[grawk]

There is definitely software to read CBR and PDF on the ipad. I haven't tried the comics on it, but reviews are good.

 

[smokey616]

Sweet, that's good to know. Now to decide whether or not it's worth paying that much for a glorified comic book reader

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smokey616 /img/forum/go_quote.gif bigshot, I see you mentioned cbr files. does the iPad support comics in that or cbz file format? how about PDF?

There are two cbr/cbz readers for the iPad... Comic Zeal is the one I use. $8 For PDFs I use Goodreader which is a buck. There are a bunch of ways to get files into the iPad. It's pretty easy to manage. The proportions of the screen are a bit different than print, but touch makes it really comfortable to slide around on a page and pinch zoom. I loaded a 150 Meg 300 dpi PDF and it scrolled and zoomed quickly. Very little lag. The iPad is a great way to read comics.

 

[immtbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkSpoon /img/forum/go_quote.gif hope you dont need any emergency service 911 isnt available on VOIP. also, you'd only get VOIP when you have an internet connection ...

My Voip (Vonage) has mandatory E911. Wouldn't it work the same way if you were using it on Skype?

 

[oldskoolboarder]

+1 for ComicZeal. I've used it on my iPhone for CBRs.

My buddy had Goodreader on his iPad. Never used it but looked like a great app for PDF files.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

or the marvel app has been getting great reviews for the iPad if you wanted an official means of getting comics, i ahvent tried it myself yet though.

another must have app i think, is wikipanion, best wikipedia app ive found.

 

[chadbang]

Today was my first day playing with the iPad - at Best Buy. Right off the bat, I was surprised at how heavy it is. Not a very pleasant feel. Sort of like holding a thick sheet of glass. Scratch the idea of getting one for mother with arthritis. I sort of blew past the touch screen interface, since I've had an iPod touch and iPhone. Nothing new there. I wanted to really investigate typing on the thing, and I didn't like the touchscreen keyboard very much. Am I the only one who finds typing onto a hard sheet of glass extremely annoying? It sort of pains my fingers to be hitting that flat piece of glass, and that was exacerbated by having to type a little harder than usual to hit the correct keys - as part of being more accurate with my "attack." I found typing quite unpleasant. Honestly, it weight sort of put me off. I think being so small and chunky actually makes the ipad feel heavier than the Airbook. And I still like have a raised, clamshell screen.

 

[jpelg]

[size=xx-small]Killer Apps[/size]

Apple II - Visicalc
IBM PC - Lotus 123
Apple Macintosh - Pagemaker
Commodore Amiga - Video Toaster
iPad - Comic book readers

 

[jpelg]

[size=xx-small]On-screen keyboard[/size]

Touchscreen technology is interesting. However, as someone who worked in an adaptive-technology setting years ago, I'm rather surprised at the lack of advancement in voice recognition. To me, this seems to be a better way of inputting & controlling my computing experience. Especially when a physical keyboard is not present.

I can only guess that with our Blackberry-centric, on-the-go world, talking, even to our computers, is passe'?

 

[grawk]

As someone who works with computers a LOT, I'd HATE the star trek talking interface. That said, there are some pretty good voice recognition packages out there. Dragon is free for ipad/iphone, for example.

 

[bigshot]

If anyone wants to try a PDF comic on their iPad, I just posted a great one.... Milt Gross Funnies no 2 from 1947...

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive: Comics: Milt Gross Funnies Number 2

 

[DarkSpoon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker /img/forum/go_quote.gif My Voip (Vonage) has mandatory E911. Wouldn't it work the same way if you were using it on Skype?

that works because your vonage is tied to a physical address. that doesnt work so well on the go with something like skype on a mobile phone or ipad. they can usually track you via cell phone tower triangulation when calling 911 from a mobile phone. but using wifi to make the call that isnt available. for a bit more info: Skype and Emergency Services

 

[Pepsi]

I wonder if they'll release the "upgraded" version in the next 2-3 quarters. My roommate bought the 16gb version 3 days ago, and he's been pretty hooked on it. honestly it's just a blown up faster iTouch. I think my iPhone and Macbook Pro will suffice, regardless nice piece of technology indeed, i just don't really need it. Or am i just telling myself that...

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pepsi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wonder if they'll release the "upgraded" version in the next 2-3 quarters. My roommate bought the 16gb version 3 days ago, and he's been pretty hooked on it. honestly it's just a blown up faster iTouch. I think my iPhone and Macbook Pro will suffice, regardless nice piece of technology indeed, i just don't really need it. Or am i just telling myself that...

Yep, main reason why I'm not buying one now. From the various teardowns that have been performed, there's a lot of extra volume in the iPad and quite a bit of room for Apple to shrink the internals even more. Shouldn't be much of a challenge for Apple to ditch most of the bezel and produce a physically smaller iPad while maintaining screen size and battery life.

Plus they should be able to knock down the weight a lot by moving to a composite back as they did with the iPhone. Milled G10 would be preferred, but more likely molded Lexan due to cost. Milled aluminum looks nice, but it's not a very practical choice due to density. Smart industrial design, dumb engineering decision. The convex back needs to go too.

Secondary reason is cost. The iPad doesn't have any competition right now, so Apple's basically able to charge what they want. I figure increased competition should force them to drop their margins down into the 30% range vs the 50% range they're in now.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

I thought I was going to hate the bezel too, but it's actually really nice. It allows you to hold it without having a finger on the screen, I think it was an ergonomic decision to put it there not a design necessity. And I guess that while plastic would probable be better, the aluminum is too cool

and the convex back makes it feel thinner and more natural in your hand. But to each there own i guess