iPad Coolness
Posted by terrepruitt on April 6, 2010
We do not own an iPad. I believe that our iPhones are enough for us, at the moment. But the company Hubby works for runs Macs and they wanted an office iPad. Not only that, they are so nice they let the employees take it home and experience it. So I was able to use one for a couple of hours. It is really like a big iPhone . . . a really BIG iPhone. It does not take pictures nor is it a phone, but it is really pretty.
Apple seems to have a way with picture quality. I like my monitor, it is fine. I don’t need another one, but when I go to Hubby’s office I do tend to stare at his monitor. It is soooo clear and it makes whatever you are working on so beautiful. I found this to be the case with the iPad. But like my iPhone since the “monitor” is also your keyboard, you end up having to look “through” a lot of finger prints and smudges.
It was already loaded up with someone’s applications and so I basically just looked at a movie and did some internet surfing.
It ran pretty fast, and as I have already mentioned the clarity is awesome.
Some of the things that I am familiar with on the iPhone were different on the iPad and I thought the differences would be useful. The calendar program that comes as part of the iPhone was able to be displayed as if it were a book calendar with the note section on the left and the month on the right. It looked like a regular desk calendar. With the iPhone’s tiny screen you have to change “pages” for list/day/month. I can see how having a “regular desk calendar” would be very helpful. Don’t we all love to look at things “at a glance”.
I LOVED the way the multiple browsers showed. But I bet I would end up with 16 browser windows like I usually do on my regular computer. I think that the iPhone only allows eight and the way they are displayed is linearly and you swipe to move them. But on the iPad they are displayed in a grid format so you can see them all at once. I found that to be one of the most exciting features that I experienced.
Remember, I only had this for a few hours and the applications loaded on it were not mine or even my husband’s so I didn’t go snooping into them all.
The “keyboard” that pops up is a good sized qwerty keyboard and one could touch type one it. I have the need for the feel of the keys in order to type with any speed, but I heard my husband typing away on it just like normal. (And just so you know, he typed REALLY fast!)
I keep coming back to how pretty the “monitor” (display) looked. I actually didn’t even get to see the “naked” iPad because it was “vacuum packed” into is neoprene case and, as I have mentioned, it is not ours so I didn’t want to risk scratching it or anything, so I didn’t take it out of its case to look at it.
I did discover a book in the “library”. It was Whinnie-the-Pooh. Oh, my heart melted and I thought since I was stuck on the couch with the cat was on my lap I could try reading on the iPad. Well, four pages into it, my hand started to hurt. The iPad is very heavy and I could not hold it in one hand and read it like I would hold a book. But unlike the Kindle it has its own backlight, like a computer. (Did I mention how pretty the monitor makes everything look?).
Like a netbook, I can see how people could use an iPad. I can see how business could benefit from it. Since I work from home I am good with my regular computer and my iPhone, which is just like an iPad, but smaller, and it has a camera and a phone. But its picture is not nearly as pretty.
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
Jill Campana said
I appreciate you and John being my technical wizards about new products coming out. If YOU don’t need an iPAD, it’s absolutely certain that I don’t!!!!! Thanks for the photo of it though and some of the interesting features! What WILL they think of next? (that is a rhetorical question BTW).
Love,
Jill
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terrepruitt said
Well, I don’t feel I need one because my iPhone is pretty much the same thing, except with a phone and a camera. It is very much smaller, but . . . if I need bigger I can use my computer. I am CERTAIN there would be uses for it and it would be fun . . . . but . . . . more often than not we don’t NEED all the gadgets that are out there.
I do wish that I would have had more time to play. I have asked John if they are going to be “checked out” like library books because I would like to spend more time with it. 🙂
I am convinced that one day we will not have need to hand-held devices because somehow things will be implanted.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting!!!!
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John Pruitt said
That was a fun evening (yes I’m a nerd). Thanks to Justia for the loaner.
I found it a possibly perfect tool to use with my office if I ever needed to take it on the road. Gmail interface at the website was beautiful and SalesForce is very easy on this system. I rarely need or use such things in the field, but if I did regularly, the iPhone would not be my friend due to size.
I agree with Terre and also Tim Stanley who originally told me “It’s heavy”. But I have huge forearms like Popeye the Sailor so I’m ok with it 🙂
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terrepruitt said
So do we get to have a sleep over with the iPad again?
Thanks for reading, commenting, and tweeting—–I really appreciate it, Mr. P!!!!!
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John Pruitt said
not a problem my honey. Your written insights sometimes differ from my understanding of your verbalized ones. That and I just like seeing your pretty pictures 🙂
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terrepruitt said
Pictures are pretty. And this one, as you might have noticed, is a picture of my blog. I should have done a picture of my website. That would have been better.
Well, IF you ever bring that home again, I can change it! Tee hee.
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Jill Campana said
John, you remind me of my husband…caring, compassionate, loving. I’m delighted to know that you enfold Terre throughout your day (and she you) with your Tweets and Blogs. You make me smile.
Jill
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terrepruitt said
Jill — You are cute.
He works late a lot so little snippets that we communicate during the day are nice.
Last night — you are not going to believe this — as I was coming home from teaching Nia I caught up with him on the freeway. We were already on the phone (hands-free as is the law in CA) and we drove home together. It was funny.
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John Pruitt said
I have been under her spell since the moment I saw her. It’s a happy bewitchment.
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Angelia Sims said
Ohhhhh, how lucky!!! I would love to play with an iPad. Jason and I like to visit the Mac store for fun and play with everything.
I don’t figure I need one either since I have an iPhone but it does look really cool!!!
I enjoyed your review. 🙂
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terrepruitt said
YUP! Very lucky. How cool is that, huh? Kind of crazy his company, huh? They are so awesome. I mean, really, not many companies would buy iPads and then let the employees take them home to play with right? So lucky!!!!
It was cool. I really wanted to use it more though to see how it could be useful. I mean, I really think that my iPhone is good enough. It bigger screen/monitor was really nice, but when I have to type I need a KEYBOARD. I was really floored that my hubby sounded like he was typing as fast on it as if he were on a regular keyboard.
Thank you so much for reading and for commenting. I am glad you enjoyed my little “review”. I kind of felt like it wasn’t much of a review because I didn’t have long enough to play, but I was able to give first impression at least. Right? Maybe . . . if I ever get my hands on it again, I can give it a more indepth review. 🙂
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iPad « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
[…] have had the opportunity to actually use the iPad. This is somewhat of an update from my iPad Coolness post in which I said, “Oooo!” but didn’t really get to use the iPad. This time I […]
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