The iPad. Please opine

[clickerish]

Who has one? What do you use it for? Are you happy?

I don't have one, but I keep wondering if I should get one. Not only is my Mac a lot to carry, it also has my whole life's worth of research on it. I do have a harddrive backup, but it's an issue. If I have to replace it, we're talking over 2k worth of not just the mac but also programs.

I have considered the iPad before, especially for research since it is far more portable. It is also expensive for someone on my research budget...so I can't decide.

My questions are: how easy is it to type on the keyboard? How functional is it for those of you who already have a laptop? Any suggestions?

[lolo]

I don't have one. In theory, at some point my work will pay for one for me, but until then, I'll be okay without it.

DH has an Android tablet that we occasionally watch movies on and I've used to display my notes for a formal presentation.

Generally, though, I prefer my matte screen Kindle for e-reading and don't really need the portability/other functionality of a tablet beyond e-reading.

[anna7602]

DH just got one last month, so he could go camping and off-road in France, but still be "accessible" for work if necessary. He couldn't open/modify any work docs on his blackberry and he didn't want to camp/hike with a big laptop.

He doesn't really have any "apps" and all that jazz on it and hasn't used it to type docs & etc. on a regular basis.

I am a general technology phobe, but I do love being able to read the New York Times in bed on the Ipad. This is our new morning ritual before DD wakes up. It's awesome to have access to all kinds of English-language media in a lightweight, low-cost format, too.

We'll probably use the Ipad to watch movies every once in a while, too, but haven't done that yet.

[pittpurple]

I just got one from work and I adore it, but I really don't think I would have spent my own money on it. IMO, it doesn't replace anything - I still use my kindle, mp3 player, laptop, phone... so it's just another thing. It's fantastic for playing around online and I find it surprisingly easy to type on for just random web-browsing.

The reason work got it for me is to have a portable way to wander around my building taking notes and having access to my emails. I actually bought a wireless keyboard that I use for longer meetings since I do find it tricky to type on the touchscreen for too long. And I agree with neeps - it's impossible to edit one letter at a time.

I haven't travelled with it yet, but I'm looking forward to getting some movies on it and having it for longer flights.

[allibally]

My mom has a keyboard for hers with a dock. So it can kind of sit in a laptop position. She loves that.

[clogged]

I have one. I drain the batteries once a day. No really, it's on like 10 hours a day.

The on screen keyboard sucks bug hairy monkey balls. I have a wireless keyboard for real typing.

[gibbylod]

I didn't want one before because I didn't think it was worth it if you already have a laptop, phone , etc. But DH bought me one for christmas anyway (he's a tech nut and thinks everyone must have one, hehehe), and surprisingly I have found it to be a lot more useful than expected.

I use it mostly to answer emails, browse on the internet, and watch movies at times. I wouldn't be able to work entirely on it, but it does allow me to answer emails in the morning before even getting out of bed, which I love, and gives me the freedom of being away from my computer yet still be able to answer work emails.

[mrsukyankee]

I have one and I use it a lot. At work, it's my constant companion as a carry-around diary, notes, etc. I'm fine with the keyboard but a lot of people buy a keyboard for it. I use it at home all the time. My only problem is the lack of flash for some games I play...which is the only reason why I tend to use my laptop at home (flash based sites).

[NomadicMama]

May 21, 2012 11:04:48 GMT -5 gibbylod said:

I didn't want one before because I didn't think it was worth it if you already have a laptop, phone , etc. But DH bought me one for christmas anyway (he's a tech nut and thinks everyone must have one, hehehe), and surprisingly I have found it to be a lot more useful than expected.

I use it mostly to answer emails, browse on the internet, and watch movies at times. I wouldn't be able to work entirely on it, but it does allow me to answer emails in the morning before even getting out of bed, which I love, and gives me the freedom of being away from my computer yet still be able to answer work emails.

This, except I don't have a job, there for no work emails to check. ;D

When my techie DH got it for me, I was kind of upset that he'd spent so much money on something we don't need.

Ummmm, now? You will have to pry it out of my cold fingers when I die. DH has one. I have one. And. . . our toddler has one. I did not want to have to share mine.

But, it's not for everybody. I do love me my Apple products.

[Deleted]

I have one and use it a lot. During the day, because my work laptop bans hotmail and Facebook when I am on the VPN, I use it while I am bored on conference calls. I also use it for web browsing in front of the tv.
If the hubs is watching something awful on telly, I go up to bed and watch tv I have missed on catch up sites.

I can type properly as well, so typing is a pain for my on this.

[EllieT]

My laptop died so I was left to my iphone for web browsing. SO got me an ipad as a surprise. It's all I use now but then again I don't do much typing except for a few messages here or short emails. I use his laptop whenever I need to type anything longer or need flash or whatever.