Thoughts on the “new iPad” (AKA iPad 3)

It’s been a year since my last entry (so bad of me), but with the release of the “new iPad” I had to comment.

I’m still loving my original iPad from May 2010 – yes, I do call it “Mr. Smudgy.” Although it’s close to 2 years old, it’s still going strong and able to handle anything I give it. The release of the iPad 3 does have me concerned since I know Apple will eventually make it obsolete by not updating the software to run it. Already, iPhoto for iPad is for version 2 or later since it requires a front camera to use it. Why this is necessary is beyond my comprehension because you can easily get photos from an iTouch via iCloud or simply use the Apple supplied SD card reader to transfer images from a camera. Apple can’t be that short-sighted so I must assume they want people with the original iPad to considered upgrading now.

While some aspects of the new iPad are attractive (ability to create a Wifi hotspot for one) but there is nothing truly compelling me to upgrade. Thanks, Apple, for making such a great product in the original iPad. It’s one of the best technology investments I’ve ever bought.

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Do I want the iPad 2?

Don’t misunderstand — I love my iPad 3G. I take it nearly everywhere with me. I’ve gotten used to the weight and I have a new shoulder bag to tote it around. I took it to Spain last December and it worked beautifully with a MiFi rental from XCom Global.

I sometimes wish the iPad were lighter but I wonder if the iPad 2 is appreciably different. I’m not lusting for the dual cameras on the iPad 2, either. Also, I’m lucky to have the discontinued unlimited data plan on AT&T and I can use it nearly everywhere I go.

What I really covet is the Smart Cover! I need a light but effective cover that can double as a stand when I type on the iPad. That fact that it also turns the iPad on or off is just the icing on the cake.

Apple, please make a Smart Cover for the original iPad!

 

Yes, I got my own iPad 3G!

I waited until the 3G version came out and bought the top of the line. It arrived on May 7 and has been my trusty companion ever since. Our relationship was easily set in cement that first weekend because I was sick and couldn’t sit at the computer for very long and I needed entertainment in the worst way. The iPad is a godsend!

I have the unlimited plan from AT&T so while waiting at the doctor’s office I could surf to my heart’s content. I get good reception in Metro stations and in some of the tunnels, too. I haven’t tried to upload every app in creation and most of the ones from my iTouch work just fine on the iPad.

Is it perfect? Of course not. In some environments the screen is horribly reflective and it’s very headache making, Sometimes the keyboard is a little too sensitive but that will take practice. And, yes, it’s very smudgy.

However, if you are Ike me and don’t really need a laptop but would like to keep in touch, surf, Facebook, watch movies & TV, listen to music and read books, this could be the device for you.

Now I’m on the lookout for a decent bag and perhaps some Bluetooth headphones. Any suggestions out there?

Yes, I did write this entry from my iPad but the Woodpress interface is a little chunky and hard to figure out how to publish.

 

“I shall call him Smudgy.” Real-world iPad annoyances: A timeline | Rafe’s Radar – CNET News

Real-world iPad annoyances: A timeline | Rafe’s Radar – CNET News

How cheap can you get! Apple puts out the iPad and doesn’t even include the Chamois that the iTouch and iPhone get. This is a device that begs to be touched and you know it’s going to look ugly real quick.

The article goes on to moan about other issues and omissions – mostly warranted I have to admit.

However, I still want one.

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Tags: Apple, iPad, touch, gadgets, iTouch, iPhone, technology, computer

 

Sept. 16: Jobs Quits Apple in 1985, Returns in 1997

Sept. 16: Jobs Quits Apple in 1985, Returns in 1997

Courtesy of Wired.com, this is an interesting note in tech industry history. I hadn’t realized that his ouster and return were on the same date. You’d think as a major Mac addict I would be more knowledgeable. I’m somewhat geeky but not that geeky.

IMHO, the best thing that ever happened to Apple (and to the computers and tech industry in general) was the return of Steve Jobs to Apple. The iMac and the iPod have completely changed the way we use technology today.

Thanks, Steve!

Tags: Apple, Mac, SteveJobs, technology, computing, iPod, iMac

 

I want this car. Really.

Toyota to launch solar-powered Prius | Crave, the gadget blog – CNET

I’ve been aching to have a Prius ever since they came out. I had to get a new car when the first model came out but it had a small trunk (boot) so it was out of the question. The hatch is great but I can’t justify a new car for a few more years. I hope that by the time I’m ready, they will have the solar stuff doing more than running the AC but I’ll take that, too. Heck, i live in DC – I really need my AC!

Tags: car, solar-powered, Toyota, environment, greentech, transportation, crave, Prius

 

High-Fidelity Memories on Record Store Day : NPR Music

High-Fidelity Memories on Record Store Day : NPR Music

Sometimes I think I’m the only person with vinyl records anymore. Yes, I know that’s not true but it feels like it is.

Even rarer than vinyl is the independent record store. I know of one here in DC although I suspect there could be a few others. When I was in high school, I bought most of my records from the local Ben Franklin down the street. It had a limited selection and occasionally I would find something really good like George Carlin’s Class Clown album.

Now I’m a bargain hunter and get things from Amazon.com or download from iTunes. It’s not the same as browsing through the local store (we have a great local chain called Olsen’s) but at least digital downloads don’t involve packaging and shipping costs.

I also buy from eBay which is almost like an independent store since you can get hard to find CDs, cassettes and vinyl LPs. You can get alot of used stuff that is still in good condition, too. I hate to see music thrown out. It just breaks my heart – like seeing someone’s photographs in a trash bin.

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Tags: music, vinyl, records, independent stores

 

NPR: Artists Lament Polaroid’s Latest Development

NPR: Artists Lament Polaroid’s Latest Development

Chuck Close is an American painter who derives his works from photographs. He creates towering — sometimes 10-foot-tall — portraits. Some of those are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Close says he has Polaroids of every painting he has done.

“It’s very discouraging,” Close says.

He says he has probably 2,000 Polaroids.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do.”

Close likes the incredible detail you get from the large-format film. What’s more, there’s instant gratification: You see that final large image just minutes after you take the shot.

I blogged about the demise of the Polaroid camera a few weeks ago. I had forgotten about Chuck Close and his love affair with Polaroid. There are so many artists like him, too. I hope that some company (like Fujifilm) will take up the film production end so that the existing cameras (like my slide printer) can still be used.

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Tags: camera, technology, Polaroid, rt, culture, photography, NPR, podcast

 

Goodbye Instant Photography!

Polaroid Abandons Instant Photography – The Lede – Breaking News – New York Times Blog

It was a wonder in its time: A camera that spat out photos that developed themselves in a few minutes as you watched. You got to see them where and when you took them, not a week later when the prints came back from the drugstore.

But in a day when nearly every cellphone has a digital camera in it, “instant” photography long ago stopped being instant enough for most people. So today, the inevitable end of an era came: Polaroid is getting out of the Polaroid business.

The company, which stopped making instant cameras for consumers a year ago and for commercial use a year before that, said today that as soon as it had enough instant film manufactured to last it through 2009, it would stop making that, too. Three plants that make large-format instant film will close by the end of the quarter, and two that make consumer film packets will be shut by the end of the year, Bloomberg News reports.

I love Polaroid cameras – I still have one of them and a special slide printer. I also learned to make Polaroid transfers onto watercolor paper – really lovely prints with a vintage feel. Our family had one of the early B&W cameras that needed to have the rather smelly coating smeared on after it developed for preservation. The later color cameras were great fun at parties. It’s sad to see an entire industry die away.

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Tags: camera, polaroid, technology, photography, business, art, fun,

 

Green Chic: A "Chia” nightclub

San Francisco sprouts a “Chia” nightclub | Crave : The gadget blog

A San Francisco nightclub installed on Monday what it’s promoting as the city’s first vertical garden. Several plant-filled boxes turned on their sides and bolted outside near the entrance are the first step in the Zen Compound‘s plans to cover the facade of the building in greenery.
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For now, the Zen Compound serves organic spirits with corn-based cups and straws that get composted rather than trashed. Club marketing is moving away from using paper fliers, even if recycled, to online-only promotions with Flash animation.

This story comes via crave.cnet.com. I do think it’s a great idea even if it’s just a gimmick. The more green space in any city is a good thing.

Tags: green, club, San Francisco, Zen, environment, chic, tech, building, architecture