iPad 2 Review

[Kyrillian]

So I've had my iPad for a little over a week now and can do an initial review. I have been very busy at work so I haven't been able to really maximize it's potential yet.

The good:
1) It is crazy fast. Switching between apps, loading web pages, etc. It is a very noticible difference from the iPad 1 and from my iPhone 3GS.

2) Light/Thin: Much smaller than the iPad 1.

3) Video Out: The HDMI out works well. I've broadcast it through a projector and onto a flatscreen TV so far. Very high quality. I've been using it to show Crossfit instructional videos at the gym and it plays the videos perfectly and in HD.

4) Camera: The camera takes amazing pictures. For those who have me on Facebook I posted a pic of Arda taking with the iPad while out to lunch on Sunday and it was very crisp and detailed.

The bad:
1) Only one port: When I initially got the iPad I wanted to eventually transition to using it for our presentations instead of having to lug around a big laptop. I don't know if that will be possible because the port you use to charge it is also the port out for video. Our presentations can go on over an hour so I am worried if the iPad charge will last for that entire duration.

2) No USB port: I knew this going in but I will still list it as a bad. My main reason for wanting this is to plug in a clicker to move sliders during a presentation. I want to see if I can get one that does it through bluetooth.


Apps to get:
1) Zite: This is a personalized magazine that I love. You tell it what subjects you are interested in, such as Finance, Sports, Fitness, etc. Then every day it refreshes the magazine with stories from around the web that fit your parameters. It formats it like a magazine or newspaper which makes it easy to read. I prefer this one to Flipboard and Zineo.

2) Note Taker HD: This is for taking handwritten notes, you can also load a PDF and write on it. Very useful for business. Although Arda is telling me she found a note app that is better, this is the one I've been using.

3) Friendly: This is the best Facebook app available. The free Facebook one isn't formatted for iPad which makes it annoying to work with. Friendly is pretty easy to use.

I will post more stuff on this thread when I get to play with it more.

[Kyrillian]

Another thing to mention, the smart cover is kind of cool but insanely overpriced. I think I paid $70 for a leather one. It attachs via an uber powerful magnet (how do they work?), and it cleans the screen when you slide it off.

It makes the iPad look like a little book, and the sensor knows to pop on when you open it.

My main issue with the cover is there is nothing covering the back from scratching, blemishes, etc.

What is cool is the cover folds a number of different ways allowing you to prop up the iPad if you're showing someone a video or something, or just want to type on it more comfortably.

[Lyncher]

Does the ipad come with a pair of Doc Martins, or do you have to buy those separately?

[Shortkross]

Is there an accessory that holds your lattes and dildos?

[Chadwick]

For those who might have run into this recently i just had to figure this out on my Mom's ipad2. The latest iOS5 update from apple made connecting and Ipad through a USB hub difficult. It does not like most USB hubs, specifically ones on monitors. So if your ipad 2 suddenly wont connect to your computer, connect it directly to the computer, not through a USB hub.

The specific error she as getting from windows was "USB device not recognized"

[Chadwick]

And yes, ipads/phones/tunes/pods are all gay....