iPad first thoughts
I finally got my hands on one of the most talked about gadgets for some time – a 64gb wifi iPad. Being an Apple addict and a gadget freak it was inevitable that I was going to have nothing but love and good things to say about the device but here goes…
I decided not to go for the WiFi + 3G version, opting for a 64gb Wifi only. I figured that you are really always only a few minutes away from a wifi spot, and I already pay for a data tariff on my iPhone so I didn’t fancy the idea of another sim card/data contract. If I ever need to send or receive and email or get online and I am not near a wifi network I can just use the iPhone.
So what did I install from the off?
- WordPress (this entire blog entry was written on the iPad, both using the onscreen keyboard and my bluetooth keyboard)
- Twitterific – stunning on the iPad
- Dropbox
- Evernote
- WeatherPro HD
- RealFootball HD
- RealRacing HD (listen to your own tunes while racing Gran Turismo style, looks unbelievable and plays just as good)
- keynote, pages and numbers
I then filled it with my video and photography work to act as a portfolio when with clients. And this got me thinking – i often spend quite a lot of cash printing photo books and DVDs to send to prospects. I am now considering purchasing the basic 16gb Wifi iPad, filling it with my work and sending it to prospects. Yes, novelty factor, but that can be the difference when tendering for business. Many see the iPad as a must have not a need to have, but in my line of work, the possibilities are endless such as being able to tether the screen to my HDSLR as a field monitor or using it as a control surface in one of the many applications I use such as Final Cut Pro, Motion and Color. Already I cannot wait for the camera connector kit to arrive – the prospect of being able to connect up my cameras while on location and backup the files and even preview in RAW makes the device worth purchasing for that reason alone.
And if all that means nothing to you how about the next time you take a long haul flight – uninterrupted high definition films, games, music and email for 12 hours without needing a plug – the inflight entertainment lottery of dodgy contrasty screens and rubbish audio a thing of the past..
Tags: iPad
I agree with these huge advances in integration and functionality enriching the travel experience. With the right kit, you can make a trip exponentially more productive and get the work done before you get home.
It was a few months ago, but I wrote a blog on my BlackBerry extolling the virtues of the device – http://www.skyhooked.co.uk/?p=435
Sure it’s a different device but I get where you are coming from. In fact, there is nothing I like more than to load up the media card with images and then hit the beach and blog away in the sun from the BlackBerry.
For now I’m a BB and PC kind of guy, iTunes pisses me off but I do have a 120gb iPod classic which I love very much – I just wish it was more practical as a storage device, I can’t even switch it between my own computers without wiping the fecking thing.
I’m going to get some H2 Audio kit so I can take the phone with waterproof headphones and mic into the water on those slower days – better a morning fielding calls on the water than anywhere else I reckon!
Exciting times lie ahead for those willing to embrace the integration and potential of this technology. To think just three years ago we were wasting our money on games consoles…they’re dead in the water for me now.
Now you see that’s where I draw the line on portable technology – do you not think that taking calls while waiting for a wave or while cruising just off the coast on a mammoth downwinder kind of takes away some of the magic and feeling of getting away from it all?
I love nothing better than listening to tunes while snowboarding but always turn the phone off – I don’t want reminding that I should probably be somewhere else doing something less exciting