iPad Follow-Up: Thoughts, Apps, Etc.
I really do like this thing. I’ve actually got myself a messenger bag (i.e. man-purse) just so I can tote it around, in fact. I plan on getting a stylus for it, since I think its note-taking abilities will be rather keen. Who needs a moleskine?
As an update on the PC charging issue, most motherboard manufacturers have resolved this issue. My manufacturer (Gigabyte) even came out with a quick-charge update to charge the iPhone and iPad even faster. Huzzah! However… it still doesn’t actually charge when I hook it up to my system. Boo! Might be that I’ve got too many other USB accessories plugged in.
Speaking of accessories, I would very much like a case that both stands up, and also has some internal pockets for holding papers, cards, or whatever. These two features seem to be mutually exclusive from what I’ve seen, but there’s no reason it can’t be done.
Okay, on to some apps that I like:
- NetFlix – This is probably what I’ve been using it for the most. Kick back in bed, watch an episode of Avatar the Last Airbender. This also seems to work well over 3G, not just WiFi (though I’ve only tried in areas with full-bars of reception).
- GoodReader – GoodReader iswas a mandatory app if you plan on reading PDFs on your iPad. However, iBooks is going to handle PDFs soon, so I’d wait to see how well that works before shelling out money for GoodReader.
- HarborMaster – Neat little strategy game, that’s free. Well not really “strategy” — you have to direct different boats into different ports, and then back off the screen, without letting any crash into one another. It’s harder than it sounds.
- Dropbox – File syncing service, which is also accessible via iPad. I’ve found this quite useful for work.
- EverNote – Not nearly as useful without having a camera, but still a great application for compiling random notes. A favorite amongst people of the GTD philosophy.
And the built-in photos app is just too cool. Check out the demo here (Photos is the third one down, my favorite bit is about 2:40 in).
Really the big feature is the 3G connection though. I’ve found this useful enough for work that even if they hadn’t got me one, knowing what I know now I’d have bought one myself.