iPad 2 addict I was called

Manila, Philippines – Am I? According to somebody who shall not be named I have become an iPad addict, overnight.

I’m neither agreeing nor disagreeing. As with any gadgets I’ve owned, the latest always steals away my time and attention the most. That is until a new and better one comes along.

The remark I believe is more like a personal jab because I had scoffed at those who drooled and wanted others to also drool over iPads.

I like my iPad 2, true. But it’s my eyes that it causes to water, not my mouth. With a sleeker profile and finish than the original model and with a good display to view all kinds of media files, the iPad 2 is a real piece of eye candy. It’s easy to use it for hours until you’re teary-eyed.

By now, every facet of the iPad 2’s technical specifications and functionalities has been written about, discussed and critiqued so I won’t go into that anymore. After using it for a month, however, I now have a good sense of its real worth to me and know exactly what I like and dislike about it. Experience is the best teacher and the following is what I’ve learned so far from my iPad 2:

• It has very high entertainment value. With all the games, videos, photos, podcasts, music, Web, FaceTime, and e-books it holds, really, who needs sleep?

• As I suspected all along, it would be a hoot with the 70-year-olds and seven-year-olds. Never was there a device that made both age groups fight for control as to whose finger would slice a fruit in half, launch an Angry Bird or rub Talking Tom’s belly. The technophobe seniors respond well to touch-screen technology.

• On days you don’t want to bring a computer, even one as thin as the 11-inch MacBook Air, bringing an iPad 2 instead guarantees you won’t be bored, be offline (if it’s the Wi-Fi + 3G model), and be unproductive.

• With all the fingertip action the iPad 2 display gets in one day, I would have preferred that Apple already made it smudge-free. The layers of fingerprints users leave on their iPad 2 screens are very visible especially when the unit has been turned off. The streaks are not hard to wipe clean, but they’re still unpleasant to see.

• My iPad 2 won’t replace my real work computer. I haven’t really been productive using the iPad 2 for work. As a writer who pounds at keyboards to make a living, I am unable to type fast using the virtual keyboard on the iPad. I’ve seen detachable keyboard for iPads but, to me, those are just plain silly!

• For the money people pay for an iPad 2, would it really kill Apple if they gave it a card reader or at least a USB port? If you’re a photographer, you won’t like this obvious omission.

• The iPad 2 has a versatile camera that can take photos of what’s in front or at its back. It saves images automatically to the Photo app. Problem is it’s quite awkward to train an iPad to take a photo. This is one case when the iPad becomes clunky to use. When it comes to photography, I don’t see it taking over the job of my digital cameras yet.

• A great companion to the new iPad 2 is the so-called smartcover that comes in different colors. I bought the blue one made from polyurethane for $39 to protect my unit. Real leather smartcovers in black, red, beige and off-white are more expensive at $69.

The smartcover magnetically attaches its metal hinge to the side of the iPad 2 with no fuss. Then it does the job of automatically putting the iPad 2 to sleep the moment it flatly covers the display, and instantly waking it up even with just a third of the cover lifted away from the screen.

But sometimes, when the iPad is inside a bag, it’s inevitable for some thin object like the tip of an envelope or a pen to accidentally insert itself to create a gap between the iPad and the smartcover. This causes the unit to wake up and drain the battery in the process. The smartcover fits snugly on an iPad 2, but inside a woman’s busy bag, such small accidents could occur.

• More on the smartcover: it’s easy for the metal hinge to get detached as you’re rotating the tablet or when you’re holding the unit while folding the smartcover to turn it into a stand. I also find the synthetic material hard to clean.

• Volume, please. I find the audio quality of the iPad 2 to be average, sometimes even weak.

• Who do I blame for iPad games that keep on hanging? Hmph.

• The iPad 2 is supposed to continuously run for 10 hours on a fully charge battery. We want more.

• It’s easy to accidentally press the main control button situated at the middle area of the iPad 2 frame. This is so frustrating when one is about get past a very difficult game level.

So, have I really turned into an iPad 2 addict overnight? Yes, to some extent and judging by the increase in my App Store spending. My iPad 2 also put my Nintendo DS out of commission and, I have also not been playing games on my smartphone as often as I used to. The iPad 2 is easy to appreciate sans the hype and a printed user manual (it’s not Apple’s style to give one). Overall, I’m glad it didn’t disappoint or my waiting in line for two hours outside an Apple Store in Las Vegas to get it would have been for naught. –Alma Buelva (The Philippine Star)