The Multiple Roles of My iPad
By 
A lot has been said about the iPad’s potential as a replacement for your laptop. Many people have expressed some valid concerns as to why this device might not be able to replace your computer completely.
I’ve been on the road for the last 3 weeks, watching people use different devices and even the iPad. I’ve been comparing notes and trying to figure out the different ways I can use my iPad. The question I’ve been trying to answer is – does the iPad suit my lifestyle well?
My e-book and newscaster: Every day before I go to bed, I like to do two things. First, catch up with the daily news while trying to avoid disturbing my wife’s sleeping time. Second, like to read a chapter or two of whatever books my friends have recommended. In theory, I could go downstairs to watch TV or read a book alone. However, I’ve always like the comfort of my bed, plus I like to accumulate points with my wife by not leaving her alone all the time!
This is where my new toy has become quite handy. I can catch up with news very quickly, by accessing all my favorite newspapers, and also with sports by quickly browsing ESPN.com. I must say, the iBooks and Amazon Kindle apps have been a blessing for me.
Holding the iPad in landscape orientation helped me discover what others have already reported, which by holding your iPad for long periods of time is far different from holding a book. The iPad is heavier than a paperback book. Most of the time, I had to hold my iPad with two hands. This is why I ended up buying a case so I could raise up the device, just enough, to place on my lap and read.
The brightness control has been a real nice feature for me. I don’t have to turn on my night light table lamp. I must admit, the bright screen can bother your eyes if you read for a very long time. But, I can fix that by adjusting the brightness control down.
My vacation relaxing device: I haven’t used it for a beach vacation yet. However, that is looming in the near future. I know it will bring the excitement of games for my kids (including me), an easy carry-on device for watching movies, a way to access email, and surf the web while enjoying the comforts of my hotel room at night.
I live in Texas, and to drive around the state is quite challenging with kids. I do have a DVD player installed in our car. But, with two kids, is always a problem to decide what movie or cartoons to watch. We recently went to the western part of Texas, and with the long drive in my mind; I loaded the iPad with many movies, books, and games. This was a very smart decision as the kids enjoyed the trip.
My 10-year old son is a big fan of the [UPDATED: Percy Jackson] series. I forgot to buy one of his books for our trip, so I had to download one via Amazon’s Kindle app. It ended up costing me, however, it helped me fix that problem by simply downloading a book before we left for our road trip.
After our trip, the feedback I received from my family was – “Dad, thanks for bringing the iPad to the trip. Can we buy three more”? I guess the next few months will be expensive for me.
My travel companion: The iPad slips perfectly into the pouch of the airplane seat in front of you, so it’s very easy to carry on the plane. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a movie fanatic. I used to watch movies on my laptop or my iPhone during flights. With the iPad, it has become a real nice experience.
I use my Apple iPad case and place the device on the tray table. Laptop users may think that it’s easier to just put their laptop on the tray table, but what about when the person next to you needs to get up to use the restroom. It’s much easier to get out of the way when holding your iPad. I must admit that glare can be annoying at times, but that could be the case with other devices as well. I’m sure I will get my hands on some creative accessory later on.
Like any other business trip, I like to have my own downtime at night. During a bit of downtime a week ago, I launched one of my favorite apps, the Netflix app to watch a movie. I had no issues at all with my hotel’s WiFi connection. After watching my movie, I launched my music and started answering email and making a few post updates via the WordPress app.
My full-time business companion: I travel quite a bit, so messages from the office appear in my inbox continuously. And there is always that one email, which requires your full attention and has many attachments. Overall, it’s a bit hard sometimes to edit, copy, paste and do many things on complex documents on your iPad. I do use the GoodReader app to help me read different file formats. It’s a great app.
Composing email is very easy on the iPad. The large keyboard makes it easy for you to work with your email. I hope the iPhone OS 4.0 update will allow us to open email attachments in separate apps and will bring the much needed multitasking for the business world. I think that will allow many people to use the iPad for even more serious business work. Many are anxiously waiting.
The Verdict: Overall, I’ve been extremely impressed with the iPad. I think it fits many areas of your daily life. As a travel device is great. It’s lightweight, and fits easily in my bag even with my laptop and many other gadgets I usually carry around.
The iPad is a device just about anybody will like because of the flexibility it brings to entertain and inform. As an entertainment device, the iPad is awesome. As a tool for basic business needs, while on vacation or quick travel, the device will work great keeping you in touch with everything around you.
I don’t view it as a complete laptop replacement, but it comes close. Most business users, however, will probably require a full laptop for heavier computing tasks. For trips where its purpose is entertainment, Web/e-mail usage, light business work, simple document creation and reading, it’s a great alternative.
