It is beautiful.
It is fast.
It is spiffy.
And, oh so cool.
The way you can expand and contract photos with your thumb and index finger — simply magical.
Yes, it looks like a big iPhone, but it’s really so much more.
The iPad is a lifestyle gadget that has made working (and playing) so much more efficient.
From reading books and writing blog posts to playing games, watching TV shows and taking notes in meetings, my 16GB Wifi iPad’s endearing qualities have made it indispensable.
Reading
I was seriously considering buying the Nook or Kindle sometime last year when my husband pointed out that those devices could only be used for one thing — reading books. What an insight.
I’m glad I waited for the iPad because now I can not only buy, store and read books on it, I can also do a host of other activities when I am done reading.
The size (9.56 by 7.47 inches) and weight (1.5 pounds) of the iPad make it convenient to read books in bed, in an airplane, on the sofa, or just about anywhere you want. Yes it’s true that it’s hard to read out in the sun — too much reflection — but I am not one for getting tanned while reading anyway.
I can bookmark pages, look up definitions, increase or decrease the font size, select if I want to read one book in Arial and another in Verdana, change the contrast and brightness, and search using keywords.
I use iBooks and Free Books to satisfy my literary urges and have found some really good reads for free (and some under $6).
The one thing I would like is the ability to share books with other iPad users via Bluetooth. It would be a cool loaning system.
I’ve also been reading news on the iPad with FeedlerRSS, browsing Time Magazine‘s top stories, and researching recipes on Epicurious.
Writing
Writing blog posts and emails has never been easier. Typing on the iPhone had helped me become comfortable with the virtual keys…the bigger touch screen makes it even smoother.
I shocked myself last week when I was able to type out a complete sentence on the iPad, sans typos, while looking at the television. There’s something about training the mind to know where alphabets are even when you can’t “feel” them.
I guess new users will take some time getting used to the look and feel of “embedded” keys, but once they do, it will be pretty easy.
When I type extensively (like this blog post using Pages, an iWork word processing app) on the iPad my fingers fly…feels like I’m playing the piano (which, by the way, you can on the iPad).
Productivity at work
If there was ever a sustainable way of having paperless meetings, this is it.
I no longer carry printouts to meetings (I can open attachments in emails and view them in GoodReader) and take notes in Evernote (allowing me to access them anytime from home).
I can instantly e-mail folks updates or questions from meetings instead of having to remember to do it later. And carrying the iPad to a meeting is like taking a notebook in…the laptop seems bulky now.
Entertainment
Most folks think of the iPad as an entertainment device, but as you can see from the uses above, it’s not constricted to being just that.
I had never imagined I would enjoy watching a TV show or a movie on such a small screen, but when I was away from home recently, the ability to lay in bed with the iPad propped up in its inbuilt cover stand, and watch my favorite comedy show via the ABC Player app … changed my mind.
When we’re talking e
ntertainment, how can we forget the plethora of free games one can play on the iPad? It’s such a time sink but the iPad makes it irresistible and so much fun.
I used to enjoy playing games on my computer and then the iPhone, but playing them on the iPad is such a magnificent experience.
I can touch and move, swipe and slide, tap and rotate. I can use the Bluetooth to have a two-player game with another iPad user…air hockey was never more fun! The bigger screen (as compared to an iPhone) is a definite advantage.
And no, I do not miss any Flash-based games… nevertheless, I’m hoping that HTML5 will be the new standard pretty soon.
Of course you can watch YouTube videos, show off photo albums (note to self: must buy the camera connection kit), listen to your favorite songs, spend time unleashing your creativity with PhotoPad, and ogle at WeatherHD’s beautiful rendition of current weather conditions.
And did I mention that even after 9 hours of constant use this past week, my iPad still had 39% battery life left?
For all practical reasons, the iPad has replaced my laptop and limited the use of my iPhone to taking pictures and making calls.
I don’t think there’s any going back.
Are you hooked, yet?
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mansi Bhatia
You might also enjoy:
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mansi. Mansi said: My iPad has become a lifestyle gadget that has made working (and playing) so much more efficient. http://www.mansibhatia.com/2010/05/ipad/ […]
Wow, you answered all the questions I had about the iPad. Sounds like a great gadget to have. Thank you.
It absolutely is, Janette.
I almost – almost want one…the other ‘stuff’ of creation I love my MacAir..but the iPad looks like the future is here…
You will love it, Marilyn
Quite interesting!!
Makes me wonder about the long way we have come from the mainframe super computers – with the size of a room, to the personal computers, to the laptops, and finally to the iPads.
And what next?
And that was a very informative post, Mansi!!
Thanks, Vyankatesh. I guess the more avid consumers of information we’ve become, the faster technology has adapted to accommodate our needs. I hardly ever used the iPhone as a phone (despite harping for months before its launch that I wouldn’t need it)…using it for maps, reviews, playing games, taking photos, finding coupons, social networking, some texting. It had become an extra appendage at one point — the smallest computing device that could also make calls! It’s fascinating how far we have come in a very short amount of time and it’s exciting to be swept in this technological wave
I’ve heard a lot of great things about the IPad, I wish I had the $$$ to get one but it will have to wait for a while. Thanks for the great review.
Hugs,
Bill
Thanks, Bill. It certainly is an investment, but one that I think is worth paying the price for.
[…] parmesan, purple potatoes, and Thai red curry — most recipes from Epicurious, a handy iPad […]
[…] How do you select your friends? June 16, 2010 By Mansi I had never played Truth or Dare until last weekend when I installed the game’s app on my iPad. […]
[…] refreshing my e-mail client on the iPhone4 (which, by the way, works just fine with a bumper!), my iPad, and my desktop – sometimes refreshing it repeatedly, wondering if the 3G or the wireless is […]
[…] the Milk or have superpowers) — but I have a full-time job, a daily blog, a husband, and my iPad to devote time […]
[…] all the gadgets I own, this wire-less piece of melamine was what I had begun to rely on to keep me organized and on […]