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Interim Report-The Ipad

As I mentioned at the time, I was among the very first recipients of an Ipad. Many of you are probably asking: How’s that working out. Well, none of you are really asking, but I’m going to tell you anyway, in case you’re contemplating getting one.

When I bought the thing, which I’m using to write this post, by the way, I acted purely on faith. I just knew that it would be a great device to have, though I couldn’t exactly explain why.

Slowly but surely, as the available software has come along, it has become a not quite complete replacement for my laptop. It jumped the final hurdle a few days ago when I finally found a blog editor that had the ability to embed links, something you’d think would be fairly basic, so I’m now able to edit a full post without having to post it as a draft and add the links on the computer. I doubt that I’ll be bringing my laptop with me anymore when we take trips away from home.

One thing I miss, which I’m hoping will arrive with IOS4 and multi-tasking, is a clipboard utility like the one I use on my laptop. If you have one on your PC you know how useful it can be: I can copy a number of quotes, links, etc. off of a web page, for instance, and then go to my blog editor and paste them where I want them, without going back and forth between the browser and the editor. A small thing, but something you miss a lot after you get dependent on it.

If you want to do any serious writing on the thing, you really need some sort of stand (I got a nifty folding one at the Apple Store) and a bluetooth keyboard. The on-screen keyboard is a pain, what with the need to shift from the letter keyboard to the numeric pad, and the lack of a key to move the cursor. Using your finger to place the cursor can be a frustrating experience.

For music and videos, it’s far better than a computer.

Now, if I can just cure myself of my app addiction, I’ll be fine.

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