What about you? Have you tested any iPad cases? [...]]]> If you’re in the market for an iPad case, I demonstrate three of them here, and discuss a fourth. The video is on the long side and, yes, I know the top of my head is chopped off. I’m still new at this VLOG thing!

What about you? Have you tested any iPad cases? Which is your favorite?

It’s beautiful. The interface is gorgeous. Everything about it is slick and delicious. I downloaded a ton of classics and even started reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which was great. A lot of books I’m [...]]]> Bought the 3G iPad on Friday! I haven’t used it that much yet, but here are my initial reactions:

It’s beautiful. The interface is gorgeous. Everything about it is slick and delicious. I downloaded a ton of classics and even started reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which was great. A lot of books I’m interested in, like the Chicago Manual of Style, aren’t in e-book format yet. The nice thing is that if you can’t find a book in the iBooks store you can check the Kindle store through the Kindle for iPad app. The differences between the way they’re viewed: Kindle doesn’t have the “look” of a book with the pages on the sides, and the pages don’t “turn” like a real book, they just slide over, but Kindle has sepia tone, which is kind of cool, and more options for font size. Overall, they look pretty similar. One thing that’s annoying is that when you download a free Kindle book, it treats it like a real book purchase and sends you a receipt by e-mail. It’s a longer, more involved process than downloading books from the iBooks store, which takes about 2 seconds.

There aren’t a lot of iPad apps out there yet. You can use all the iPhone apps, but I don’t wan an app that is pixelated when I double the size to fit the iPad. I want apps designed FOR the iPad. So choices are limited at this point (I tried to download a stopwatch and a French dictionary and couldn’t find ones I liked.)

The app I’ve been using most so far: New York Times. It’s so slick. You get just eight stories per category (news, tech, biz, lifestyle, opinion), so some people may hate that, but for someone like me who doesn’t have time to read the paper anyway, it’s perfect. I check it in bed before I go to sleep and in the morning when I wake up, and while I’m feeding the baby.

My 2-year-old son has also gotten a lot of use out of the iPad. Toddler games are way better on the iPad than on the iPhone, as I imagine all games are.

I use Google Calendar instead of iCalendar, and I haven’t found a Google calendar app I’m happy with, but all in good time. I’m sure within the next three months there will be a gazillion more iPad-optimized apps in the store.

Maps works great, and is much easier to use in the larger format.

I haven’t downloaded Pages (word processing) yet, but will do that today.

I think the biggest question about the iPad is where does it fit into my life? It’s not small enough to carry in my pocket or purse like an iPhone (it’s definitely not an iPhone replacement for that reason), and I can’t picture myself writing my book on it, although I did get the keyboard and once the case that props the iPad up is available, there’s no reason why I couldn’t write on it (except that I use Scrivener, and I’m sure it will be ages before Scrivener has an iPad app since they don’t even have a PC app yet). I guess the best way to view it is as a super-e-reader. You take it anywhere you’d take a book-and then you have your e-mail, calendar, and a gazillion other apps, too. But when I’m hopping in the car with no intentions to read a book, I’m not sure whether to bring it with me. For an airplane ride, or a hospital stay, it would be perfect. But do I need it every day?

What do you think? Do you have an iPad? Do you plan to get one? What do you/would you use it for?

It has everything you would expect: Calendar, maps, iTunes, photos with slide shows, web browsing, e-mail, movies.

And here are the specs: 0.5-inches thin, weighs 1.5 pounds, 9.7-inch IPS display. 10 hours of battery life, a month of [...]]]> So the announcement for the Apple tablet, the iPad is over, and this is what we know:

It has everything you would expect: Calendar, maps, iTunes, photos with slide shows, web browsing, e-mail, movies.

And here are the specs: 0.5-inches thin, weighs 1.5 pounds, 9.7-inch IPS display. 10 hours of battery life, a month of standby, accelerometer, compass, speaker, mic, dock connector.

It runs all third-party iPhone apps either small or full screen (2x), and developers can also develop specifically for the iPad, with fancier graphics for video games, etc.

It has iWork with spreadsheets, etc. (spreadsheet has onscreen calculator). iWork apps are $9.99, but I’m not sure what that means.

You can type on it with two hands, like a real keyboard, or you can connect an external keyboard through a keyboard dock.

It has a case (sold separately, like the keyboard?) that lets you prop it up a little or a lot to watch movie or read books.

It has an e-reader called iBooks, which looks like a (color) bookshelf and links to an iBooks store. Looks like all but RandomHouse of teh big five publishers are on board and book prices will vary (Ted Kennedy’s was priced at $14.99). Will use ePub format, which is way better than the Kindle because it allows you to download books from libraries and other e-book stores.

It syncs with USB, has WiFi and optional 3G. Data plans with ATT: $14.99/250mg; $29.99/unlimited. No contracts. Cancel anytime.

PRICE!: Wifi only: 16mb $499; 32mb $599; 32mb $699. Wifi+3G: 16mb $629, 32mb $729, 64mb $829.

Until I play with one, it will be hard to say, but it sounds like this thing could replace laptops altogether with the attached keyboard. Depends on whether you can work on a screen that small, though. I know I’d rather lug an iPad around than a MacBook Pro.

A few disappointments, but it sounds like @Jason of Endgadget had the next generation, due out in October (Why would they give him one that’s different than the one announced today? Seems odd.) Jason said the one he has has two cameras, one front and one back, mouse gestures, and fingerprint recognition. Will I have to wait until October to get mine? UGH! But seems worth it to get the cameras.

Now that you know the price – will you buy one? Will you, will you?