if on 3G).


It is much faster than the 3G iPhone. I hear the 3GS iPhone is much faster than the 3G. I still have the 3G.

The caching seems to be better. It does refresh the page if it's been a while since I used the browser, but not as often as it does on the iPhone.

The hardware design and A4 chip architecture are quite fascinating if you're into that sort of thing. www.appleinsider.com has some interesting articles. Ifixit has already done a complete tear down of the device.

Web browsing is an order of magnitude faster than the iPhone I use.
04/04/2010 10:16:57 AM · #16
Originally posted by scalvert:

How durable is it? Have you tried holding the iPad over your head and dropping it on a sidewalk?


Not yet, but I'll let you know :-)

While it only weighs 1.5 lbs. It seems heavy. You want to treat it like a handheld, but it really isn't.
04/04/2010 10:25:28 AM · #17
Originally posted by scarbrd:

Web browsing is an order of magnitude faster than the iPhone I use.

I've got the 3G and Alex has the 3GS, and the latter is order of magnitudes faster. Not just a little faster. But it still caches too much, and rendering seems kind of slow to me on his phone too. Good to hear it feels faster though -- though bummed that it doesn't feel like a handheld.
04/04/2010 10:26:41 AM · #18
Handy tip: web browsing is even faster if you spray the iPad with cooking oil to reduce friction.
04/04/2010 10:27:49 AM · #19
I am not an Apple person - don't have an iPod touch or any of that stuff. I went to the BestBuy yesterday to look, because it seemed the thing to do. It IS heavy. Not a one hand thing for very long if at all. It is not intuitive to someone who is not an Apple product user. I'm sure it IS perfectly easy to use if you are an Apple user, though.

Not going to buy one any time soon. Mostly because I just don't know what I'd need it for! And did not figure out if you could use it to download your card to - which is what I'm looking for and will probably settle on a Netbook or some such.
04/04/2010 10:40:56 AM · #20
You can't download your card directly onto it. There's a few things that will probably prevent me from getting one (lack of a user-accessible file system is a huge one), and a few things that will continue to urge me to get one (better book reader than Kindle, for example), so I'm undecided but leaning toward keeping the dough.
04/04/2010 10:43:39 AM · #21
I like my Kindle. Of course it is limited pretty much to being a book reader, but the thing I wouldn't like about the iPad as a reader is quite simply the weight. That and it has a glossy screen, which could be a problem depending on the light. The matte screen of the Kindle works well, I think.
04/04/2010 10:48:45 AM · #22
Yeah... sadly I've come to get used to gloss. I'm in front of a glossy screen right now (I can even see a cat asleep behind me!) but I've developed the ability to cut out all the surroundings... not sure I'd want that with a book reader though.
04/04/2010 10:53:47 AM · #23
Originally posted by Louis:

You can't download your card directly onto it. There's a few things that will probably prevent me from getting one (lack of a user-accessible file system is a huge one), and a few things that will continue to urge me to get one (better book reader than Kindle, for example), so I'm undecided but leaning toward keeping the dough.


There is a camera kit that will allow you to download directly from an SD card or hook you camera up and download pics via the USB cable. I have one on order. Wish it could DL directly from a CF card. $39 I think.

The photo app is really nice. No basic editing software yet, but that's just a matter of time.

The file system thing is an issue for me, too. I haven't really researched to see if there is an FTP client or something like that. For example, I don't think there's a way to upload images to DPC just yet.

The iPad is not designed to replace a computer. In fact, you need a computer to sync to occasionally in order to use it.

04/04/2010 11:00:38 AM · #24
Originally posted by scalvert:

Handy tip: web browsing is even faster if you spray the iPad with cooking oil to reduce friction.


Before or after the sidewalk drop test?
04/04/2010 11:17:30 AM · #25
Originally posted by scarbrd:

Originally posted by scalvert:

Handy tip: web browsing is even faster if you spray the iPad with cooking oil to reduce friction.

Before or after the sidewalk drop test?

Before. Greasing it up practically guarantees the sidewalk test. Not sure if that would interfere with the security feature that lets you use a diamond ring for input to prevent data loss.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 02:15:21 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 02:15:21 PM EDT.