Any iPad users here?

[plugsnpixels]

I have lots of experience working with Apple laptops and desktops as an IT person in higher ed, but haven't been quick to join the mobile device crowd, mainly due to the cost and the lack of a real need. Of course I see students using such technology all the time. And my daughter has been graduating her way through a number of iPods, and is now using the current iPod Touch.

An opportunity just arose for me to buy an upcoming iPad 2 at a steep discount through a colleague, which offer I accepted. In the meantime I am borrowing their first gen iPad over the weekend to play around more than I already have in the various electronics stores.

It's an incredible piece of technology, with its own user-interactive paradigm that takes some getting used to (ie, I am not thrilled with editing text on it as compared to a laptop or desktop; on the web I like tabbed browsing but the iPad seems to take a different approach, etc.).

So, who here has an iPad and what do you use it for?

[Doug Nelson]

My favorite use for my iPad is to have it on the table next to my TV chair so I can hit "pause" and look up something on Wikipedia. I also like reading Kindle books (even more than on an actual Kindle). And it can't be beat for reading long PDF files (I bought a DVD with every issue of a magazine I enjoyed converted to PDF and transferred the entire thing to the iPad).

The most practical use (but not a big use) is to fix registration and technical problems for the RP LIVE rebroadcasts while they're happening.

I have plans to use it for some music and MIDI projects, but those keep getting pushed further down the road.

I bought the 3G version with a mind to taking it with me everywhere, but after reading one too many stories about people being mugged for their iPad, it's never left the house.

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks Doug. One of my interests for the iPad (besides easy web surfing) is to read the many PDFs I've made and/or collected without having to sit at a desk or with a laptop burning my legs. A lot of these are Google Books (scanned from rare originals in various libraries) so these aren't the type of things I'd have physical copies of.

What transfer method/app did you use to move your PDFs over to the iPad?

[Doug Nelson]

GoodReader has its own transfer system. I strongly recommend that app. For misc. or spontaneous stuff I use Dropbox (the free version). For saving via websites I use Instapaper.

But definitely GoodReader for moving and reading lots of PDFs.

[plugsnpixels]

Interesting; I had read those same app recommendations earlier today while Googling! I will check them out, thanks.

[Nasturtium]

Love it.
Hate to share it with DH & DS.

It's terrible for input. But wonderful for;

Games (Trism!) Browsing (Flipboard!) Doodling (Artrage, Sketchbook) < worth getting a pogo-like stylus. I can't image playing with AutoDesk Tinkerbox on anything but a touch pad. The music apps are incredible (Savage apps Technochill is wonderful but I am absolutely crazy about Soundprism - run it through your stereo or guitar amp for oodles of fun)

The IPad really is just a big iPod touch but it's really, really cool.

I don't like sharing ours because that means only one user can be logged in at a time. A real pain in Flipboard for following Facebook, Flickr and Twitter accounts.

The shiny screen is kinda crappy for reading (prefer my smartphone for that) but Zinio (for magazines) and the Kindle app are nice. I use the Kindle app to read book excerpts...which are free with an amazon account. If the book isn't on Amazon chances are it's on iBooks which also has free excerpts...

Doug is right, you really need a Dropbox account to move files to the iPad. As of this writing it's only one way tho' to get files back you need to sync with iTunes (Bleh!) or mail them as an attachment.

It's really nice to look up IMDB when watching movies or just to have Wikipedia at hand when watching Discovery Channel/National Geographic.

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks Nasturtium. You described it exactly: input is difficult (though of course not impossible). And it seems quite convoluted that one must send data off into the cloud from a desktop or laptop only to pull it down again to an iPad sitting a few inches away. A USB port or card slot would be nice...

Your comment about IMDB is funny. I thought I was the only one checking the web while watching movies wondering about Val Kilmer's elbow, Micky Rourke's fingernails, Joan Cusack's teeth or other celebrity oddities ;-).

[plugsnpixels]

Since these earlier posts I have become quite adept with the iPad for general use. This weekend I decided to stop just dinking around with all the guitar and drum apps I downloaded over the past few months and try to do something proper with GarageBand.

I used to do 4-track cassette multitrack recording over 15 years ago and wrote a song (otherwise I was mainly recording friends' compositions). I revived the arrangement and recorded a new backing for it entirely on the iPad and finished up in GarageBand back on the Mac (adding additional loops). No actual instruments or analog sounds were used. Until this time I had never used GB on the desktop for anything!

Unfortunately I can't sing so you won't hear the words (I had a friend sing on the original recording back in the mid-'90s), but enjoy the tune as an example of what's possible now (and this is on the original iPad). BTW, the train and thunder sounds are relevant to the original song lyrics...

Download the new mp3 here.

If anyone is interested I can post the original analog recording (PM me).

[Steve Conway]

Got mine for Xmas.

Does everything expected of it. Just don't expect a desktop.

The attached image came from an iPad app, was painted on a desktop. There are several pretty good iPad painting/sketching apps, however.

Writing on image all done on iPad.

BTW, for those interested in music and can't play anything more than the radio, try the SoundPrism app.

Steve C.

[plugsnpixels]

Thanks Steve! SoundPrism looks interesting. Reminds me of a similar free music app whose name escapes me at the moment where you drag your fingers over a grid and get various synth sounds.

When more traditional desktop apps migrate to iPad, it will become even more useful. And it already does things you can't do on the desktop (touch gestures in GarageBand and such).

iOS5 should bring some new functionality.

[Steve Conway]

Hey, doesn't anyone have "Angry Birds"?

Can't believe no one has mentioned that yet.

My wife is up to about level 500...or close...by now.

Steve C.

[plugsnpixels]

My teenage daughter loves her games but hasn't shown any interest in the birds...

[Nasturtium]

Originally Posted by Steve Conway

Hey, doesn't anyone have "Angry Birds"?

Can't believe no one has mentioned that yet.

My wife is up to about level 500...or close...by now.

Steve C.

The Angry Birds thread. Not an Angry Birds player myself...I did score 380,864,863 one time in Trism tho :-)

I second, or is that third (?) the recommendation of SoundPrism.