<p>Maybe I’ll have to try again. My husband got one through work and it sat around because he didn’t remember his password. I finally charged it up and emailed him asking for the password. Didn’t find anything to do with it that I couldn’t do with iPhone or computer. I don’t carry a pocketbook (haven’t since high school) and the iPhone fits in my back pocket which the iPad can’t, so it’s not even as convenient. Occasionally it would be nicer if there was a bigger screen but not often enough to be carrying the iPad around. Plus there’s no phone which is my main purpose for the iPhone.</p>
<p>I’m trying guys, but I just can’t see it. If we have a question while watching tv or at dinner we can just walk over to one of the computers and look it up quickly. Right now it’s sitting on a shelf uncharged and collecting dust. Glad other like it though!</p>
<p>Actually, I adore my Kindle. It does what it is supposed to do … and not much else, but it is reasonably priced, small enough to fit into my hand bag, and has a reasonably sturdy feel to it.</p>
<p>I can’t join anyone in the iPad love fest (or Xiggi-critique) because I’m one of those parents who had to take on debt to put my kid through school, so $600+ toys are not on my agenda. </p>
<p>I do have a another new electronic gadget-toy, a Windows smartphone. (There was a 2-for-one deal, so my d. & I both have new phones, and are loving them). I was rather surprised to read Xiggi’s concern about the difficulties of file sharing, because the Windows phone seems to be built on the concept of making sharing extremely easy and seamless, albeit with the somewhat annoying interface of Windows Live & Zune. But the phones come with a USB cord to connect to the computer, and from there its pretty much drag & drop. Took me about 2 seconds to figure out how to get the cute video of my baby grandson from my computer onto the phone, so I will be able to annoy all my friends with it. I’m very surprised to learn that the iPad doesn’t have that functionality.</p>
<p>Ipad is a superior to Kindle in two aspects. I read a lot of PDF files for work related reasons. The iPad is just great for that I can zoom quickly into tables and figures in the file, which takes forever on my kindle. Although the new Kindle can read Unicode fonts, it still has problem with Chinese and Korean characters. Whereas on my iPad, I have apps that can display Chinese characters vertically/correctly. But I do use my kindle for books that I don’t have to jump back and forth or need zooming for image.</p>
<p>USA Today
Solitaire
Fidelity (my 401k)
Bank of America
Evernote
YouTube
Netflix
Star Walk
Night Stand
Peterson’s colleges (OK, not great, good thing it was free)
Chase Mobile
Simon Says
Dragon Dictation
CBS Sports Pro Football (really neat)
Target
The Weather Channel
ebay
ABC Player (the TV network, on-demand shows)
Angry Birds
multiple cookbooks
Baltimore Sun
iBooks</p>
<p>The McGraw-Hill AP test study guides seem to get good ratings. I might consider the relevant ones for D in the spring.</p>
<p>And last but not least, every one of my D’s prospective colleges is bookmarked with an icon on a home screen. When she eliminates a school from her list, I eliminate the icon from my ipad.</p>
<p>I have played with the iPad at the Apple store… I can see why some people would like it, but it’s really just not me. I agree with the statement of having a range and a microwave though. If you just have one PC and you want something light and portable to play around on, that probably would work well for you. I have a 13 inch laptop that has an 8 hour battery, is less than an inch think and weighs about 3 lbs, so that’s my lightweight computer. It’s perfect… it easily slips into any backpack or bag. It’s perfect for traveling, it’s small enough to keep on an end table in my living room where I don’t have a computer… right at my fingertips if I need to look up anything or take it out to my kitchen when cooking. It even has HDMI out put so I can stream videos and whatnot to my TV from it. I just couldn’t justify having an iPad when I have something like that.</p>
<p>I used to travel with one of the very small netbooks. It served it’s purpose but was hard on my forty-something eyes. Really prefer the iPad, but one thing to note is the iPad is not as good as most computers in connecting to wifi networks. The antenna is weak. This is frustrating when all around me are easily connecting and my iPad can’t find the network.</p>
<p>I think the thing that sets the iPad apart and makes me a fan is not necessarily all the practical things it can do, but just how much fun it is to use. I don’t know anyone who has fully appreciated that until they have one. The direct interface with your fingers and the screen and the responsiveness of the unit itself to even the most subtle shift makes for some really incredible applications. The size makes it easy on the eyes, yet portable. People who are very tactile probably love it the most.</p>
<p>My biggest gripe with the iPad is you can’t plug ANYTHING into it–no USB ports. This makes it less useful than the netbook, which allows you to plug things in. The display models I’ve tried at the Apple store are not as quick to respond as I’d like either. My brother enjoys playing with his iPad, but so far, we’ve resisted the temptation.</p>
<p>S has a netbook that he enjoys–used it for the last few years of college after his heavy laptop broke. He uses it like a glorified hard drive & plugs it into a monitor when he’s stationary so the display is larger. So far, none of us have been tempted to follow my brother’s lead & get their own iPad, but who knows?</p>
<p>Yea, I’m hoping to get a hand-me-down from one of the kids when they get a better model. There were some great deals on these netbooks & since they’re compatible with our other PCs, it will make life easier when things break & I need help from hubby or the kids. The netbooks are nice & light–under 3 pounds! I saw some on BlackFriday for about $229!</p>
<p>^Most of those things will be addressed in Version 2 due out in April. I learned long ago to never buy the first release of any electronic product because they basically use the early adopters as research and development and then you’re stuck with a product that is not nearly as good as the subsequent versions (unless, of course, you are willing to replace them frequently). Apple is famous for doing this. They usually release version 2 at about the year mark.Personally I think it is a strategy used by Apple to get everyone to replace their first version that was ‘oh so great’ a year ago but is now playing second fiddle to the newer version, which has addressed all the issues people didn’t like about the original product.</p>
<p>The reason I have able to resist getting an iPad to date is because I do have a netbook. Otherwise, I would probably have a iPad by now. The netbook really comes in handy for throwing in my purse, traveling, as a substitute for my kindle and as a spare laptop. I don’t have a problem with the screen size but the keyboard is a little tight for major typing jobs. Other than that, it’s great. I’ve taken it all over the world and never had a problem with wi-fi connectivity. </p>
<p>I can see some advantages to the iPad but I’m not sure it meant to be a replacement for anything. It’s really a product onto itself, though eventually as other tablets are released, it will stop being a big deal.</p>
<p>I have a netbook and am very happy with it. I only use it while traveling – I sync important docs to a cloud service and basically the netbook lets me carry my work with me. The smaller keyboard and display size would be a problem for me if I used it as my primary work station, but I don’t want to be carrying around my main computer – I’d rather not risk damage or loss. The netbook is light weight and easy to shove into just about any corner or a carry on suitcase, and even fits comfortably into a larger handbag. </p>
<p>I have that along with a Windows 7 phone – I think I like the phone better for everything except stuff that involves my typing. So I’ll keep on traveling with both. </p>
<p>(I’d note that both my phone & the netbook have USB ports & cameras)</p>
<p>bookworm, if you like netbooks I would go to a best buy or something and actually play with one before you buy one online or anything. I thought for sure that I wanted one until I went and saw how small the screens are. If you don’t mind it being small by all means go for it. They are cheap and nice portable little computers. If you wouldn’t mind spending a bit more, I would suggest a Toshiba T235 or a T215 model Laptop. They are slightly bigger then a netbook but much smaller then a normal laptop… a great mid sized computer. They have the processing power of a laptop in something slightly larger then a netbook. The battery life is amazing and they have a full size keyboard rather then a shrunken down version found on the netbooks.</p>
<p>There are different models available. They are usually between 400-700 depending on which version and where you get it. Here is a 13.3 inch T235 on amazon. This one has about an 8-9 hour battery.</p>
<p>It’s funny–most laptop computers used to brag about their 12-13 inch screens. Now, when it’s that size, it’s a larger netbook. Now laptops brag about their 15-17+ inch screens and the excess weight that go with it! Oh well, it seems somewhat cyclical. Now we have all range of sizes to choose among, as well as a wide price range.</p>
Now laptops brag about their 15-17+ inch screens and the excess weight that go with it! Oh well, it seems somewhat cyclical. Now we have all range of sizes to choose among, as well as a wide price range.</p>