iPad – Gut Reaction

Our iPad came on Saturday morning and I think I’ve touched it for a grand total of thirty minutes. Between the kids and the husband it’s battery life has been put to a fantastic test and I can tell you that lasts as long as Apple claims it does. My kids watched movies and played apps for hours on Saturday and the lowest battery level we saw was 25%. Once the kids are back in school and my husband is back at work I’m planning on  getting in and seeing what this new thing can really do. From what I’ve  seen so far I’m pretty impressed. For me personally, it’s not going to replace my laptop but I can see it becoming something we use all the time for other things. Just the potential it has for kid apps is amazing. They’re great on the iPhone but on the iPad they are captivating for my kids.

Things I Like About the iPad

It is fast. The internet, apps, my email – it’s all fast. I really like having such quick access to my email. Instead of waiting for my laptop to start up I can see my messages with just a couple of taps. Unlike on my iPhone I can see both my inbox and the full messages at the same time. It’s also nice to see the emails on a bigger screen and writing a response is easier on the larger keyboard too.

The screen size takes apps to a whole new level. We’ve tried out some apps that were developed specifically for the iPad and some that are iPhone apps. The graphics on the iPad apps have been amazing but I’ve not been disappointed in the way the iPhone apps transfer over. When you enlarge them to the full screen they lose a little bit of their sharpness but in most of them it’s been barely noticeable. I also love the way the built in calendar app looks on the larger screen. It’s much easier to read and gives me a better feel for what’s going on it the month.

iBooks & the iPad Kindle App could be a dangerous thing for me. Tonight I’m downloading my first book and I’ll let you know how the reading experience goes. Having this many books at my fingertips could be a setup for a costly habit. The temptation to buy an e-book instead of visiting the library with my kids could be too great to resist. Now please understand – I enjoy taking my kids to the library so they can get books. But it’s another thing altogether when I am trying to browse the stacks for myself with a baby on the hip and three kids following behind me. We are inevitably in someone’s way and I leave frustrated and empty handed.  To have the chance to find books whenever I want sounds wonderful.

Things I Don’t Like About the iPad

Fingerprints on the Screen – I was worried about this before the iPad arrived. I know that it’s supposed to have a fingerprint resistant coating but it doesn’t seem to resist much. The prints and streaks aren’t noticeable when the iPad is on but when the screen is black it’s a mess.

Holding the iPad to type feels a bit awkward. It’s nice to have the larger keyboard but I’ve not yet mastered how to hold it with one hand and tap with another. We ordered a case that’s also a lap pad and maybe that will help when it arrives. For me it’s easier to hold it when it’s in landscape mode rather than in portrait.

The glare on the screen is really noticeable when I’m in the sunlight.

iPhone Apps We’ve Successfully Tried on the iPad

We’ve played Settlers of Catan, Moron Test, Plants vs. Zombies (my kids have LOVED that on the bigger screen), Elmo’s Monster Maker, Fly Kiwi Fly, Doodle Jump, Highlight’s Hidden Pictures, Doodle Jump, Train Conductor and Chicktionary.  They were all great enlarged and I am thrilled that the apps I already have will still work on the iPad. We’ve also bought a few that have been developed just for the iPad and I’m going to try and review those over the next few days.

The App that was the BIG Hit

The new Netflix iPad app was everyone’s favorite and the big winner over the weekend. It’s going to take some getting used to the new interface but it’s fast and the movies looked incredible. We used it with our WiFi at home and they played without any problems. I also think that Netflix pumped up their available instant movie selection because there were more choices then I remembered seeing earlier in the week.

So those are just my initial gut reaction thoughts…more to come when I get a chance to see how it’s going to help me as a mom. Did anyone else jump on the bandwagon this weekend? What do you think??