My 5 and 8 year old daughters have monopolised our iPad since we bought it in 2010. I never really used it that much but my partner, who is not at all geeky, would prise it away from the kids for email, browsing, Plants vs Zombies, ABC iView and reading the ‘newspaper’. Wikipanion is her favourite app. A couple of weeks ago, I really wanted to read my ‘book’ but our Kindle and the you-know-what weren’t available and strategically, I used this to overcome sensible financial considerations and pre-ordered the ‘new’, third-generation iPad. It arrived on the 16th March as expected and is all mine, as you can tell from the personalised engraving 😉
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Darcy Moore
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Darcy Moore
What’s on myPad?
My teaching career commenced 0ver 20 years ago at a ‘Mac school’ but it wasn’t until investing in an iPod, like so may other people in 2002, that Apple regularly received my hard-earned cash. The Macbook Pro, iPhone, iPad and a host of other accessories are now part of my daily routines. In future, the iPad is more likely to be whipped out at a conference than my laptop or phone, if there is wifi (as I did not fancy paying for the non-existent 4G option in Australia).
This weekend I used myPad to read books via the Kindle app. Reading, once a solitary pursuit, has become social, if you wish it to be. I love how one can highlight a passage and tweet it for fun, potentially developing connections with folks sharing similar interests, as well as ‘pushing’ ideas one supports. The updated Kindle app is much sharper and I noted, with great pleasure, that not only does it show what percentage of the book one has read but also shows the PAGE NO too. Until this weekend, I’d say to my partner, re: a book we were both reading, with great dissatisfaction, what percentage have you read?
I like how I can be reading and answer a ‘tweet’ or ‘yam‘. This morning I was reading, Mum phoned, using Skype and the much-improved app allowed her to see her grandchildren. The original iPad Skype app was only audio.
Browsing the web is much improved (faster and sharper) using the latest iPad apps. Reeder is a must for RSS feeds. This is the first time I have really used it on an iPad and it is a stunningly usable app for feeds. I had a massive backlog of posts to peruse and really found reading them very easy. The Diigo app and browser (formerly iChromy) are essential tools too. The SMH app is brilliant!
ABC iView, Pocket Weather, Dropbox, iTunesU, TED, Facebook, Edmodo, Google+, Shazam and the Australian Oxford Dictionary grace my home screen. Evernote, Analytics HD, Ego, Google Earth, Lynda.com, Aust. Curric., GoodReader, Kobo, iCurrencyPad, TripAdvisor, Google Translate, Alice, iPhoto and the Prezi Viewer are some of the key apps that grace later pages.
Apple is celebrated and maligned for many oft commented on reasons. No links required. The ‘one ring to rule them all’ analogy has been used any times in relation to the iPad (and Apple) for both positive and critical commentary. The latest iPad is a distinctly improved tablet on the original incarnation. It is faster, sharper and the apps are just so much better than the original versions I used two years ago for the first time. I am able to use the iPad for everything I am likely to do on the weekend, or after work. It is much closer to being the one device to rule them all IMHO.
NB I have still written this post on my Macbook Pro, even though I did consider the benefits of using the tool I am posting about. Maybe next post.
How are you using your iPad?
I am taking bets on how long it remains ‘my iPad’. Miss 8 is starting to lurk, asking polite questions about the ‘differences’ between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ iPads!
BTW Here’s my post about my daughters’ responses to the iPhone back in 2008.
UPDATE: The iCloud synching is very impressive and has massive potential while travelling and for backups. I also forgot to mention how cool the ‘dictation’ feature is, in fact, I actually let Miss 5 and 8 play with that from afar 😉
unkle cyril
Give me a sign if you can hear me out there in cyberspace…
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/lost-in-cyberspace/story-e6frg8h6-1226098292630
Darcy Moore
Unkle Cyril,
Your link reminded me of some complaints from the 19th century:
“Novel reading produces a morbid appetite for mental excitement. The object of the novelist generally is, to produce the highest possible degree of excitement, both of the mind and the passions. The effect is very similar to that of intoxicating liquors on the body. Hence the confirmed novel reader becomes a kind of literary inebriate, to whom the things of eternity have no attractions, and whose thirst cannot be slaked, even with the water of life.
Novel reading is a great waste of time. Few will pretend that they read novels with any higher end in view than mere amusement. If anything valuable is to be derived from them, it may be obtained with far less expense of time, and with safety to the morals, from other sources. No Christian, who feels the obligation of “redeeming the time because the days are evil,” will fail to feel the force of this remark. We have no more right to squander our time and waste our energies in frivolous pursuits–than we have to waste our money in extravagant expenditures! We are as much the stewards of God in respect to the one as the other. How dangerous thus to parley with temptation!
If you wish to become weak-headed, unstable, and good for nothing–read novels!”
(Harvey Newcomb, “The Young Lady’s Guide to the Harmonious Development of Christian Character” 1843)
@Darcy1968 😉
Stu
Congrats on your new mypad. Make sure you also pickup Pulse and Reeder. And for poking around the houses of neighbours who are selling, the brilliant SMH Domain app.
unkle cyril
You are so right darcy..for ‘novels’ read ‘computers’ for ‘novels’ read ‘playing football’ for ‘novels’ read ‘practising alone with a golf-ball and cricket-stump’…I have absolutely no problem with people doing what they like to do, that’s life, but your blogs, while interesting, are like clay pigeons that someone has to shoot at…and that’s what I like to do. As for the article, it was written by Ruth Onstrow – pen for hire…cheers – unk
Andrew FitzSimons
I wondered what that was in your mitt at our first interview today! Love to have an explore.
Deanna
Hey Darcy, Loved “hearing” the excitement in your post! I upgraded from iPad to iPad2 in the past 2 weeks and had similar levels of excitement!
BTW – if you are at a conference wiyth your iPad – you don’t need to rely on wifi – just use your phone’s personal hotspot! No need to miss out just ’cause we have no access to 4G yet!
Enjoy!
Darcy Moore
Yes, the personal hotspot works brilliantly for my MacBook Pro too 🙂
Jessica
I just brought the iPad 3 and currently using iBooks! Did not know there was a kindle app… I’ll have to look into it!