It's too boring to get into, but I decided a few (like 8) weeks ago that I really needed to start catching up to technology before I was left irretrieveably (is that word even spelled right?--too lazy to check) behind. So I ordered an iPhone 3 (previous generation) and the iPad2. Herewith my observations.
Service Providers
I had a choice to go with Verizon or AT&T. Having seen all the abuse AT&T took for its poor service, and knowing that Verizon sucks just as hard, I decided to get AT&T on my phone and Verizon on my iPad.
AT&T has better coverage and service for where I live (Washington, DC). I am locked in to AT&T for my iPhone for 2 years--don't get me started: stupid, too expensive, etc. But the service is stellar. Verizon's coverage is just so-so. I am not locked in for them, so I will switch over to AT&T.
iPhone
The iPhone arrived first. It comes with no directions because it needs none. I couldn't believe how easy it was to figure out and set up. The AT&T people were perfectly wonderful and helpful. This phone changed my life in a space of a few days. The texting is easy. The calendar is awesome! Reading email is easy--for both work and personal. Having all my iPod stuff on there is nice, too, but I've found it's a little buggy when trying to play music. The notes feature is awesome, especially for a list-maker like me. Apps are cool. So, I loved it. In fact, I had a moment of panic, thinking, "why oh why did I buy the iPad too?" Then my iPad came in.
<Sound of iPhone clattering to the floor.>
iPad
Okay, this thing is C-O-O-O-O-O-L. But I've had stutter steps. It is very intuitive, but (possibly because) I've been out of the technology thing for a long time, and I hit walls. Books? Check. Magazines? Check. Photos? Check. Angry Birds? Check. Video streaming? Check. But then what? Hmmmmm, not sure. And everything was taking much longer when I was out of the office due to our wireless at home not recognizing my devices (but that's another story--once we got that sorted, it was ZOOM ZOOM fast).
Luckily, I have a colleague who has an iPad2. He mentioned several apps I might like, which helped because then I went exponentially farther with my iPad than I could have figured out myself (some of those most helpful I list below, for other newbies). And I have to give it up AGAIN for the notes feature. You can make as many lists as you want! The keyboard interface is very friendly (but I also bought the wireless keyboard). Quibble? The camera. This goes for the iPhone, too, but less so. If you're going to put a camera in, make it at least passable in quality. It's irritating, especially since the camera is one of the primary reasons for the differentiation between iPad1 and iPad2 (not to mention the price!).
I am also irritated that I can't update this blog from my iPad. I am certain this is USER ERROR, but I can't figure it out. I just keep getting kicked out.
One unexpected drawback? Everything is at my fingertips--music, podcasts, videos, books, magazines. Sometimes I feel anxious when I'm reading/listening/watching at the enormous load of content that's going unviewed/unheard/unread. I don't feel that way with a book, or when I'm watching a video at home. It better fucking pass, because it can be really irritating.
I also feel a little self-concious with my iPad to/from work. I feel a little, "oooo, look at you, fancy girl with the iPad 2."
Bottom line: if you have an iPad in a box that you haven't taken out, take it out. It's easy. You will really love it and you will use it much more than you think.
Some apps I like (these are apps you need to download/don't come with the iPad automatically):
NextBusDC
NextMetroDC
Netflix
TheNewYorker
Peapod (grocery delivery)
Flipboard (awesome!!!)
Zite (also awesome!)
TunInRadio
Kindle (but wonder if I'll ultimately prefer iBooks, which is what iPad comes with)
One word on the apps: I thought the apps would be the same as the website, just "iPad-sized." Not true. So apps that "live" on the Internet (e.g., Peapod, Facebook, Netflix) are not as "easy" to use as going direct to the website.
Apps I don't like:
Epicurious--very unwieldy (in my view)--just hop on the internet and go to http://www.allrecipes.com/.
Hangman (stupid and sucks)
Angry Birds (I don't get the mania, but kids love it and I have used it as bribery for love)
Apps I have but haven't messed with enough yet:
Friendly (shows "iPad friendly" version of Facebook. I think.)
Facebook (I just check it out through Flipboard, though Flipboard doesn't show you comments, etc.)
Zinio
Apps that came with iPad I don't really get:
Game Center
So that's that.
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