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A few questions from a potential buyer

L

lillumultipass

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 19, 2008
55
0
Hi to all!

Well, the iPad is coming soon to Europe, but I might get the chance to grab a US one. However, before that, I have a few questions that my reading of the forum have not answered:

1. Writing: First, a silly question, but I was wondering whether typing on the iPad is comfortable while lying in a couch. Indeed, if the iPad is to replace my laptop for mundane tasks such as web-surfing, I have to be able to write semi-long emails rather rapidly on it, while lying on the couch and watching TV for instance. I usually do that with my laptop on my laps, but I wonder about the iPad...

2. PDFs: I am looking for a pdf reader that would allow me to (i) transfer files wirelessly from the iPad to a Mac/PC back and forth, (ii) maybe have access to Dropbox and Google Docs files and (iii) edit the PDF, mostly some highlighting and then, that the hightlighting would be visible in standard pdfs readers on a PC.
I know that goodreader does the first 2 stuffs, but I don't think it does the 3rd. IS there an app that would do that?

3. Videos: Unless I am mistaken, Handbrake is a good way to convert videos to iPad format. However, I use a lot of videos with .srt subtitles. Hence, I wonder if there is a software that would allow me to "burn" the subtitles to a divx before converting it thanks to handbrake.

4. Reading: has anyone read extensively on the iPad and had the chance to compare it to a KIndle? I love to read, and one appeal of the iPad would be to read some of my books on the iPad instead of having to travel with huge books on vacation for instance (I should know, I am carrying around the 1200-page long "A World without End" right now...)

Well, I am sorry if some of my questions have been answered before. In that case, could you please point to the appropriate topic?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated :)
Thanks!
 
You are right, all this has been asked ad nauseum, but here goes anyway.

#1 - Writing- Absolutely, I completely feel at home with my iPad typing mid-sized to long-winded emails, as well as documents in Pages app etc. Although it took a wee bit of getting used to, the onscreen keyboard feels natural now. AND in front of the idiot box is how I use my iPad too.

#2 - Yes GoodReader will do both (i)&(ii) but not iii. I haven't faced the need to annotate PDFs yet, so I haven't looked around for apps that accomplish that. Sorry...

#3 - Videos - might I suggest Air Video? Works just flawless. No need to convert your videos with Handbrake etc.

#4 - Reading - I LOVE reading on this device. In fact I sold off my Kindle after I read a bit on the iPad. iBooks is an app well done. The visual fluff aside, I love the integration of search and Wikipedia (something Kindle does as well, but not as seamless). I am currently reading Midnight's Children and a Suitable Boy on the iPad.

You will definitely enjoy your iPad, take the leap ;)

PS: Love your nick! naja.
 
timdafweak said:
You are right, all this has been asked ad nauseum, but here goes anyway.

#1 - Writing- Absolutely, I completely feel at home with my iPad typing mid-sized to long-winded emails, as well as documents in Pages app etc. Although it took a wee bit of getting used to, the onscreen keyboard feels natural now. AND in front of the idiot box is how I use my iPad too.

#2 - Yes GoodReader will do both (i)&(ii) but not iii. I haven't faced the need to annotate PDFs yet, so I haven't looked around for apps that accomplish that. Sorry...

#3 - Videos - might I suggest Air Video? Works just flawless. No need to convert your videos with Handbrake etc.

#4 - Reading - I LOVE reading on this device. In fact I sold off my Kindle after I read a bit on the iPad. iBooks is an app well done. The visual fluff aside, I love the integration of search and Wikipedia (something Kindle does as well, but not as seamless). I am currently reading Midnight's Children and a Suitable Boy on the iPad.

You will definitely enjoy your iPad, take the leap ;)

PS: Love your nick! naja.
Click to expand...

Thanks for such a nice answer! Here are my comments:

1. Ok, then I guess I will have to try it then. I just have trouble imagining the right way to hold the iPad while in the "couch potato" position ;-)

2. Yeah, that's what I thought. I guess eventually it should appear because for scientific papers it would be a must!

3. Well, unless I am mistaken, Air Video does not transfer the vids to the iPad right? What I want is to have the vids for when I travel and don't have access to a network.

4. Really? I thought the iPad's screeen was not as enjoyable as the KIndle's for reading for an extended period of time. I guess that's another thing I will have to see for myself...

I will probably take the leap soon...the question now is more: is 64 Go (that's the only size I can get right now...) too big for my needs?

PS: thank you! Not that many people have seen the movie ;-)
 
No probs, I had many of the same questions as well. The iPad feels fine on my lap - just hike up your thighs in the ideal couch potato pose. ; )

2. As for annotation, a quick search revealed this iAnnotate PDF. You might want to look for other reviews as well.

3. You are right there. I guess I am always in the proximity of a network here, and have my Air Video configured to be accessible via the Interwebz, so I haven't faced the need to convert my videos. AFAIK Handbrake does allow subtitles to be hard coded into the video. Sorry I can't be of more help here.

4. I might then belong to a minority, but I found the fonts on the Kindle 2 to be a bit blurry and not as sharp as my dad's original Kindle. I can read for hours on my iPad. iBooks allows you to turn the brightness down, which makes reading a lot easier. Or if Kindle be your fancy, the Kindle app on iPad allows white text on black background, etc. A plethora of options.

That movie is amongst my favorites. Must be a European thing. ; )

I'd encourage you to go with 64GB, as you probably will be carrying videos etc along with you. As for me, I bought a 32GB Wifi model, and am quite satisfied with it. Thanks to Air Video, I stream all my content. In fact I haven't even gone beyond 4 Gigs, and most of those are filled with my Tintin/Asterix comics.
 
Submerge handles video/subttle content quite well.

As for reading, I have been using a Kindle almost daily since it first came out (I gave my son my first Kindle and bought the newer one when it came out last year). I haven't picked it up since I bought the iPad. Some of my Kindle books have photos/diagrams that were impossible to enjoy on that device but I can view them and zoom in on the iPad. And the backlight is fantastic. I have a "favorite" armchair in my family room which has a table lamp next to it. With my Kindle, I'd always have to angle it just right to read at night, now I can just get comfortable. And something as simple as the angled cover makes reading on a plane much more comfortable. As small and light as the Kindle is, it's hard to get comfortable with it on a plane (gotta keep my elbows to myself). I just plop the iPad on my tray and the tilt is just right for reading.
 
Air video has an option to convert videos on your pc/Mac, which can then be dragged into iTunes and synced to your iPad. If you have an srt file in the same directory, it will pick up the subtitles also. Works very smoothly, been watching lots of movies this way, as I've found that streaming is not reliable when I'm trying to access my videos over the Internet.
 
Night Spring said:
Air video has an option to convert videos on your pc/Mac, which can then be dragged into iTunes and synced to your iPad. If you have an srt file in the same directory, it will pick up the subtitles also. Works very smoothly, been watching lots of movies this way, as I've found that streaming is not reliable when I'm trying to access my videos over the Internet.
Click to expand...

That's good to know... Thanks!
 
Night Spring said:
Air video has an option to convert videos on your pc/Mac, which can then be dragged into iTunes and synced to your iPad. If you have an srt file in the same directory, it will pick up the subtitles also. Works very smoothly, been watching lots of movies this way, as I've found that streaming is not reliable when I'm trying to access my videos over the Internet.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that's indeed quite incredible if it works!
Well, one fewer reason not to buy the iPad (I thought converting and transfering videos to the iPad would be a hassle...)!

@timdafweak: well, I am still thinking about the size. 64Gb is quite a lot, and the associated price tag is not negligible, above all given that I may not need that many videos most of the time.
I only have around 10 Gb of music + maybe 10Gb apps that still leaves ~8Gb for videos in a 32Gb iPad...
 
Liam8 said:
Is it heavy? My friend said it was light but my mom said it was heavy??:confused:
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that it's heavy, but it's definitely heavier than I thought i would be. It takes a while to figure how to hold it comfortably when reading. It's a bit difficult, for me anyway, to hold it in one hand for long. It's only 1.5 lbs, but seems heavier than that at times.
 
I much prefer using my iPad on my lap over a laptop.

Laptops get warm and in the summertime, get pretty hot and makes it uncomfortable on the lap.

I do a fair amount of emailing writing while on the couch with the iPad so the onscreen keyboard is fine, although I also use my Apple wireless keyboard, so you might consider picking up a bluetooth keyboard like the Apple one.
 
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