Bonding With My 3G iPad
Monday, May 10, 2010 at 9:33PM Part One of My Two Part Series, First Published on Technorati, May 10, 2010
So many reviews have been written about the iPad, it is hard to believe there'd be any unexpected surprises left to discover. But, one of the most delightful things about a new gadget is how you integrate it into your own real life. It is like dating someone new - early on, you don't know how much you're willing to change to discover your soul mate.
It has been a week since I bought my 3G iPad, and most of that time I was on the road, attending the Digital Hollywood conference. I challenged myself to see how much I could rely on just a touchscreen tablet, a real test being the laptop-lugging road warrior that I am, and I left anything resembling a keyboard at home.
Here's what I discovered during some quality time together getting to know each other:
The iPad Increases Your iPhone Battery Life
Yes, you read that correctly. Your iPhone battery life will extend remarkably if you buy an IPad. It is true what you have read that the iPad battery life is amazing. It blows away the iPhone, even with 3G. My iPad lets me do everything I did with my iPhone, and now that I don't do those things any more on the iPhone, my iPhone battery lasts so much longer! It is an unexpected and amazingly cool benefit. I can now make it more than a day on an iPhone charge. And I am using it so much less for web browsing and email and videos and games that I am thinking maybe I should just go back to a great feature phone with a decent camera and a low voice and messaging rate plan.
3G Is Useful, If Everyone Around You Doesn't Have An IPhone
AT&T has provided me with a sluggish and unpredictably unavailable service experience to my iPhone and it is no better with an iPad. I could feel when I was at the airport standing in the security line holding my iPad and waiting to place it in the X-ray tray that I was competing for precious bandwidth with other bored travelers tapping away on their iPhones.
The conference hotel didn't have free wifi, and so having 3G connectivity was good, when it worked. I often saw full bars when web pages were loading and then would time out. I do like that the 3G and Wifi combo keep the device always connected, so if you don't know whether a wifi location has a log in page to join the local network, you can remain continuously connected to receive push notifications and email as you traverse free, paid, and secure wifi networks. That's something my MacBook Air laptop doesn't provide me when I am mobile. Continuous coverage is nirvana.
If You Only Buy One Accessory, Make It This One
Throwing the iPad into my carry on without a case was a non-starter for the trip, but the Apple iPad case was sold out in all local stores. Apple previously made a leather case for the iPod, and sold a few handfuls of them for the premium price of $99. It was a beautifully elegant, leather sleeve, but sleeves are not a popular iPod case style, unless you are a tween girl wanting a knit sock to cuddle your treasured Justin Bieber on an iPod Mini you got as a hand-me-down. Thankfully, the company brings their iPad case in at a more affordable price and in a cheaper faux suede that adds some much needed grip-ability to the slick back.
It is hard to believe that the Apple case is so critical to enjoying the iPad,but the fact is that without it, there is no way to balance the device and keep it from sliding off the round edges of your lap, as mine did several times in flight. The fact that the case is sold out everywhere, and has a 3-4 week wait when you order it online from the Apple Store, should tell you something: it's mandatory gear for any iPad user.
iPad, iPhone, tablet in Experience Design, Tech 