So which iPAD are you getting and why?

Tom-D said:
" We are becoming more and more vulnerable the more dependent we are on these devices and the internet. They have become essential tools but we are not in control of them. It's not the computer, 'Hal', who takes over the spaceship but cyber-pirates and malware jocks. And Hal's apps can be remotely removed, altered or reprogrammed to do just about anything. Holy Sci-Fi thriller! It's scary."

True? not true? thoughts of the learned ones here ?
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Tom,

A lot of people bag on Apple's locking of the iDevices to their app store and the extensive approval process required, but it does an excellent job of keeping iPad (iPhone, iPod Touch, etc) users safe from malware.

OTOH, Google just had to boot some apps out of their app store that were collecting users' personal information and doing other Bad Stuff.
 
I am still looking for enough excuses to buy an Ipad.

While reading a trade journal this morning that was promoting their digital version, I was thinking that if there is an app that would let me select a newspaper or magazine article and save it to a folder to read later, that might be the final factor. Right now I have stacks of magazines that I keep because they have articles I want to read or refer to later. I tried cutting those out and saving them but all that different size and texture paper just produced a more disorganized mess.

Is there an app like that?
 
JOhnH said:
I am still looking for enough excuses to buy an Ipad.

While reading a trade journal this morning that was promoting their digital version, I was thinking that if there is an app that would let me select a newspaper or magazine article and save it to a folder to read later, that might be the final factor. Right now I have stacks of magazines that I keep because they have articles I want to read or refer to later. I tried cutting those out and saving them but all that different size and texture paper just produced a more disorganized mess.

Is there an app like that?
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http://www.instapaper.com/iphone

Works as advertised.
 
rpadula said:
To keep this somewhat aviation-related: I'm gonna guess the reason ForeFlight would recommend the 3G model was because the GPS in the iPad is actually in the 3G chipset. Which is kind of odd, because their website also recommends an external GPS receiver because the one in the iPad is not "aviation grade." :crazy:
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I ran fore flight today alongside my lowrance 2000c.... No appreciable difference in the "aviation grade" of the two IMO
 
Pjsmith said:
I ran fore flight today alongside my lowrance 2000c.... No appreciable difference in the "aviation grade" of the two IMO
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The problem with the built-in one is just a slight loss of accuracy when climbing or descending. On an instrument approach, you're descending... I don't think it's awful, but it wasn't what they wanted for georef. Now, it's not OK to navigate via georef on the iPad anyway, which is probably why they still allow georef even if you don't have the Bad Elf or the bluetooth GPS, but there you have it.

I wouldn't go trying to shoot a WAAS approach with it, but it's OK for situational awareness.
 
woodstock said:
Which makes an interesting conundrum:

1. Laptop is still better for photography, for me which means it may still be the choice on trips that are photography based. Laptop is 3 lbs versus new iPad. Which one is more likely to go on trips? Either/or? This last two-day jaunt to Paris I took no laptop to cut down on weight. A 1 lb iPAD may have gone with me.

2. I have a berry that works in Europe which means I get emails on the fly. Can google on the fly. I won't be carrying an iPAD around all day, but a berry I do carry. Not weight at this point, but size. Also, I have a 40 bucks a month Sprint plan for intl data on my berry - unlimited.

3. Re: number 2, the iPAD would likely sit in the hotel for use when I get back to the hotel, assuming I even have it with me. Many hotels already have wifi (see: laptop usage).

4. Given the above - who has the better data plan? This iPad will be used away from home, for sure - but will I use it in Europe at all, and if so, would it only be in the hotel anyway? Should I pick a data plan that is better for the times I will use it in the US?
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Given the above...

Does the Berry allow WiFi tethering, or can it be easily done?

That'd be the way to get the most bang for your buck out of that Sprint "unlimited" data plan. Let the iPad get its data through the Berry.

You have an interesting and unique set of things going on there.
 
woodstock said:
Interesting idea... my berry is 3 yrs old. Can you do that with old devices?
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Sorry, on that one I'd have to Google. I was Bluetooth tethering to Berry's a long time ago, and all the instructions were "Out There(TM)", back before the carriers really even cared or knew about tethering.

Honestly just don't know about modern Berry's and whether or not they can easily be told to just share their data out over WiFi. The carriers want more money for such things these days, of course. Always more money.

Trolling the Forum at HowardForums.com was, as I recall, quite useful/entertaining, but took a while to find what I was looking for back then.
 
woodstock said:
Which makes an interesting conundrum:

1. Laptop is still better for photography, for me which means it may still be the choice on trips that are photography based. Laptop is 3 lbs versus new iPad. Which one is more likely to go on trips? Either/or? This last two-day jaunt to Paris I took no laptop to cut down on weight. A 1 lb iPAD may have gone with me.
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If you're going to be mostly offloading images to free up space on your cards, the iPad will do great, for a couple pounds less than the laptop. It also makes a great in-flight entertainment device, with its long battery life. You could read, watch movies, etc. for the whole flight.

2. I have a berry that works in Europe which means I get emails on the fly. Can google on the fly. I won't be carrying an iPAD around all day, but a berry I do carry. Not weight at this point, but size. Also, I have a 40 bucks a month Sprint plan for intl data on my berry - unlimited.
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See Nate's comments re: tethering. If you can get the berry to act as a WiFi hotspot, you can do your googling/emailing/etc. on a much larger, easier to read screen.

3. Re: number 2, the iPAD would likely sit in the hotel for use when I get back to the hotel, assuming I even have it with me. Many hotels already have wifi (see: laptop usage).
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Pretty much even between the two here - But the iPad is easier to cart along with you than the laptop.

4. Given the above - who has the better data plan? This iPad will be used away from home, for sure - but will I use it in Europe at all, and if so, would it only be in the hotel anyway? Should I pick a data plan that is better for the times I will use it in the US?
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Some people have talked in the past about getting a local prepaid SIM card for when they're in Europe or elsewhere - That way you don't need an "international" data plan. I haven't done it, but I bet Scott will pipe up. I would suggest the AT&T 3G iPad if you do this because GSM (AT&T network technology) is much more widely supported around the world than CDMA (Verizon network technology).
 
Thanks Nate. I'll see if I can do some sleuthing. It's not a huge deal if my hotel has wifi. I won't even use the 3G then. Now for train rides.. although to be honest given that it has a nice screen I'd probably just watch movies.

ALERT: I JUST DISCOVERED ANGRY BIRDS AT THE APPLE STORE LAST WEEKEND.

Kent: Not even so much to free up space on my cards as to view the photos larger to see how I like them. On longer trips, I actually would crack open the Picasa and tone up a few photos and post them on flickr during the trip. To be honest I don't do THAT much post processing of photos on trips, I am too busy "being on vacation" and taking photos. So it's not like it would be a hardship. Just being able to see them would be most of the battle.

My current berry is great for intl data roaming (although at 3 yrs probably pretty slow) and I've never bothered to swap the SIM. How tough would that be on a 3 yr old berry? I don't have a reason to upgrade it - not even sure what else is out there that is GSM.
 
Everskyward said:
Of course while looking through the refurbished store I came to this page which is more tempting to me than an iPad. Forget what I said earlier about $800 toys. :crazy:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_air/11?mco=MjEwNzQ0NjQ
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There's a Mac Outlet store near Broadway & Hampden that has used Apple equipment. It's an Apple-blessed repair shop, too. Once the iPad2 & the new MacAir start shipping you'll see a lot of the previous models at the store.

And, if you know someone with an Educational ID (and you do), there's a small discount on the MacAirs (949 vs 999) - nothing on the iPads.
 
woodstock said:
Kent: Not even so much to free up space on my cards as to view the photos larger to see how I like them. On longer trips, I actually would crack open the Picasa and tone up a few photos and post them on flickr during the trip. To be honest I don't do THAT much post processing of photos on trips, I am too busy "being on vacation" and taking photos. So it's not like it would be a hardship. Just being able to see them would be most of the battle.
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Aha... Well, the iPad would be GREAT for that then!

My current berry is great for intl data roaming (although at 3 yrs probably pretty slow) and I've never bothered to swap the SIM. How tough would that be on a 3 yr old berry? I don't have a reason to upgrade it - not even sure what else is out there that is GSM.
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Whatever AT&T has is GSM.
 
woodstock said:
Kent: Not even so much to free up space on my cards as to view the photos larger to see how I like them. On longer trips, I actually would crack open the Picasa and tone up a few photos and post them on flickr during the trip. To be honest I don't do THAT much post processing of photos on trips, I am too busy "being on vacation" and taking photos. So it's not like it would be a hardship. Just being able to see them would be most of the battle.
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flyingcheesehead said:
Aha... Well, the iPad would be GREAT for that then
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Beth, you would still need a camera connection kit (scroll down on this page to see it) to get your pictures into the iPad.
 
murphey said:
There's a Mac Outlet store near Broadway & Hampden that has used Apple equipment. It's an Apple-blessed repair shop, too. Once the iPad2 & the new MacAir start shipping you'll see a lot of the previous models at the store.

And, if you know someone with an Educational ID (and you do), there's a small discount on the MacAirs (949 vs 999) - nothing on the iPads.
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Should I confess this...

I bought the refurb 2 GB memory 128 GB hard drive MacBook Air. It's enroute now.
 
rpadula said:
Sorry about that. I feel like it is my fault somehow. :wink2:
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Nah, it's me. I'm usually not much into material things but sometimes I'm an impulse buyer of the worse kind.

rpadula said:
Which model did you get?
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I don't have any idea if this was a good idea or not but I've always wanted to try an Apple computer. I considered the iPad but on second thought this seemed much more useful for only a few dollars (relatively) more. I really don't have any need for a tablet anyway.
 

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Everskyward said:
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:thumbsup: Nice.

This is the most recent model. I hear it's better and faster than the previous one.

Everskyward said:
I don't have any idea if this was a good idea or not but I've always wanted to try an Apple computer. I considered the iPad but on second thought this seemed much more useful for only a few dollars (relatively) more. I really don't have any need for a tablet anyway.
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FYI, this is not too obvious from the descriptions on the Apple web pages, but the RAM is not user expandable in the Air. You cannot upgrade to 4GB later. If you'll only be doing light duty (email, web, yadda yadda) with it, 2GB should be fine.
 
rpadula said:
FYI, this is not too obvious from the descriptions on the Apple web pages, but the RAM is not user expandable in the Air. You cannot upgrade to 4GB later. If you'll only be doing light duty (email, web, yadda yadda) with it, 2GB should be fine.
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Yeah, I actually went to the Apple store and played with one first. At that time they explained to me that you cannot upgrade later. I don't think I will tax the memory too much.
 
rpadula said:
:thumbsup: Nice.

This is the most recent model. I hear it's better and faster than the previous one.



FYI, this is not too obvious from the descriptions on the Apple web pages, but the RAM is not user expandable in the Air. You cannot upgrade to 4GB later. If you'll only be doing light duty (email, web, yadda yadda) with it, 2GB should be fine.
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Ess not to worry. This Macbook Pro has only 2GB RAM and works like a champ doing a lot more than just web.

That Macbook Air is a fine, fine choice. Everybody I've seen who got the small one is love with it. You're doomed now to join the light side.

I have the G4 Mac Mini nearby that is currently working its brains out downloading vidcasts and serving video. Yeah, it bogs down. What it doesn't do is crash (R) (tm) Microsoft.

I just proved that I can stream the downloaded vidcasts to my HD Tivo to view on my HDTV, all in real time from that sweating G4.
 
mikea said:
Ess not to worry. This Macbook Pro has only 2GB RAM and works like a champ doing a lot more than just web.

That Macbook Air is a fine, fine choice. Everybody I've seen who got the small one is love with it. You're doomed now to join the light side.

I have the G4 Mac Mini nearby that is currently working its brains out downloading vidcasts and serving video. Yeah, it bogs down. What it doesn't do is crash (R) (tm) Microsoft.

I just proved that I can stream the downloaded vidcasts to my HD Tivo to view on my HDTV, all in real time from that sweating G4.
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Mike, I love ya, but one can never have TOO MUCH RAM!!! :D
 
rpadula said:
Mike, I love ya, but one can never have TOO MUCH RAM!!! :D
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Sure. But if it's maxed out there's no need to call the suicide hotline.

For my planned coughintosh, I could have as much as 24GB RAM (6 x 4GB triple DDR.) I decided that 6GB (3 x 2GB ) is going to more than fine.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
The problem with the built-in one is just a slight loss of accuracy when climbing or descending. On an instrument approach, you're descending... I don't think it's awful, but it wasn't what they wanted for georef. Now, it's not OK to navigate via georef on the iPad anyway, which is probably why they still allow georef even if you don't have the Bad Elf or the bluetooth GPS, but there you have it.

I wouldn't go trying to shoot a WAAS approach with it, but it's OK for situational awareness.
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That's pretty much what I use my handheld for. Situational awareness and, if my electrical system goes out, it'll probably get me on the ground better than guessing where the airport is and the hills aren't.
 
Note that the full version of Angry Birds is free on Android (always has been).
 
SkyHog said:
Note that the full version of Angry Birds is free on Android (always has been).
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Now there's a reason to pick your personal organizer technology if I ever heard one. Everyone in my house in addicted to it too but for 99 cents on my iWhatever I think I can spring for it.
 
What on earth is Angry Birds?
 
woodstock said:
Interesting idea... my berry is 3 yrs old. Can you do that with old devices?
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You can't turn it into a hotspot, but there are ways to tether it to a computer. Google "blackberry as a modem" with your model number. I've used my (much older) unit as a modem in the UK with a USB cable. The newer units MAY be able to support data over bluetooth.

flyingcheesehead said:
Some people have talked in the past about getting a local prepaid SIM card for when they're in Europe or elsewhere - That way you don't need an "international" data plan. I haven't done it, but I bet Scott will pipe up. I would suggest the AT&T 3G iPad if you do this because GSM (AT&T network technology) is much more widely supported around the world than CDMA (Verizon network technology).
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I have a MiFi and buy prepaid local SIM cards where I can. I have one (still active) for Italy (TIM network), and have done the same in Spain & UK. prepaidgsm.net has a LOT of good info on this. The MiFi is great because it will support my netbook, android, and blackberry w/o incurring hotel charges... and it's portable enough that I stick it in a pocket & use it as needed in the field (it gets hot when turned on, so I either keep it in a jacket pocket and/or turn it off when not in use). I have saved enough in hotel internet charges to pay for the MiFi box.

The only real problem you'll have with a local prepaid SIM and the iPad is that the iPad uses a microsim. Most local prepay sims are the regular variety - meaning you either have to cut them down, or find a place that will sell you a micro sim.
 
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