If I was goin to type a long 10 page paper, I'd do so on a desktop or laptop. Getting a Bluetooth keyboard to me defeats the purpose of s tablet.
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iPad 2 as main computer?
- Thread starter gonnabuyamacbsh
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Even using my primary computer I refuse to buy a printer or ink. I used dropbox or iDisk or Google Docs to get my docs to me. the OP should advise her to do the same. Why buy a printer? Even with a computer. Most schools do free printing in their labs, I know mine did.
iPad with a few apps like DropBox, Pages, and of course a "blewteeth" keyboard (my favorite spelling, XXfirefighter seriously funny.)
not when the purpose is portability and cheapness. Get the Zagg keyboard/case. It's $100, sure, but the case is great and so is the keyboard and stand. I have it, and it's awesome. I can tap into my work's Citrix Server remotely and view a full Win 7 interface and the BT keyboard allows me to work from anywhere and do heavy typing.
Really? I was in undergrad 1998-2002 and it was pay printing even back then. I did grad school and I'm a professor now and everywhere I've been was 5-10 cents per page to print in the lab, make copies in the library etc.
portability? if you gotta lug around an ipad AND a keyboard, and claim its more portable then a macbook air, you're lying to yourself.
Hi guys, I'm the girl gonnabuybish was talking about in the thread.
I've made my mind up on the ipad and am sure I want it. As for all the people suggesting I get a macbook, no thank you, I think their a bit too overpriced. And gonnabuyabish tried to get me to buy a thinkpad and sorry sweety but I don't want a business laptop either. the ipad is perfect for all my needs.
I went to an apple store and played with the ipad 2 for a long time today. loved everything about it. as for the typing.... it was okay. I'd rate it a 7/10 and that's good enough for in class tapping. As for long papers, I'll get the bluetooth keyboard.
now the only issue is, do I want white or black?
gonnabuyabish is telling me to get black but I want white. he tells me the screen will look better with the black boarder. decisions, decisions....
I've made my mind up on the ipad and am sure I want it. As for all the people suggesting I get a macbook, no thank you, I think their a bit too overpriced. And gonnabuyabish tried to get me to buy a thinkpad and sorry sweety but I don't want a business laptop either. the ipad is perfect for all my needs.
I went to an apple store and played with the ipad 2 for a long time today. loved everything about it. as for the typing.... it was okay. I'd rate it a 7/10 and that's good enough for in class tapping. As for long papers, I'll get the bluetooth keyboard.
now the only issue is, do I want white or black?
gonnabuyabish is telling me to get black but I want white. he tells me the screen will look better with the black boarder. decisions, decisions....
now the only issue is, do I want white or black?
gonnabuyabish is telling me to get black but I want white. he tells me the screen will look better with the black boarder. decisions, decisions....
Another lady here...
I got the white iPad2. I find it more aesthetically pleasing. Only issue one encounters is that it can make the screen seem smaller, especially when watching full screen video and comparing it to the black model. But that's just a deceptive trick of the eye. Black bezel makes you think there's more black space around the video. When reading ebooks, web browsing or writing your screen is mostly white so that deception goes away.
Glad you made your decision. I hope you are content with it. Don't forget to look into DropBox and a decent Office app for writing. There are also several really good class note-taking apps out there.
When I bought my iPad1 I trialed a neat little collection of note-taking, Office editing and drawing apps to get the most out of my purchase. Personally I find OfficeHD and DocstoGo more suitable for my needs than Pages. Evernote is a godsend for organizing those task lists and notes on the go. NoteTaker HD is far more versatile for science classes where you have pages of notes. Penultimate feels more like journaling though.
It's a keyboard case. The keyboard is built into the case. We are not talking about lugging around a Microsoft Natural Elite Pro. Still way more portable than a laptop and works way better than those crappy net books.
For anyone saying that adding a keyboard to the ipad is "defeating the purpose"... You are being dense. And for those that further suggest that such a setup is 'less protable' than an air, you are being even more dense.
Firstly, the 'purpose' of a tablet is really up to the one purchasing it.... Secondly, my personal setup is with the apple wireless keyboard, and the Incase oragami workstation. This leaves the ipad completely unconnected from the case and the keyboard. Meaning that I can, at any time, just grab it and use it like it was "designed for" or whatever you want to say. Like when reading a book for instance.
Secondly, as for the portablility: The ipad + incase and BT keyboard are still more or less as thin, certainly less tall and wide, and lighter. Those together, coupled with the ability to use the ipad 'in the air' with one hand etc certainly make it more portable for me than the macbook air.
The IPAD can CERTAINLY be used as the "main" computer for like 90% of users. And with ios5 (which i'm currrently running), there is even a stronger argument for it. Especially for students now that iWork has the cloud!
Cheaper, more portable, good resale value, and basically at least a 50% lower initial cost?? UMM... CERTAINLY the best option if you aren't a power-user.
Just my 2 cents
Firstly, the 'purpose' of a tablet is really up to the one purchasing it.... Secondly, my personal setup is with the apple wireless keyboard, and the Incase oragami workstation. This leaves the ipad completely unconnected from the case and the keyboard. Meaning that I can, at any time, just grab it and use it like it was "designed for" or whatever you want to say. Like when reading a book for instance.
Secondly, as for the portablility: The ipad + incase and BT keyboard are still more or less as thin, certainly less tall and wide, and lighter. Those together, coupled with the ability to use the ipad 'in the air' with one hand etc certainly make it more portable for me than the macbook air.
The IPAD can CERTAINLY be used as the "main" computer for like 90% of users. And with ios5 (which i'm currrently running), there is even a stronger argument for it. Especially for students now that iWork has the cloud!
Cheaper, more portable, good resale value, and basically at least a 50% lower initial cost?? UMM... CERTAINLY the best option if you aren't a power-user.
Just my 2 cents
yeah. that is a problem with the site format. dates are unclear.
anyhow, you made some good points. why not start your own thread?
well i might but if it's been covered enough already idk what the point would be... but we'll see.
btw i noticed in another post you mentioned that you like to scan and make pdfs of some of your notes... did you see my mentioning of the Livescribe pen? It might save you some time and it's not too pricey. Automatically sends digital versions of your notes to you computer, evernote, google docs, email, whatever.
btw i noticed in another post you mentioned that you like to scan and make pdfs of some of your notes... did you see my mentioning of the Livescribe pen? It might save you some time and it's not too pricey. Automatically sends digital versions of your notes to you computer, evernote, google docs, email, whatever.
thanks a lot for the suggestion. i think you (or someone else) suggested it before as well. i am intrigued, and i may give it a try next month after my business trip ends. my main concern is: 1) the ink seems expensive, 2) the pen seems bulky, and 3) i am unsure if it could read my handwriting in english, and because i also write in japanese and chinese, i'd like it to be able to recognize those as well.
Ok,
So as for "recognizing" handwriting - the pen doesn't need to. It just basically is taking pictures. So you will get a PDF of your page as if you scanned it. You can draw pictures, write in japanese, etc. Its all just lines to the pen.... Now there is an additional software upgrade that converts handwriting to typed text, and that might have an issue. But if you're fine reading your own handwriting, the pen will have no issue.
As for the ink, I don't think its horribly unreasonable. about 1 buck per stick. less if you get it from ebay. I usually buy expensive pens anyways that cost more, like sharpie pens, etc.
The pen is a little thicker, but doesn't take more than a few hours to get used to. The number of features, particularly for a student in a lecture class, outweigh this by far.
So as for "recognizing" handwriting - the pen doesn't need to. It just basically is taking pictures. So you will get a PDF of your page as if you scanned it. You can draw pictures, write in japanese, etc. Its all just lines to the pen.... Now there is an additional software upgrade that converts handwriting to typed text, and that might have an issue. But if you're fine reading your own handwriting, the pen will have no issue.
As for the ink, I don't think its horribly unreasonable. about 1 buck per stick. less if you get it from ebay. I usually buy expensive pens anyways that cost more, like sharpie pens, etc.
The pen is a little thicker, but doesn't take more than a few hours to get used to. The number of features, particularly for a student in a lecture class, outweigh this by far.
without the handwriting recognition, i'll just stick with my scansnap, because they produce the same results, and i've already got it. the recording stuff is superfluous for me (although i am sure lots of students can make good use of it). i'll still give it a try at some point, but i don't expect it will meet my needs.
A good friend of mine ditched her computer after the first iPad came out, and she hasn't missed it at all. She also hasn't missed the Verizon DSL bill. Instead of paying whatever she was paying for interent access, now she just pays $14.99 a month for data for when she's not in a wifi area. I do IOS updates for her when they come out, and sync her about once every 3-4 months. She uses the iPad for mail, internet, documents (she has the Pages app), pretty much everything you describe your wife wanting to do. She's very happy with her iPad.
With the cloud coming out, and wireless updates, she won't need me to do much for her anymore. I'll still maintain her iTunes library for her though, as a back-up.
(I was thrilled to do this for her, because I used to be the person that had to clean all of the viruses and malware off of her computer every time her son got his hands on it...)
With the cloud coming out, and wireless updates, she won't need me to do much for her anymore. I'll still maintain her iTunes library for her though, as a back-up.
(I was thrilled to do this for her, because I used to be the person that had to clean all of the viruses and malware off of her computer every time her son got his hands on it...)
Haven't missed my laptop for one minute--my full blown tower has been relegated mostly to running nightly backups to my 3 TB external drive for safe keeping. I also keep iTunes open on it so I can use Home Sharing whenever I want. Once iCloud comes out, I won't even need it to sync anymore.
Yes! It's so much easier dealing with an iPad and it has a simpler interface for my parents to use. The iPad has definitely made a lot of lives easier.