On Wed, May 05, 2010 at 10:05:15PM -0400, Bowerbird@aol.com wrote:
so, does anyone here have an ipad yet?
Yes. I'm not very impressed. Too big & heavy. I like the iPhone better. The interface is basically the same as the iPhone/iPod Touch, just a bigger screen. The interface is, overall, very impressive and responsive. The iBooks app is OK. Like all the related Apple devices, you are forced to "drink the kool-aid" and use iTunes to manage the devices, and go through the iTunes store for many things like new apps, even when those apps are free. (There are some workarounds, but iTunes is by far the path of least resistance.) As others have mentioned, there are some really great applications for eBooks, some of which have value-added features like community recommender/review systems. Stanza, GoodReader and Wattpad are all strong, and backed by large collections including much free content (lots of Gutenberg) and much non-free. Only the iPad has the iBooks app. IMHO, it doesn't have any significant stand-out benefits over the other eBook apps I've used. They did a nice job on (permitted, legal, freely distributed) repackaging of some Project Gutenberg titles. BTW, I was just interviewed today by these folks: http://www.youtube.com/FOXTappedin ...concerning the iPad and eBooks in general. The interview podcast is supposed to be online by early next week. But the site showcases some pretty neat apps that really DO (I suspect) benefit from the larger screen. For example, some educational apps that operate like a digital coloring book.
i'll be getting one in the next week or so, when i know for sure that i can walk into the store and walk out with one in a bag.
BTW, http://m.gutenberg.org is looking VERY good on these portable devices. Marcello has been doing wonders. Still a work in progress, but a whole lot better than the generic site for small screens & touch devices. -- Greg