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iPad First Impressions

iPad

I got an iPad. It was a gift from Z2 Marketing. I hesitate to call this a “review” and I’ll just say “First Impressions” for the following observations…

Despite my best efforts to avoid being called an “Apple Fanboi” I do somehow own a Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iPod, iPhone, and now an iPad. In my defense, I’ve been using Apple products since about 1979, and have used them professionally in my work for about 17 years. I’m not the kind that runs out and buys anything Apple sells… but I do get what I think I need to do my work, or make my life more enjoyable/easier.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I’ll start with this, the iPad is pretty amazing… at what it does. If you’re fine with the limitations of the iOS, then you’ll probably like the iPad. The typical iOS issues that bug me with the iPhone and iPod exist here as well, no access to the file system, the walled garden of the App Store, the closed nature of the device… that said, within the parameters of Apple hardware and the restrictive iOS, it’s a pretty stunning device.

The iPad is probably not something I would have bought for myself since I’ve got a number of computers/devices which do much of what the iPad does. That said, the iPad fills this space between the MacBook and the iPhone, which is probably right where Apple positioned it. (See my post Consume / Create – Apple Products for my previous thoughts on the matter.)

A few days after getting the iPad I was feeling under the weather, and ended up spending a lot of downtime on the couch and in bed, and in both cases the iPad really fit the bill as far as the device to use. Reading RSS feeds, wasting time with Twitter or Facebook, watching Netflix videos… the iPad excels at these tasks! I have not done much writing on it, and would probably not want to use it for extended writing of any sort.

Speaking of writing, I did try to pair it with an old Apple Wireless Keyboard (using Bluetooth) but it didn’t work… the iPad would not pair with it as Apple does not support it. Charging is another interesting topic. You can’t just use the same charging methods you use with an iPod or iPhone. The iPad comes with a 10 watt charger. The plain old “USB Chargers” I use all the time don’t kick out enough juice. There’s a few notes I’ve found that talk about charging, but I’ve not dug into the subject very much yet. The battery does seem to last a long time… but also takes quite a while to fully charge up.

Update: Yes, it does charge via USB (when not using the 10 watt charger) it just charges very slowly…

All in all I’m really liking the iPad, and what it can do, as is the rest of the family. What would be nice? Support for multiple users, an upgrade that makes it more even feature-wise with the iPhone 4 (camera(s), slightly different design, etc.) a more open platform… but honestly, it’s a pretty cool consuming device, and for what it is, I’m very happy with it.

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Awesome…

Awesome!

Awesome is this word people really like to use…

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A Very Maker Christmas

A Very Maker Christmas

We’ve been busy in the days leading up to Christmas, and the elves (kids) spent a lot of time in the “2XL Makerspace” and with my help we hand-crafted a number of ornaments. In the true tradition of making gifts rather than buying them, we had a blast…

I made good use of the tools that belonged to my Dad, and a box of scrap wood my brother gave me (along with my own scrap wood, which I’ve probably moved with me for the last 5 years/4 houses.)

I can see this becoming a tradition… spending time with the kids making things in the weeks leading up to the Holidays…

File Under: Awesome.

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Roasted Garlic Asiago Dip

Roasted Garlic Asiago Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic
  • 16 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 cups shredded asiago cheese
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cut the garlic head in half along the “equator” (with root and stem ends representing the poles).
  3. Place the garlic, cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet and roast uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until tender. (This is the hardest part!)
  4. To remove the garlic, turn heads upside down and gently squeeze the garlic out of the skins.
  5. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
  6. With a food processor or electric mixer, blend cream cheese, Asiago cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream until well-blended, add garlic and blend again.
  7. Place mixture into a casserole or baking dish and top with shredded mozzarella.
  8. Bake about 20 minutes until golden brown on top.
  9. Serve with firm crusty bread, crackers, pita bread, or whatever.

I’m expected to make this every Thanksgiving, and now the family wants it on Christmas as well. I’m pretty sure it’s the only reason I get invited… Anyway, here’s the recipe, so now you can make it yourself and I don’t even have to show up!

But seriously folks, after it shows up, this stuff is gone in like 10 minutes, and people who miss out on it are sad and have even been known to cry. So don’t ruin the day, make your own Roasted Garlic Asiago Dip and be the Hero of the Holidays!

(Sorry I couldn’t get a photo of the final product, but I needed to get this published to fulfill some promises… Enjoy!)

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iPod Review – Five Years Later

iPod

I got an iPod for Christmas in 2005. I’m going to review it now. Wait, 2005… Is that a typo!? No…

I’m still using the first iPod I ever got. My wife gave me the 5th generation 30GB iPod with video. And yes, I did review this iPod back in 2007. So what? I’m reviewing it again.

I love this iPod. I have not felt the urge to upgrade or replace it. It works as well as it did 5 years ago when I got it. The interface is simple and easy to use. It does one thing, and it does it well.

I use this iPod almost every day. At least, every day I drive. I’d guess that 98% of its usage is in my car as an audio player connected to my car stereo. I have no desire to get an iPod touch, as I actually think the interface would be much more difficult to use while driving. In my previous review I did mention something about this:

The iPod interface also requires you to look, or at least be able to feel around and guess where to push. Other players (with actual buttons) allow you to memorize where the buttons are and what they do. I could operate my Rio while driving and never take my eyes off the road. This seems to be a big concern with the iPhone as well, it will require visual attention to be able to use it.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been using the old iPod interface for so long, but I feel much more at ease using it to navigate for music playing than I do for my iPhone. It’s all spin and click, no typing or swiping.

I still on occasion have an issue with the iPod not turning off, but it happens seldom enough that it’s not really a bother. Battery life also seems a bit shorter than it used to be, but hey, it is 5 years old and has been used a lot. The battery does hold a charge, so that’s good. The only really bothersome thing is that at some point it got confused and started showing the wrong artwork for some of the files on it. So I’ll be listening to Sleep and it shows album cover art for Cat Power. I’ve gotten used to it. A restore might fix that, but I’ve never had the energy to do one.

I don’t need apps, or wifi, or a camera, or anything except a music player, so as long as it holds out, I’ll keep using the 5th generation 30GB iPod for my automotive audio needs.

(And yes, I do realize that by posting the sentence above, it will somehow cease to function within a matter of weeks. I’ll let you know when that happens.)