The funny part, in my humble opinion, is that many people don’t mind and might actually crave a quick, brisk opinion on something… but may detest an actual coherent opinion.  I guess that is not my particular problem though… if I take a moment out of my day to post something… try to be coherent… try to use correct grammar… try to be relevent in society… then I believe that I am fine.

So, is there anybody out there… who has a comment on this topic?  let me know.

• Really crappy screen – Low Resolution, Dim, and color Limited (256 colors? !!!)
• Free Content (The least they can do for raping you on your ticket and keeping you packed in like sardines!)
• The sound interrupts every time the lead buffoon steward talks on the intercom.
• The rewind and fast forward controls are very clumsy and you don’t have fine control over where you are at in the movie.
• Limited content – You only get what United Airlines (which is better than some) decides to pump out at you.  Keep in mind they are catering to the (M)asses.

Watching a movie on my iPad:

• My iPad, my choice… I can put whatever I want on it.
• Awesome sound and picture quality.
• fine tuned controls over where you are in the movie.
• I can hold it and place it where i want.
• I am in my own world… the only time I interrupt my viewing is when I want it interrupted.

Ok… I bought the iPad with this REQUIREMENT in mind.  The iPad did not let me down.  Besides… as I was watching my iPad, the guy across the aisle to my right was also watching a movie on his.  Awesome!

I remember waiting to board my flight and having the desk call up a bunch of Russians… a gaggle of them went to the desk.  How did I know they would be next to me? LOL.  Well, I board…and sure enough… the group took up the whole row behind me… and all of my row… except for me on the aisle.  Next to me was a young guy about 20 years old.. and next to him was his hottie girlfriend.  As the flight progressed… I saw that she fell asleep… leaning on him…. and then he fell asleep… and he leaned on her.  I was keeping myself amused.  When I was not watching a movie on my iPad… I was looking at them and thinking how nice it is to be 22, have a hottie for a significant other… and to hang all over each other in pseudo-public.

Well, you know how the flights across the Big A are… sooner or later you are gonna fall asleep.  About 5 hours into a 8 hour flight… I woke up… and I felt something rooting around under my left arm…something warm… .something “trying to snuggle”…. !!!

For a minute there I had to think where I was … LOL.

I opened my eyes and turned my head… only to find the Russian dude had leaned over against me… and was snuggling up to get comfortable!  LOL.

Here are the details:

1. The person doing the snuggling is the same sex as you.
2. You don’t want to make a big scene on the plane… you are packed in like sardines.
3. You don’t want to scream Movie in a crowded Firehouse.
4. You have to sit next to the guy for the remaining 3 hours of the flight.

My question is:  How do you handle this situation?

I was contemplating just sitting there…. and doing nothing… not to make a scene… when suddenly… I felt his whole body stiffen.  LOL.  he woke up… and then he freaked when he realized that he was snuggling up to the wrong person!  He kept his cool… stayed that way for about a minute…. long enough to make his soon to be executed flip-flop seem plausible.  Ha Ha  He did a “I am still sleeping… and I am going to flip-flop from nuzzling this dude next to me… to my heterosexual affirming hottie girlfriend’s lap”.

I just had to laugh.  I did not laugh out loud, but I laughed on the inside (LOTI).

Since I was tired… I thought I would just go back to sleep… which was what I did.

The things that happen to me…. LOL

I told the dude “I am sorry for being difficult… but I heard PANCAKES… but I still did not here the other choice”.  He just looked at me… and said… “Pancakes and Blhblhblh- Mumble – Mumble”!

I finally gave up… LOL…and said… “I would very much like the pancakes sir” … he gave them to me… I opened the container… and was judging the “edibility” of the pancakes… and he had moved his car to the next person… where he said… “Madame, would you like the Pancakes or the Waffles”.

Doh!  I could have had WAFFLES !!!!!

LOL

My roommate David and I went to see the new Twilight movie… .”Eclipse”.  It was a pretty good movie… and it was a passable job at cramming all the stuff in a very detailed book, into a 2 hour movie.  I could not believe all the weird people there.  I did what I could to minimize the crap that I thought I would go through.  I bought tickets via Fandango.com (and paid the 1$ surcharge per ticket) so as to bypass the box office.  We got there 45 minutes early to avoid trying to find a seat.

Once we sat down, we had people telling us to give up our seats to them… so they could enjoy the show.  What nerve.  I told them that if they got here 45 minutes before the movie like we did, that there would be no problem.  They did not like that… and they went down to the “undesirable” first bunch of seats where they had to sit with their necks craned up so they could watch the movie.

I guess that some people feel that they are entitled… while others do not.  I ‘earned’ my seats…by investing the time to get there early.

Pretty ballsy huh? LOL.

I am a computer engineer who got tired of Microsoft’s crap all the time.  I used to spend all of my free time reinstalling various copies of Microsoft Windows on my computers to “keep them working”.  That really was annoying.  I needed anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-everything installed in order to keep my business to myself.

I finally decided to buy an Apple computer.  With that one purchase, I realized that it is possible to have a computer that “just works” and that does not require constant updating and tinkering in order to keep things running.  I did install a free Mac anti-virus program … just in case… but for the most part… I don’t have to worry about my computer crashing.  To be honest, the Mac has hung up a few times… and yes I had to turn the power off and on… but I have done that (across all my Macs) hardly at all compared to all the PCs I had.

Soon after I got my first Mac I decided to get an iPhone.  They go hand in hand.  An iPhone connected to a Mac runs much better than an iPhone connected to a PC.  iTunes, the lifeblood of the Mac iPhone connection does work better on a Mac.  I decided to get one and I was not disappointed.

iPhone:

WHat is an iPhone?  I have the first generation version… outmoded by the recent release of the fourth generation iPhone.  It is (now) slower than the all the other versions (less memory, less processor speed, less network speed, and is now orphaned in terms of the latest and greatest version of the operating system.  Seems pitiful now… but the first generation iPhone still works really good.  It allows me to do the things I want to do… in a mobile way.  Here are a few things that I do on my ancient iPhone:

1) Check my mail on it

1. Take pictures with it
2. Twitter with it
3. Do Facebook with it
4. Update my blog with it
5. Text with it
6. Talk on it
7. Run tons of applications on it
8. Listen to music with it

a) In my car via the Jack-in on my car stereo

b) Via headphones while I fly on a plane

1. Watch videos on it while I fly on a plane

Basically I access mobile information on it.  The on-screen keyboard is so small that generating content on it… is tough to finger the keys for meaningful input.  It is not impossible, but generating an average size e-mail is about as much as I would want to use it for.  In a nutshell… content consumption is what I usually do.

What is an iPad:

I think we pretty much all know what an iPad is by this point.  People laugh and call it a huge iPhone or a huge iPod Touch.  The truth is that both descriptions are correct and incorrect.  It is like an iPod Touch with 3G cellular service, but unlike a 3G iPhone there is no voice service.

The iPad has a really nice big screen and comes in a version that is WiFi only or a combo of 3G and Wifi.  It has a new microprocessor that is fast (come to find out it is used in the new 4th generation iPhone as well) and comes in 16 GB,32 GB, and 64 GB models.  The iPad I bought is the 64GB 3G version.

Why did I buy an iPad?  Did I buy one because I had to have the latest and greatest version of the new Apple device?  No, that is not it.  The reason is, that I did an analysis of what I would be doing with the iPad and if it would help me do what I want to do with it.  Like the smaller iPhone it runs all kinds of applications and lets me stay updated with what I want to track.  I can read a newsgroup, check a blog, open a web page and read it, and basically CONSUME INTERNET CONTENT.  The one major plus I wanted is a cheap 3G network plan that would enable me to have access on the road wherever I would be.  This is one of my requirements that is completely met…. at the 100% level.

Here are a few things that I think make the iPad a great buy:

1. The screen is bigger and allows for better viewing of videos and web surfing.
2. With “Dual use” applications, I buy one once on the iPad or iPhone and get the other version for free.  (The iPad can run iPhone only versions of the applications and can show it in the native resolution (small iPhone size) or in a “doubler” mode where the pixels are doubled so that they almost are full iPad screen.  Many applications are now fully iPad enabled.
3. I have a model that stores much more audio and video files.  I have all of my audio files with me on the go and I can bring more videos with me.
4. A much improved battery life (10 whole hours after a full charge).
5. The 3G version has a built-in GPS chip which my original version of the iPhone does not have.  It really makes a big difference having the GPS to help you out within the various applications…sure beats the WiFi positioning that is done on the WiFi only version of the iPad and my first generation iPhone.
6. For some reason using the iPad to check something on the web (or via an application) is much more convenient than going to a desktop or laptop computer (PC or Mac) or whipping out the iPhone.  While the iPad is not as convenient to carry as a phone or PDA, it is not all that uncomfortable or inconvenient to carry with me.
7. If I am traveling via plane, the iPad does not have to be removed from a briefcase and put in a separate bin to go through the airport x-ray machine.  The TSA has ruled that it can stay in a briefcase and go through without special handling.  That is a big plus at the airport.
8. Just like the iPhone and iPod Touch devices, one can rent movies (HD or regular resolution) and load them for viewing on your iPad.  It is just a matter of synchronizing your device of choice.  This makes it easy to view movies on your device while you fly.
9. E-books are great on the iPad.  With every e-reader out there … there are tradeoffs.  The iPad can be heavy, but the nice feature of being able to lock the screen in a vertical or horizontal mode makes it much easier to read books and other types of e-content (like newspapers).  The screen is very conducive to reading books.  I have read all the Twilight books on the iPad and had a grand experience doing it overall.  The iBook application (soon to be available on the 4th generation iPhone as well) is very easy to use.
10. E-newspapers in their iPad application form (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today) and magazine/comic applications such as Time Magazine and  Popular Science allow interactive content to be accessed via the iPad.  This can be fun although subscriptions for the e-versions are much more expensive than the print copy.
11. The iPad speaker is far superior than the speaker that I have heard on the iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS.  I cannot comment on the built-in speaker for the 4th generation iPhone as I have not heard it.
12. The versions of the individual iWork applications on the iPhone is a big draw.  Just as Microsoft has on-line website for document collaboration, Apple has iWork.com which lets the mobile versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote ($9.99 each) share and edit content via the website.
13. The on-screen keyboard is much bigger than that of the various iPhone versions and that of the iPod Touch devices.  While one could write the great american novel, it would be possible but highly annoying on an iPad.  Still the fact that it is easier to type on the iPad counts as a big plus.
14. I have one complaint about the iPad…which is really not the device’s fault.  This may be corrected over time, but the big problem is with the iTunes integration.  The iTunes side of the house does not quite seem to know how to handle the iPad.  I find the interface to iTunes on the iPad to be rather stilted and a very “forced” experience… not at all a complete or comfortable one.  Hopefully this improves with feedback from the users.
15. People do complain that the device is not multi-user.  I don’t find that this is a problem.  By design, it is a one person device.  There are no user profiles… no multiple e-mail account, no multiple user access to different iTunes libraries.  If you are looking for this then I would say that the device is not for you.  Personally, I would not expect that multiple people would be using this device.  E-mail, iTunes, and other application synchronization kind of rules this out.  How many of us have laptops that we share with our family (either spouses, parents, or siblings).  Not because we are hiding access to do our data from each other, but because we want access to it when we want it…and don’t want to share and be inconvenienced when somebody else is using it.  Think about the pains involved in sharing a cell phone.
16. One aspect that I don’t really appreciate is the 4 digit code that one can enable to lock out your iPad.  I think that 4 digits is not nearly enough.  I would rather that an 6 to 8 digit code be implemented.  Also, the iPad does not have the latest version of the Apple operating system yet, but it is slated to by the end of the summer.  This means that “folders” and “multitasking” will be enabled on the device which will make the experience much more robust.
17. One last thing, Apple’s MobileMe e-mail service provides that ability to track and/or erase a lost/missing iPad like it does with an iPhone.  This is much easier for the 3G iPad… and a WiFi only version would have to be connected to a wireless network if the device was to be located or erased.

All in all, if you know how you are going to use an iPad… then I would say to buy one.  My device cost $828 without the Applecare (like any mobile device I highly recommend it) and to me… with the traveling that I do… I feel that the  iPad was worth every dime.  Some people will find that there money would be better spent in other ways… which is fine too.  I don’t spend their money and I don’t ask them to spend mine

Many Thanks to my cousin Scott for getting me off my butt and urging me to put some of these thoughts down on “paper”.   I know he has been waiting for this for a long time and after several false starts, I have done it.  I just hope Scott, that you are not disappointed.

It is no secret that I have drank wholeheartedly from the Apple kool-aid… but I have good reason for doing so.  The design methodology… the whole Mac raison d’etre as it were, is to be efficient, useful, and let people do the things they want to do … easily.  I know… personally… that these are the very reasons for my being a mac fanboy.  (Well, that and I have unresolved emotional issues with Microsoft always “trying to have sex with me” and wasting my time always resinstalling their crap.)  LOL.

Well, this is a subject… that I really cannot win.  I don’t find the culture phony… nor do I find it annoying.  Of course, some will say that I am one of the people that is annoying.  I guess that I just blog what I know… and what impacts me.  Maybe I should not pass on any Mac information to my friends.  Oh well.

LOL

I cannot wait for my 3G iPad.  I am not trying to brag about buying one… I just want to express what is going on in my mind.  As a computer engineer (as any engineer would) I know that before you can search out the utility of any device, you have to know what your requirements for the device are. Engineers live and die by the requirements they derive and strive to manage them during the life of a project. While I see a lot of people…getting an iPad…then trying to figure out what they need it for, I thought long and hard… and basically I want my iPad for content viewing where my first generation iPhone just won’t cut it. This is why I had to wait for the 3G unit and am not basking in iPad Heaven (at least heaven for some… as they party might not yet be over). I have an archaic Compaq TC1000 with windows XP tablet PC edition… and the concept of “content on the go” was never quite there. In spite of 80211.b networking, it was cumbersome to use the stylus to go through many layers and menus and the processor was not up to the job (especially on XP SP3). For me… Content when I want it…be it e-mail, YouTube, or Facebook, or posting a blog entry, etc. I want to do it when I want to do it… not when my computer infrastructure is available within an arm’s reach.

I cannot wait to toss in my 2 cents on the iPad… although by the time my opportunity comes… it will be old hat… and like so many people or things in modern culture… its 15 minutes of Warholian Fame… will have expired.

I just noticed that it was posted on December 27th, 2009… but who cares.  It is still a gem.  I hate it when I plug my phone in… and iPhoto opens up and makes me sync my photos.  Sometimes I am on the run… and I don’t have time… I just try to turn off iPhoto as soon as I can.  It seems the more I want to turn it off…the more sluggish the process becomes and the more I get annoyed.

BTW… aside from changing the setting so that iPhoto does not open when a camera is added… I also changed the “look for shared iPhone library on start” (or something similar) setting.  I have one master iPhoto library between all my macs… and don’t have this option turned on any of them.  This lets iPhoto open pretty quickly… without all the associated malarky of polling all your Macs on your network.  LOL.

iPhoto is great… but I don’t need to hastle with pictures every time I turn on my computers!

Anyway… just a quick post.  I am off to shower… I got a big meeting this morning… and I have to get ready.

[Comments ?]

This morning, as I was looking at Twitter, I saw a tweet about some guy taking his motorcycle to Central Park in NYC.  Now I know it is warming up in the North East… is is spring after all… and I thought I would follow the link to his picture.  It was a nice picture… but I was distracted when I saw a tweet below it stating that for the whatever time today… his Tablet PC… made by HP…. the HP TM2 was mistaken for an iPad.  I wanted to see what it looked like… so I found an article… check the link… and it even includes a video review.  Additionally, this guy tweeted that it is better than the iPad… etc…for the following reasons…. yada yada yada.

I invite you to see the review.  It looks like a nice machine… for people who want a computer like that.  I don’t think this HP device invalidates the iPad… as so many TM2 proponents are saying it does.  The TM2 has everything but the kitchen sink (or does it work with the iDisposal… and you have to do the “Kitchen Sync”)  Yuk, yuk.

Seriously… it seems to be aimed at taking the place of everything that you have computing wise!  It has an external video port (VGA)… cool.  Then it has an HDMI port.  It has a spring loaded tablet stylus, 3 USB ports, a WiFi on/off button, the power button, a huge 6 cell batter, head phone jack, memory card slot, a touch pad, it is hinged in two halves…with the screen folding down and over the keyboard.  Wow.. it is capable of connecting a lot of stuff to it.  It is all aluminum now… etched to be stylish.  Seems thick…but 4.7 pounds.

Since the windows interface is not all that it could be for a tablet… they use “bump-top” software (free versions for the PC and Mac as well) that HP has customized.  They also have their own… Touch Smart software to try to add value to the touch experience.

OK… so… that sounds pretty impressive… but… look at all the TM2 is meant to be?  You cannot take an iPad and expect it to be a full replacement for a desktop or a laptop.  Again… two different designs… as form follows function.  4.7 pounds… does seem heavy…although lighter than HPs previous offering.

SO… I would not say that the TM2 is bad… but it was designed according to a totally different function than the iPad.  Would you say that a dump truck is worse than a BMW sports car?  How can you?  If you have to move several tons of earth… you cannot do that very practically with your BMW.  Also I would not take the dump truck on the autobahn… as your results would certainly not be very impressive.

The iPad is based on the premise “I want my content…. I want to be able to do some general computing… I want to gather information quickly off the web”.  I believe that the iPad will be quick, convenient… and I plan on using mine… much as I currently use my first generation iPhone.  Hey… I know…that I cannot run World of Warcraft on my iPad… and again… I am ok with that…  you could certainly run it on the TM2 though.

Well, I have muddied the waters here…and belabored my position.  Almost like rehashing the rehashing of my rehash on the iPad.  LOL.

If you had both…for free…. and you could use both…  what would you do with each?  … That is my whole point.  A generic PC… one-size-fits-all… does nothing well… just a whole bunch of stuff in a mediocre fashion.  I at least am walking into my iPad with eyes wide open.