The primary reasons why I had kept telling myself not to get one were:

• I already own an iPod Touch

• It doesn’t support multitasking
• No Flash Support
• Touch-Screen Keyboard
• I had no idea what to use it for

Design and Feel
Seeing the iPad in person is completely different from seeing it in photos. The high-resolution screen is crisp and beautiful, and it responds to hand gestures flawlessly. The product is thin and light, and carrying it feels as natural as carrying a folder. Testing out the demo unit in the Apple Store was all I needed to be assured that I could find a use for it.

By now everybody knows that the iPad looks like an over-sized iPod Touch/iPhone, and runs a modified version of the iPhone OS designed for the beefier processor and large screen. The device contains an accelerometer that will rotate the screen as you rotate the device. I was very surprised to find that there is a switch on the side that will lock the screen in place so that you won’t accidentally rotate the iPad when you move it, which comes in handy when you try to get comfortable or want to read laying down. For me, this is huge because trying to use Opera Mobile on my on my phone would be frustrating at times because the screen would rotate unintentionally.

As said before, the device is very responsive to touch, and the glass surface minimizes friction so that it’s easy to use hand gestures when swiping.

At first, I did not like the fact that the screen does not come out to the edge of the device. Upon further usage I made the realization that without the black border, there wouldn’t be any surface to hold the iPad. I do find that I accidentally turn the iPad off when I don’t mean to when reading in landscape mode, and that obviously the iPad will get smudgy after awhile, but that’s expected.

I do have to say, that I despise the on-screen keyboard. There isn’t a good way to use the keyboard when holding the iPad, or when it’s in portrait mode. Fortunately, the response time for the touch screen is very short, so there isn’t the lag that’s present when using other touch screen devices. However, I don’t see how the keyboard could have been designed any better.
DESIGN: 8.5/10

iPad as an eReader
Because the iPad is marketed as a Kindle-killer, one would expect for it to be an excellent eReader. It does not disappoint. The screen in itself shows why the device could revolutionize the way we receive printed content, and even a couple of weeks after it’s release, the apps back that claim up.

Reading an e-book is arguably clearer on the iPad than reading the book in print right in front of you. Pictures in the included Winnie-the-Pooh e-book are some of the sharpest images I’ve ever seen on a computer screen, and it’s really something that you have to see in person.

All of the gestures in the iBook app are very natural. Swipe your fingers across the screen, and you turn the page. Swipe the other way, and go back a page. Rotate in landscape, and view two pages at once. You can buy books in the Bookstore, and there is even a very large assortment of free classics such as Frankenstein, A Tale of Two Cities and Heart of Darkness.

Something that really surprised me was the Zinio app which you can use to subscribe to magazines or purchase each issue individually. This was one of the things that I had always thought the iPad would be used for at some point, but didn’t expect this to be something ready at launch.

The app works just as advertised. Download (the app itself is free), install and create an account. You can then browse it’s large library of magazines, make your purchases, and then browse the magazine naturally as you would a physical hard-copy. The magazines are crisp, and the colors are much more vibrant than their physical counterparts. My only gripe is that each page needs a short pause to render, but it’s a minor inconvenience.

I was disappointed when I found out that the iPad syncs with iTunes because that would mean that there wouldn’t be a way to add pdf support… But low and behold, GoodReader ($0.99) solves that problem. GoodReader will allow you to upload your pdf’s using iTunes, and then be able to display them in it’s app after syncing. At .99 it’s a minor setback for something that one would expect to have native support for, but it’s not a deal-breaker in the least bit.
iPad as an eReader: 10/10

iPad as an Internet Browser

The iPad was also touted as being designed around internet browsing, and for that it’s… Okay. The lack of flash support leaves you feeling as if what you are viewing is slightly gimped, and the touch screen makes typing anything a chore. Websites that do not have any flash objects do look very good, and you can zoom in and out of each page fluidly.

iPad as an Internet Browser: 6/10

Apps and Games
Right now the app selection is still quite small, and most iPad apps are more expensive than their iPhone/iPod counterparts. The apps that do make use of the iPad’s hardware look great, while using the apps designed for the iPhone don’t, and are difficult to use since you have to reach towards the middle of the screen (remember that alot of the iPhone apps are meant for thumbs.)

The included apps made by Apple such as YouTube and Mail are great. Games seem to be a mixed bag. I purchased Let’s Golf! but was very disappointed. I’ve never really viewed the iPhone as a legitimate gaming machine, and I don’t see the iPad as very different. I could be biased though because I tend to dislike casual games which are all the iPad offers, at a price.

Other apps are quite clever. The Wikipanion app is extremely convenient for looking up a quick Wikipedia article without having to go to the browser. Zinio and GoodReader (mentioned in detail above) are both great, as well as the Weatherbug and Marvel comics app.
Apps: 9/10
Games: 4/10

Overall
How much I enjoy and use the iPad wasn’t something that I expected when I bought it. I’ve found that I use it when I wake up before getting out of bed to view the news, check my mail and other things that I used to use my phone browser for. It offers much more freedom in that I can leave my desk and browse the internet or watch YouTube from my couch.
Overall Score: 9/10

Yesterday I wrote about how I built a Media Center around a Mac, despite having very little experience using Mac’s at all. The last time I used a Mac was for a Spring 2007 programming class. The lab we were using had only Apple computers, which lead to a lot of frustration for those of us who were used to Windows. The Mac OS X Terminal was similar to DOS on Windows, except for some minor differences, and most of us just opted to bring out laptops to lab and use those.

So yes, my first impressions… Well at least close to them. I’ve been using my mini for about three months already, and I have to say I’ve enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, though it hasn’t been without some issues.

Interface

Coming from Windows, the interface takes some getting used too. I’m still not sure if I like the OS X Dock or the Start Bar better but I’m pretty sure I’ll know that in time. I do know that I prefer using ‘My Computer’ over the ‘Finder’, if only for Microsoft’s “No Bullshit” approach. Other things in OS X are nice, for example being able to zoom in on the screen by holding down CTRL and scrolling using the mouse wheel. Because of my Media Center Setup, this comes in handy since I sit pretty far from the screen. Expose and Dashboard are also pretty neat tools, though installation of some applications could be a little more straight-forward. It took me awhile to figure out that some applications are installed by dragging the application icon over the Application directory icon… While that makes sense, it may be making things a little bit too simple and literal.

Software

I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be the first, or last person to say that I don’t use any of the software that came with the Mac. My first install was Firefox, and since then I’ve been slowly replacing the applications that came with the system. I have been pleasantly surprised what you can find for Mac though. Cyberduck is a brilliant FTP tool that you can download for free, as is Adium, a light-weight Instant Messenger application, are some of the great programs you can find for OS X. To tell the truth, I really haven’t found anything that would rival these programs in Windows. I also find that I prefer Front Row to Windows Media Center only because it doesn’t seem to suffer from being bloated and clunky.
Hardware
And this is where the Mac really starts to shine. Despite the fact that I base all of my comparisons on the low-end mini, the hardware design of this computer is really something to behold. This is the quietest, discrete, coolest (temperature wise) computer I have ever used, yet it maintains all of the functionality it needs. The Mac has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Optical Audio-out, Firewire, and a quick processor. The only thing really lacking is extra RAM.

Overall my first impressions are good. I’m still learning more about how to use OS X but as I learn new things I’ll be sure to write about them.

I’ve never used a Mac before purchasing this mini, so working with this setup was a completely new experience in more ways than one. I have found that I slightly prefer OS X to Windows (surprise surprise) if only for the convenience and simplicity. It’s also nice to be able to emulate Windows, which I’ll get to at a later time.

So here’s what you’ll need:
• Mac mini (I’ve found the 1.83Ghz model to be sufficient)
• Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse (RF will suffice)
• 32″ or larger LCD HDTV w/ a VGA or DVI input
• Receiver with Optical Input
• Optical Cable (one end must have a 3.5mm optical connector)
• VGA Cable
• Wireless Router (For Internet)

The reason I recommend an LCD screen is so that burn-in isn’t a factor as it would be with plasma screens. Now that you know what you need, everything else comes pretty easily… Actually this is really easy… Connecting everything should be pretty self explanatory. Things that may not be so obvious will be explained below.

Connecting to the TV

If you have a HDTV manufactured recently, odds are your going to have either a DVI or VGA input. The Mac mini has a DVI output, but it also comes packaged with a DVI->VGA connector. Once you have everything connected (I’m not really going to insult anyone’s intelligence by explaining how to do this ) the Mac should recognize your TV without having to configure anything. The only thing your going to want to do is change the screen resolution.

System Preferences -> Display. The recommended resolution for a 720p TV will be 1366×768.

Connecting to the Receiver
There really isn’t much to say on this one if you go the S/PDIF route. If your receiver doesn’t have an optical input, or if you don’t have a receiver and want to use the TV for sound, you can use a 3.5mm to RCA cable.

Mouse/Keyboard

Because of the range and flexibility they provide, I recommend using a Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse over their wired counterparts. RF will also work well, but with the added inconvenience (albeit small) of a having to use a receiver.

So once you’ve gotten this far, you have the basics down. Provided you have a Wireless Router, you can now use the internet on your TV (great for Youtube), listen to music through your stereo (or home theater), play DVD’s, watch videos and work from your couch.

It really is alot easier than it looks… More to come next week.