I've had the opportunity to do some reading on the iPad. It is a nice experience. The text is clear and the images are vivid. It is more visually appealing than the eReader. eInk cannot hold a candle to an LED. I don't find the brighter display tiring to read over long periods of time.
The iPad does not beat the eReader on all counts. The eReader is lighter to hold. The eReader's battery life crushes the iPad's.
The biggest disparity between the iPad and the eReader is in file compatibility. The iPad cannot use books checked out of the library because they use an incompatible DRM scheme. Since I'm cheap and like getting books for free, library compatibility is a must have feature.
Until the iPad can use library books, the eReader will remain my go to reading device.
May 10, 2010
Is the iPad all that?
The short answer is yes. It is the next generation of mobile computing.
Even before I got the iPad, my iPhone started eclipsing my MacBook Pro as the goto computer e-mail, Facebook, Web surfing, checking news, etc. H and I frequently joked that my MacBook Pro was an obscenely large phone charger.
The iPad has accelerated that process. Its larger screen makes Web surfing and e-mailing much better. Web pages are readable and typing e-mails a breeze. Facebook is even better since it is possible to use the Web interface. (The iPhone app makes Facebook usable on the small screen, but it cannot match the full Web interface.)
I have used my iPhone for blogging, but it was not something I'd choose to do. On the iPad blogging is a joy. The bigger keyboard makes typing easy. I also like the spell checking. The iPad not only points out spelling mistakes, it offers suggestions to correct the mistake. I use BlogPress which is a universal app.
Along the same lines, I've also used pages to write fairly lengthy documents. Again, I found the key board easy to use. It is best using in it landscape mode is much better than portrait, but that is a problem for Pages. In landscape mode all of Pages controls are hidden. This means that you have to flip back and forth to do any formatted text. Pages also falls down when it comes to transferring documents between the iPad and a computer. The process is convoluted and lossy.
For pure fun, the iPad rocks. The ABC app is magical. The shows are clear, smooth, and portable. There are commercials, but they are not as egregious as watching on cable. The games I've played are also kicking. My two favorites are Harbor Master HD and Parcel Panic. The graphics are amazing and the speedy processor handles the action without a hitch.
Running iPhone games on the iPad is a mixed bag. They looked lost on the screen when played at regular size. When played at 2x they are pixelated. For some games, the pixelation is not too big a deal. For others, it is a deal breaker. One advantage is that all the games play much smoother than they do on my vintage iPhone.
The iPad also shines as an e-book reader. iBooks does a decent job displaying crisp text. It also does an excellent job displaying images. The built-in dictionary is a nice touch, as is the ability to look up words in Wikipedia. The bookstore software makes getting books easy. The UI eye candy is a nice touch even if it is useless.
Is the iPad perfect? Can it replace my laptop? No. It cannot do any photo editing. I haven't found a decent money management app. The storage capacity is tiny. There is no way to print from it. I cannot find replacements for some of the applications I use for work that will run on it. (Although there are a number of apps that will allow me to connect to my work computer to use them.)
Of course most of the problems can be solved by software. Eventually a developer will create apps that fill in the gaps.
When that happens, my MacBook Pro will truly be just a very large phone charger.
Even before I got the iPad, my iPhone started eclipsing my MacBook Pro as the goto computer e-mail, Facebook, Web surfing, checking news, etc. H and I frequently joked that my MacBook Pro was an obscenely large phone charger.
The iPad has accelerated that process. Its larger screen makes Web surfing and e-mailing much better. Web pages are readable and typing e-mails a breeze. Facebook is even better since it is possible to use the Web interface. (The iPhone app makes Facebook usable on the small screen, but it cannot match the full Web interface.)
I have used my iPhone for blogging, but it was not something I'd choose to do. On the iPad blogging is a joy. The bigger keyboard makes typing easy. I also like the spell checking. The iPad not only points out spelling mistakes, it offers suggestions to correct the mistake. I use BlogPress which is a universal app.
Along the same lines, I've also used pages to write fairly lengthy documents. Again, I found the key board easy to use. It is best using in it landscape mode is much better than portrait, but that is a problem for Pages. In landscape mode all of Pages controls are hidden. This means that you have to flip back and forth to do any formatted text. Pages also falls down when it comes to transferring documents between the iPad and a computer. The process is convoluted and lossy.
For pure fun, the iPad rocks. The ABC app is magical. The shows are clear, smooth, and portable. There are commercials, but they are not as egregious as watching on cable. The games I've played are also kicking. My two favorites are Harbor Master HD and Parcel Panic. The graphics are amazing and the speedy processor handles the action without a hitch.
Running iPhone games on the iPad is a mixed bag. They looked lost on the screen when played at regular size. When played at 2x they are pixelated. For some games, the pixelation is not too big a deal. For others, it is a deal breaker. One advantage is that all the games play much smoother than they do on my vintage iPhone.
The iPad also shines as an e-book reader. iBooks does a decent job displaying crisp text. It also does an excellent job displaying images. The built-in dictionary is a nice touch, as is the ability to look up words in Wikipedia. The bookstore software makes getting books easy. The UI eye candy is a nice touch even if it is useless.
Is the iPad perfect? Can it replace my laptop? No. It cannot do any photo editing. I haven't found a decent money management app. The storage capacity is tiny. There is no way to print from it. I cannot find replacements for some of the applications I use for work that will run on it. (Although there are a number of apps that will allow me to connect to my work computer to use them.)
Of course most of the problems can be solved by software. Eventually a developer will create apps that fill in the gaps.
When that happens, my MacBook Pro will truly be just a very large phone charger.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
I first learned about this book from a You Tube video. Usually You Tube videos have the effect of me writing something off, this one was so insane that it piqued my interest. It shows Abe Lincoln sitting in the Oval Office as a vampire attack him. He ensuing fight scene is like something out of The Buffyverse I wasn't going to spend money reading the book, but I would take it out of the library when the opportunity arose.
Two weeks ago I got the e-mail signaling that my turn to check Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer out of the library. After my last experiment with pop culture horror writing, I was wary. Sex pot zombies, bodice ripping, or shiny emo vampire danced in my imagination. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about.
The frame of the novel is that it is based on the secret journals of Lincoln himself. They are delivered to the author by one of Lincoln's vampire allies. The frame makes the book more interesting for a couple of reasons. The first is the mystery of why a vampire would want the truth about Lincoln's vampire slaying known. The other is the sense that the reader will get deeper insights into one of the most complex U.S. Presidents.
The writing would fit well into most books about history. The tone is balanced and slightly detached. There is plenty of "primary source" material woven into the main text. There is also a surprising fidelity to the actual events of Lincoln's life.
The vampires in the novel are of the sort I most like: slightly superior hunters, many are ruthless killers, others just want to go about their business with as little trouble as possible. They are not devoid of human emotions, but they are not as weighed down by them as humans. They are complex and believable.
The development of the alternate Lincoln is rich and still hews close to the historical Lincoln. It is not a stretch to imagine the historical Lincoln reacting to the events of the novel as the alternate Lincoln does. The Lincoln in the novel faces the same tragedies as the real Lincoln. In the book's timeline, the tragedies are perpetrated by vampires instead of more random natural causes. This gives the novel's Lincoln a target for his grief.
I also like how Lincoln's struggle against vampires is woven into the nation's history. Lincoln didn't just save the Union and free the slaves, he saved the U.S. from a far worse fate.
As a bit of light reading, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is excellent.
Two weeks ago I got the e-mail signaling that my turn to check Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer out of the library. After my last experiment with pop culture horror writing, I was wary. Sex pot zombies, bodice ripping, or shiny emo vampire danced in my imagination. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about.
The frame of the novel is that it is based on the secret journals of Lincoln himself. They are delivered to the author by one of Lincoln's vampire allies. The frame makes the book more interesting for a couple of reasons. The first is the mystery of why a vampire would want the truth about Lincoln's vampire slaying known. The other is the sense that the reader will get deeper insights into one of the most complex U.S. Presidents.
The writing would fit well into most books about history. The tone is balanced and slightly detached. There is plenty of "primary source" material woven into the main text. There is also a surprising fidelity to the actual events of Lincoln's life.
The vampires in the novel are of the sort I most like: slightly superior hunters, many are ruthless killers, others just want to go about their business with as little trouble as possible. They are not devoid of human emotions, but they are not as weighed down by them as humans. They are complex and believable.
The development of the alternate Lincoln is rich and still hews close to the historical Lincoln. It is not a stretch to imagine the historical Lincoln reacting to the events of the novel as the alternate Lincoln does. The Lincoln in the novel faces the same tragedies as the real Lincoln. In the book's timeline, the tragedies are perpetrated by vampires instead of more random natural causes. This gives the novel's Lincoln a target for his grief.
I also like how Lincoln's struggle against vampires is woven into the nation's history. Lincoln didn't just save the Union and free the slaves, he saved the U.S. from a far worse fate.
As a bit of light reading, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is excellent.
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