Say Goodbye to MacBook

 

iPad 2

As you guys already know, iPad 2 was launched in US on March 11th this year. Therefore the launched date for our beloved country was around end of April-early May. 

When I was in Kuala Lumpur, I saw that iPad 2s were sold out within few hours in Mid Valley. There I thought, "Aww, man! Hopefully by the time I can get one myself, it's still available..."

But then, when I finally got a chance to go to the only Apple Authorized Reseller that is selling iPad 2 in Kota Kinabalu, which is Technocrats in 1Borneo shopping mall, yep! It was sold out.

But the good news is, the'll restock their products once a month and finally after waiting almost one week, the stocks arrived.

....and I got myself this awesome iPad 2 white 16 GB Wi-Fi with 3G. I took the 1.5 GB data plan from Celcom and voila! All set and I'm ready to go! Thanks Dad for this awesome birthday present! ... And getting-a-good-CGPA present... Hehe I don't need much space as I already have iPod Classic to place all my music and my iPhone to put all important apps.


The front side

The back side

I bought original cover by Capdase

iPad 2... What else can I say... I waited for this generation to come out as I expected the same with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.. Thinner, lighter, and of course FaceTime!

This generation also came with A5 chip processor. The latest one as even iPhone 4 uses A4 chip. You guys know that all previous iPhones i.e. 1st gen, 2nd gen, 3rd gen and 3GS used Samsung processors right?

Other than that, though some of you might think that the purpose left for me to have this awesome gadget is merely entertainment, nope. Not at all as I'm planning to get myself the iWork apps i.e. Pages, Keynotes, and Numbers for iPad version so I can sync all my works and assignments in here. The photos are awesome in here as I got to enjoy them in full HD.

Twitter for iPad also one of the awesome apps as not only you can sign in multiple accounts simultaneously, you can go to these accounts easily as they're shown in single panel on the left side of the screen instead of hitting the back button like in iPhone.

Alright, then. I think that's all for my iPad experience for now at least. I'll update some more later on as I need to prepare the house for Eid celebration.


xoxo,
V

Should I?

Looking at my MacBook, iPod Classic 120 GB, and iPhone 3GS…

I was thinking to buy the latest version of them but since they’re still working properly (except my 3rd Generation iPod Touch – the screen was broken), I think I’m going to wait until next year…

Or maybe I’ll just get myself the white iPad 2 and the latest iMac… But then the iMac won’t do as I still have 2 years to live in the campus…

What should I do?

I’m not gonna spend money just on bags, shoes, dresses, and etc. on my birthday…

Of Tablet and Desktop PC

First of all, let me rewrite the title... As I'm going to write about the Desktop part in next entry...

Of Apple's iPad and Asus' Eee Pad

I saw this article by Vijay Ravindran, the current senior vice president and chief digital officer for The Washington Post, on how Asus triumphed over Apple with Android tablet, the then hard-to-find Android-based Asus Transformer, known as the Asus Eee Pad. (So much for the name...) in a local newspaper this morning and I'm gonna summarize on what I get from this easy to digest article and if I may, let me add up things a bit... 

In the article he mentioned about lots of things regarding the said tablet PC.  As a passionate user of Apple techs, I'm eager to learn about this iPad-like gadget. 

First, he compared the price of the Asus Eee Pad with its closest relatives, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 that costs around RM1300 (according to here), the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad 2 that cost around RM1499 and the Motorola Xoom that costs around RM1750 (according to here), while its 16 GB version only costs around RM1200 and the 32GB version costs around RM1500. Quite cheaper, I guess. 

As I'm also agree with the fact that making a direct pricing comparison is quite tricky, because different tablets with different features and of course with different prices. Plus, this Asus Eee Pad doesn't offer a carrier contract (unlike iPad) as it's a Wi-Fi-only device. Not for me then, as I need to online all the time and in my hometown, there aren't many of Wi-Fi hotspots and Starbucks cafes aren't open until 3 in the morning. 

Now, let's talk about the Asus Eee Pad best selling point which is its unique keyboard dock. While other tablets have Bluetooth keyboard options, he finds it lacking the option for a mouse. In addition to being Android keyboard with home, menu and back buttons, the dock supplies roughly 6 additional hours if battery life, 2 USB ports, and a full-size memory card slot. Actually, it's quite surprising for me to see the tablet when it's docked as the entire unit folds like a traditional netbook. 

Alright, peeps! Now we go to the part I enjoy talking about at any time of day; softwares i.e the applications. 

First, the DoubleTwist, it's an Android apps that allows you to sync photos, music and playlists on your iTunes with the Asus Eee Pad over a Wi-Fi network. This can't be done with first-generation iPad but with the new Apple's iCloud app that launched together with MacOs X Lion and iOS 5 on June this year, its feature now allows for iTunes purchases to sync on account holder's authorized Apple devices wirelessly. 

Next, he mentioned about browsing experience. Asus' stock browser beats Safari because it supports Flash. Take note of this, Apple-crews! 

As for e-mailing, Touchdown is a powerful e-mail app that is only available on Android-based gadgets. He said it can be directly compared to Outlook or Entourage and yes, I know how significant this is as it works quite the same as iPad's native e-mail client. 

So, I guess he's happy with his Transformer. 

Alright, so basically it boils down to your needs when it comes to gadgets, right?

The guy's MacBook Air had a meeting with his baby bottles so he was looking for a replacement and the Transformer has allowed him to replace both his iPad and his broken MacBook Air. 

As for myself, I'm still thinking of getting the iPad 2. Well, mostly because a DSLR camera has climbed up to the top of my 2011 wish-list so yes... I guess I'm going to wait some more. 

Same goes with iPhone. I was planning to get the white iPhone 4 myself but when Dad got it for himself early this month and landed me his 3GS while Mom is still using the white 2G, I learned that the 4th generation features are still not up to my satisfaction. 

So, again... Like I said, I'm going to wait some more. 

Anyway, the purpose of this entry is to warn you guys to buy your gadgets wisely (I learn it hard way though) and be sure to make thorough surveys especially when you guys are buying the expensive ones. Some will say that you still can upgrade it if you're not satisfied with it, right? True. But then, it's unlikely to upgrade to a better screen and a sharper even a HD camera, compare to what you already have in your hands, right?


P.S: Apple has developed wireless keyboards and of course the magic mouse, I guess it's not going to be much longer before iPad can be docked on a keyboard too. Who knows it also can be folded into half of its size and slipped into your back pocket?

Signing out!
V