They say it will extend the life of your battery by several months.
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( 2.8 / 58 )What am I doing up at 1:30 in the morning? Just finished my taxes. So I am rewarding myself by talking about my iPad and my favorite apps and why they are special on the iPad.
The first is a game. Being an old lady, I like simple games that don't tax my thumbs. The first game I purchased is a solitaire game called 12 Solitaire Games from Astraware. It costs $.99. It has all the most common versions of the game. The cool thing about playing a game like this on the iPad as opposed to either the iPhone or the Mac, is you just touch the cards and they move. A single card or a whole line of cards, depending on the circumstances. If they don't go where you want them to go, just touch them again. It is quick and easy, and one of the side benefits is that people with problems with their hands, such as arthritis, can play computer games again. Every action in the game is controlled by a single touch. This particular game is beautifully designed, has clear directions, allows you to start a game over, and even has a hint button if you wish to use it.
The second app is WolframAlpha. I am still learning all that this app can do, but it is amazing. It is unlike any option we have ever had before. It is not a dictionary, nor is it an encyclopedia. There are categories of questions and you ask something like "calories in carbonated beverages" and get a whole page of information - unit conversions, comparisons to daily intake, ranking among common foods, nutritional facts, and of course, calories. When it was first released it cost around $50 I believe, but you can get it right now for $1.99. There is also a version for the iPhone.
The third is iBooks. At this point there is not a large selection of books to purchase in the books store, but oh my, it is wonderful to read a book on the iPad. The text is easy to read, but if necessary you can actually enlarge it. The price of books start at $9.99.
If you haven't examined an iPad, there are units to check out at Apple stores and Best Buy locations. Now that things have calmed down a bit, you should be able to get someone to demo one for you.
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( 2.9 / 76 )If you have never had the experience of waiting in line to buy a new Apple product you have missed out on a unique life experience. You can read my account of waiting in line for the iPad here if you are interested. In addition to getting my iPad, which I will get to in a minute I met someone who has agreed to work with our user group to put on a free training session to teach interested people how to develop apps for the iPhone and iPad. At the other Apple store here in Austin, other members of our group met some people who want to start a special interest group about servers and we agreed to sponsor them. I love "Mac people".
The iPad is awesome. Everything is so clear and bright on the screen. Hopefully you have seen the commercials and realize that you can turn it to get landscape or portrait views. It is very fast. The applications that have been created just for the iPad are more sophisticated than those that I am familiar with for my iPhone. Most things operate with the touch of your finger, even playing games. There is no mouse.
You can only have one application open at a time, so to read your mail, you must close whatever you are working on. But, when you go back to the first thing, it opens back up to where you were. For instance, if you are playing a game, it will take back up where you left off.
If you have both an iPhone and an iPad, it is easy to distinguish between which apps are for which unit so you don't have to worry about loading iPhone apps that you don't want on the iPad and vice versa. Many apps are being updated so that they work on both formats. You only have to pay for them once.
Many iPad apps cost more than you are accustomed to seeing for iPhones. I think developers understand now that they have been undercharging for their products and are starting out with more appropriate prices this time around. You can download Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, but each application is $9.99.
If you get an iPad you really need to get a case of some kind for it. Because of the size, it does not fit in your pocket nor will it fit in most purses. It is easy to drop it or knock it off a table and it will break. Breaks are not covered under warranty, only manufacturer problems, so it is better to prepare up front. The screen is very tough, but I would not want to carry mine in a purse even if it would fit because eventually it would get scratched.
You can passcode lock the iPad in the same manner you can passcode lock your iPhone.
My iPad is calling my name. It's saying "Nancy, Nancy, come play another game, come prop your feet up and write a column, come read a book......" OK.
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( 2.9 / 81 )The new iPad comes out Saturday morning and, having pre-ordered one, I will be waiting at the door of my local Apple store to pick it up. Actually I will get there about 6:30 in the morning because part of the fun is standing in line and interacting with all the other Mac fanatics who will also be standing in line.
Our two stores (Austin, TX) are both located in Malls and no one will be allowed to get in line until 7:00, but I'll be ready. LOL I would love to be first in line, but only because I will also be there representing our Mac users group and want to get to talk to people about our great group.
My purpose for mentioning this is to say that I will blog about the iPad in the coming weeks from the point of view of the non-teckie user. How easy is it to use, how different is it from my iPhone. What apps are available, etc. I will try and be consistent and frequent with my comments.
My father's illness has cut into my blog time a lot, but I will do my best. Questions are most welcome.
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( 2.6 / 59 )There is a very good application for the Mac that allows you to make real crossword and word search puzzles using your own words. The end result is as professional looking as any puzzle you might see in a newspaper or magazine.
If I were still working with kids in scouts or teaching I would consider this as a great tool for making learning fun. The app does most of the work. You have to come up with the words and the definitions.
The app is called Crossword Forge and it is kinda expensive at $49.95, but there is a lot of programming in the background that allows it to present the finished product that it gives. You can download a trial version that lets you check it out, but you can't print any completed puzzles until you purchase the product.
The web site is http://www.solrobots.com/.
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