Strange & Charmed

Well, I am not saying that the Dodocase is the Presidents iPad case of choice, however, this visual evidence is quiet persuasive. Yes, President Obama totes his white iPad 2 in a classic Dodocase, which begs the question, what color is the interior lining? Inquiring minds must know!

In order to test out the quality of the iPad 3’s iSight camera, the other day I went around the house taking random pictures. Some of them, I ended up making minor adjustments to in the new iPhoto app, which I have to say from the short time I was in the app editing the photos it was very easy to use and surprisingly full featured. So here are the pictures I shot, which I think came out very nicely. Overall I am pleased with the quality of the photos, but what do you think?

I just revamped my masthead as you may notice above. It needed an upgrade and so did the desk itself. I don’t even use my iPod Touch very much anymore, so I replaced it with some iPad 3’s for a much more up to date look. I also changed the idea board a little by replacing an apple logo with a new logo that Cousy made for me a while back. I love elephants and so a pink elephant will be my official blog logo. I guess that means I’m the pink elephant in the room, but I am okay with that!

Let me know what you think!

 Having just ripped open my new iPad 3 for the unboxing video I promised, I have spent the last few hours or so fiddling around with the new device to give all of you an idea on how significant an upgrade this model is from the iPad 1, which I have owned for about two years. Obviously, as I do not own the iPad 2 this review and comparison will mostly speak to the differences in the first and third models, but I know I will touch on things that will apply to current iPad 2 owners who may be considering the upgrade. First things first, I just can’t keep my hands off the device. Not sure if it is the change in size and weight or the general sparkly newness of a brand new device that is causing this, but either way I know me and this new guy are going to get along very well!

Right off the bat, the form factor, size, and weight of this device are a pleasant shock. Mimicking the design of the iPad 2 but with a little extra, albeit unnoticeable girth, the iPad 3 feels completely different in hand than the iPad 1. The screen too feels a little different as it does not seem as wide as the iPad 1 and indeed, although the screen is the same size, the bezels are different between the two models. It almost feels like I have less room to hold the iPad 3 around the edges than the iPad 1, but this is more of a psychological fear than a realistic one.

The iPad experience between the first and third generations is also similar yet remarkably different. Similar obviously because they are using the same operating system so I am familiar with how to navigate and use the iPad, however, the screen resolution is astonishingly crisp and clear. I never thought of my iPad 1 as having a subpar display, but this one blows it out of the water. Just quickly reading a few documents and webpages, you can really tell the difference and it leads to a more immersive experience. Another factor for this difference in user experience is the speed of the machine. If I recall the speed of my iPad 1 at first use, it was certainly fast, but as the time progressed it became a little laggy. Not to say it was unusable but this new iPad is bringing me back to that old feeling that the device I held in my hand was really quick and advanced. Now, if this speed begins will begin to lag eventually, we will have to see, but for now, it is quite snappy.

The final notable difference between the iPad’s 1 and 3 are of course the cameras. With no cameras in the iPad 1, this is an entirely new feature to me, and an upgrade to any iPad 2 users. From preliminary shots I can see that both cameras are a strong quality. The iSight is obviously better than the FaceTime camera, but I wouldn’t say the FaceTime camera is that bad at all. It feels similar to my macbook pro’s FaceTime camera which to me is a decent quality. The video on the iSight camera is also quiet nice and I would say it is comparable to the quality I get on my Cannon Powershot which does HD and regular video capture.

Overall, I am very happy with the new iPad and I am glad I waited for the 3 instead of settling for the 2 because for some who gets as much use out of the device as I do, I know this model has the quality to last me potentially longer than my first iPad.

With only four days remaining before my new iPad arrives, I can’t stop thinking of the cases I will want for it. Of course the options are slim right now, but I’m hoping that over the next few weeks, the newest iterations of some of my favorite cases make it to market. Of course, my iPad will not be completely without cover, as I did order the Smart Cover as well, but I am sure I will move to a more comprehensive cover once my favorites become available.

There are really just two cases that I am looking forward to getting for my iPad 3. The first is a case that I already own for my first generation iPad, the Switcheasy Cara case. I love this case because it provides an excellent amount of coverage while remaining sleek and stylish. The materials are of an outstanding quality and the design provides 360 degree protection while remaining incredibly sleek. Below I have included the video review I did for the case a while back as well as a stock photo of the case so you can get an idea of the form factor.

The second case I am interested in is a case I have never actually owned, the Field Folio case. Currently, this case is only available for the iPad 2, but I am crossing my fingers that it becomes available for the new iPad. Basically, this case is similar to the “moleskine” style cases that are abundantly available online, but this case is a bit unique as it comes in a variety of colored linens that make the case seem more like an actual notebook and less like all the other notebook cases as you can see from the image below.

Suffice to say, this post has actually made me even more excited about my impending iPad! I will be sure to keep you up to date on its status and make sure you stop by on Friday because I will have an early unboxing and review video up for sure once it arrives!

If you were still hoping to get a new iPad before Easter, you should probably get your camping gear ready. Apple has reportedly sold out of their pre-orders for the new iPad in every combination, leading to a 2 to 3 week wait for anyone who orders… today. That wait is expected to grow even more as the demand for the newest installment of iPads has been off the charts.

In my previous post, I discussed briefly my preordering experience for the new iPad, but I am sure some of you are going to want to know what it was that I preordered exactly. So, let me tell you.

I ordered a Black 32GB Wireless only model and a green polyurethane Smart Cover. Part of me is a little disappointed that I did not order the Wireless + 4G LTE option, however, I honestly did not think I would get the use out of the 4G model. I have wireless at home and at work. Restaurants and cafes I frequent also have free wifi and I do not commute to work via public transportation, so I am pretty much set with Wifi only. I did opt for the engraving option because, well, its awesome so why not!

Another question I feel as though I can predict from the masses is “What are you doing with your old iPad?” Good question! I am not going to sell it to Gazelle.com, which I briefly considered, neither do I plan to do a give-away (sorry to disappoint), instead I am going to give my old iPad to my step mother who will probably end up giving me a gift of money equal to or greater than what I would get from Gazelle. She will also get her choice of cases as I have a rather large collection, and anything that Cousy does not want for his own iPad will either be give-aways on my blog/youtube or given to friends with the first gen iPad. I wish I could sell some, but at this point I don’t think they are worth the time since my iPad is 2 years old now.

I hope that answered any questions you may have, but if it didn’t feel free to email me or leave a comment and I will try to get back to you! Now, who else has preordered and what did you end up ordering?