iPad Versus Netbook

[r0k]

I'm sitting in a 4 hour electrochemistry lecture and I glance over at the forums when things get slow. I like being able to type but I'm truly tired of my 5 pound work-issued Dell and the badly broken XP SP 3 I'm saddled with. I can't see throwing my AAO netbook in my bag with my work pc, but I might toss an ipad in my bag. When I think about how the iPad might fit my present situation, sort of a thought experiment, I believe it would suit me well.

Pros
The wider viewing angle means I can glance down and read it easily. (A lot of the lcd eyestrain complaints have something to do with the lousy viewing angles.)
The browser will be adequate if it is anything like Safari on the iTouch and if I can run Firefox on the iPad, I'll really be ecstatic.
As I look at the slides during the lecture, I have to reach for the mouse to change which window is in the foreground and roll the little wheel to keep up. I look forward to a much simpler interface by swiping or dragging.

Cons
The part I might not like involves the soft keyboard. I'm not very fond of the soft keyboard on my iTouch but I do hope the soft keyboard on the iPad is better.
I'll be even more tempted to "do something else" if the are a lot of great apps on the iPad.

 

[dave1812dave]

I'm sitting in a 4 hour electrochemistry lecture and I glance over at the forums when things get slow. I like being able to type but I'm truly tired of my 5 pound work-issued Dell and the badly broken XP SP 3 I'm saddled with. I can't see throwing my AAO netbook in my bag with my work pc, but I might toss an ipad in my bag. When I think about how the iPad might fit my present situation, sort of a thought experiment, I believe it would suit me well.

Pros
The wider viewing angle means I can glance down and read it easily. (A lot of the lcd eyestrain complaints have something to do with the lousy viewing angles.)
The browser will be adequate if it is anything like Safari on the iTouch and if I can run Firefox on the iPad, I'll really be ecstatic.
As I look at the slides during the lecture, I have to reach for the mouse to change which window is in the foreground and roll the little wheel to keep up. I look forward to a much simpler interface by swiping or dragging.

Cons
The part I might not like involves the soft keyboard. I'm not very fond of the soft keyboard on my iTouch but I do hope the soft keyboard on the iPad is better.
I'll be even more tempted to "do something else" if the are a lot of great apps on the iPad.

Speaking of interfaces, I recently installed a Logitech app for my Touch that allows me to control the mouse of my computers. Check it out if you have an iphone or touch. even comes with an onscreen keyboard.

 

[~~Hello~~]

But, but, but...I have a Touch. Ergo, I don't want an iPad. Get it??

Well yes of course. I just think it would be a better experience to view from a larger screen. There's only so much time I can spend on my iphone before my eyes start going funny.

 

[dave1812dave]

Well yes of course. I just think it would be a better experience to view from a larger screen. There's only so much time I can spend on my iphone before my eyes start going funny.

yes...but I can see my Touch just fine with my 62 year old eyes (with the help of "readers" of course). If an iPad isn't small enough to take with me, the readability of the screen, due to increased size, is of little value (to me).

 

[Bytor65]

yes...but I can see my Touch just fine with my 62 year old eyes (with the help of "readers" of course). If an iPad isn't small enough to take with me, the readability of the screen, due to increased size, is of little value (to me).

Perfectly valid. We all envision/have different usage patterns. My eyes are fine, but I had no interested in iPod Touch because I don't like carrying gadgets around period. I only bring a cell phone if I very likely to need it(usually only on vacation, it is pay as you go).

For me an iPad is an Ebook/comic book reader, instant on internet from any room AT HOME. That is really the primary usage pattern. As such the big screen trumps Touch portability.

 

[dave1812dave]

Perfectly valid. We all envision/have different usage patterns. My eyes are fine, but I had no interested in iPod Touch because I don't like carrying gadgets around period. I only bring a cell phone if I very likely to need it(usually only on vacation, it is pay as you go).

For me an iPad is an Ebook/comic book reader, instant on internet from any room AT HOME. That is really the primary usage pattern. As such the big screen trumps Touch portability.

My Touch would be an iPhone were it not for the iPhone being available only on AT&T which I refuse to deal with. I prefer Verizon's amazing coverage, instead.

 

[bossxii]

Record sales haven't translated to much of a slice of the overall "pie" for computer sales. I'm not ignorant at all when it comes to computers. Just because I didn't buy into the OS of YOUR choice, doesn't make me ignorant. It simply makes you rude and condescending.

Ya play the victim... you've never been rude or condescending to anyone.

 

[r0k]

Speaking of interfaces, I recently installed a Logitech app for my Touch that allows me to control the mouse of my computers. Check it out if you have an iphone or touch. even comes with an onscreen keyboard.

I tried it. The crappy driver crashed my Windows box. I still have the app on my iPod Touch but Logitech doesn't provide any support so I'll not be using it. I launched the server on my (work) windows box, then launched the client on the iTouch and looked for servers. The windows box immediately crashed. This is probably not Logitech's fault. it was probably some security software on the pc thinking I was being hacked and just shut the thing down. Still, I uninstalled the logitech software from the pc. It has to play nice or it gets deleted.

Since the iPad won't support multitasking, there will be no way to run the server for the Logitech app on an iPad and use your iTouch as an accessory keyboard. Darn. Well maybe the jailbreakers will handle this use case .

I might decide to install the app on one of my Macs just to see how it works. In fact, we are going to take my son's old Mac Mini and move it to the family room as a hulu box. I'll install the Logitech app on that machine and see how it works. It's cheaper than a bluetooth keyboard 'cuz we already own iPod Touches. Besides, a bt keyboard only lets you type. I'm really looking for something that lets me control the cursor as well as type, though I will eventually wind up with some sort of bt keyboard with a built in trackpad, the Logitech app lets me get going with stuff I already have lying around.

This does bring up another thought. Perhaps one (minor) use for the iPad is to run the logitech app and control the Mini when we're watching hulu. I just keep thinking of more possible uses for the thing. I should mention that I've been sort of wanting an iPad since the Macbook Air came out so nothing in these threads is swaying me either way. I picked up a Macbook Air in the Apple store. It was the first time I ever saw a screen that thin and well made. I looked at the screen and thought "I wish I could get just the screen". Soon enough I will be able to.

 

[greygray]

The browser will be adequate if it is anything like Safari on the iTouch and if I can run Firefox on the iPad, I'll really be ecstatic.

It is. It's a bigger version of the iPod touch's Safari.

 

[djellison]

as soon as the iPad was announced I put my HP Mini 1030nr on Craigslist and had a buyer the next day..

So what are you going to use for the interim two months? Clearly the HP wasn't a necessity in your life -you didn't NEED it - or you would have kept it until you actually had an iPad.

 

[Sketh]

So what are you going to use for the interim two months? Clearly the HP wasn't a necessity in your life -you didn't NEED it - or you would have kept it until you actually had an iPad.

The HP Mini was used quite often, it was a prize from a contest on engadget, and I already have a full size laptop, so I'm using that until the iPad comes out.

It is difficult, but all I used my Mini for was reading engadget, facebook, etc, and that will be more pleasing on the iPad.

 

[dave1812dave]

Ya play the victim... you've never been rude or condescending to anyone.

I wasn't playing victim by any means. I was letting YOU know that YOU were rude/condescending. Accept that reality, please!