The Gadgets Page

I ordered the iPad keyboard when I bought my iPad, and it arrived today. The keyboard is amazingly heavy; it’s carved from a single block of aluminum and seems to weigh about five pounds. It holds the iPad firmly, and is just barely heavy enough to stay put when you pull the iPad out. It would be awkward for carrying around. If you want a portable option, a wireless bluetooth keyboard is your best option to take a keyboard with you on the road.

The keyboard itself is basically Apple’s keyboard with a few extra buttons where the function keys would be:

• Home
• Search
• Dim
• Bright
• Photos
• Onscreen keyboard
• A blank key that does nothing (!)
• Rewind
• Play/Pause
• Forward
• Mute
• Volume Down
• Volume Up
• Lock

The iconography is quite obvious. Otherwise it’s a typical Mac keyboard, option key and all. One difference is that Alt-delete is not interpreted as backspace–this is a key I miss. Might be a good use for that blank key if the right set were shifted left so it could be placed above delete. The key feel is superb, just like a Mac keyboard, and I can type on it as fast as any keyboard I’ve ever used. I really wish there was an additional dock connector on the long bottom axis so the iPad could be used in landscape mode. I check my email in landscape mode, and I tend to do all of my “producing” work in that mode. I wrote this review in Pages with the keyboard, and I’m quite impressed that the iPad and this keyboard could actually replace a desktop for light users.

The keyboard makes the iPad far more useful when not wandering around, and will allow it to replace a laptop for many users. I consider it to be a mandatory buy for iPad owners.

The iPad came out Saturday morning as my family and I drove from San Diego to Cape Canaveral to see the Shuttle Launch. Using my trusty iPhone, I determined that we’d be in Baton Rouge at noon, so I picked one up there. The line had been about two hours long, and I arrived at the tail end of it. My wait was ten minutes.

I synced it in the car outside a Winn Dixie, got it connected to my Verizon MiFi, downloaded a few apps, and synced some kids shows to it. The first thing I noticed was the awkward size: too big to really be mobile, and too small to set down anywhere convenient. It’s the same problem I had with my Newton fifteen years ago.

The built-in apps are great–better looking and more seamless than their iPhone or OS X counterparts. iCal is looking seriously stale compared to the iPad Calendar.

The available apps are even better–Pages is a marvel, although how useful it turns out to be is debatable, and the various news readers are fantastic–by far the easiest way to browse traditional news content.

Dragon Dictation [iTunes Link] works well and is free. It’s a must have for text input. I look forward to a future edition that would work as a keyboard.

Omnigraffle is an interesting fail. The app works just fine, but for $50 they should have provided their full suite of stencils. The very basic shapes they provide are a flat-out rip off compared to price of competing apps, and unless they up the ante they’ll be out-competed in short order on this platform. I want to drag and drop network diagrams as I survey new customer sites. For lines and boxes I can use a $5 sketch app. Omni Group needs to either price to the casual market or provide a professional tool. Right now they’re doing neither. As it stands, I’ll be requesting a refund.

The Video player is everything you’d expect: the best mobile video player on the market in any format. Couple that with on demand rentals and the amazing Netflix app, and you can pretty much waste the rest of your life watching movies on it. The built-in mono speaker is adequate for the backseat, but you’ll want a Bluetooth audio system for home use or headphones anywhere public.

Games are awesome–driving games are much easier to control because there’s weight in that steering wheel. Strategy games now have enough map. The 2X iPhone app magnification is awkward and pixelated seeming for utilities, but in colorful games it’s just fine, and preferable to playing them on the iPhone. The mode worked well with everything I tried except Call of Duty Zombies, where the button appears incorrectly rotated and doesn’t function.

Is it useful for business? Unlikely. If you create for a living, forget it. The onscreen keyboard is okay for the occasional email but it won’t replace a laptop, ever. For email it’s fine but not substantially better than an iPhone. For niche work where the form factor allows standing data entry there’s a real niche, but this device is for entertainment through and through.

I checked the tracking. Last night, it was in Kentucky. Overnight, it boarded a plane, had a layover in Colorado and then hopped another plane to Salt Lake City. By the time I was awake, it was on a UPS truck and “In Transit.” It required a signature, so I put a sign on the door so the UPS driver wouldn’t leave before we could get to the door.

I didn’t need the sign, however. I waited at the window until the UPS truck pulled up and even met the guy at the porch when he walked up with my delivery.

“I was worried that I might miss you, so I’ve been waiting here all morning. It’s an iPad. I’m REALLY excited.”

The UPS driver nodded. I expected him to act like I was crazy instead of perfectly normal.

“Yeah, everybody’s pretty excited,” he replied nonchalantly.

I was surprised at his answer. “Have you had a lot of deliveries this morning?”

“About 28 just in this neighborhood.” I gasp with shock and curse openly. The clean cut Mormon tried to ignore my vulgarity and continued. “I delivered the stock to the Gateway store. They got over a thousand.” Then he rushed back to his truck to deliver more iPads to my neighbors.

We’ve been using our Konnet iCrado to dock and charge the iPad and it’s working great!

The email came some time in the evening.

My iPad has been shipped. I won’t be waiting in line at the Apple store for it, despite the fun that can be had from that experience. My pre-ordered iPad will arrive at my house with a flurry of fur from my dog, who is certain that every delivery is a bomb or rabid animal.

I have three days to sytematically reload the tracking number into the system over and over, watching its progress from where it is to where it should be.

My behavior is beyond my own comprehension and I wonder whether my excitement is unwarranted.

My iPad is pre-ordered and I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival. So much so that I created a papercraft iPad to test my Konnet iCrado dock. It looks like my new gadget will work with the iCrado perfectly! I’m so glad that the high back will be enough support for my iPad.

The nice people at Konnet gave me an iCrado while we were at CES this year to test and review. I have been using it for the last three months and I have to honestly say that it’s my favorite iPhone/iPod/iPad dock I have ever used.

It comes in a wide variety of colors and they had them all on display at CES. Because there are so many colors to choose from I literally locked up and couldn’t choose on my own, so they chose a yellow one for me.

What I like best about the iCrado is the way it connects to the computer. Instead of including the highly changeable and proprietary Apple Dock Connector, it has an open space to insert your own. I REALLY like this feature because if Apple suddenly decides to change how their gadgets accept dock connectors (like they did with the iPhone 3GS), then I can just change out the cord.

One note on choosing cords to use with the iCrado. Make sure you use a cord that doesn’t “lock” in place. You know, the kind where you have to press the sides to release the phone. Since the cord is housed in the iCrado, you won’t be able to press those buttons, so make sure you use a connector that doesn’t lock (like the one pictured above).

I have thoroughly enjoyed the iCrado for the last three months and I’m eagerly awaiting my chance to sync my iPad with it.

Update 04-03-10:

We just received our iPad and are so pleased with how it works with the iCrado. Since the official iPad dock isn’t available yet, the iCrado is the best dock out there. Here are a couple pictures.

Back when the Apple Newton came out, my friend, Chuck, tried on every leather jacket in Burlington Coat Factory until he found the one with an inner pocket big enough to hold the Newton. It was a memory that has stayed with me for over fifteen years.

If you are planning on carrying your Apple iPad with you wherever you go, you won’t have to try on every coat in the store like Chuck did so long ago. All you need is the SCOTTEVEST.

At $100, they cost almost as much as Chuck’s leather jacket, but with 22 pockets, an earbud conduit system and a pocket especially for your iPad, it’s hard to argue with their usability.

I love that you can wear the vest to the airport, take it off for security and just put it back on when you’re done with your cavity probe. It makes the idea of disrobing for security a little less arduous.

They also make the SCOTTEVEST for women. Suddenly, the idea of a purse seems so old fashioned when I could carry everything I need in my jacket. The only problem I can see with that is the 100 degree weather we get in the summer.

Back in the early Nineties, we thought Chuck was crazy to choose his coat based on whether or not it could hold his Apple Newton. Now, the tables have turned and I’m suddenly feeling like Chuck did so long ago. “Does it have a pocket for my iPad?” is now a valid question when choosing a coat, jacket and purse. Clothing and accessory manufacturers, take note!

This year at CES, there were so many companies showing off their new eBook readers. With Amazon, Sony and Barnes and Noble in the eBook race, it seemed silly that these companies were trying to compete. These are only a few of the companies showing off their eBook readers.

iRiver

WiseReader by Hanvon

Bookeen Cybook Opus

Hanlin by Tianjin Jinke

Now that Apple is coming out with the iPad, these all look like toys now.

M-Edge had a small booth at CES, but it had lots of cases for eBook readers. CES was before the Apple iPad announcement, so I just kind of took a few pictures of these cases because I liked their design. Now that I plan on buying an iPad, I’m MUCH more interested in eBook reader cases.

In fact, M-Edge is gearing up to provide you with a case for your iPad soon. You can see what they are planning here:

• M-Edge | Products | Apple iPad

Their booth had many beautiful eBook reader cases to choose from.

I’m so grateful that all of these companies are preparing to make cases for my iPad when it finally becomes available.

Trendy Digital had a small booth at CES, but it had lots of cases for eBook readers. CES was before the Apple iPad announcement, so I just kind of took a few pictures of these cases because I liked their design. Now that I plan on buying an iPad, I’m MUCH more interested in eBook reader cases.

I really like the brown and orange flowery case in the upper left.

I really liked the color of this blue one.

These cases keep your eBook readers safe from water.

Here is a review of the waterproof cases from Digital Product Review:

If you are thinking of buying an iPad when they come out, keep an eye on Trendy Digital. They probably will have a case for you as well. Can’t wait to see them!

E-book readers, like Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader, had a huge amount of sales this last Christmas season—in fact, our smackdown between the two recently became our most popular post, and the Kindle was Amazon’s best-selling single item. We saw about 20 new entrants into this market at CES. Nonetheless, I think the current generation of e-book readers won’t be flying off the shelves by next Christmas.

Yes, the Apple iPad is probably one reason. But I think e-book readers have been flawed from the beginning. Here’s why.

They use black-and-white e-ink displays.

The Sony Reader was the first popular gadget to make use of e-ink technology, an alternative to LCD displays that looks more like paper, has longer battery life, and doesn’t require a backlight. This was seen as innovative, and copied by the Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s new Nook. But I think it’s time we started wondering why anyone would buy a device with a black-and-white display in 2010.

The phone in your pocket probably has a nice color LCD display that can display perfectly readable text. The Amazon Kindle app certainly looks great on my iPhone. Why buy a book reader that’s stuck in Gutenberg-era black-and-white? Paper books have had colorful illustrations since about 1890. Why can’t electronic books?

E-ink advocates talk about better contrast and better battery life, but I like the contrast on the iPhone screen better than the grey-on-light-grey displays of the e-book readers. And only the most devoted of readers will stare at a Kindle’s screen long enough to notice the supposed benefits to the eyes, or to take advantage of the long battery life. Most of us don’t read for more than 1-2 hours at a time.

And don’t say “but you can read in bright sunlight!”. Who the heck does that? People who enjoy sunlight have better things to do than read, and nerds like me who read for hours on end rarely see sunlight.

They aren’t good Web browsers.

While I still read books regularly, I do far more reading on the Web. Why would I want a reading device that can’t also read Web pages? The Kindle has a very limited Web browser on a black-and-white screen, and the Sony Reader has none at all. Neither one has Wi-fi access.

This is the 21st century. The Web should be as readable as a book, and when an e-book mentions a URL I should be able to click on it and see that page.

They can’t show video.

You can watch videos on a Sony PSP, on a phone, or even on a watch. Why on earth would a device that gives me access to books not also include video? Or even audio? Or even color pictures?

I’m as much of a literary elitist as anyone. I enjoy reading Shakespeare and Dickens, and I certainly don’t want books to be replaced with video. I don’t even want the cheesy “bonus video content” that e-novels of the future will undoubtedly be bundled with. But think about non-fiction books—what if a computer book could include a video to show you how to use software? What if a book on how to play the guitar could include audio examples? Old-fashioned paper books already have this feature, thanks to the high-tech approach of sticking a CD inside the front cover. Why can’t 21st century e-books do the same thing?

And anyway, it’s a device with a screen. Let me watch a TV show when I’m done reading my book.

Maybe they’re not really doomed yet.

There’s one reason I think people will still be buying Kindles and Readers next Christmas. Someone (probably Apple) will introduce a device that does all of the things I’m asking for. But given the current cost of things like 10″ color LCD screens, that device will be expensive. Maybe the Kindle, Reader, and Nook will survive for a few years as low-cost alternatives for people who don’t want to spend $900 on a “real” e-book reader.

I hope I’m right about that. I really want an e-book reader myself, but I don’t want the limited, monochrome, low-cost alternative. I want the real thing, and I’m willing to pay for it.