iPad Tried Sony E-Reader, Kindle 2, will try Apple now

[jibril]

I tried the Sony E-Reader and Kindle 2. My biggest complaint is the current state of e-ink. While I liked the idea of ultra-long battery life of the technology - the contrast sucks. Read dark gray on light grayish beige isn't nice, for my eyes at least. I returned both devices although I bought both with great hope.

Whispernet of Amazon is a great idea, but the wikipedia pages took forever to load in reality and the rest of the internet rendering was poor (on the 6"). It wasn't the purpose of this machine, but the extra capability would have been nice.

Now, I wasn't in the mood to look for another e-book device, but my father has been pressing me to teach him the computer. His previous experience is limited to ATM machines and several failed attempts (minutes) of computer time. He still dictates email to my mom and she reads them off the screen. Any research is done the same way.

Christmas last month, my older brother wanted a computer. We got him something at Costco - his experience with computers is as extensive as my dad's. Every step is painful, got him a gmail address - he forgets it so often that everybody in the extended family, including his divorced ex-wife and kids, now knows his password because he can't grasp the meaning of security. He literally runs to me every 5 minutes to relearn something that I taught him already. Baby steps, baby steps. He still has trouble with the basics - but you have to learn it over time and just absorb what a computer is by experience, not read about it or take lessons.

They're not stupid people, computers just have tons of quirks and idiosyncrasies we computer literate put up with unconsciously and its hard to get back into the mind of a beginner.

I'm the computer geek in the family, and that unfortunately means spending hours with relatives' broken beige boxes :-( Now my dad wants me to teach him the "computer" since he saw I "taught" my brother (I won't brag successfully yet, it may take years).

Anyway, I hope the iPad is good. Rather than put up with another notebook I'll have to babysit, this is what I'm getting my old man. All he wants to do is surf, research, and email anyway. I want less devices and people to handhold.

Once it's out, will update how it is as an e-reader. If it's any good, maybe I'll buy one for myself too.

[Bremen Cole]

I know what it's like to be the family computer geek

I like my little Sony, but if the iPad is at least 3/4 what I think it will be, I will get one. I like my iPhone for reading, but the screen is so small it gets tedious (to me).

[jibril]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

I like my little Sony, but if the iPad is at least 3/4 what I think it will be, I will get one. I like my iPhone for reading, but the screen is so small it gets tedious (to me).

My iPhone will be the reason I might not get an iPad for myself, but for my father, he needs reading glasses - so the iPhone is out of the question.

I have to say my life is a bit easier now that most of my relatives are away from XP Home (be it Vista, Windows 7, or OS X).

I tried spreading Ubuntu, but people don't understand why their programs don't work on it (unless Wine happens to work).

[SCION]

Originally Posted by jibril

...
I'm the computer geek in the family...

, but it sounds like you have patience; I don't. If I show/tell you something twice, I expect you to fully grasp it. I wish everyone in the family had Macs, but then again that's just another steep learning curve. I won't be upgrading anyone's XP machine either; don't want the bombardment of "how do I do this?". The iPad sounds ideal for what you seek.

[dragonbone]

Originally Posted by jibril

Anyway, I hope the iPad is good. Rather than put up with another notebook I'll have to babysit, this is what I'm getting my old man. All he wants to do is surf, research, and email anyway. I want less devices and people to handhold.

Once it's out, will update how it is as an e-reader. If it's any good, maybe I'll buy one for myself too.

What a brilliant idea! There is nothing to crash, nothing to accidentally delete, no viruses to worry about etc. It is also a beautiful looking gadget that is easy and fun to learn.
I'm in Japan and my grandma was in South Africa. She was always amazed that I could make hours of international phone calls (with Skype) 'over the computer', send and receive faxes from email -I set up a local number attached to my email so that she could fax me at the cost of a local call.
She was amazed that I could send her flowers (with a personal card and message) regularly to her doorstep 'all the way from overseas' . Buy luxury groceries for her every now and again, or even clothes when she got too frail to go shopping (she would send me the order by fax, and get it the next day - magic) and tell her the exact time frame of delivery - local online shop... Make CD compilations for her, with her name etc. beautifully printed on the CD. Lots of other things too, like paying her bills online all the way from 'overseas'. Basically she thought I was some kind of Harry Potter.
Finally she wanted me to buy her a computer and 'come and visit for a week and teach her'...
If she had still been alive, I would have slept outside all night in lines, the day before iPad sales, hopped on a plane the next day and taken it to her! Without a doubt! Actually that was one of the first things I thought about when I saw the iPad launch, how darn easy it would have been for grandma to 'learn' to use!
Hope you all don't mind my story... I miss her so much!

[SCION]

Originally Posted by dragonbone

Hope you all don't mind my story... I miss her so much!

Not at all! Your fondness of her warms my heart. I'm sorry yours aches.

[Bremen Cole]

Good story dragonbone.... I often think of folks in my life that are gone, and how they would have enjoyed some of the new technology's. Sounds to me like your grandma was very blessed to have you in her life...

[dragonbone]

What a lovely thing to say Scion and Bremen Cole! Much appreciated!

[dreams]

dragonbone, your grandma was blessed to have such a loving grand daughter like you in her life.

[jibril]

Thanks for sharing DragonBone, sounded like a lovely lady

[lene1949]

Heartwarming story, Dragonbone... My mother is now demented, but I was fully prepared to teach her the basics on the computer years ago, so she could communicate with me easier from Denmark... Unfortunately she didn't want to learn... and I don't think the features of the Ipad would have changed her mind...

[lene1949]

Originally Posted by jibril

My iPhone will be the reason I might not get an iPad for myself, but for my father, he needs reading glasses - so the iPhone is out of the question.

I have reading glasses, and I read fine on my ipod and previous 5-6 years on my Palm.

I find the ipod very easy to read on.

[bugladydi]

You gave me a good idea dragonbone ... I will order two iPads and give the other to an older relative who likes the idea of email and soliatire and books on the computer but finds the whole computer thing intimidating. I think the iPad will be really good for someone like her! Sorry you lost your Grandma - how sweet you were to her!

[SCION]

Originally Posted by bugladydi

You gave me a good idea dragonbone ... I will order two iPads and give the other to an older relative who likes the idea of email and soliatire and books on the computer but finds the whole computer thing intimidating. I think the iPad will be really good for someone like her! Sorry you lost your Grandma - how sweet you were to her!

Excellent idea for gift-giving!

[bugladydi]

Scion - I did not think about the iPad's usefulness to older people who would really benefit from an always on type of easy-to-use device that is big enough to see! I now can think of several older relatives that might really like one! Better pay down the Visa!