Apple has finally released the iPad – their first slate (or tablet) computer and a device that is said to revolutionize the way people use computers. It certainly has made a good impression on everyone that pre-ordered and bought it, and almost all of the people who used it said that they have a few tasks that are perfectly suited for the iPad.
It’s also interesting how a lot of the people that said the iPad will be a failure are turning around and praising it, which shows us that the device is here to stay, for better or for worse. Of course, there are a few features it lacks (like a front facing camera and a USB port, for example), but there are a lot of other things that it can do. And Apple will surely bring a couple of new features with the release of the next version.
The iPad is basically a cross between a computer, a phone (especially the model with an integrated 3G adapter) and a notebook (the big paper one, not a computer). It’s slim, comfortably small, very portable and you can use it for dozens, if not hundreds, of tasks – from note taking (including drawing) to phone calls to writing documents, surfing the Web, viewing and editing photos, watching movies and listening to music, playing games and many other things.
The on-screen keyboard is surprisingly good (many were afraid it would be sub-par) and the device has enough integrated processing power to handle almost any tasks. One of the bad things is that it doesn’t run any of the applications that the desktop Mac OS X does, but the good news is that it can run any of the apps that the iPhone has, and as you may know, there are tens of thousands of them, and all of them are easily ported to the iPad. Developers and software companies also stated that the iPad has given them the possibilities to create new, useful apps specifically for this device, so there’s certainly room for expansion in this department.
Anyway, with all this praise going around, let’s see what you could really use an iPad for in the real world.
eBook Reader
Since its very conception, the iPad was supposed to be a good ebook reader that would rival the Kindle. And it turned out simply great! The ebook/library application is very intuitive, beautiful and easy to use and the screen doesn’t hurt the eyes, as a lot of people suggested it would. Moreover, because it’s backlit, you can use it anytime, anywhere, without the need for an external light source. And the price that almost equals that of the most expensive Kindle makes the iPad a much better purchase, thanks to it being able to do so much more. The ebooks themselves will be initially more expensive, but the price will most probably go down in a few months.
Ultra-portable computer.
The iPad has enough processing power and memory (especially if you bought the most expensive version or just use an SD card) to let you do most of your daily tasks you used to do on your laptop or desktop. You can check emails, update your Facebook status, use Twitter, read your RSS feed, write documents and do almost any other thing that your bigger computer that limits your mobility does. A relatively major drawback is that the iPad does not support Flash, so there are quite a few web sites that you can’t view (like Metacafe, Google Video, Hulu, websites made with Flash and others). Thankfully, you can view and upload videos on Youtube using a special external application that comes with the device. This problem will most likely be fixed in the future, but for now iPad users will just have to deal with it.
Apple iPad
Communication
The iPad is, of course, very good for texting and Instant Messages, but that’s not all it can do. You can also make phone calls (through Skype or a 3G contract, if you got one) to any number in the world and receive calls and voce messages right on the device. If, in the future, users will get the possibility to tether a headset via Bluetooth to be used as a phone, it will make the iPad the number one used device in the house.
Skype for iPad
Entertainment Device.
Of course, the beautiful 10 inch screen can’t only be used for viewing web pages and ebook. You can use it to watch movies, listen to music and play games. And the iPad does all of that very well! iTunes is simply great on the iPad, and there are already a lot of games ported from the iPhone, so you can now play Need for Speed, Asphalt 5, Bejeweled and others on the iPad, and it’s size makes it amazing to use. The iPad is possibly the true PSP killer!
iPad Games
Presentation Device.
With the iWork suite application, you can use the iPad for presentations anywhere you are. You can open, edit and send to a projector any files, including Powerpoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets and Word documents. If you don’t want to spend money on yet another app (a shame really, as for $10 you’d get a load of useful features) you can convert your Powerpoint pages into slides and show them using the free integrated Photo app, which has a great slideshow mode.
iWork On iPad
There are many other applications that you can use an iPad for, and with the upcoming hardware keyboard and possible Bluetooth and Wifi tethering abilities, the number of possible uses will increase dramatically. If you already own or just plan on buying an iPad, you can be sure it will be a great investment.
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how do you get bejeweled loaded on the ipad? It keeps telling me it can’t download. Don’t have flash.