New iPad Keyboard

There are a lot of gadgets for the iPad and the first one I've bought is the IPAD-2 ALUMINUN BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD/ STAND/CARRY COVER. Now this is cool! It is a fully functional keyboard which effectively turns your iPad into a laptop - I am typing this post with it. It is also a cover which looks like the iPad reverse side - very strong and good looking too. It does make the iPad heavier when carrying both, but it is a reassuring strength. The keyboard is small - especially for big awkward fingers like mine, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. The biggest thing to get over is not having a mouse or touchpad - but the touch screen still works of course. Already I am getting used to typing and touching at the same time. 

So whenever I need a laptop, I can turn my iPad into one. I think I will still use it mostly as a tablet, but when writing long items like this post, a keyboard is very useful - not to mention more space on the screen to see what I have written.

I'd certainly recommend this gadget. I bought it on Amazon for 23 euro (just discovered that there is no euro symbol) and it was delivered within two days.

Kindle vs iPad eBook Reader - my view

I have just finished reading my second book ever on an eBook reader. Last Christmas I was given the Amazon Kindle as a gift and I read Dava Sobel's "Galileo's Daughter" (see my review here). Despite a lot of errors in the Kindle version of the book, I found the reading experience a very good one. Yesterday I finished reading Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" on the Apple iPad - which I had downloaded for free from the Kindle store. 

Image link to DigitalTrends.

There is no doubt that as a tablet computer, the iPad exceeds almost everything that the Kindle does. The one thing that it does not do better is the Kindle eBook reader App. While I found that Dava Sobel's "Galileo's Daughter" was formatted a bit better on the iPad, the Kindle is a far better reading experience for me. It is lighter and easier to hold while reading - but crucially the text is far clearer and the background softer to make it very comfortable and easy on the eyes. Yesterday I tried reading the iPad in the Conservatory, but the alternating rain and sunshine made it difficult to see because of the glare during bright sunshine. Now that I am about to get my Kindle back (my daughter has had it for weeks) I expect that it will be my preferred choice for reading from now on. The good thing is that when you buy a book from Amazon, you can get it on both the Kindle and iPad at no extra charge.

"Pride and Prejudice" is, to my almost certain knowledge, the only book I have ever read twice. The other book was George Orwell's "1984" which I had read in school during the 1970s, and read again in the year 1984. P&P was the main English text for the Intermediate (Junior) Certificate exam in 1975. It's an excellent story that I have also seen many times on TV and film. The English prose is difficult to follow sometimes - I wonder if people really spoke like the dialogue in the book all the time in the early 1800s? Nevertheless, it was very enjoyable to read the book again and feel the presences of two of  English literature's strongest and most favourite characters - Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. In 2003, P&P came second in the BBC's The Big Read, a national poll to find Britain's best-loved book" (Lord of the Rings was 1st).

iPads for students - a "ridiculous idea" says Dad

Now sometimes I get irate and rant about the stupid things that people say before they really think things through. In yesterday's Irish Independent, Linda McGrory writes about iPads for pupils hit parents but they won’t need books. At the end of the article, a "father" states that he feels that he "will now have little option but to look for another Credit Union loan to finance this ridiculous idea". The school in question is Carndonagh Community School in Co Donegal, who are considering using iPads in the classroom and are consulting with parents. Well done to this school for thinking progressively. (Declaration - I have an iPad).

Cartoon by Dave Walker.
Find more cartoons you can freely
re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

iPads start at €479 (this IS a lot of money) for WiFi only - on top of this it is easy to get up to a 10% educational discount from Apple, and I'm sure they are open to even more discounts when bulk buying. The article above quotes a price of €750 per iPad - now this is "ridiculous".

Meanwhile, in New York - according to the Obama Pacman website, iPads are "a hit with educators and students" and that many "universities, high schools, even kindergartners are ordering hundreds or thousands of iPad to go paperless". New York City public schools have ordered more than 2,000 iPads for $1.3 million. This IS a lot of money, but despite the upfront cost that may seem too extravagant to those who don’t understand cost of ownership, iPads (or similar devices) would save schools and students money over time. This is primarily done by reducing printing and textbook costs.

Apple are making a big push into the education market - and the iPad is leading this push. Clearly Apple is serious about education (and making money) - but for me they have hit on a winner here. Even if it is only used to replace textbooks, I think it is more than worth it. Check out the following video from Apple if you still need convincing:

iPad in the classroom a "ridiculous idea" says Dad - a "brilliant idea" says Eugene!

At last - I have an iPad

Short post (I'm bragging again!) - I bought a second hand nearly new 16GB WiFi only iPad today and have just started setting it up. I'm so excited to add the iPad to my digital life - lots of apps and "stuff" to load. I even had to add "iPad" to my dictionary so that it would not show as a spelling error.

Image link to the Mobile Beat site.

According to this report - the iPad has "88% of global tablet web traffic". Here's hoping that I can add to that!

One of the main things I want to do is use this device at work and for educational purposes. One of my first ports of call is "The Inside Lane" - a blog by Nigel Lane with several resources for iPads in education. I'll be looking for more, but today I am an iPad newbie. After set up and sync, my iPad (I love saying that already!) looks like my iPhone (I've loved saying that for a few years now) - same apps and layout. I'm looking forward to setting it up and connecting to WiFi. No doubt I'll write more about this!