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Gadgets in the Wild: Our First Hand iPad Travel Review

April 14, 2010 at 10:04 AM | by | Comments (3)

The iPad is all the rage in the tech world, so we took the new tablet on a spin as we traveled the East Coast last week. Here are nine takeaway points we think are worth mentioning, based on our experience.

1. The iPad is much lighter to carry on trips, a svelte 1.5 lbs as opposed to laptops which weigh in around six pounds.

2. For a limited time only the iPad will get you more attention in an airport terminal than a new puppy. Obviously this could be a plus or a minus.

3. Though TSA has officially told screeners that the iPad didn't need to be removed from your bag and placed in a separate plastic bin. However, keep your expectations low, and remember if you don't take it out and the agent decides they want to treat this device like a laptop, you will quickly become "that guy" or "that girl" in the security line that slows everyone up.

4. If, in the last year, you have found yourself using your laptop as a giant battery for your iPhone, the iPad will have an immediate impact on your travel life. It is far easier to send emails, edit docs, and search the web on the iPad instead of your phone.

5. Despite the fact that the iPad has magazine and newspaper apps, you still might not be able to walk past the airport newsstand yet. Those magazine covers still catch your eye and seem like an easier way to get exactly the type of reading you want for your terminal wait/plane ride. In the future, this may or may not be the case, there are many scenarios that would make the newsstand completely go away, but don't bet on it in the near term future.

6. While the iPad doesn't replace your office desk experience, or your laptop on the road for some folks, you may be able to leave your laptop at home. The key is what computing tasks you need to complete on the road. Email, editing docs, web searching - you are good to go with an iPad. Image uploading and manipulation, composing long docs or presentations, or coding, gonna need that laptop. If this device added a camera and a USB port -- the laptop would stay on the desk during quick trips for sure.

7. The iPad is backlit, and is a better book reading experience than the Kindle.

8. Battery life is legit, or so it seems so far -- we can vouch for 8 hours of battery life.

9. The fact that there currently aren't many (any?) cases offered for this device may casue travelers to be in a constant state of panic about breaking/damaging the iPad. You will worry about the iPad more than the other devices you travel with, until a suitable case hits the market.

Related Stories:
· Apple's iPad Will Revolutionize the Way We Travel [Jaunted]
· Apple iPad Won't Revolutionize The Way We Travel [Jaunted]
· Technology news [Jaunted]

Comments (3)

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better than the kindle?

Great post and I agree on all points except that the iPad is a better book reading experience than the Kindle. I have a Kindle as well as an iPad and while the iPad is hands down more "cool" and "neat" to play with--- when it comes down to actually reading, the backlight to me is too strong. Regular books don't have a backlight which is what is so genius about the kindle; Its easy on the eyes just like an old-school book, but with the benefit of it being like 100 old school books in one small electronic package. Diana
diana ellefson on April 14, 2010 at 1:35 PM #Permalink

Kindle

Don't own one, but I did a read by read comparison using my neighbors kindle and liked the reading experience better on the iPad. Then again, since I never owned a kindle I was not familiar with reading on one, so maybe the unfamiliarity actually tilted me towards the iPad reading experience.
markj on April 14, 2010 at 9:00 PM #Permalink

Good article

I just finished a three week trip to Japan and my iPad proved to be a valuable tool. I agree with pretty much everything said in the article ... even the comment about the iPad vs. the Kindle. My wife has a Kindle (older model) and I never really liked reading from it. I thought it lacked contrast, so for me it was difficult to read. The text on the iPad, on the other hand, seems to pop out at you and I find that easier and more enjoyable to read ... which is especially true for all the news and magazine apps I have. I did not encountered any problems with airport security on either the international flight or the domestic flights within Japan. As far as battery life, with my usage, I found I could go two days without a recharge ... but with pretty heavy usage one day was no problem. I did miss my laptop a little, but I don't exactly know why ... just a habit I guess.
Baldlars on June 26, 2010 at 2:35 AM #Permalink

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