Frog's Digital Design Blog » Eric Steele

The (completely made up) iPad Review

Eric Steele — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:13:40 +0000

The embargo is over and I can finally announce that I have not had an iPad to play with or review for the past week (not like that Andy Ihnatko fellow). Yes, I signed an embargo to not say that I didn’t have an iPad before the release. I’m terrible about contracts (I have 8 time shares, 4 adopted children, 2 wives, and an endorsement deal from Rita’s Water Ice). Now that I can finally talk about the fact that I have nothing to talk about, I thought I’d share my (completely made up) review of Apple’s new iPad.

The Missing Piece

When Apple first announced the iPad, they promised to fill the lonely, pathetic void that laptops and cellphones leave in your life. Steve was quick to point out how much of an idiot you had to be to own a netbook, and wanted to make you feel better about yourself for making the stupid, moronic mistake of investing in a cheap, underpowered laptop. The solution to your complete incompetence was the iPad.

Now that I’ve had my hands on an iPad, I can confidently say that I live a much more fulfilling life. I read books again. I can grow a fuller mustache. I was able to kick my pesky skittles addiction. All of this, thanks to the iPad.

Apps, Apps, Apps!

While the nay sayers have been saying nay since the iPad was announced, calling it a big iPhone, I have been pretty confident in the potential of a beefed up device with a big screen. My god, was I so totally right! The apps that I previewed are absolutely mind blowing. While I’m still under embargo (and contractual obligation to mention how delicious a Rita’s Misto Shake is when you combine chocolate mint water ice with chocolate custard) from several app developers, I can say one thing: 3D is coming, and it’s going to be huge.

First Impressions

When I first opened the box, I was surprised at how brown it was. In all the pictures and videos you see circulating on the internets, it looks like the iPad’s back is made of aluminum and the bezel is black. It turns out that everything is brown. Very brown. It takes a little while to get used to, but after about 20 minutes, I can confidently say that brown is my new favorite color and Apple made a brilliant design choice.

Once I got comfortable with how brown the iPad was, my attention turned to the weight. The walk-through videos that Apple has posted on their site show people easily lifting the iPad with one hand. I have no idea how they can do this. Before I installed any apps, it easily weighed 30-40 pounds. After I got a few apps installed, it weighed upwards of 90 pounds. If you plan on taking this tablet on the road, you may want to invest in a gait belt or a wheeled suitcase.

After spending 10 minutes trying to find the power button, the iPad turned on almost magically. It turns out the applause from a studio audience on tv was loud enough to activate the Clapper which is embedded in the upper left of bezel, just like the ambient light sensor on the iPhone/iPod Touch. Technology sure has come a long way and I’m glad to be a part of it.

Final Thoughts

We have come to always look forward to the next big thing that will change the way we work, play, dance, and work. I can confidently say after the time that I’ve spent putting the iPad through it’s (again, completely made up) paces, the iPad is that next big thing. That is, of course, until Apple makes the device that fills that void between the iPad and the iPhone, which my sources tell me will be called the iPhad.

How I Can Justify Buying an iPad

Eric Steele — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:59:43 +0000

When I talk to people about getting the iPad, it’s pretty common for them to dismiss my enthusiasm for fanboyism (a word that gives me a headache, just trying to spell it “correctly”). I see this little device as the thing that will make certain tasks easier, and maybe even get me into old habits again. So, while I patiently wait, I’d like to share what makes me excited about the iPad:

Reading

I had an argument with a coworker the other day about how I just don’t read books. There isn’t a reason. I like books, and I like to read. I do it all the time with blog posts, news articles, and instructional writings. Honestly, the internet is probably the best thing to happen to my reading habits. The problem is that I’ve migrated to the browser, so my reading experience is looked at as browsing the web instead of the traditional kick-back-my-feet book reading. I know that there will be some kind of awesome news aggregator app designed specifically on the strengths of the ipad, and with the ibooks app, I will finally have a traditional ereader (or should it be ireader?). I might actually be able to find some comfortable middle ground between traditional reading and my browsing habits.

Games

Something has broken inside me that doesn’t allow me to get into involving video games anymore. It may be work, it may be a change of interests, but I just can’t split up a 30-40 hour game without getting bored and moving to something else. I’ve got a stack of games that remain unplayed because I just can’t find a few hours and the motivation to get into them. Enter casual gaming. I loved some of the games available on the iphone. Peggle was absolutely awesome, Jelly Car made me laugh, and Apple’s Texas Hold’em was a brilliant iteration of a traditional game. I have a Nintedo DS and I’ve had my teeth sunk into Scribblenauts, but since I discovered that a pterodactyl and a grappling hook can solve pretty much any problem, my interest has tapered off. Gaming on the iphone was a lot of fun, and I can only imagine what developers will come up with given all that new screen real estate (*cough* Plants vs. Zombies *cough*).

Design

Sometimes, I just don’t enjoy using photoshop. I keep on revisiting it, telling myself that I just need to learn the conventions and it will work a lot better, but it still often ends in a headache. Apple’s Pages application is what I prefer to use for quick mock-ups because it is much more natural. Text boxes and images snap right where I want them, and nothing gets in the way of my ideas. The idea of having that kind of power on a big screen with multitouch just makes me giddy.

Everything Else

What really gets me excited is the stuff that I can’t think of. The iphone app store is home to some of the most creative apps and talented developers of our time. They see the iphone and ipod touch as so much more than a phone or media device. They look at the multitouch screen, internet connectivity, and a plethora of other hardware assets and see a moldable, plastic device, capable of so much more. I wouldn’t have thought I could use an iphone as a mouse/keyboard, or as place to dump my meaningless thoughts into twitter, or as a friggin’ sonic tape measurer. I’m excited about realizing what else the ipad can do.

This friday, the pre-orders start, and I’m going with the most basic $499 wifi-16GB model because that’s all I will need. All of the things I’m excited about can be done without massive storage or a constant 3G connection. The ship date is April 3rd, and until then, I’m going to keep thinking of situations where the iPad will be a perfect fit. The masses may not see a use for the iPad, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless.

Android vs iPhone – Comparing Apples and Oranges

Eric Steele — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:19:54 +0000

I have been quite vocal about my switch from the iPhone to the Droid in my immediate circles, but I haven’t really been detailed about it. I promised a writeup to The Floating Frog, but I just haven’t been able to get around to it. There has been some unknown block keeping me from really getting into the nitty gritty of a phone vs. phone comparison.

I think I’m finally able to address that. I was frustrated with the iPhone experience and I really wanted to change. So I did. It was as simple as that. There was no lengthy montage of me comparing the two phones over the course of two weeks. There was no dramatic music that played when I finally walked into the Verizon store to pick up the Droid. It just happened, and in retrospect, I should have done it earlier.

The iPhone has a massive catalog of apps. The Android OS doesn’t tell you the best way to use your phone. It’s as simple as that. There are many more subtle pros and cons to each device, but that is really all you need to know about each phone. They are both capable of almost the same things, it’s just a matter of how easy it is for you do them, or if you need to do anything at all.

The iPhone has some fantastic app standards in place and has really made it easy for developers to craft a quality app. Tweetie 2 is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of modern app development. The problem with the iPhone platform is the platform itself. The ridiculous app approval process stifles creativity, and the lack of background processes severely limits the potential of apps in our always-connected lifestyle. This is never going to change.

Android is the antithesis of the iPhone platform in that it is completely open and they put the responsibility of the user experience on the user. Yes, there are some standards in place and a “google experience” that the devices attempt to deliver, but, outside of that, you can put whatever developers can cook up on your phone the minute they are done with it. I like that freedom. That is why I have decided to switch to the Droid. It’s my phone, not Googles’.

I did not come to this decision easily, for the sole reason that I felt it shouldn’t have been an easy decision to come to. I waffled for way too long about things that just didn’t really affect me. So here’s my advice if this kind of decision has fallen into your lap: don’t stress out over it. Just pick a device and learn to love it, because it’s going to be with you wherever you go. After all, it is just a phone…