7 Thoughts after 24 Hours

1. No, the iPad will not replace your laptop

Data entry, although slick, still is not optimal for note-taking, paper writing, or Facebook chat. It is, however, quite nice for typing short emails and typing search queries.

iPad reaffirms Apple’s refusal to allow flash to download on mobile devices. Although available on iMac, MacBook, and MacBook pro, the inability to download flash on the iPad means no mobile enjoyment of Hulu, MySpace Music, or any other flash-based content.  However, ABC has created a video watching app for their television shows, so you don’t have to miss out on the latest episode of “Lost.” I’m sure other networks will follow suit in the near future.

2. The iPad Apps really are much better than the iPhone versions

A larger screen, more accurate touch sensitivity, and new app technologies, have surely changed the face of apps from merely complimenting the iPad to being the major benefit of the iPad. The iPad app selection is, however, quite limited and some are quite expensive (Understandably, it was released this past Saturday).

3. The iPad revolutionizes email portability/readability

Today I read all of my emails, responded to a number of them, and surfed the latest news… whilst walking to class. Yes, of course I could have done this on my smart phone, but its nice to have a large keyboard, large email display, and bright display to interact with on an intuitive level. Its quite nice to literally “flip” through your emails on a screen bigger than a deck of cards.

4. Yes, the battery life is “magical”

Even while playing music, checking email, web surfing, and YouTube-ing for 12 solid hours, I only used up 95% of the battery life. Yes, you heard me right, 12 hours of use on one charge.

5. The mini circular “Slider Button” locks the screen orientation in place

After accidentally locking the screen orientation in the portrait orientation, by unknowingly sliding the “slider button” to the “red” position, I was left shaking the device and trying to get it to work in other orientations for the better part of 20 minutes. Go ahead and laugh.

6. The “Notes” app is not useful

Being the iPad, I expected it to have a darn good note-taking platform. (Isn’t that what a yellow pad is for anyway?) The Notes app is cumbersome and cheesy. I will be trying out the Pages App tomorrow to see if $9.99 solves the deficiency.

7. The iPad is as fun as it looks

The Labyrinth game and other iPad games are a blast. A vast improvement to iPhone games.