Thursday, July 7, 2011

iPad 2

I've had my iPad 2 for less then a week, and I am really enjoying it allot. I never owned the first iPad so I can't compare how much faster the iPad 2 is to the iPad 1 except for comparing tech specs on paper.
One of the first things I noticed when I got my iPad 2 is that it is very thin and lite for a tablet PC. It also feels very solid and professionally built with it's one piece aluminum body. The design of the iPad 2 is also striking and pleasing to the eye, with simple lines and curves. The iPad 2 comes in two colors, white and black. I have chosen black since I liked black better, and I feel it hides smudges better. I also have the 64GB Wifi +3G Verizon model.
The iPad 2 has the new Dual Core 1Ghz A5 CPU, which runs twice as fast as the original iPad, and from what I can tell, my iPad 2 is fast. It boots up fast, and loads apps fast. Safari loads website fast too even though I don't really have a super fast internet connection. The iPad 2 graphics power also is 9X better then the original iPad, and the graphics are very impressive for a tablet PC. 3D rendered games runs very smoothly, and have high quality textures. (Game tested is Sid Meir Pirates for iPad).

The iPad 2 screen is 1024x768 resolution at 132 pixel per inch. The same as the original iPad, and in my opinion the screen is very sharp and very colorful. Even though the display isn't super high res like few people really wishing it was. I really don't mind the iPad 2 screen. Looking it up close, the screen is very crisp and sharp with vibrant colors. The iPad 2's touch screen is extremely responsive. It still one of the most responsive touch screen tablet devices in the market. The only real grip I have about is that it's glossy screen finish attracts allot of smudges and finger prints, not to mention dust. This is one of the reason I got the black one is that it's harder to see all those smudges, fingerprints and dust unless shown in bright light.

The iPad 2 Battery life is amazing! With heavy use, I think I managed to get up to 10 hours of battery life like Apple boasted in the first place. In terms of battery, In my opinion the iPad 2 is the best.

IOS 4.3.3 as a very simple design compared to Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS. It also runs very smoothly on the iPad 2. It however, dose not multitask as well as Android 3.0. The iPad 2 can only run 1 app at a time on screen, and to switch between apps by double clicking the home button twice and clicking on an app that is already running in the back ground. To start a new app all together, one would need to close the current app to the home screen and open a new app. Android 3.0 displays multiple apps in small tab windows making it easy to see and switch between apps on the fly then IOS. This doesn't really bother me as much. I find it harder to multi task on a touch screen then say PC with a keyboard and mouse.
The only real grip I have is that when I got my iPad 2 it didn't have IOS 5, and thus when I first booted up my iPad 2. It required me to hook my iPad 2 too my computer to sync with iTunes for the first time. IOS 5 is supposed to be gone with this making anyone who buys future iPad's, iPod's or iPhone not require a computer to sync up with iTunes. IOS 5 lets people play their device right out of the box so to speak.

iPad 2 also has 2 cameras. One front facing VGA camera, and a higher resolution rear camera. The front camera is meant for Video Chat through Apple's Facetime video chat app, and as a VGA App dose it job for video chat, but as a digital camera is not even good. The rear camera does an OK job and also has no flash. Out of all the things about the iPad the cameras is the only real disappointment. Moto Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 both boast better higher mega pixel cameras. However, this didn't effect my judgment in buying my iPad.

The overall design, the high quality material and the long battery life all makes up for the OK cameras.

I have yet to test the Verizon 3G network on my iPad 2, but when I get the chance I'll update this blog.

No comments: