Why I’m Sold on the iPad

There are many, many reasons I’ll be picking up one of Apple’s new iPad devices as soon as humanly possible, but the first and foremost among them is the iBooks software featured in the image above. The Kindle, the Nook, the Sony eReader—because these things are single-use devices, and because they are black and white, they have never appealed to me. Now, give me an eReader with a color display that can also do all of the things I normally need to do when I’m away from the house, and I’m sold.

Truth is, I don’t need a traditional laptop anymore. I hate carrying the weight of one around, I hate how long it takes to boot up and log into (especially compared to my iPhone), and I hate how unintuitive it is for getting simple tasks done when I’m away from my home base. This thing, the iPad, it solves all of those problems. Here’s how:

1. It’s a great Web browser. Sure, it doesn’t have Flash, but I don’t care! For nearly everything I need to read or do on the go, this is going to work perfectly.
2. Its screen is big enough to really handle email. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy looking at and responding to email on my iPhone. For short messages, it works great. It’s even fine for long messages, in a pinch. But when I’m on the road, email is one of the things I like to catch up on, and this device looks like it’ll be a dream to answer email on.
3. Its screen is big enough to really show off my photos. Photos seem to load fast and look gorgeous. And I can totally see myself setting this down on a dock and using it as a digital photo frame when it’s not in use as something else.
4. Movies, TV shows, and podcasts look amazing. I love watching things on my iPhone, but the bigger screen on the iPad would be a dream for longer trips. And I feel like I could hand it to my (nearly) four year old and let her watch movies on a car trip without issue.
5. It’ll play music. Seriously, the only thing I need to be able to do multitasking-wise is listen to music while I’m working. And this can do that.
6. It runs existing iPhone apps. Yes, I realize that some of them will look unbearably pixelated early on (the iPad scales the apps 2x to fill the screen) but, as developers implement new versions of their apps that can support both resolutions (iPhone and iPad), this is going to be awesome. Buy once, and use in both places!
7. Its Notes, Calendar, and Contact apps look gorgeous and easy-to-use. And it can run Apple’s iWork suite of productivity apps if you choose to buy them (at $9.99 a pop).
8. And, last but not least, it can act as a virtual bookshelf! As I said above, I’ve never been attracted to the Kindle or the Nook or any of the countless other black & white eReading devices. But I’ve always been attracted to the idea that I could hold a whole library’s worth of books on one device. The fact that this thing can read books, in addition to everything else—that’s what sells me.

Oh, and I almost forgot—the thing that really sells me is the price. The base model starts at $499 ($629 for a version that supports 3G connectivity). It’s basically everything I need in the way of a portable computer, and it’s almost as cheap as those cheap-ass, ugly-ass netbooks I see people carrying around and going ga-ga about. Throw in the optional keyboard, the nifty carrying case that can also act as a stand, and I am totally there. As soon as this comes out, and as soon as I can get the money for it, I’m buying one.

How about you?

Geek Force FiveCast 289: Flash and Multitasking on the iPad

In which ECC freaks out about the bitching and moaning about the iPad not having Flash or multitasking capabilities.

Geek Force FiveCast 288: iPad Eve

In which ECC geeks out about the Apple tablet computer, which Steve Jobs is calling “the most important thing I’ve ever done”, which might be announced alongside iPhone availability to all networks, and which might cost $600-$1,000, and which might look like this.

Worth Your Consideration #027

I’m collecting links like mad lately, so it’s time for another edition of Worth Your Consideration.

• Let’s start off by linking up the Star Wars burlesque story that Jon mentioned during this week’s episode of Generation Goat. And, if the still image above and other images in that first link aren’t enough to sate you, here’s video of the debauchery courtesy of Geekologie. And, if that still isn’t enough for you, be sure to check out this video of Princess Peach shaking it for Bowser and all the other toads in the audience.
• You know that we love amazingly disgusting (yet somehow mouth-watering) burger photos. Well, here’s another one: Krispy Kreme Donut Bacon Cheeseburgers.
• You know that we also love Nine Inch Nails. Here’s a video of former NIN drummer Josh Freese kicking ass and taking names on a live version of “Wish.”
• Also on the video front, here’s an oldie but goodie: a circa 1984 dealer training video for the then brand-new Macintosh computer.
• Speaking of Apple, didja know that they confirmed they’ll be announcing their “latest creation” on January 27? Rumors indicate that we’ll hear about the fabled iTablet, iPhone OS 4.0, and iLife 2010 (the WSJ seems pretty sure about the tablet’s arrival, and is suggesting that families will share the device). There are also whispers that we’ll soon be hearing about our iTunes media collections living in the cloud.
• One more Apple link: Every Get A Mac Ad in One Place.
• Moving on! It looks like Spider-Man 4 has a director, and it’s Marc Webb, whose (500) Days of Summer is still on my to-watch list.
• Marc Webb once directed a Green Day video ("21 Guns"), and Green Day is going to be the center of the next Rock Band video game. Dude! How’d you like that transition?
• And, oh, if Green Day ever needs a drummer to replace the maniacally, indecently awesome Tre Cool, then they should check out this kid, whose chops, according to Mashable, “will melt your face off.”
• I’ve become kind of obsessed with videos of talented kids lately. Something else I’ve been obsessing over: stats for things that don’t need stats. And here’s a prime example: Charlie Brown’s lifetime baseball stats.
• Moving on! How long until someone runs over a real prostitute in their real car while too busy running over a digital prostitute in the new iPhone version of Grand Theft Auto to pay attention to the road?
• Something that keeps me from tearing my eyes away from the iPhone or the computer, wherever it is I happen to bump into these things: promos for season six of Lost and jokes about how the sixth season is going to make fans like me even more obnoxious than ever.
• Something I wish I could experience for real, and not just through the hype machine: Marvel Comics. I am really digging the poster for Siege that Joe Quesada did, but the pricing for comics is out of control and I ain’t coming back until they get real and bring cover prices down (which will probably never happen).
• Well, never say never, I guess. I mean, if Marvel’s new overlords at Disney keep making decent money on films like the rumored Tim Burton version of the Sleeping Beauty tale, called Maleficent, then maybe they’ll find some way to bring prices down.
• And, not that the House of Mouse needs any suggestions from me on how to make some dough, but here’s one: Disney princesses dressed up as the villains from their movies.

Worth Your Consideration #025

• Be a Mind Blower has collected the “Top 25 Mind Blowing Ideas” on how to control devices by blowing air at them. Now, we the people have a chance to vote and determine the Top 5, which may be integrated into Zyxio’s projects in the future. Ideas include everything from how to stop excessive spread of swine flu to how to create HarmonicaHero-type games.
• Our friends at Film Pop! are running a workshop on “Indie Film Marketing On A Shoestring” in Nashua, New Hampshire on December 16, and they’re running it at our favorite Gate City venue Studio 99.
• My favorite band of all time, Nine Inch Nails, is auctioning off their gear on eBay. Thanks to our friends at Moss Creek Media for reminding us to write about this.
• Another Moss Creek reminder: Amanda Palmer’s Party on the Internet. I’m not sure how often it runs, but Amanda Palmer doing live Web video definitely seems like something kick-ass and worth our consideration.
• Speaking of things that kick ass, be sure to check out this poster of McLovin as Red Mist in the new Kick-Ass film adaptation.
• And then, when you’re done with that, why not give a listen to an iPhone orchestra. We’re all sick of Christmas tunes by now, right? So, why not broaden your horizons? Here’s another link, just in case you’re not convinced yet.
• If you’re interested in broadening your toddler’s horizons, and you want to make sure they’re even more ahead of the curve than the rest of the kids at your daycare center, why not buy ‘em a Twoddler for Christmas? It’s a toy that allows babies to use Twitter. Now, doesn’t that sound like a wonderful idea?
• Switching gears, here’s something for you video game mashup lovers out there: a sweet Half-Life 2/Contra mashup (embedded above, for your convenience).
• And, if Contra’s just a wee bit too violent for you, what about Dragon’s Lair for the iPhone and iPod Touch? That sounds neat, right?
• Also neat: Apple buys streaming music service Lala. What does this mean for iTunes? Is cloud storage of our tunes forthcoming?
• And, speaking of things forthcoming, what about Clerks 3? Kevin Smith says it’s a possibility if he makes it to his late 40s.
• Wrapping up, here’s a peek at the temple that’s been mentioned but never seen on Lost. Excited for season six yet? I know I am.

Sports Illustrated - The Tablet Edition

Time, Inc.—publishers of Sports Illustrated and other magazines—has unveiled their vision of what magazines on a tablet computer might look like. And I gotta tell you, Fivers: if you haven’t seen this video already, it’s definitely worth checking out. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, the way that this thing displays content is amazing to watch.

If the makers of print periodicals are looking for a way to save their businesses, I think this might be it. And if Apple, long rumored to be developing a tablet device, wants to make the next big splash in computing, I think this is where they have to go with it.

Your thoughts?

Building A Mac Out Of An Xbox

The lengths that some people go to in order to create one of a kind computer cases is totally beyond me. There was a time when I actually kinda-sorta enjoyed tinkering with the insides of my computer, but that time passed long ago, and the tinkering that I did never came anywhere close to what Will Urbina did in creating the OS Xbox Pro, a dual-boot Mac/Windows computer housed inside a heavily-modified Xbox case.

The making of video I’ve embedded above (also available on YouTube) features an occasionally NSFW soundtrack, but is definitely worth a look if you want to see a case-modder getting his geek on.

Thanks to TUAW for linking this up.

Apple Joins AT&T in the Fight Against Verizon

Without naming names, Apple has released two new ads that take the fight to Verizon, whose Land of Misfit Toys ad (the one that attacked AT&T’s piss-poor 3G network coverage) kicked off the early holiday season’s most amusing and biting war of words. It kinda makes me wonder what’s coming next, and who, eventually, will land the knock-out punch.

Google Chrome OS

Google makes a good case for browser-centric operating system in this video that came out of yesterday’s Google Chrome event (covered here by Mashable).

While I wouldn’t trade in Mac OS X for my primary machine, it wouldn’t take much for me to switch to a laptop that ran Google Chrome OS, as most of what I do on the road somehow involves the Internet.

Geek Force FiveCast 263: iPhone Apps

In which ECC geeks out about the Harry Potter Spells app, the Voices app, and an anti-buying guide from TUAW.