Testing the IPad 2: Part Two of Two

Am about to return my loaner IPad after trying it out while on vacation.  To continue my review, I tested watching a purchased episode of Bones.

6.  Bones:  No problems here, maybe because I don't have a TV, let alone a bigscreen, at home.  Sat outside in my friends' sweet shady garden and enjoyed one of my favorite episodes.  Also tested a streaming PBS episode of Antiques Roadshow:  worked just fine.   

 

7.  Photos:  For traveling I like to download each day's photos and then play around with them in IPhoto or PS while I relax in the evening.  No option for this on my loaner IPad.  Had to open a DropBox account and transfer via a laptop or desktop.   For a few photos, this is OK but not for my usual 100+ daily output.  Do I want to carry both the IPad and a laptop?

I did like using the IPad to take photos out the airplane window, particularly of Crater Lake, but in the end, the shots were not worth keeping.  Something fun to chat about with my seatmate, that's all.

8.  Convenience of keypad, weight, battery life: Of these three criteria, battery life is best at the advertised ten hours.  The keypad is bigger than the one on my IPhone, of course,  but the IPad's weight makes keyboarding awkward at times.  As a matter of fact, I haven't yet figured out how to comfortably hold the IPad for reading, typing, or viewing video while reclining on the sofa.  Just too heavy for my carpal tunnel-impaired wrists.  Thus no prolonged writing or editing, e.g. blogging.  On the other hand, it slipped nicely into my purse for easy portability. 

9.  WiFi:  No problem experienced on this trip except for having to enter some people's impossibly long key code with letters, numbers, capitals, lower case, etc.  Ugh!

10.  Book Group:  Brought Ulysses to my book group meeting where now the electronic users outnumber the "real" books.  Was able to quickly find, via the search function, passages referred to during discussion.  Great advantage over paper, especially since everyone had a different edition.  

The Decision. Remember that I was testing for fun applications and for travel.  Verdict:  No IPad for me right now.  The lack of photo software and ability to download directly from camera is a major disadvantage for traveling or home.  I had fun and now I can advise students on IPad usage for searching peer-reviewed articles and writing papers.

But how can I live without this: